The Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra returns to the Eli & Edythe Broad Stage this weekend with a new conductor and one of classical music's most enduring stories of survival through storytelling. The orchestra performs Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade on Sunday at 4 p.m., led for the first time by Maestra Mercedes Juan Musotto, at the SMC Performing Arts Center on 11th Street in Santa Monica.
The performance, presented by the Santa Monica College Music Department, marks a notable moment for an ensemble that has spent recent years rebuilding itself. According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, the concert is family-friendly with no age restrictions, and the Colburn Foundation helped make it possible. General admission runs $15 plus a modest service charge, with free admission for children, while advance tickets are available at smc.edu/tickets.
The SMC Foundation notes that the orchestra traces back to 1985, when it was created by Lida Oliver Beasley, and today draws high school, collegiate and freelance musicians performing both at the Broad Stage and elsewhere around greater Los Angeles. The ensemble was dissolved during the pandemic, and the foundation says it has taken fastidious work by SMC's foundation, music faculty and students to bring it back. The group now presents four performances a year, and this fall it welcomed Musotto as its new conductor.
A Tale Spun Across 1,001 Nights
Scheherazade, also known as “The Arabian Nights,” is one of Rimsky-Korsakov's most popular works, inspired by the stories collected in One Thousand and One Nights, per the newspaper's report. The piece tells of King Shahryar, who believed women were untrustworthy after a previous wife's infidelity and responded by marrying a new bride each night and executing her the next morning.
Scheherazade escaped that fate by telling the king a captivating tale each night, always stopping at a cliffhanger at dawn to ensure she would live to finish it. The routine continued for 1,001 nights, during which the two had three children, and the king ultimately fell in love with her and abandoned his cruel law. Musotto said in the newspaper's report that Scheherazade takes its name from one of King Shahryar's wives.
Getting There and Getting In
Concert seating is first-come, first-served, and the Broad Stage box office begins selling tickets 45 minutes before the performance. Free parking is offered for the concert, though the BroadStage notes separately that its lot directly in front of the theater operates at limited capacity. The venue's phone service otherwise keeps regular hours Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., except on national holidays, while the in-person box office is open during the season two hours before each performance, though never earlier than 9 a.m.
Ticket pricing for students carries some ambiguity worth noting. The Santa Monica Daily Press reports that students with any student ID receive free admission to Sunday's concert, while BroadStage's own ticket-information page separately states that Santa Monica College students can buy $10 tickets subject to availability with valid student ID or proof of enrollment. Those wanting more details on the Scheherazade concert can call 310-434-4323, and the ticket office can be reached separately at 310-434-3005, a phone line that operates Monday through Friday during limited hours.
Latecomers should plan accordingly: BroadStage says they may be seated at the discretion of house management, and opportunities to slip in once the music starts can be limited. Organizers also caution that, as with any live performance, Sunday's concert is subject to change or cancellation without notice.
