#sandiegosymphony
World Projects Presents: When the Classics Align…
ABOUT THE CONCERT
Matthew Mulvaney, director
Mira Mesa High School Symphony Orchestra
Eric McAllister, director
Jeremy Paredes, director
Las Vegas Academy of the Arts Orchestra
Michael Gerdes, director
Clare Hatter, graduate conductor
Ayrton Pisco, violin
San Diego State University Symphony Orchestra
Join us for an evening of music excellence, featuring musicians from Southern California and Las Vegas. Each orchestra will perform their 2026 on-tour repertoire, including classics such as Sibelius’s Symphony No. 3 and Holst’s The Planets and modern contemporary pieces such as Of Fire and Water (2025) by Jordan Jinosko and Saudade by Arturo Rodriguez. World Projects is excited to host these talented musicians as they share their music journeys at the world-class music venue Jacobs Music Center.
Please note: This is a Jacobs Music Center rental event, presented by World Projects. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this concert.
About the Ensembles
Know Before You Buy
The Performing Arts Department at Mira Mesa High School is home to one of the most active programs within the San Diego Unified School District. With sequential offerings across a variety of arts disciplines, its affiliated programs are structured to meet the educational and artistic needs of our students and community.
Students in the Mira Mesa High School Symphony Orchestra have represented their school, community, and school district in featured performances at Chicago Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Arts, the Musco Center, the California Center for the Arts (Escondido), the Jacobs Music Center, the Rady Shell, and others.
Core features of the music education experience at Mira Mesa include uniform access to instrumental coaching, the programming of both standard and emerging works, and finally, the opportunity to collaborate with local arts organizations, including the San Diego Symphony, Art of Élan, the La Jolla Music Society, and local universities.
Orchestra-specific program highlights include performances at the National Orchestra Festival in San Francisco (2026), a featured performance at the California Music Education Conference (2026), and tours to Los Angeles (2024), Chicago (2023), New York (2019), Washington D.C. (2017), and Seattle (2015). Additionally, the program was fortunate to be one of only ten groups nationwide to host a collaborative event with the cello ensemble Break of Reality (2014).
Most recently, the orchestra commissioned and premiered a new work for symphony orchestra, Of Fire and Water, with celebrated composer Jordan Jinosko. This three-movement work draws inspiration from the natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park. The composition has been selected by the Symphonia Foundation for recording later this year by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra.
---
The Las Vegas Academy Orchestra and its 246 talented students (strings, winds, brass, and percussion) have received many awards and recognitions through the diligence and dedication of their four directors. The Las Vegas Academy has received 12 Grammy awards, more than any other high school in the country. In addition to qualified directors, this performing arts center provides its students with opportunities to work with paraprofessionals and various professional artists, including De Ann Letourneau, The Piano Guys, Daniel Emmett, Clint Holmes, Yen Ling Chen, and Mikyung Seong, as recently as 2025. They also collaborate with, learn from, and perform with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Henderson Symphony Orchestra as winners of the concerto competition.
In regards to accolades, the students of this department have been invited to perform at The Midwest Clinic in 2003, 2009, 2014 & 2021, The Orchestra America National Festival in 2001, the 2005 ASTA Convention in Reno, the 2008 ASTA National Orchestra Festival in Albuquerque, the 2006 MENC Convention in Salt Lake City, Orchestra America Festival in 2007 in the Indianapolis Symphony’s Hilbert Theater. They have been featured in group performances in venues nationwide and internationally, including the Musikverein Concert Hall in Vienna, Austria, and the Auditorio de Zaragoza Concert Hall in Zaragoza, Spain, the New York Philharmonic’s Avery Fisher Hall in 2009 and Carnegie Hall in 2023 and 2025 in New York, as well as Hawaii, Connecticut, California, New Mexico, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Boston.
In addition to significant scholarships, the seniors of the Las Vegas Academy Orchestra have been accepted into prestigious colleges, conservatories and programs both nationally and internationally, including CIM, Juilliard, Indiana University and the National Youth Orchestra.
---
As the top orchestral ensemble at the university, membership in the San Diego State University Symphony Orchestra is through audition and is open to all qualified students regardless of major. The Symphony Orchestra performs repertoire that is representative of many musical style periods and historic contexts. The program offerings are carefully balanced to provide performers and audience members alike with a wide and varied selection of quality musical works. Standard orchestral literature is the foundation, providing the experience necessary for students pursuing a career in music. The ensemble is open to all qualified performers by audition. Auditions are held prior to each semester.
This concert has a special ticketing policy:
- $15 General Admission tickets (plus fees)
- Free admission for kids 17 and younger
- Must purchase at least 1 adult ticket to claim free kids tickets
- 8 tickets max per order (paid and free combined)
- Jacobs Music Center RENTAL Events
Choose a date below to see details.
About the Ensembles
Know Before You Buy
The Performing Arts Department at Mira Mesa High School is home to one of the most active programs within the San Diego Unified School District. With sequential offerings across a variety of arts disciplines, its affiliated programs are structured to meet the educational and artistic needs of our students and community.
Students in the Mira Mesa High School Symphony Orchestra have represented their school, community, and school district in featured performances at Chicago Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Arts, the Musco Center, the California Center for the Arts (Escondido), the Jacobs Music Center, the Rady Shell, and others.
Core features of the music education experience at Mira Mesa include uniform access to instrumental coaching, the programming of both standard and emerging works, and finally, the opportunity to collaborate with local arts organizations, including the San Diego Symphony, Art of Élan, the La Jolla Music Society, and local universities.
Orchestra-specific program highlights include performances at the National Orchestra Festival in San Francisco (2026), a featured performance at the California Music Education Conference (2026), and tours to Los Angeles (2024), Chicago (2023), New York (2019), Washington D.C. (2017), and Seattle (2015). Additionally, the program was fortunate to be one of only ten groups nationwide to host a collaborative event with the cello ensemble Break of Reality (2014).
Most recently, the orchestra commissioned and premiered a new work for symphony orchestra, Of Fire and Water, with celebrated composer Jordan Jinosko. This three-movement work draws inspiration from the natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park. The composition has been selected by the Symphonia Foundation for recording later this year by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra.
---
The Las Vegas Academy Orchestra and its 246 talented students (strings, winds, brass, and percussion) have received many awards and recognitions through the diligence and dedication of their four directors. The Las Vegas Academy has received 12 Grammy awards, more than any other high school in the country. In addition to qualified directors, this performing arts center provides its students with opportunities to work with paraprofessionals and various professional artists, including De Ann Letourneau, The Piano Guys, Daniel Emmett, Clint Holmes, Yen Ling Chen, and Mikyung Seong, as recently as 2025. They also collaborate with, learn from, and perform with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Henderson Symphony Orchestra as winners of the concerto competition.
In regards to accolades, the students of this department have been invited to perform at The Midwest Clinic in 2003, 2009, 2014 & 2021, The Orchestra America National Festival in 2001, the 2005 ASTA Convention in Reno, the 2008 ASTA National Orchestra Festival in Albuquerque, the 2006 MENC Convention in Salt Lake City, Orchestra America Festival in 2007 in the Indianapolis Symphony’s Hilbert Theater. They have been featured in group performances in venues nationwide and internationally, including the Musikverein Concert Hall in Vienna, Austria, and the Auditorio de Zaragoza Concert Hall in Zaragoza, Spain, the New York Philharmonic’s Avery Fisher Hall in 2009 and Carnegie Hall in 2023 and 2025 in New York, as well as Hawaii, Connecticut, California, New Mexico, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Boston.
In addition to significant scholarships, the seniors of the Las Vegas Academy Orchestra have been accepted into prestigious colleges, conservatories and programs both nationally and internationally, including CIM, Juilliard, Indiana University and the National Youth Orchestra.
---
As the top orchestral ensemble at the university, membership in the San Diego State University Symphony Orchestra is through audition and is open to all qualified students regardless of major. The Symphony Orchestra performs repertoire that is representative of many musical style periods and historic contexts. The program offerings are carefully balanced to provide performers and audience members alike with a wide and varied selection of quality musical works. Standard orchestral literature is the foundation, providing the experience necessary for students pursuing a career in music. The ensemble is open to all qualified performers by audition. Auditions are held prior to each semester.
This concert has a special ticketing policy:
- $15 General Admission tickets (plus fees)
- Free admission for kids 17 and younger
- Must purchase at least 1 adult ticket to claim free kids tickets
- 8 tickets max per order (paid and free combined)