As a new spring comes to the Central Coast of California, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society is pleased to present the final two concerts of the 2011-2012 season. The first of these concerts will be held on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature the strings of the orchestra. The composers whose works will be performed range from Antonio Vivaldi, a master of the Italian Baroque to a contemporary master, Arvo Pärt, who is still alive and active in the 21st Century. The concert also includes works by Tchaikovsky and Respighi. Dr. Ann Lucas, of Allan Hancock College, will be presenting the pre-concert lecture at 6:50.

The second concert will be offered on May 19th at 7:30 p.m. and the woodwinds and brass of the orchestra, along with their music director John Farrer, will get their chance to shine in a concert of works from several composers who embody the emotional expressiveness and harmonic innovation of the Romantic movement: Richard Strauss, Charles Gounod and Antonin Dvorak. For this concert, Dr. Marcus Engelmann, also from the music faculty of Allan Hancock College, will give the pre-concert lecture, at 6:50. Both concerts will be presented at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Maria.

Please join us in April and May as the Santa Maria Philharmonic brings the 2011-2012 concert season to a beautiful close!