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113-652: Unlike most other collegiate marching bands, the Cal Band is not under the University's Department of Music, but rather the Department of Student Musical Activities, along with other student-led organizations such as the University of California Jazz Ensembles and University of California Choral Ensembles . The Executive Committee is the administrative head of the Cal Band and is formed by five student leaders and

226-588: A West Side Story historical timeline, archival photographs, complete lyrics, and rehearsal and performance photos from the June 2013 live performances at Davies Symphony Hall. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Musical Theater Album . In November 2014 on their SFS Media label, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony released Masterpieces in Miniature,

339-698: A collection of short orchestral works by Mahler, Debussy, Schubert, Dvořák, Sibelius, Ives, and featuring Pianist Yuja Wang in Litolff’s Scherzo from Concerto symphonique No. 4. The recording was released in conjunction with the celebration of MTT's 20th season as music director of the SF Symphony. In May 2015, MTT and the SFS released a live recording of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, followed by another release in August 2015 –

452-591: A gala concert conducted by Edo de Waart , televised live on PBS and hosted by violinist/conductor Yehudi Menuhin . Davies Symphony Hall underwent extensive remodeling in the 1990s to correct a number of acoustical problems. The hall is also home to the second largest concert hall organ in North America, a Fratelli Ruffatti 5–147. The orchestra has a long history of recordings, most notably those made with Pierre Monteux for RCA Victor , Herbert Blomstedt for Decca , and Michael Tilson Thomas for RCA Victor and

565-683: A highly successful East Coast tour in April 2016 which included performances in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. In November 2016, the San Francisco Symphony, together with Michael Tilson Thomas, embarked on its fourth tour of Asia with performances in Seoul, South Korea; Tainan, Taiwan; Taipei, Taiwan; Shanghai, China; Beijing, China; Osaka, Japan; and Tokyo, Japan. In 2006,

678-641: A home in San Francisco, planning to stay for many years. However, he agreed to become music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and for a time simultaneously directed both orchestras. After leaving San Francisco, Ozawa has returned twice as guest conductor. Edo de Waart succeeded Ozawa in 1977. Though considered to be not as flamboyant as Ozawa, de Waart maintained the orchestra's high standards, leading to additional recordings, including its first digital sessions. He conducted

791-792: A jazz education and performance center. Following the trips by the Wednesday Night Band to the Northridge Jazz Festival and the renowned Reno Jazz Festival, Tucker embarked on hosting the UC Jazz Ensembles own collegiate jazz festival. The Pacific region festival, which had been hosted by Cal State Northridge in Northridge, California, was part of the American College Jazz Festival, which existed from 1967 to 1973. When

904-459: A live audio recording of Absolute Jest and Grand Pianola Music by John Adams . The album contains the first-ever recording of Absolute Jest , originally commissioned by the SF Symphony and premiered in 2012 during the orchestra's American Mavericks festival. In November 2015, SFS Media released "Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 & Mass in C." In March 2016, it released its album of music by Mason Bates, "Works for Orchestra", which includes

1017-450: A mentor to many and always took time to advise, lend a hand, or just chat. The organization has proven to be an effective recruitment tool for U.C. Berkeley, with many high school musicians interested in attending U.C. Berkeley but also interested in performing jazz finding it to fit both interests. The PCCJF itself promoted U.C. Berkeley, surprisingly to many high school students attracted to the campus mainly because of its academic renown, as

1130-709: A mission statement to foster a community for the performance, study, and promotion of jazz at U.C. Berkeley, its Wednesday Night big band provides free concerts every Thursday noon on Lower Sproul Plaza, its various units perform throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including area high schools, travel to collegiate jazz festivals, and perform overseas, and for many years it sponsored the annual Pacific Coast Jazz Festival. It also provides master classes by its instructors and clinics by prominent guest artists. It has nurtured numerous musicians who have become professional jazz musicians and educators. UC Jazz Ensembles

1243-427: A procession of Cal alumni and fans. During home football games the band gives a pre-game show, a half time show that changes every week, and typically a musical performance after the game as the crowd leaves. During the game, the band is seated to the left of the primary student section, and plays stand songs, as well as fight songs throughout the game. A "break off" band performed in the front of each major section during

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1356-502: A sabbatical and he announced his retirement in 1985. Susan Muscarella became the director, appointing saxophonist Dave Le Febvre as Associate Director. Dave LeFebvre and Robert Calonico were co-directors between 1989 and 1995, Michael Stryker was director in the 1996 school year, and Bevan Manson was director from 1998 to 2000. The big bands and combo programs continued the ambitious programs begun under Tucker, winning awards at jazz festivals throughout California. After years of lobbying of

1469-660: Is a marching band consisting of former Cal Band members. The Cal Alumni Band is run by the non-profit Cal Band Alumni Association and is a subset of the Cal Alumni Association , an organization that handles alumni affairs of the University of California, Berkeley . The Cal Alumni Band performs at various events such as: San Francisco AIDS Walk, Alumni Band Day, the Fourth of July Parade in Sausalito, California , Cal Basketball Games, and many other performances in

1582-591: Is one of three groups, with the Cal (marching) Band and UC Choral Ensembles, forming Student Musical Activities (SMA), a department within Cal Performances on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Its members are primarily U.C. Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, representing many academic disciplines. Although a big band had existed briefly on the U.C. Berkeley campus in the late 1950s, the long-lasting UC Jazz Ensembles itself had its beginnings in 1966. The response

1695-489: The Frost Amphitheater at Stanford University . Fiedler's relationship with the orchestra continued until the mid-1970s. When Monteux left the orchestra in 1952, various conductors led the orchestra, including Leopold Stokowski , Georg Solti , Erich Leinsdorf , Karl Münchinger , George Szell , Bruno Walter , Ferenc Fricsay , and William Steinberg . Stokowski made a series of RCA Victor recordings with

1808-613: The London Symphony Orchestra . Thomas had guest conducted the orchestra as far back as 1974, and already had a relationship with the musicians. Like Ozawa, Thomas ensured that the orchestra played more American music and this has been carried through to its recordings, for RCA/BMG and its own label SFS Media. Thomas focused on Russian music, particularly Stravinsky, as well as a prominent Mahler cycle. He recruited London Symphony Orchestra leader Alexander Barantschik to become SFS concertmaster . During his leadership

1921-533: The San Francisco Bay Area and across California . University of California Jazz Ensembles The University of California Jazz Ensembles , also known as the UC Jazz Ensembles, UC Jazz, or UCJE, is the student jazz organization founded in 1967 on the University of California, Berkeley, campus. Founded in 1967, it comprises one or more big bands, numerous jazz combos, a vocal jazz ensemble, an alumni big band, and instructional classes. With

2034-521: The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra , Sonny Rollins , Cal Tjader , Jean-Luc Ponty , Cannonball Adderley , Herbie Mann , among others, was the musical director for many years for vocalist Nancy Wilson , and was the director of the house band for The Arsenio Hall Show ; Andy Narell , a pianist with the UC Jazz Ensembles who was the first widely recognized jazz player on the steelpan or "steel drums"; pianist Susan Muscarella,

2147-828: The Tokyo Giants baseball team. This was most likely the largest UC Jazz performance venue in its history. In the 1990s, the UC Jazz Ensembles extended their international associations by building relationships with foreign jazz groups. Visiting bands have performed either in evening concerts on the Berkeley campus or at the weekly Thursday noon-time venue in Lower Sproul Plaza. Such bands included The Australian Performing Arts Unit Big Band, The Rare Sounds Jazz Ensemble from Japan, and The Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra from New Zealand. In 1984 Tucker took

2260-851: The only University-paid employee, the Director. The five student positions are the Drum Major, the Student Director, the Executive Secretary, the Public Relations Director and the Senior Manager, each in charge of a specific point of leadership within the band. While the Senior Manager is elected by the previous Executive Committee, all the other student Executive Committee positions are elected by secret ballot . Candidates for each position with

2373-522: The Adagio from the unfinished Tenth Symphony, and his songs for voice, chorus and orchestra. With a slate of new recordings and releases of music by Harrison, Cowell, Varèse, Beethoven, Ives, and Copland, the Orchestra's recordings continue to reflect the artistic identity of the San Francisco Symphony's programming. In 2014, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony released a live recording on

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2486-767: The American College Jazz Festival, performing on March 25, 1972. The Wednesday Night Band returned to the Reno Jazz Festival, performing on March 23, 1973. On this trip, the band was housed at the Towne House Motor Lodge, the B-Gay, to the disappointment of band members, being sold out. In 1974, after the ensembles began hosting the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival, the Wednesday Night Band won 3rd place, having performed on April 27. This placed them among

2599-457: The Band beginning in 1973, women were not entirely accepted by the Band's "inner fellowship" until through attrition the dissenting all-male band veterans had rotated out of the Band. More recently, the Band's membership and leadership has consisted of an even split of men and women, thus successfully breaking any barriers that had previously existed that had prevented women from fully participating in

2712-650: The Board of Governors does." The San Francisco Symphony was the first to feature symphonic radio broadcasts in 1926, and in 2003 the Symphony was heard in syndicated radio broadcasts on over 300 radio stations. There were regular live, stereo broadcasts for many years on KKHI in San Francisco featuring music directors Josef Krips and Seiji Ozawa, including the first live transatlantic stereo satellite broadcast in 1973, originating in Paris. The orchestra makes regular tours of

2825-645: The Cal Band included rehearsing, auditioning prospective new members, and directing on the football field opposite director James Berdahl. For the 1971 season, during Berdahl's sabbatical year in Japan, Tucker was named Acting Director. In 1969, he was asked by members of the ASUC Jazz Ensembles affiliated with the Cal Band, most notably Docken, to direct the big band in his spare time, a role Tucker, with his jazz trombone background, eagerly accepted. His personal skills led numerous Cal Band musicians to join

2938-738: The Cal Band led the Warriors Victory Parade in downtown Oakland after the Golden State Warriors ' win over the Cleveland Cavaliers . Nearly every year, the band also goes to play at various ski resorts located in the Lake Tahoe region to play songs for Cal fans. Before 2002, in the spring, the Band performed a traditional "Spring Show" in UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Auditorium , combining

3051-518: The Cal Band was named 9th (of 25) as having a show that "beckons [the] former glory days, full of school songs and traditional formations" and is "a stand-alone classic". The Cal Band uses a fairly standard military band instrumentation with piccolos , clarinets , alto saxophones , tenor saxophones , trumpets , mellophones , trombones , baritones , sousaphones , glockenspiels , snare drums , tenor drums , bass drums , and cymbals . The California Alumni Band, usually shorted to Cal Alumni Band,

3164-563: The Cal Band. In 1993, the Cal Band History Committee published a comprehensive history of the Cal Band. While this volume is now out of print, the text of the History Book can be found online at Cal Band History Book Director Emeritus Robert O. Briggs died in 2008, leaving a legacy of musicianship spanning two generations of musicians. The Cal Band has been seen and heard at a variety of performance venues. In

3277-608: The Cort Theater at 64 Ellis Street. The Symphony stayed at the Cort Theater when it was renamed the Curran Theatre in 1918 (not to be confused with the present day Curran Theater at 445 Geary Street, which wasn't built until 1922). The Symphony then moved to the Tivoli Theater at 75 Eddy Street for the 1921–22 season, then moved to the newly constructed Curran Theater in 1922 and stayed until 1931, then back to

3390-715: The Horns A Plenty brass band; vocalist and agent Linda Goldstein; college music educators Dave and Don Megill, and others. Many of the instructors at the Jazzschool were themselves members of the UC Jazz Ensembles. Among its recordings, the 1979 European Tour band recorded "UC Berkeley Jazz Ensemble Vol. 1, 1979" at the College for Recording Arts in San Francisco, and the 1981 Japan Tour band recorded "Orange Blossom Special" at Polydor Studios in Tokyo, Japan. Current instructors and

3503-599: The MA's board during the establishment of the San Francisco Symphony and it is largely through his recommendation that conductor-composer Henry Kimball Hadley was appointed San Francisco Symphony's first principal conductor. Redding also selected the orchestra's first concertmaster, the Dutch violinist Eduard Tak. The governing board of the MA continued to manage the San Francisco Symphony until 1935. The orchestra's first concerts were led by Hadley in 1911. There were sixty musicians in

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3616-576: The Orchestra at the beginning of their first season. The first concert included music by Wagner , Tchaikovsky , Haydn , and Liszt . There were thirteen concerts in the 1911–1912 season, five of which were popular music. In 1915, Alfred Hertz succeeded Hadley. Hertz helped to refine the orchestra and arranged for the Victor Talking Machine Company to record it at their new studio in Oakland in early 1925. Hertz also led

3729-652: The Orchestra over the years. In 1915, Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) conducted the Orchestra at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held that year in San Francisco's Marina District. In 1928, Maurice Ravel conducted some of his music including La Valse and Rapsodie espagnole. In 1937, George Gershwin (1898–1937) conducted a suite from his opera Porgy and Bess , then was soloist in his Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue with Pierre Monteux conducting. Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)

3842-478: The Orchestra's own label, SFS Media. The first recording, of Auber's overture to Fra Diavolo , was made on January 19, 1925. The early recordings, for the Victor Talking Machine Company , included music by Auber and Richard Wagner , conducted by Alfred Hertz . Hertz also conducted the orchestra's first electrical recordings for Victor in mid 1925. These recordings were produced by Victor's Oakland plant, which had opened in 1924. The 1927 recordings were made on

3955-770: The Orchestra. Besides visiting composers, some legendary conductors have led the Orchestra, including Artur Rodziński , Walter Damrosch , Sir Thomas Beecham , John Barbirolli , Andre Kostelanetz , Lorin Maazel , Leonard Bernstein , Guido Cantelli , Victor de Sabata , Dmitri Mitropoulos , Erich Leinsdorf , George Szell , Charles Münch , Paul Paray , Rafael Kubelík , Daniel Barenboim , István Kertész , Karl Richter , Antal Doráti , Leonard Slatkin , Andrew Davis , Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Yevgeny Svetlanov , Simon Rattle , Kurt Masur , Neeme Järvi , Kiril Kondrashin , Eugene Ormandy , Georg Solti , Alex Shkurko , Michael Kamen , Christopher Hogwood and Bruno Walter. Some of

4068-618: The PCCJF have included numerous jazz luminaries. These include tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins (1977), The Crusaders (1977), trumpeter Freddy Hubbard , flutist Hubert Laws (1974), The Tonight Show drummer Ed Shaughnessy , pianist Patrice Rushen , pianist Bill Evans , pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines , trombonist Bill Watrous , the Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band , alto saxophonist Richie Cole , who also performed with

4181-411: The PCCJF later matriculating on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Such include pianist Michael Wolff , saxophonist former Associate Director Dave Le Febvre, and first trumpet Paul Giorsetto. Other high school musicians obtained recognition at the PCCJF, including trumpeter Jon Faddis from Pleasant Hill High School and vocalist Barbara Garcia from South San Francisco High School. Over the years guest artists at

4294-612: The Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival (PCCJF). The organization now had two sets of student administrators, the officers of the band itself and those running the PCCJF. Under Tucker's guidance, the PCCJF, later called the Pacific Coast Jazz Festival because of its inclusion of competition among high school bands, became the largest collegiate jazz festival in the country in terms of number of student participants and number of musical groups. These grew to include big bands, combos, and vocal ensembles. Under Tucker,

4407-473: The Pacific Coast Jazz Festival. In addition to the student officers of UC Jazz, an entire slate of officers was created to administer the PCCJF. Both slates were guided by Tucker. The PCCJF provided multiple venues on the University of California campus over several days for adjudicated performances, culminating in an awards ceremony on Saturday night in Zellerbach Auditorium, clinics led by

4520-546: The SFS Media label of the first-ever concert performances of Leonard Bernstein ’s complete score for the musical West Side Story featuring a Broadway cast including Cheyenne Jackson (Tony), Alexandra Silber (Maria), and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus . The two-disc set includes a 100-page booklet featuring a new interview with MTT, notes from Rita Moreno and Jamie Bernstein , as well as

4633-722: The San Francisco Saxophone Quartet; drummer Kent Reed, who also performs in symphony orchestras; composer/arranger/valve trombonist Jules Rowell of the Jules Rowell Quintet; pianist Murray Low of the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet; guitarist Harold Hansen; trombonist and composer Nic Ten Broeck (a classmate at Berkeley High School with Michael Wolff); Jeff Zias of the Touch of Brass big band; trumpet Russ Button of

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4746-406: The San Francisco Symphony launched Keeping Score – MTT on Music , a series of projects comprising audio-visual performances for DVD and broadcast on PBS 's Great Performances , multimedia websites, and educational programs for schools. Throughout its history the San Francisco Symphony has had numerous great conductors, instrumentalists and singers as guests. Many famous composers have also led

4859-470: The Saturday night awards and concert presentation, the Wednesday Night Band was augmented with additional French horns, strings, harp, and other instruments in their performance with Laws. The PCCJF, as the other festivals of the American College Jazz Festival, was a competitive gathering for big bands, combos, and jazz vocal ensembles. Because it also came to include high school bands, it was later renamed

4972-548: The Soviet Union. They returned to Japan from June 4–19, 1975, with Ozawa and Wyss and played 12 concerts in 11 cities. Edo de Waart and David Ramadanoff led an American tour from October 20 – November 2, 1980, giving 10 concerts in 7 cities. There was another American tour from October 27 – November 12, 1983, again led by Edo de Waart, with 13 concerts in 11 cities. The San Francisco Symphony has toured regularly with current music director Michael Tilson Thomas, most recently

5085-512: The Symphony achieved financial and artistic stability. Thomas is currently the longest-serving music director in the Symphony's history. In October 2017, the orchestra announced that Thomas was to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2019–2020 season, and subsequently to take the title of music director laureate. Thomas was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2017. Esa-Pekka Salonen guest-conducted

5198-500: The Symphony, or the Opera and Ballet. A large Fratelli Ruffatti concert organ featuring five manuals, 147 registers and 9235 pipes, was added to the new hall. This organ was used in the orchestra's performance of the recording of Saint-Saëns ' third symphony with Michael Murray as soloist. Philips also taped Joseph Jongen 's Symphonie Concertante and César Franck 's Fantaisie in A . A highlight of de Waart's final season, 1984–85,

5311-702: The Tivoli Theater from 1931 to 1932. On November 11, 1932, the Symphony moved to the new War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue, where most of their concerts were given until June 1980. The pops concerts were usually presented at the Civic Auditorium . The final concert in the opera house, a Beethoven program conducted by Leonard Slatkin , was in June 1980. The Orchestra now plays almost exclusively in Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall at Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue, which opened in September 1980 with

5424-538: The U.S. under the London label. Several of the recordings won international awards. Among their recording projects were the complete symphonies of Nielsen and Sibelius , choral works of Brahms , and orchestral works of Richard Strauss and Hindemith . The recordings helped to build the orchestra's worldwide reputation as one of the best in the United States. In 1999, the Symphony hit a new commercial high on

5537-456: The UC Jazz Ensembles connected to each other and the program. It sends out periodic newsletters and emails to members. Its current president is Sam Lind. The UC Alumni Jazz Band has a provisional website with one CD listed: http://calumbigband.8m.com/ Contact Sam Lind for other CDs and how to get copies In reaction to budget cuts for education from the State of California, alumni and members of

5650-647: The UC Jazz Ensembles formed the UC Jazz Club. Its goal is to support the work of the organization by acquiring private and corporate funding to purchase teaching materials, sheet music, instruments, studio equipment, and recordings for the Duke Ellington Memorial Library. San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony , founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco , California . Since 1980

5763-434: The UC Jazz Ensembles participated, the prestigious Reno Jazz Festival, the band being housed at the "legendary" B-Gay Motor Lodge. The guest artist at the festival was vibist Gary Burton and the band performed on Friday, March 19. In the spring of 1972, the Wednesday Night Band traveled to southern California and performed at its first Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival, the Northridge Collegiate Jazz Festival, part of

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5876-436: The UC Jazz Ensembles, vocal jazz groups from UC Choral Ensembles, and guest stars. Pianist George Duke was featured at the first Spring Thing in 1971. Tucker directed the UC Jazz Ensembles until he retired in 1985 to pursue other interests, having mentored, befriended, supported, and provided performing as well as management opportunities for hundreds of musicians. His student musicians remember "Doc" fondly, how he served as

5989-411: The United States, Europe and Asia. Its first tour was from March 16 – May 10, 1947, when Pierre Monteux conducted the musicians in 57 concerts in 53 American cities. Josef Krips led them on a Japanese tour in 1968, in which they gave 12 concerts in 7 cities. The May 15 – June 17, 1973, tour saw then-music director Seiji Ozawa and Niklaus Wyss conduct the orchestra in 30 concerts in 19 cities in Europe and

6102-408: The War Memorial Opera House from 1941 to 1952, at first piping the microphone feed from San Francisco to Los Angeles and then in the later 1940s on magnetic tape; there was also a stereo session for RCA Victor with Monteux in January 1960. Monteux's first released album with the orchestra was of the Symphony in D Minor by César Franck (the first recorded was Maurice Ravel 's La Valse ); his last

6215-452: The academic department of music, music majors can earn academic credits as members of the UC Jazz Ensembles. The UC Jazz Ensembles expanded to include seven part-time instructors, creating the structure that remains in place. Each instructor coaches one of the combos or big bands as well as conducting master classes in his own instrument. The UC Jazz Ensembles is currently directed by drummer Ted Moore. Dr. David W. "Doc" Tucker (1929–2003)

6328-464: The adjudicators and guest artists, and a performance at the awards ceremony by guest artists performing with the Wednesday Night Band. Among the adjudicators has been Dr. Herb Wong, associated with the UC Jazz Ensembles since its beginning. He also supports alumni of the program, providing, for example, liner notes for their recordings The PCCJF proved to be an effective recruitment tool for U.C. Berkeley, with many high school musicians who performed at

6441-561: The album S&M with heavy metal band Metallica . The album reached number two on the Billboard 200 , selling 2.5 million units and earning platinum status five times over. The track " No Leaf Clover " was number one on the Mainstream Rock Charts, 18 on Modern Rock Charts and 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The version of "The Call of Ktulu" featured on the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance . The orchestra returned to RCA Victor when Michael Tilson Thomas became music director. Its first recording of

6554-411: The auspices of the Associated Students of the University California in 1971 with Dr. David W. "Doc" Tucker as its first director. Pianist Susan Muscarella was appointed to the position of Associate Director in 1974. Student interest led to the formation of three big bands, all under the direction of Tucker, with the Wednesday Night Band being the premier group. Tucker also reached out to Milton Williams,

6667-431: The band at the Rio Vista Jazz Festival in the 1970s, vocalist Bobby McFerrin (1982), bassist Christian McBride (1997), saxophonist Joe Lovano (also 1997), trumpeter Jon Faddis (1998), trombonist Slide Hampton (also 1998), bassist Jimmy Heath (also 1998!), saxophonist Michael Brecker (1999), pianist Chick Corea , and saxophonist Joe Henderson . In the 2000s, it was decided that the PCCJF required manpower that

6780-399: The band through an arrangement with the ASUC. After the 1950 Rose Bowl against Ohio State University , the Cal Band adopted its iconic high step marching style due to its lackluster performance in comparison to Ohio State's marching band . It is one of only three bands in the Pac-12 (the others being the Spirit of Troy and the University of Washington Husky Marching Band ), and one of

6893-424: The big band, with the result that personnel issues were never to be a problem again. At the end of the 1971 season, Tucker left the Cal Band to accept the newly created position of Director of the UC Jazz Ensembles under Cal's musical activities department. The band faced continual financial hurdles, with minimal funding from the university and low staff salaries, but prospered and grew in influence and popularity in

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7006-453: The broadcasts continued for more than 30 years. After Hertz's retirement in 1930, two conductors, Basil Cameron and Issay Dobrowen , jointly headed the orchestra. During the Great Depression , the Symphony's existence was threatened by bankruptcy and the 1934–35 season was cancelled; the people of San Francisco passed a bond measure to provide public financing and ensure the organization's continued existence. Pierre Monteux (1875–1964)

7119-431: The campus community. Within a couple years, with the increasing interest of more student musicians to join the big band, two additional big bands were created, the Tuesday Night Band and the Thursday Night Band, with the original big band, composed of the most skilled of the jazz musicians, named the Wednesday Night Band. It continued to expand its programming, adding combos to the big bands and, beginning in 1974 sponsoring

7232-420: The director of choral ensembles under student activities. Several jazz vocal groups were created, some of which performed with the UC Jazz Ensembles at various concerts, notably the spring concert. Several major events signified the maturity of the organization. By March 1971, Tucker believed that the Wednesday Night Band had reached a sufficient level of musicality and took it to the first jazz festival in which

7345-406: The elite bands of the west coast, able to compete with the Los Angeles college bands notorious for seating "ringers", professional studio musicians taking a minimum of courses. The first of its international tours occurred in the summer of 1979. The Wednesday Night Band embarked upon a four-week tour of Europe, playing several major jazz festivals in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. In

7458-424: The few outside the Big Ten Conference to use this physically demanding style. The Straw Hat Band, a voluntary subset of the Cal Band, was also established that same year. After Professor Cushing (director from 1934 to 1950) resigned from backlash after the 1950 Rose Bowl Game, the Music Department was asked to provide the ASUC with a new Director for the Band. Coincidentally, James Berdahl (Student Director in 1938)

7571-419: The first recordings of the SF Symphony-commissioned The B-Sides and Liquid Interface , plus the first CD release of Alternative Energy . In October of the same year, the label released "Debussy: Images, Jeux & La plus que lente", which was subsequently nominated for a 2018 Grammy award in the category of Best Orchestral Performance. In 2017, SFS Media released two albums: "Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra",

7684-451: The founder of the Jazzschool in Berkeley; bass guitarist, who played bass trombone and tuba with UC Jazz Ensembles, Dave Meros ; pianist Steve Carter; saxophonist Dave Le Febvre; flutist Cheryl Pyle; Chris Gillock and his blues group, Mr. G and the Mystery Band; bassist Dave Kopf and Octobop; drummer Scott Latham, currently residing in Japan where he has performed and recorded with, among others, Eric Miyashiro; saxophonist Bill Aron of

7797-511: The groups they lead are: Ted Moore, Director of UC Jazz Ensembles, Percussion, Advanced Combo and Intermediate Combo; Steve Campos, Trumpet, Big Band; Frank Martin, Piano, Advanced Combo; Glenn Richman, Bass, Intermediate Combo; Marty Wehner, Trombone, Intermediate Combo; Dann Zinn, Saxophone, Advanced Combo; Joseph Escobar, Piano/Trumpet, Beginning Combo; Joshua Perline, Bass/Guitar/Saxophone, Beginning Combo; Jessie Salas, Saxophone, Beginning Combo; Owen Chen, Guitar/Drums, Beginning Combo. Under

7910-427: The jazz group at Cal State Northridge opted to discontinue their being host, Tucker volunteered to assume the hosting responsibilities on the U.C. Berkeley campus. The logistical, funding, and planning demands were substantial, but beginning in 1974, the UC Jazz Ensembles began to annually sponsor the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival or PCCJF. The guest artist for this first festival was flutist Hubert Laws . At

8023-438: The majority vote of the Band serve for one calendar year. Unlike other major collegiate bands, students will run rehearsals, pick the songs, chart the shows, arrange any trips, and handle promotions through committee vote. This allows members to build their resumes and gain work experience. As of May 2024, the Band has 229 members (no color guard or auxiliary). After Robert Calonico's retirement in June 2018, Dr. Matthew Sadowski

8136-512: The management of Sam Lind and the direction of Paul Siebel, the Cal Alumni Big Band has rehearsed and performed at various Bay Area venues for more than two decades. It regularly donates income derived from its frequent public performances toward support of UC Jazz programs. The alumni club was formed in the 1980s, with George Gaebler one of the primary driving forces, to keep graduates and staff of U.C. Berkeley who had performed in

8249-553: The many soloists who have appeared with the orchestra include violinists Jascha Heifetz , Fritz Kreisler , Yehudi Menuhin , Midori , Itzhak Perlman , Isaac Stern , Joshua Bell , Gil Shaham , and Efrem Zimbalist ; pianists Vladimir Horowitz , Horacio Gutierrez , Vladimir de Pachmann , Peter Serkin , Rudolf Serkin , Ruth Slenzynska , Patricia Benkman , Ozan Marsh , Yuja Wang , and André Watts ; and organists Alexander Frey and Paul Jacobs . The San Francisco Symphony gave its first performance on Friday, December 8, 1911, in

8362-462: The marching and playing talents of the band with other, hidden talents usually reserved for off the football field. Spring Show was discontinued in 2002 after financial burdens to the band resulting from funding cuts to the University of California system. In 2009, the Spring Show was brought back, to be discontinued again after the spring of 2011. In a different sort of performance, the Cal Band

8475-481: The new contract was extended excerpts from Prokofiev 's Romeo and Juliet . There were special tributes to three American composers, Charles Ives , Aaron Copland , and George Gershwin , on the occasion of what would have been his 100th birthday. With the RCA label decision to cease from producing new classical recordings, the SFS created its own label, SFS Media, and continued producing its Mahler recording cycle, which

8588-459: The newly created position of Director of the University of California Jazz Ensembles, after having been the volunteer director since 1969. During the 1971 season, substantial podium time was taken by Assistant Director Robert O. Briggs . He was appointed acting director in 1972, and was made director in 1973. In the 1970s, sponsorship moved from the ASUC to the University and a new band constitution

8701-485: The orchestra George Szell (1897–1970), the longtime music director of the Cleveland Orchestra , guest-conducted the orchestra in 1962 and was so dismayed by the lack of discipline that he publicly condemned Jordá and even chastised San Francisco Chronicle music critic Alfred Frankenstein for commending Jordá and the orchestra. Szell's comments, along with growing dissatisfaction among musicians and

8814-492: The orchestra during a number of radio broadcasts, including on The Standard Hour , a weekly concert series sponsored by Standard Oil of California . The series began in 1926 when the orchestra faced bankruptcy; Standard Oil of California paid the orchestra's debts and in return was given broadcast rights to that year's concert series. The first broadcast aired on the NBC Pacific Network, on October 24, 1926. and

8927-417: The orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (founded in 1981) and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus (1972) are part of the organization. Michael Tilson Thomas became the orchestra's music director in 1995, and concluded his tenure in 2020 when Esa-Pekka Salonen took over the position. Among

9040-418: The orchestra in 1952 and 1953. In 1954, the board hired Enrique Jordá as music director. Surviving eyewitness and newspaper accounts describe him as having youthful enthusiasm, energy, and charm. Jordá sometimes conducted so vigorously that his baton flew from his hand. As the years passed, Jordá reportedly failed to maintain discipline or provide sufficient leadership, resulting in inadequate rehearsal of

9153-415: The orchestra in 2004, 2012, and 2015. In December 2018, the orchestra announced the appointment of Salonen as its next music director, effective for the 2020–2021 season, with an initial contract of 5 seasons. In March 2024, Salonen announced that he would be leaving the San Francisco Symphony when his contract expires in 2025, stating that "I do not share the same goals for the future of the institution as

9266-700: The orchestra recorded William Russo 's "Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra" with the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band, and Bernstein's Orchestral Dances from West Side Story . These recordings featured solo performances from hornist David Krehbiel, concertmaster Stuart Canin, trumpeter Don Reinberg, and violist Detlev Olshausen. Recordings of the SFS under the direction of Edo de Waart, including digital recordings made in Davies Symphony Hall, were released by Philips and Nonesuch. One of de Waart's sets of digital recordings

9379-491: The orchestra's awards and honors are an Emmy Award and 15 Grammy Awards in the past 26 years. In 1909 the Musical Association (MA) was founded by a group of San Francisco citizens with the goal of establishing a professional symphony orchestra in San Francisco. Among the founding board members of the MA was composer, lawyer, and opera librettist Joseph Redding . Redding played an instrumental role in steering

9492-494: The orchestra's first performances in the newly constructed Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in September 1980, including the nationally televised gala. At this time the regular season was extended, beginning in September and lasting until May. This was possible because San Francisco now had two major classical venues, Davies Hall and the War Memorial Opera House . Consequently, musicians could choose to play in

9605-547: The orchestra's performances. The orchestra began its annual tours of Europe and Asia under Blomstedt, and resumed syndicated weekly radio broadcasts. He recognized the continuing shortcomings of Davies Symphony Hall 's acoustics, helping push for a major renovation, completed in 1992, contributing a substantial amount of money to the cause. He has remained Conductor Laureate of the orchestra, conducting several weeks of concerts each year. Michael Tilson Thomas (known colloquially as "MTT") became music director in 1995, coming from

9718-689: The orchestra; Ozawa impressed critics and audiences with his fiery Bernstein-like conducting, particularly in the performances of the Mussorgsky - Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition , the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony, and Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz . Krips retired at the end of the 1969–70 season and only returned once, to guest conduct the orchestra in Stern Grove, before his death in 1974. Seiji Ozawa guest appearances had generated interest before he became

9831-654: The pages of numerous Bay Area newspapers. In 2010, 2012, and 2014, the band also led the San Francisco Giants victory parade in downtown San Francisco. In 2016, the band played alongside Coldplay , Beyoncé , and Bruno Mars in the Super Bowl 50 halftime show . On May 18, 2016, the Cal Band traveled to Beijing , China and performed at the Juyongguan Pass section of the Great Wall. In 2018,

9944-487: The public, led the symphony board to dismiss Jordá. In the fall of 1963, Josef Krips (1902–1974) became music director. He quickly became known as a benevolent autocrat, and would not tolerate sloppy playing. He soon began to refine the performance of the musicians, particularly of the standard German-Austrian repertoire. One of his innovations was an annual tradition on New Year's Eve, "A Night in Old Vienna", which

10057-842: The recent past, the Cal Band has appeared at the San Francisco Symphony 's "Black and White Ball", performed for such names as George Shultz (former U.S. Secretary of State ), Peter E. Haas and family (UC Berkeley benefactors and the owners of Levi Strauss & Co. ), and George Lucas . In addition, the Cal Band has been seen on " The Ed Sullivan Show ", the nationally syndicated game show " Wheel of Fortune ", Santa Rosa TV 50's morning program, KTVU Channel 2's "Mornings on Two", KRON Channel 4's newscasts, "Bay Area Backroads", and sportscaster Vernon Glen's "Mr. Involvement". The Cal Band sound has been heard on dozens of Bay Area radio stations, such as WiLD 94.9 and KMEL 106.1, Live 105 , and K101 , and rounds out its exposure on

10170-548: The request of the Sacramento school district, Tucker assumed the position of Director of Bands at Sacramento City College. While in Sacramento, Tucker played trombone in the pit bands at Lake Tahoe casinos. He completed his Ed.D. at Berkeley in 1969. In the fall of 1968, Tucker was hired as an arranger and composer for the Cal Marching Band . He was appointed Associate Director in 1969. His responsibilities with

10283-445: The same music with Ozawa. He introduced a number of innovations, including presenting partially staged versions of La vida breve by Manuel de Falla and Beatrice and Benedict by Berlioz . He had dancers on the stage for some modern ballets performed by the orchestra. For a few seasons Ozawa used local university choruses when needed, but later formed a San Francisco Symphony Chorus to ensure consistent singing. Ozawa purchased

10396-1055: The stage of San Francisco's Columbia Theater, now known as the American Conservatory Theater . In 1928, the orchestra made a series of recordings at Oakland's Scottish Rite Temple on Madison Avenue near Lake Merritt, now the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California. One early complete set was of the ballet music from Le Cid by Jules Massenet . During the 1925–30 recordings, Hertz conducted music by Ludwig van Beethoven , Johannes Brahms , Léo Delibes , Alexander Glazunov , Charles Gounod , Fritz Kreisler , Franz Liszt , Alexandre Luigini , Felix Mendelssohn , Moritz Moszkowski , Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov , Franz Schubert and Carl Maria von Weber . All of these recordings were issued only on 78 rpm discs and are prized by collectors, although restored versions are now available from France's Pristine Audio . Monteux's recordings were made for RCA Victor in

10509-475: The summer of 1981 the band traveled to the Far East, touring Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. In 1984, it was invited to tour again in Japan, and in addition to repeating the tour of central Honshu, they performed a live broadcast on FM Tokyo. Notably, the 1979 European Tour band appeared on the same bill as Dizzy Gillespie , and the 1981 Japan Tour band performed in, among other venues, Korakuen Stadium , home of

10622-437: The symphony's director in 1970. Concerts were frequently sold out. He greatly improved the quality of the orchestra's performances and convinced Deutsche Grammophon (DG) to record the orchestra in 1972. A special concert series devoted to Romeo and Juliet , as interpreted by Hector Berlioz , Peter Tchaikovsky , and Sergei Prokofiev and Leonard Bernstein 's symphonic dances from West Side Story , inspired DG to record

10735-677: The then-named ASUC Jazz Ensembles was in May, 1968, an event heralded by an article in The Daily Californian . The article included commentary by educator Dr. Herb Wong, Ph.D , a disc jockey at KJAZ-FM radio, jazz historian, jazz critic, album liner author, and jazz festival adjudicator, who was to form a lasting supportive bond with the UC Jazz Ensembles and a strong friendship based on common interests and mutual admiration with soon-to-be-named director David W. Tucker . The UC Jazz Ensembles became an official student organization under

10848-474: The third quarter prior to the 2012 renovation of California Memorial Stadium. In 2017, the band played alongside University of Washington Husky Marching Band in their “Tribute to Horn Bands” show, featuring music from The Blues Brothers , Tower of Power , Earth, Wind & Fire , and Chicago . In the Bleacher Report's power ranking of the top 25 college marching band pregames shows and traditions,

10961-651: The various bands began to perform at various venues on the U.C. Berkeley campus and in the Bay Area. These include the Thursday noontime concerts on Lower Sproul Plaza, in the Bear's Lair, at a spring concert, at the Oakland Art Museum, and for official receptions and parties at the university president's home on the U.C. Berkeley campus. An annual spring concert, entitled "Spring Thing" included various bands from

11074-499: Was a regular guest conductor, appearing periodically from 1937 until 1967. Aaron Copland (1900–1990) conducted the Orchestra in 1966. Other composers who have led the Orchestra include Ernst von Dohnányi in 1927, Ottorino Respighi in 1929, Arnold Schoenberg in 1945, Darius Milhaud in 1949, Manuel Rosenthal in 1950, Leon Kirchner in 1960, Jean Martinon in 1970, and Howard Hanson . John Adams , composer-in-residence from 1979 to 1985, also frequently conducts his own works with

11187-516: Was asked to help with the Nobel Lecture by George Smoot in 2006 by recreating "The Big Bang". During weeks of home football games, the Cal Band gives several performances. On Fridays before a game, the Cal Band plays at the noon rallies on Sproul Plaza . On game days the Cal Band gives a concert on Sproul Plaza an hour and a half before kickoff. Following this performance, the Band marches in formation to California Memorial Stadium , leading

11300-483: Was completed in the Fall of 2010. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, the audio recordings are released on hybrid SACD and in high-quality digital formats. SFS Media has garnered eight Grammy awards, the most current for its recording of John Adams’ Harmonielehre and Short Ride in a Fast Machine and seven for its recordings of MTT and the SFS performing all nine of Gustav Mahler's symphonies,

11413-488: Was devoted to music of Johann Strauss and other Viennese masters of the nineteenth century. Similar concerts continued into the 2000s, though the format has changed in recent years. Krips would not make recordings with the orchestra, insisting they weren't ready. He did agree to allow KKHI to broadcast some of the Friday evening concerts. He also paved the way for his successor when he invited Seiji Ozawa to guest conduct

11526-467: Was devoted to the four piano concertos of Sergei Rachmaninoff , featuring pianist Zoltán Kocsis . A number of works by American composer John Adams were premiered and recorded by the SFS under de Waart's leadership, and Harmonium was also released with Adams conducting. Soon after the arrival of Herbert Blomstedt, the SFS signed contracts with the British label Decca resulting in 29 CDs released in

11639-802: Was four sold-out performances of Mahler's eighth symphony, incorporating the Symphony Chorus, the Masterworks Chorale , the San Francisco Boys Chorus , and the San Francisco Girls Chorus . Herbert Blomstedt became music director as of the 1985–1986 season. He had been offered the position immediately after guest conducting for two weeks in 1984, while he was music director of Staatskapelle Dresden . He emphasized precision and confidence, and worked to develop sensitivity, warmth and feeling in

11752-503: Was heavily loaded with guitar players and the project was put on hold. In 1967, Bob Docken, the first trombone player with the Cal Band and a respondent to the ad, followed Leslie Golden's lead and placed his own ad in the Daily Californian . The response was more favorable and with Rick Penner, a trumpet player in the Cal Band, rehearsals of the big band began on Sunday mornings in the Cal Band band room. The first concert of

11865-410: Was hired as arranger and composer. He was appointed Associate Director in 1969. His responsibilities with the Cal Band included rehearsing, auditioning prospective new members, and directing on the football field opposite director James Berdahl. For the 1971 season, during Berdahl’s sabbatical year in Japan, Tucker was named Acting Director. At the end of the 1971 season, Tucker left the Cal Band to accept

11978-725: Was in the catalogue for many years. The recording of Manuel de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" with pianist Arthur Rubinstein has remained available. Commercial recordings resumed in June 1972 with Seiji Ozawa for Deutsche Grammophon in the Flint Center at De Anza College in Cupertino, California . In May 1975 Ozawa recorded Beethoven 's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat and Dvořák 's Carnival Overture and Symphony No. 9 in E Minor for Philips. For Deutsche Grammophon, Ozawa and

12091-599: Was named the University's new director of bands. The Cal Band has its roots in the University Cadet Band, established in 1891. In 1923, the Band was sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) , and its student leadership structure was formalized two years later. In the early years (prior to 1971), various faculty from the Music department were appointed director of

12204-444: Was no longer available among the staff and members, underscoring the value of the motivational skills, ambition, and dedication of Tucker. The last student-run festival was held on the Berkeley campus in that decade. The UC Jazz Ensembles has nurtured numerous musicians who have embarked upon jazz careers, as performers, band leaders, performers’ agents, and educators. These include pianist Michael Wolff , who has worked with Airto ,

12317-639: Was of Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner and Death and Transfiguration by Richard Strauss . Some of the recordings have been re-released on LPs and compact discs, as well as internationally via the Pierre Monteux Edition from RCA. A substantial selection of Monteux's live broadcasts on The Standard Hour have been released by the Music & Arts label. Enrique Jordá made several stereo recordings for RCA in 1957 and 1958, and an album for CRI in 1962. Jorda's recording of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto, with pianist Alexander Brailowsky

12430-437: Was returning to Berkeley to work on his doctoral studies in music. The Music Department Chairman, Albert Elkus, convinced Berdahl to serve as acting Director of the Cal Band until the department could find a permanent replacement for Professor Cushing. Berdahl became permanent Director of the Cal Band at the end of the 1951 season, and remained in that position until 1971. In the fall of 1968, Dr. David W. Tucker (Ph.D, Cal, 1969)

12543-538: Was subsequently hired to restore the orchestra. Monteux succeeded to the point where NBC began broadcasting some of its concerts and RCA Victor offered the orchestra a new recording contract in 1941. In 1949, Monteux invited Arthur Fiedler to lead summer "pops" concerts in the Civic Auditorium. Fiedler also conducted the orchestra at free concerts in Sigmund Stern Grove in San Francisco and

12656-495: Was the force behind the success of the UC Jazz Ensembles and is inextricably associated with it. A native of Cerro Gordo, a small town in central Illinois, he was graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. (1950) and M.S. (1951) in Music Education. In 1965, he both began teaching music at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento and began studies toward a doctorate in Music Education at U.C. Berkeley. In 1966, at

12769-483: Was written. In the Spring Quarter of 1973, the all-male band voted to admit women, in the face of Title IX sanctions against the University, which was now the Band's primary funding source. There were fewer than 10 dissenting votes, against more than 100 votes in favor of admitting women. In the Fall 1973 marching season, 23 women marched, together with 120 men. Although they rehearsed, marched and performed with

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