SJCO Celebrates Founder Barbara Day Turner in Season-Opening Tribute

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Liana Bérubé takes over as concertmaster and music director for the orchestra's 36th season.

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San José Chamber Orchestra will open its 36th season with Brava, Maestra!, a concert honoring founder Barbara Day Turner on Sunday, September 27 at St. Francis Episcopal in San José.

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After 35 seasons leading the ensemble, Turner is stepping down from the podium and passing the baton to Concertmaster and Music Director Liana Bérubé. The 2026-27 season will pay tribute to Turner's tenure with the orchestra, during which she commissioned and/or premiered more than 260 new works, produced seven CDs of American music and accepted five ASCAP/League of American Orchestras Adventurous Programming Awards.

Bérubé will lead the orchestra in a program featuring works by Jeremy Cohen , Marc-Olivier Dupin, Steven Mark Kohn, Michael Touchi and Max Wolpert. She will also appear as violin soloist, joined by David Cortez on saxophone and Adrienne Malley on English horn.

“The program is made up of things that are either favorites of Barbara Day Turner's and or pieces that are from her favorite genres,” Bérubé said. The selections reflect Turner's connections to tango, klezmer and opera, as well as previous commissions representing different periods in the orchestra's history.

“The program, like Barbara, has a combination of cheekiness, sincerity, irreverence, deeply felt emotion, and musical commitment and exploration - but above all; it maintains a good sense of humor at all times!” Bérubé added.

The concert will include Jeremy Cohen 's Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (To Me, You Are Beautiful); Marc-Olivier Dupin's Variations on La Traviata de Verdi, featuring Bérubé as violin soloist; Steven Mark Kohn's Hymn for string orchestra; Michael Touchi's Tango Barroco, featuring Cortez and Malley; and Max Wolpert's Lid un Tantsn.

Bérubé holds degrees from the University of Toronto and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In addition to serving as Concertmaster and Music Director of the San José Chamber Orchestra, she is a member of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble.

Brava, Maestra! will be presented Sunday, September 27 at 7 p.m. at St. Francis Episcopal, 1205 Pine Avenue in San José. Tickets range from $25-$85 with no additional fees and are available through San José Chamber Orchestra , by calling 408-295-4416 or at the door.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/BRAVA-MAESTRA-to-Honor-San-Jos-Chamber-Orchestra-Founder-20260917)._