DEFIANCE

Kedrick Armstrong, conductor
B. DeVeaux, vocalist

OSNAT NETZER Varium cæli

KARIM AL-ZAND Lamentation on the Disasters of War

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE ORCHESTRATED 
(Arranged by Mike Blankenship)
The Lumpen–No More
Tracy Chapman–Talkin’ Bout a Revolution
Lauryn Hill–I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel)

INTERMISSION

DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905

The 2026-2027 Season of Oakland Symphony is generously funded in part by the East Bay Music Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and supported by the Oakland City Council and funded by the City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program.

In a little more than two weeks, citizens across the nation will cast their vote on the state of our society and the course of our culture.    

This unalienable right connects us to the theme of our season, beginning tonight:   Resist and Persist.   Kedrick Armstrong’s opening program is titled “Defiance,” and the main work is Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, exploring the events of the failed Russian revolution of 1905.  

“Shostakovich has such a unique, intuitive and human way of portraying the suffering, of portraying the violence,” says Kedrick Armstrong, “The Bloody Sunday where so many came to the Palace Square asking for a good life, for what they believe. And they were met with gunfire.   This symphony was meant to be for the people, those who were struggling and who were protesting.

“And this is the beauty of Shostakovich. He takes harmony, he takes rhythm and even goes as far as taking protest songs that people would've known of that time and putting them in this symphony.  Now, how do we take this 60-minute symphony and contextualize it in our own time?  Perhaps to orchestrate protest songs from our society by three different artists: The Lumpen, the band of the Black Panthers Party.  Tracy Chapman, who is known for being at the front of so many movements.  And Lauryn Hill, an artist that I grew up listening to and who wrote many songs about injustice. 

“I hope we can walk away from tonight’s concert with the ability to see the suffering around us. There's no shortage of trauma and pain, but this is one of a few spaces where we can come together and collectively share that feeling and determine how to act.  This is what Shostakovich asks of us. To continue to use our voices, whatever voices we have, to fight against injustice.  To resist and to persist.”

This theme continues next month when the Orchestra will be Out in Oakland reaching new audiences in new spaces.   The November 20 concert will be performed at the Scottish Rite Center (1547 Lakeside Drive.)   “In Eternal Hands” presents music of Johannes Brahms, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Franz Schrecker, and Arturo Márquez.   On November 21, the program will be heard at San Ramon Performing Arts, and on the 22^nd at Del Valle Theater in Walnut Creek.  

I want to thank the subscribers and donors attending this evening.   Your support is particularly meaningful in these financially challenging times.  If this is your first visit to your Orchestra, I hope you return and subscribe to the remaining five concerts this season.   Full details can be found at OaklandSymphony.org.   

From Kedrick, from the musicians, and from the Board of Directors, thank you and welcome home.  

Sincerely, 
Dr. Mieko Hatano
Chief Executive Officer