The fifth consecutive season of the Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra begins September 6th at 7:00 p.m. at the Coronado Performing Arts Center under the direction of founder Osvaldo Mendoza. At 6:30, a Pre-Concert Talk will be available to ticket holders. With 35 professional performers, the orchestra will showcase Beethoven’s legendary Symphony No. 5 in C minor, a favorite classical piece with familiar movements that everyone will remember hearing.

Before the orchestra takes over, however, a special performance by the three winners of the first youth Concerto Competition will highlight the extraordinary talent of those in middle and high school. Stacey Eaton, a violinist in the orchestra who oversees marketing and is on the CPO board, describes the solo performances as a “heartwarming concert that celebrates the power of youth, artistry, and timeless musical brilliance, which includes selections from Grieg, Mendelssohn, and Mozart.” The young musicians will be accompanied by the orchestra.

The three competition divisions were categorized by age, with the youngest winner being Raymond Fu, ten years old, who says he practices two hours a day, seven days a week. His training also includes twice-weekly lessons. His reason for auditioning with the CPO was to gain professional orchestral experience. He adds this orchestral performance to one in Spain, which he said was a good experience for him. He will be playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor.

Zen Parris, 14 years old, will play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, and Victoria Chen, 17 years old, will play Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16. While the competition was open to all of San Diego County, none of the winners were from Coronado. The winners were chosen by playing a concerto or a movement with piano accompaniment. The instrumentalists were judged on repertoire, musicality, skill, and memory. Eaton states that it was a rigorous competition, and the audience will be amazed at the impressive talent of the three winners.

Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra will perform all four movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Eaton said, “This Symphony is unique in that it’s probably the number one most well-known orchestra piece. What I like about it is Beethoven, who, went deaf. He says that, while he was doing this, it was very disheartening to feel like he was losing his hearing while being a composer of music. He has a really cool quote … he said, ‘I will seize fate by the throat. It shall certainly not crush me completely’…(This piece) has kind of turned into an anthem of perseverance and pushing back and not giving up.”

Eaton went on to comment, “I will say that, regarding Beethoven’s Fifth, the first movement, people will go to that and say, ‘This is why I bought the ticket, just to hear this, the first movement.’ It’s super, super powerful and inspirational.”

Besides the youth concertos and Beethoven’s 5th, the orchestra will play one additional piece: Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, The Bat. It is his most famous stage piece.

The musicians live in various states, yet come together for a magical music night. Eaton explained, “The musicians are all professional level, so we actually rehearse the week leading up to the concert. We’ll rehearse on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then we’ll pull it together in four rehearsals, and then we’ll perform Saturday night. We don’t need to rehearse more than that. We all know it beforehand.”

While performing is a joy to both Mendoza and Eaton, inspiring youth to enter the musician’s world is, also, important to both of them. Mendoza has not given up on building a youth orchestra in Coronado. The Concerto Competition was a first step in ascertaining the local talent. Eaton, a former Coronado teacher who teaches music classes for kindergarten through 5th grade in the Park City, UT area, feels that music should be a part of the curriculum in every school. “I love inspiring youth because not everybody grows up to be an athlete or a super strong student. You have to find a place for everyone in your school, and a lot of them fall into music and drama, and that’s where it was for me.”

To attend this special performance, purchase your ticket at coronadophilharmonia.org and attend a blissful evening of music while supporting Coronado’s cultural scene.

VOL. 115, NO. 34 – Aug. 20, 2025