Around The World ... A Coronado Philharmonia Music Concert

Saturday, October 8, 2022 marks the return of the Coronado Philharmonia to the Coronado Performing Arts Main Stage under the direction of founder and music director Osvaldo Mendoza. The newly established nonprofit Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra is returning this fall after the City awarded the organization a Coronado Community grant to help pay for two concerts this year. The first one is themed “Around the World” and features composers such Bach, Shostakovich, Piazolla and many others . A pre-talk begins at 6:30 p.m. with the concert starting at 7:30.

In July 2021, the Coronado Philharmonia held their inaugural concert, sponsored by the Coronado Public Library at the high school’s Black Box Theater. The concert was a string chamber orchestra, organized and led by music director Osvaldo Mendoza. Mendoza was formally the music director for Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) and it has been his vision to create a Coronado Symphony Orchestra. That initial concert drew eighteen professional musicians from San Diego who volunteered to assist in drawing attention to the goal of establishing a Coronado orchestra. The idea was to grow the group to a full high-level symphony of 50 musicians with strings, winds, brass and percussion instruments –something Coronado does not have currently but clearly has an audience wanting to attend concerts.

Their first concert, while held in a small venue, ignited interest not only in those attending but also as word spread many in the community recognized a void in the community for live classical music. Representatives from the City and from the Cultural Art Commission who attended the event followed up to encourage the idea of pursuing a chamber ensemble which could grow.

A second concert was held in early December 2021, “Christmas at Coronado” with support by the City of Coronado, the Cultural Arts Commission and the Coronado Schools Foundation. The Foundation’s sponsorship enabled all band students and their families in the district to attend the event for free.

Make sure and mark your calendar for this special concert on October 8.

Pre-talk begins at 6:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.thecoronadophilharmonia.org/.

Many cities boast a philharmonic, also called a philharmonia, which means an organization dedicated to the love of music.

The Coronado Philharmonia has three main goals:

1) to serve the Coronado community by providing professional music concerts with a wide range of traditional and new music;

2) create opportunities for musicians to build relationships through their performances; and

3) inspire and educate youth through diverse educational experiences.

Music Director and Founder Osvaldo Mendoza, while no longer with CoSA, developed an affection for Coronado and its residents. He has been active in music circles throughout the country, not only conducting but, also, performing and composing music which have been performed at the Plaza Theater in El Paso, the Strathmore in Washington, DC, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Mendoza is the founder of The Orchestra Project North America.