"Italy by the Bay" Concert

Mission Chamber Orchestra of San José (MCOSJ) has announced a concert of music from Italy to welcome 2026. Taking place at the Italian American Heritage Foundation in San Jose on Sunday Feb. 1st at 3:00pm, “Italy by the Bay” celebrates Italian American culture in San Jose.
 
We’re excited to welcome a special guest from Italy, Francesco Darmanin, an award-winning composer and leading clarinetist, who served as principal clarinet of the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina and was a member of the Accademia Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala.  His compositions have won important international awards. MCOSJ will perform Darmanin’s evocative Foglie de Narciso (Narcissus Leaves), inspired by a text from Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694), reflecting on the leaves of the narcissus plant in a gentle snowfall. Darmanin will take the stage as soloist in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto - Mozart’s last completed instrumental work which reveals the mastery of his graceful and deeply expressive late style.
 
Best known today as Mozart’s rival in Vienna, Antonio Salieri was born in the Republic of Venice and achieved great success with opera and orchestral works before his move to Vienna. His Sinfonia in D major, La Veneziana, showcases the composer’s characteristic elegance, harmonic richness, and masterful orchestration. Rossini composed his Sinfonia in D Major, di Bologna, while still a student in his mid-teens.  The brief Sinfonia reveals the emerging voice of a composer who bridged the Classical and Romantic styles, and went on to revolutionize operatic standards, setting the stage for the "Golden Century" of Italian opera.
 
The concert is an opportunity to shake off the winter blues and to enjoy beautiful music while celebrating the important Italian American heritage of San Jose. Tickets are available from www.missionchamber.org/events-tickets/  - General: $26.62, Senior: $21.50, Student: $16.38, Child: $11.25 (includes fees).