The California Theatre celebrates its 100th Anniversary as we shine a spotlight on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ with its golden console taking center stage, and we honor the glittering role our beautiful theater plays in our community’s cultural landscape.
THE PROGRAM: Like the organ itself, Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte moves effortlessly between centuries, echoing Baroque elegance, bending classical forms, and revealing unexpected sonorities.
Francis Poulenc’s Organ Concerto is solemn, playful, and gloriously theatrical. Performed by renowned organist Margaret Kvamme, the concerto showcases the organ’s extraordinary range, from hushed, prayer-like intimacy to bold, blazing grandeur.
From its hushed beginnings to its blazing, triumphant finale, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3 uses the organ not as an accompaniment, but as a force of nature. With the mighty Wurlitzer unleashed in all its glory, the symphony’s final pages promise a sonic experience as monumental as the California Theatre itself.
Photo: Symphony San Jose features the California Theatre's magnificent 4-manual, 21-rank Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ in this program. The organ is famous for its powerful orchestral sounds and unique percussion, with 1521 pipes and four 32-foot diaphones. Photo by Robert Shomler.
SINGLE TICKET PRICES: $35 to $125. (Price includes all City and handling fees.)
SPECIAL DISCOUNTED YOUTH TICKETS : Adult patrons may purchase single tickets for accompanying guests 17 years of age or younger at half price. Contact the Ticket Office for more information.
Music Notes takes place one hour before curtain time in the main auditorium and includes an informative discussion, fun facts, insights, and interviews with featured guests. Music Notes is free of charge with your concert ticket. No reservations necessary, simply arrive one hour prior to the concert and take a seat wherever you’d like.