Poway Symphony Orchestra offers season tickets for the first time

Fans of the Poway Symphony Orchestra will be able to purchase season tickets for the first time starting Friday, Sept. 5.

A season ticket subscription provides a 10% discount off regular single-ticket prices. Subscribers also get priority seating for the concerts held in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts and early access before individual tickets go on sale to the general public, which starts on Oct. 3.

They will also have the same seats for all three concerts.

“Our patrons have been asking for season subscriptions and we’re thrilled to now make this a reality,” said James Reid, president of the Poway Symphony Orchestra Foundation. “Subscribers will not only enjoy savings and the best available seats, but also the convenience of keeping those seats for every concert in our season.”

The subscription offer is available for the 2025-26 season, from Sept. 5 through Nov. 15.

The first of the three concerts will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 when the symphony presents “Dvořák in America.”

Two of Antonín Dvořák’s works will be featured — Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” and “Cello Concerto.” The concerto will feature guest cellist Qiele “Cello” Guo from Los Angeles.

This will be Guo’s second appearance with the symphony. Music director and conductor John LoPiccolo said Guo performed as part of the Benefic Trio several years ago.

“He is a brilliant guy and phenomenal player,” LoPiccolo said. “I’m excited to have him back as I am interested in helping young musicians hone their craft.”

When selecting works to be performed at each concert LoPiccolo said he looks for those that will complement each other and fit with the musicians he has.

“These are very popular pieces selected based on the orchestra … and its players so it is the perfect fit,” he said, adding that the Poway Symphony has not performed either work during his tenure as conductor.

This season there will likely be 70 musicians on stage, a 50/50 mix between highly talented and experienced non-professionals and paid professionals who join the symphony only during its final rehearsals before each concert, LoPiccolo said.

“The orchestra is much larger (now),” he said when reflecting on its nearly doubling in size since he first picked up the baton to lead it 11 years ago. “All our string section has increased.”

He attributed the symphony’s growth to it “producing high-class concerts” and increased awareness among community members.

“This is very exciting to me,” LoPiccolo said, noting that last year each of the three concerts were nearly sold out in the 809-seat PCPA. “This is a testament to how great the orchestra is playing and people are responding to that.”

The second concert will be “Mendelssohn Classics” at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22. The romantic pieces will be Symphony No. 5 “Reformation” and “Violin Concerto.” For this concerto, violinist YuEun Gemma Kim from Los Angeles will be the guest artist.

“She is phenomenal,” LoPiccolo said of Kim, whom he was able to book through a Los Angeles connection. “I’m terribly excited.”

LoPiccolo said he paired the concerto, which heavily relies on strings, with the symphony in order to give his brass musicians and percussionists an opportunity to play in the concert. It has been eight or 10 years since the orchestra performed this Mendelssohn symphony.

The final concert in the series will be “An American Celebration” at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 31. The theme was selected to recognize the 250th anniversary of the United States, LoPiccolo said. The country’s semiquincentennial will be celebrated in 2026 to mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

He has selected popular works by several American composers, including George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” that will feature first-time guest pianist Dan Yu from San Diego.

“I have not worked with Dan before … but he is a wonderful player whom I have heard before,” LoPiccolo said.

Also on the program will be Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” another first for the orchestra, according to LoPiccolo.

“Mysterious Mountain” by Alan Hovhaness was chosen for its “very tonal harmonies” and because “it is very beautiful,” LoPiccolo said, adding that Hovhaness was a contemporary American composer.

There will also be a nod to Broadway with selections from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

“From the grandeur of Dvořák to the elegance of Mendelssohn and the bold American voices of Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein and Hovhaness, our audiences will hear powerful performances by the orchestra and brilliant guest artists,” LoPiccolo said about the new season.

“By showcasing young regional soloists alongside these masterworks, we’re investing in the future of beloved symphonic music while presenting fresh interpretations that are both stunning and memorable.”

The Poway Symphony Orchestra has three tiers for concert tickets. Tier 1 has individual full-price tickets at $55, with seniors (65-plus) at $50, students (ages 13-22) at $25 and youths (12 and under) at $15. The subscription packages for all three concerts are $150 for full-price, $135 for seniors, $69 for students and $39 for youths.

Tier 2 individual tickets are $50 for full-price, $45 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for youths. The subscription packages are $135 for full-price, $123 for seniors, $54 for students and $39 for youths.

Tier 3 individual tickets are $45 for full-price, $38 for seniors, $18 for students and $15 for youths. The subscription packages are $123 for full-price, $102 for seniors, $48 for students and $39 for youths.

Tickets can be purchased through the PCPA website at powaycenter.com, at its box office at 15498 Espola Road or by calling 858-748-0505. The box office is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 6 p.m. and one hour before concerts.

For more information, visit PowaySymphonyOrchestra.org.