UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Central European Tour, Summer 2022

UCBSO members pose for a photo in Spain, 2017

UCBSO is going on Tour!

The UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra is embarking on a tour to Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and Bratislava in the Summer of 2022! This tour was originally planned for Summer of 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19. After 18 months of virtual rehearsals and seminars, now, we are eager to return to live performances on stage and share our music with our audiences. 

We are commissioning two new works by UC Berkeley’s own composers to present in each city. We will not only demonstrate the latest developments in music technology and composition but also showcase the artistic achievements of UC Berkeley students through our expanding classical canon. The orchestra's past tours to Central Europe and Spain were met with enthusiastic audiences and international acclaim. To embark on the next stage of our journey, we need your support to help provide every deserving student with this unforgettable opportunity.

The Orchestra: 

UCBSO performs in Hertz Hall, 2019

 With its 90-year history, the UCBSO is the longest standing orchestra in the UC system. It is comprised of 120 UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and members of the community. Our purpose is to provide unique and innovative programming to the campus and the Bay Area, performed with astonishing intensity by students in all disciplines, including science, technology, and medicine. Now, the Orchestra will share this purpose with global audiences as well. The work of the UCBSO exemplifies the outstanding depth of musical achievement from the students of an already internationally renowned university. 

The diversity of our members makes this group a special and vital part of our community. The ensemble provides compelling performances of difficult repertoire, despite most of the musicians focusing on academic fields outside of music. The orchestra is replete with high-achieving undergraduate and graduate students working in all fields, from biostatistics to law. Nonetheless, every member attends bi-weekly rehearsals, prepared to work diligently on our repertoire and driven by a shared sense of community and love for music. While our members are improving the world with their personal research, our orchestra is improving our community by making it a more inclusive and united space through music.

Why We’re Asking for Your Help:

UCBSO musicians smile before a performance, 2017

 As an orchestra, we are more than a community--we’re a family, greater than the sum of our parts. We need the full participation of every member in order for the tour to be a success; however, the majority of our students do not have the financial means to cover the cost. While we still have access to funds from our past 2020 crowdfunding campaigns, the economic consequences of COVID-19 have been devastating to many families, and we are fundraising to offset their financial burden. 100% of your contribution will go directly toward student scholarships, which cover travel, lodging, food, music rentals, and instrument transportation. With your help, we can ensure that every student has a place and that no one misses the tour due to a lack of resources. Together, our students will flourish musically and mature culturally, gaining an invaluable worldly experience. 

With your contribution, you are directly supporting a student’s participation in this summer’s tour. All donations are tax deductible and will receive an official university tax acknowledgement and ID.

Learn more at https://orchestra.berkeley.edu/summer2022tour/