As January draws to a close, Ensemble Monterey presents the third concert of its “Season of Dreams,” the farewell series of programs celebrating the leadership of John Anderson, the orchestra’s acclaimed founder and artistic director. These concerts represent favorites from the wide swath of the Ensemble’s repertoire and years of splendid musicmaking. Established in 1992, the mission of the organization was to develop a consortium of professional musicians from the greater Central Coast to present adventurous, challenging and unique concerts to enrich the cultural life of our region. Anderson and his colleagues have excelled over the decades in realizing this vision. Along the way they have commissioned and performed new compositions, including works by talented local composers. This weekend Anderson leads the Ensemble in “A Sweet Dream” featuring music of whimsy, joy and reflection.

The program begins with “All Mixed Up,” an overture by Steve Ettinger, written specifically for Anderson and the orchestra. Inspired by mixed instrumentation and shifting time signatures, it’s the first movement of a larger work composed in 2024 in memory of the composer’s late sister, Amy Ettinger, a former Herald reporter. “I am deeply grateful to John and the musicians of Ensemble Monterey for bringing my music to life,” Ettinger says.

Jean Françaix’s “9 Pièces Caractéristiques” is a suite for wind instruments described as “music to give pleasure” and reflects the composer’s delight in creating joyful and diverting experiences. Gustav Holst’s delightful “St. Paul’s Suite” showcases Holst’s passion for British folk music and his nimbleness with contrasting styles. Brahms’s Serenade No. 2 in A Major in five movements showcases the early genius and orchestral brilliance of the composer. Over the years, Ensemble Monterey’s dedication to supporting young musicians has introduced audiences to talented local youth in our area. Members of Youth Music Monterey’s South County Strings will perform works by American composer Richard Meyer as part of this concert. For tickets and more information see www.ensemblemonterey.org or call (831) 333 -1283. Concerts take place Saturday at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Monterey and Sunday at 5 p.m. at Peace United Church of Christ in Santa Cruz.Monterey Symphony’s Kaleidoscopic Program

The Monterey Symphony begins 2025 with conductor and music director Jayce Ogren’s eclectic concert of works by Brahms, Charles Ives, Giovanni Gabrieli and a new percussion concerto by Avner Dorman. “Our February program features one of the most beloved pieces of orchestral music, Brahms’s Symphony No. 1,” he says. “This symphony has resonated with audiences across the ages with its message of triumph in the face of adversity. The program also includes American maverick Charles Ives’s musical contemplation of existence, ‘The Unanswered Question,’ and Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2 with its glorious brass ensembles.”

Ogren says the orchestra is thrilled to welcome Cynthia Yeh, principal percussionist of the Chicago Symphony, as soloist in Dorman’s “Eternal Rhythm,” which he calls colorful and grooving with a kaleidoscopic array of percussion instruments. Expect a battery of bells, drums, and wood forges in this intriguing work. The program closes with Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5, Ogren’s final flourish in this concert.

The concerts take place Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. at Sunset Center in Carmel. Pre-concert lectures are held on Feb. 15 from 6:30-7 p.m. and Feb. 16 from 2-2:30 p.m. in the Sunset auditorium. They are free and open to the public.

Ticketholders are invited to a Saturday Night Talk Back in the lobby after the concert with Ogren and soloist Yeh. On Sundays, the Symphony offers live music in the lobby from 1:45-2 p.m. and 2:30-2:45 p.m. The February music sessions feature Symphony principal second violin Zlata Grekov. These offerings are also free and open to the public. For tickets and more information see www.montereysymphony.org or call (831) 646-8511.

Chamber Music Monterey Bay: Juilliard String Quartet

Chamber Music Monterey Bay continues its 58th season with the Juilliard String Quartet, hailed by The Boston Globe as the most important American quartet in history. Founded in 1946, the ensemble maintains an enduring engagement with the classics while championing new works. This combination of the familiar and the daring is represented Feb. 22 at Sunset Center in a program of works by Antonín Dvorák, Leoš Janácek and Beethoven. As Quartet in Residence at the Juilliard School, its members are sought-after teachers on string and chamber music faculties. Each May, they host the five-day, internationally recognized, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar.

During the summer, the ensemble works closely on string quartet repertoire with students at the Tanglewood Music Festival. The Quartet’s recordings of the Bartók and Schoenberg quartets, as well as those of Debussy, Ravel and Beethoven, have won Grammys. In 2011, Juilliard became the first classical music ensemble to receive a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

They will perform Dvorák’s Cypresses, Janácek’s String Quartet No. 2: Intimate Letters, and Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major. The concert takes place at Sunset Center Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a pre-concert talk by musicologist Derek Katz at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and more information see www.chambermusicmontereybay.org or call (831) 635-2122.

New artistic director

Camerata Singers of Monterey County has announced Mark Purcell as its new conductor and music director. Purcell is the head of the music department at the Santa Catalina School in Monterey, where he has conducted its choir and music ensemble since 2006. The choir has received high honors at regional music festivals since 2007 under his guidance. Purcell has served as an adjudicator and clinician for the California Music Educator’s Association, American Choral Director’s Association, National Association for Music Educators and jazz festivals. He also arranges, composes and commissions works for unique blends of voices and instruments. As a tenor, Purcell has appeared as a soloist in the U.S. and abroad and is an award-winning performer with the Lyric Opera and American Musical Theater of San Jose. He has also conducted at papal appearances in the Vatican. Purcell leads his first Camerata Singers concert in the spring. For more information about the chorus see www.camerata-singers.org.