Kyle Wiley Pickett
Music Director
and Conductor
Reviews
September 2009
May 2009
Fall 2008
Reviews of November concerts:
Audience members' responses to our September concerts...
"The North State Symphony outdid itself when it opened the new season with a memorable concert that featured the world-renowned pianist Jon Nakamatsu in the Third Rachmaninov Piano Concerto. The audience gave him a standing ovation and shouted loud bravos and lined up afterwards for his autograph on his CDs. We are fortunate to have Kyle Wiley Pickett leading our orchestra, now totally professional. The support for the symphony is growing but if we want to keep Kyle here we need to do more."
From a letter to the Chico Enterprise-Record
Helga Ruge, Chico
"My wife and I went to the Redding concert and were both blown away by Mr. Nakamatsu's inspired performance. It was dazzling, and we had a chance to meet him at a party afterwards. Kyle's conducting skills were tremendous and I had the feeling that he was aware of every microscopic musical nuance generated by this amazing North State Symphony Orchestra. His enthusiasm and physical movements reminded me of Leonard Bernstein. It was a memorable evening and we won't soon forget it."
Posted on John Stewart's blog
Fall 2007
11/22/07 Redding Record Searchlight "Symphony brought out the magic of Mahler"
Chico News and Review "Best of Chico" edition, Editor's Picks
Best underappreciated music treasure - North State Symphony "The North State Symphony has many fans who know quite well, thank you, just how excellent it is, but it could always use a few more. Formed seven years ago, when the venerable Chico Symphony merged with the Redding Symphony, the group is led by Music Director Kyle Wiley Pickett, who has developed it into the finest orchestra north of San Francisco."
Winner of Chico's Annies Arts Award
North State Symphony won an Annies Arts Award for its 2005 performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
Previous Years
Chico News & Review
11/23/06 Unusual concert for an unusual crowd
11/24/05 String Envy
9/29/05 The First Century
3/10/05 Threads of Passion
9/30/04 Bravo Italiano!
5/20/04 Euro-smash
11/20/03 Where the Music Grows
9/18/03 Dynamic Debut
5/22/03 Wowsky!
2/27/03 IMAGO Revealed
Redding Record Searchlight [note: Reviews are available online by registering on the Record web site]