Berkeley Symphony is reimagining the contemporary role of a community orchestra by infusing our art with a commitment to honor the people and spirit of Berkeley with culturally relevant and challenging work that is representative of the breadth of diversity that enriches our city. In a fitting tribute to our city for the opening of our 50th anniversary season, we have commissioned Jimmy Lopez to compose a new work that will premiere alongside Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to celebrate our tradition of taking programmatic risks and presenting major new works alongside fresh interpretations of the classical repertoire.