Four Records. One Collection.
Four concerts. Four distinct musical worlds. One season designed like a classic collection meant to be experienced from its opening track to its final note.
Stage to Screen. Chamber Music Up Close. Sketches of Spain. Ode to Joy. Each concert stands alone as its own album. Together, they tell the story of the La Mirada Symphony’s 2026–2027 Season.
Every great record tells a story. The best collections tell an unforgettable one.
The La Mirada Symphony built its 2026–2027 Season as a collection of four records. Each concert stands alone as its own album, with its own cover, its own mood, and its own sound. Displayed together, the four form one boxed set for the season: Stage to Screen, An Afternoon of Chamber Music, Sketches of Spain, and Ode to Joy.
Rather than present four unrelated programs, the season plays like a collection meant to be heard in order. Each concert becomes a record on its own turntable. Together, the four albums show how live music can transport, inspire, and connect people.
Across the set, audiences will experience The Phantom of the Opera with a live orchestra, hear Symphony musicians in a smaller setting, explore Spanish-inspired classical music, and close the season with Beethoven’s immortal Ode to Joy.
The La Mirada Symphony 2026–2027 Season becomes more than a list of dates. It becomes a collection worth experiencing.
Four concerts. Four musical worlds. One unforgettable season.La Mirada Symphony · 2026–2027
Four records pressed for one season.
Stage to Screen
The collection opens by pressing a record 100 years in the making.
For its season opener, the La Mirada Symphony presents Stage to Screen: The Phantom of the Opera. This special evening brings the legendary 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera to life with a live orchestra.
Today, most people watch movies at home. Silent films began as shared events, though. Audiences gathered in theaters while musicians performed the score live. This concert offers a rare chance to experience cinema the way early moviegoers once did.
The live orchestra adds suspense, romance, and emotion to every scene. It also brings new power to Lon Chaney’s unforgettable performance as the mysterious Phantom. Because the music happens in real time, the film feels immediate and alive.
This concert plays as more than a screening. It plays as a return to the golden age of moviegoing and a reminder of why audiences first fell in love with film.
Explore The Phantom of the OperaA hundred years later, the orchestra still makes the Phantom breathe.
An afternoon of chamber music
After the grand scale of the opening record, the collection turns down the volume and moves closer to the musicians.
An Afternoon of Chamber Music invites audiences into a more personal side of classical music. Instead of performing as one large orchestra, Symphony musicians appear in smaller groups, including duos, trios, quartets, and other chamber ensembles.
This setting changes the way audiences hear the music. Every melody, response, and musical gesture becomes easier to follow. Listeners can hear musicians lead, answer, and shape the performance together.
Chamber music often plays like a conversation. It gives audiences a close-up view of the artistry behind every note. For longtime concertgoers, it offers a fresh perspective. For newcomers, it offers an inviting way to discover classical music.
As the second record in the collection, this concert reminds us that music does not always need a grand scale to make a strong impression.
Explore the Chamber ConcertSometimes the biggest musical moments happen with the fewest musicians.
Sketches of Spain
The collection drops the needle on the color, atmosphere, and rhythm of Spain.
Sketches of Spain celebrates the beauty of Spanish-inspired classical music. The program brings together works filled with energy, atmosphere, and unforgettable orchestral color. From the first notes, the concert invites audiences to imagine warm evenings, lively streets, distant landscapes, and dances filled with fire.
The program includes music by Glinka, Granados, Bizet, Chabrier, Rodrigo, and Rimsky-Korsakov.
- Glinka — Spanish Overture No. 2: A Summer Night in Madrid
- Granados — Intermezzo from Goyescas
- Bizet — Intermezzo from Carmen
- Chabrier — España
- Rodrigo — Concierto de Aranjuez
- Rimsky-Korsakov — Capriccio Espagnol
The centerpiece is Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, featuring guitarist Marcus Gerakos. The work remains one of the most treasured compositions ever written for guitar and orchestra. Its melodies feel graceful, intimate, and deeply memorable.
Sketches of Spain plays as more than a concert program. It plays as a destination pressed onto vinyl. Through sound, the La Mirada Symphony carries audiences into a world of passion and color.
Explore Sketches of SpainClose your eyes and hear the colors.
Ode to Joy
The collection reaches its closing track with one of music’s greatest statements of courage, unity, and hope.
The La Mirada Symphony closes the season with Ode to Joy, a concert centered on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Many listeners consider this work one of the greatest achievements in classical music.
The concert opens with Mozart’s sparkling Overture to The Magic Flute. The program continues with performances by the winners of the MTAC Whittier Branch Concerto Competition. Then the afternoon builds toward Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony.
Beethoven completed the Ninth Symphony after losing his hearing. Even so, he created a work filled with courage, determination, and hope. Its famous final movement, known around the world as “Ode to Joy,” celebrates unity and the shared human spirit.
Beethoven’s Ninth continues to move audiences more than two centuries later. It does not simply end a concert. It lifts the room and gives the season its final track: a statement of hope, connection, and joy.
Explore Ode to JoyOne of history’s greatest symphonies closes a season built on hope.
Four records. One collection.
The La Mirada Symphony 2026–2027 Season gives audiences four different ways to experience the power of live music. Each concert has its own cover, its own personality, and its own sound. Displayed together, they form one complete collection.
The set opens in Hollywood’s silent era with The Phantom of the Opera. From there, the needle drops into the close-up world of chamber music before spinning through the vibrant sounds of Spain. The collection closes with Beethoven’s universal message of joy and human connection.
These free concerts continue the Symphony’s mission of bringing live orchestral music to the community. The La Mirada Symphony believes great music should feel shared, welcoming, and open to everyone.
Some people collect records. This season invites audiences to collect musical experiences.