A star among regional orchestras, California Symphony embarks on a new season with that most uplifting of masterpieces, Beethoven’s mighty Ninth Symphony with its tremendous choral finale, the Ode to Joy. Founded in 1986, the institution devotes itself to “engaging and inclusive concert experiences” and “music education that inspires and connects people of all ages.” The unlikely home base for these endeavors is the Lesher Center for the Arts, in Walnut Creek (population ca. 70,000), an agricultural shipping center and bedroom community 24 miles east of San Francisco, just a four-to-six-dollar 40-minute commute by Bay Area Rapid Transit. Under the leadership of the irrepressible Mexican-American maestro Donato Cabrera since 2013, California Symphony takes its music seriously—note the emphasis on horizon-expanding pre-concert talks and out-of-the-way repertoire bonuses—like the swashbuckling Overture No. 2 of the underappreciated Frenchwoman Louise Farrenc, played at this concert as a curtain-raiser for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was written only 10 years before. But the educational agenda is no excuse for discounting the pleasure principle. Want to take selfies? Bring drinks to your seats? Clap when the spirit moves you? Please do! And prick up your ears for exciting new sounds! Alumni of California Symphony’s robust Young American Composer in Residence program include stars like Christopher Theofanidis, Kevin Puts, and Mason Bates. Regional press is glowing; broadcasts on Classical California and the WFMT Radio Network expand the orchestra’s reach to some million and a half listeners. Tune in! —Matthew Gurewitsch