Gertrude Stein notwithstanding, when it comes to symphonic music with a
difference, there is a there here, called the Oakland East Bay Symphony.
Struggling on valiantly for the 14th year since the historic Oakland
Symphony folded during the last big economic downturn, OEBS is doing
very well.  Under the leadership of Michael Morgan, in his 13th season,
the band is thriving financially and artistically at a time when larger
organizations, such as the San Jose Symphony, in Northern California's
largest city, go bankrupt in the continued economic crisis of post-9/11
days.

Instead of casting a baleful eye on the threatening sky, OEBS announced
on Friday an unusual and brave new season, including newly-commissioned
works from local composers on every program, except the final concert
featuring Mendelssohn's "Elijah." The organization is finishing up the
four-year James Irvine Commissioning Program, it is starting a new Sound
Investment plan to get contributions specifically for presenting new works,
and it is exploring cooperative ventures with other small orchestras to
increase commissions and promote second performances beyond the usual
solitary appearance of new works.

The orchestra is in the black, on a budget of about $1.7 million,
employing 71 part-time players, and it is spending over $40,000 on
commissions.  Of course, "it's not the money, it's the idea," but in the
bubbling orchestral swamp of struggle for survival, this is a remarkable
situation.

It should be a matter of regional artistic pride that orchestras in
Berkeley, Walnut Creek and Santa Rosa have similar programs, although
working with even smaller over-all budgets.  No financial figures for
commissions are available for the San Francisco Symphony, but to "keep
up with Oakland," there should be a good piece of change from its $50
million annual budget.

Opening night of the next Oakland season, on Nov.  15, will bring the
premiere with the biggest buzz, Jake Heggie's Cello Concerto, with Emil
Miland as soloist.  (Miland is an Oakland Youth Symphony alumnus, whose
first solo appearance took place here, under the baton of the late Denis
DeCoteau.) Heggie, occupied with nine new productions of his opera, "Dead
Man Walking," and parental duties with a 6-year-old, spoke with excitement
and just a bit of trepidation about what is to be his first large-scale
orchestral work.  Morgan's bow to what he likes to call "dead composers"
will be Sibelius' Second Symphony.

In January, OEBS is matching a century-old "unknown" work (here, at least),
Franz Schreker's Suite from "Der Geburstag des Infantin" ("The Infanta's
Birthday") with Omar Sosa's "From Our Mother." Of Schreker, who is enjoying
a small revival in Berlin, Morgan says he loves the music's "unashamed
sentimentality." Sosa, an Afro-Cuban composer now residing in the Bay Area,
will perform the work himself, along with his jazz ensemble.

February's new offering will be Michael Kaulkin's "Misterium Tremendum,"
the SF Conservatory-trained composer's work to be conducted by Scott
Parkman.  Mozart's Violin Concerto No.  3, with Terrie Baune, and
Bruckner's Fourth Symphony complete the program.  (Kent Nagano will
conduct the Bruckner Third in Berkeley next month; Herbert Blomstedt and
the SF Symphony performed the Bruckner Fifth in this new Linz-by-the-Bay.)

OEBS' April concert will double up on world premieres:  17-year-old
Noah Schwartz's "Kneading Closure" and Oakland native Joshua Feltman's
"Commute," along with Brahms' First Piano Concerto, Jean Louis Steuerman
scheduled as the soloist.  Morgan's comment on why he prefers to work with
living composers:  "When I have a question, it's really hard to get Brahms
on the phone." About the occasional downside of contemporary music, the
maestro was his usual candid self:  "Sometimes at the first rehearsal, I
think this is why we do the dead ones."

Janos Gereben/SF
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