Announcing the winners of our 2021 Young Artist Auditions competition! Click here for more details!

Celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday with a fun opportunity to test your knowledge of his composition style!

On Thursday, December 24 at 7pm PST, North State Symphony will premiere our third virtual concert of our 20th Season. Before our featured performance of Beethoven's Second String Quartet, join Music Director Scott Seaton for a brief discussion of the varying composition styles in Beethoven's early, middle, and late string quartets. Afterward, you can then listen to excerpts of his string quartets and try to determine what period of his life they belong and have an opportunity to win prizes!

There will be nine quartet excerpts for a total chance of nine points, plus two bonus excerpts for a chance of up to four additional points (if you can name the two bonus works!).

The quiz will go live at 7pm PST on December 24, and remain open until December 28th at midnight. However, we will rank winners by both the earliest and highest-scoring answers - so be sure to send your quiz in early!

We'll announce winners on December 30th. There will be one grand prize winner and up to three runners up. Winners will be notified directly. Prizes will be announced soon!

LINK TO THE QUIZ

CLICK HERE TO SET A CONCERT REMINDER ON YOUTUBE

On Location is part of North State Symphony’s Community & Classroom engagement program and is dedicated to the idea of sharing great classical music with the community outside of the concert hall.  NSS brings symphony musicians and featured soloists to hundreds of students, seniors, and community members each season.  We're always greeted with enthusiasm and eagerness by listeners to hear music and learn more about the players, the music they played, and their instruments.

"Virtual" On Location

With Shasta High School:  As schools closed in March of 2020 due to Covid-19, our intrepid musicians and conductor were not deterred!  On April 27th, Scott Seaton, NSS Music Director, visits with Lou Polcari, Shasta High School (SHS) Band Director, and his music students in a far-ranging interview recorded for Mr. Polcari’s Podcast “P-Squared". Click the slider below to listen to commentary and music!

(To hear the whole podcast interview which includes an interview with SHS Orchestra Concertmaster Kiara Schutte, visit the Podbean website by clicking here).

At Chrysalis Charter School:  Thanks to Irene Salter, Administrator of Chrysalis Charter School in Redding, for hosting the first-ever NSS "virtual school assembly" on May 7th! NSS Conductor Scott Seaton, principal harpist Candace LiVolsi, and percussionist Eric Whitmer share their stories and their music.  Here's the video recording of that virtual visit.

NSS has presented a wide variety of musicians and instrumental performances to listeners, engaging members of the NSS orchestra and other musician friends throughout the north state.  From low brass ensembles, to guest violin soloist Timothy Chooi – from a marimba workshop, to conducting demonstrations from NSS music director Scott Seaton – north state students and seniors have been able to hear a tremendous variety of music, and interact with a generous group of musicians.

Schools Visits

Inspire School of the Arts:  Pianist Jack Belton and NSS assistant principal trumpet Ayako Nakamura visited Inspire School of the Arts and Sciences and Bidwell Jr. High School in May of 2019. They performed music from many different eras, introduced students to different models of trumpets, and engaged with over 80 junior high and high school students in Chico.

Blue Oak School:  “Blue Oak loved having Eric [Whitmer] to visit and play.  He was talented, eng

aging, inspiring and fun!  Many of my students expressed that the wanted to go see him perform with 

the symphony.  We would LOVE to have more musicians visit and perform.” - Brianna Lee, Blue Oak Charter School

School visits increase student attendance at NSS concerts, as young people get a direct, personal connection to the music and performers on stage. Additionally, NSS partially subsidizes student tickets to NSS Masterworks and Youth concerts, making orchestral music as accessible as possible for our future audience.

Retirement Community Visits

Our audiences at retirement communities have been particularly rich and rewarding. Activities directors and staff are incredibly appreciative of our outreach to their residents, and the residents themselves have ranged from former San Francisco Opera singers to amateur classical music aficionados, those who have been classical musicians in their younger years, and those who still appreciate the art form today.

The Terraces:  What a treat it is to have such beautiful, classical music for our residents to enjoy.  People suffering from dementia often lose short-term memory but retain the connection to the music they have known all their lives.  These talented young people from the North State Symphony, on piano and cello, brought tears to our eyes with the resonant melodies of Brahms.” - Christina Rosenbloom, the Terraces.

The On Location program is a fine example of “Community Through Music” and something NSS is proud to bring to the North State.  We wish to thank our Sponsor, Joan Sullivan Genthe, for her generous support of this program.