California Symphony Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Claremont Hotel in Berkeley
Photos by Drew Altizer Photography, available in high resolution here.
California Symphony Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Claremont Hotel in Berkeley
WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony’s 40th Anniversary Gala, held on April 18, 2026 at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, brought together a vibrant cross-section of civic leaders, arts champions, and devoted patrons to celebrate four decades of music-making and community impact. Guests gathered to honor longtime champions Ralph and Loella Haskew (former California Symphony Board President and former Walnut Creek Mayor, respectively), whose enduring support has shaped the organization since its earliest days. Attendees included past California Symphony composer Viet Cuong and notable community leaders, including Walnut Creek council members Cindy Silva and Matt Francois. Performances were by the California Symphony and DJ Snick at Night. The evening, emceed by Classical California’s Dianne Nicolini, featured remarks from Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera, Board President Barbara Hodgkinson, Past Board President Bill Armstrong, and Executive Director Lisa Dell.
The event underscored California Symphony’s mission to present engaging, inclusive concert experiences while investing deeply in education and new music. For 40 years, the California Symphony has been a vibrant cultural cornerstone of Walnut Creek and greater Contra Costa County, bringing world-class music, unforgettable live performances, and accessible education for all to the community. Proceeds from the annual gala advance California Symphony’s mission to deliver innovative performances, cultivate the next generation of artists and audiences, and enrich the cultural life of the community through the power of music.
The gala raised nearly $200,000 in support of the California Symphony’s artistic and education programs. What set the evening apart was its immersive musical storytelling: guests were surrounded by live performances of selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons alongside a beloved work by Viet Cuong, originally premiered by the orchestra online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The night balanced elegance with joy, culminating in a high-energy, unexpected 1980s dance party in celebration of the orchestra’s founding in 1986. The dance floor kept the celebration going late into the night.
Notable attendees:
Classical California/KDFC’s Dianne Nicolini, who was the Master of Ceremonies
California Symphony Artistic & Music Director Donato Cabrera
Board Member Bill Armstrong and his wife Navid Armstrong
Former California Symphony Board member (and former Board President) Ralph Haskew and his wife Loella Haskew, who has been a longtime volunteer with California Symphony since its first gala (event honorees)
Past California Symphony Composer-in-Residence Viet Cuong
Walnut Creek Councilmember and former mayor Cindy Silva
Walnut Creek Councilmember and former mayor Matt Francois
Interim CEO of Walnut Creek Chamber and Vice President of Visit Walnut Creek Nicole Hankton
Peggy White, Executive Director of the Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA)
California Symphony Board President Barbara Hodgkinson
Anne Grodin, former Mayor of Lafayette and councilmember (1991-1999), founder of the Lafayette Community Foundation and past board member.
Sunne McPeak, former Secretary of the California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency (2003-2006); on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors (1979-1994)
Gail Murray, former Director (District 1) of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors
Jim Reiter, California Symphony’s first Board President
Kathy Hemmingway, Executive Director of Walnut Creek Downtown
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY:
Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera since 2013. It is distinguished by its vibrant concert programs that span the breadth of orchestral repertoire, including works by American composers and by living composers. Its concert season at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California serves a growing number of music lovers from across the Bay Area.
California Symphony believes that the concert experience should be fun and inviting, and its mission is to create a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive environment for the entire community. Through this commitment to community, imaginative programming, and its support of emerging composers, California Symphony is a leader among orchestras in California and a model for regional orchestras everywhere.
Since 1991, California Symphony's three-year Young American Composer-in-Residence program has provided a composer with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with the orchestra over three consecutive years to create, rehearse, premiere, and record three major orchestra compositions, one each season. Every Composer-in-Residence has gone on to win top honors and accolades in the field, including the Rome Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Grammy Awards, and more.
The orchestra's nationally recognized educational initiative Sound Minds impacts students' trajectories by providing instruction for violin or cello and musicianship skills. Sound Minds has proven to contribute directly to improved reading and math proficiencies and character development, as students set and achieve goals, learn communication and problem-solving skills, and gain self-confidence. Inspired by the El Sistema program of Venezuela, the program is offered completely free of charge to the students and families of Downer Elementary School in San Pablo, California.
Through its innovative adult education program Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed, California Symphony provides lifelong learners a fun-filled introduction to the orchestra and classical music. Led by celebrated educator and California Symphony program annotator Scott Foglesong, these live classes are held over four weeks in the summer annually.
In 2017, California Symphony became the first orchestra with a public statement of a commitment to diversity. Its website is available in both Spanish and English.
Reaching far beyond the performance hall, since 2020 the orchestra's concerts have been broadcast nationally on multiple radio series through Classical California (KUSC/KDFC) and the WFMT Radio Network, reaching over 1.5 million listeners across the country. For more information, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org.