Coronado Philharmonia: Holiday Concert In Coronado

2021 saw the birth of the Coronado Philharmonia with its July 4th premier concert. The all-volunteer but mostly professional musicians formed with 18 members. Under the direction and energetic passion of former CoSA music director Osvaldo Mendoza, the group performed two concerts that year. His five years with CoSa had allowed him to meet a cadre of excellent musicians who spread the word about forming the orchestra. Professionals from other San Diego areas signed on. “Everybody was volunteering, and they trusted us, and we didn’t know what to expect.”

A year after the inaugural concert, the orchestra has grown to 58 with the variety of instruments the audience would expect from a symphony. In collaboration with Coronado School of the Arts, the Philharmonia will be performing Holiday in Coronado at the Coronado High School theater on December 3 at 7:30 p.m.

The accomplished Philharmonia musicians, many of whom, have Masters and Doctorate degrees in music, are all professionals who have played with other orchestras. CoSA teachers David Mcbean, Choir Director, and Gina Sorensen, Dance Director have rehearsed with the student performers. The collaboration with CoSA allows more community involvement in the Philharmonia. CoSA, also, provided the use of necessary large instruments, such as a harp which is necessary for certain selections. Securing a place to perform was solved with the use of the school theater. The Coronado Unified School District, and the Coronado Arts Commission have stepped forward to ease the way for Holiday in Coronado.

For the Christmas concert selections, Mendoza says, “We’re going to have very classical holiday music. There’s one called the Christmas Festival. The other one is Christmas at the Movies, which is pretty fun. You have all these “Home Alone” movies, you know. The songs that you hear on the films. And then we have another Russian composer. His last name is Korsakov, that’s called Christmas Eve.” The second half of the program will include selections from the Nutcracker Suite. The celesta used for the unique sound in the Nutcracker Suite will be replaced with a Baby Grand piano. The celesta, a small piano type instrument, is the only instrument the orchestra is missing this year.

To maintain the idea of a high-quality Coronado orchestra moving forward, Mendoza set out to secure funds since professional musicians cannot volunteer indefinitely. The City of Coronado has rallied to support Mendoza’s efforts through its Community Grant program which funds two concerts. Presenting a concert of the caliber required by Mendoza and creating a stable orchestra in Coronado requires community support. Ticket sales, while helpful, never fully fund the arts. With no secure revenue, the Philharmonia’s future is always in question.

Osvaldo Mendoza came to Coronado to be the Coronado School of the Arts music director. When he noticed the absence of a local orchestra, he started putting into place the seeds of forming one. With an ultimate goal of forming a youth orchestra, Mendoza knew that the adult orchestra had to come first. “Where there is no orchestra, there is no youth orchestra.”

His two children are the catalyst for his youth symphony vision. Sofia, 13, plays the cello, and Astor, 10, plays the violin. While employed with CoSA, Mendoza started two kids’ orchestras, one in Chula Vista with Choice Academy and another at a Catholic school. His attitude is “I had two options, either wait for someone to build an orchestra or just do it myself.” The first one had 30 children. Unfortunately, with COVID arriving, he had to leave Coronado for a job in Phoenix, where he still lives and directs three small children’s orchestras. He wants children to be exposed to fine classical music because if they never hear it, they will not appreciate it.

Mendoza is a hands-on leader who sees a need and dives in. He tells the story of an incident at the 2021 first rehearsal for the Christmas concert that is indicative of his character and his work ethic. “I didn’t have any stage manager, so I’m there and nobody knows me… but I’m trying to get all the chairs, all the music stands (set up). I’m sweating… and then one of the musicians said, ‘Are you the stage manager?’…Yes, I am.” Later the astonished musician discovered he was, also, the conductor. Mendoza commented, “When you’re passionate about something like that, you just do what you need to do.”

Mendoza continues his networking in Coronado, recently arriving from Arizona for one day to speak to the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses. He hopes to solicit help in obtaining a rehearsal space as well as financial funding and looks forward to partnering with local businesses during the year for participation in local events. Coronado is fortunate to have Mendoza active in contributing to Coronado’s arts.

Becoming a member of The Friends of the Philharmonia allows you to be informed of future concerts. They say, “We are enthusiastic about the prospect of making classical music a regular part of Coronado’s vibrant arts scene.”

VOL. 112, NO. 47 - Nov. 23, 2022