The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra has turned a page to start a rousing new chapter by selecting Chad Goodman as its Music Director and Conductor, beginning with the season opener the weekend of September 29th and 30th. Praised by Forbes as "an entrepreneur bringing innovation to classical music", Goodman plans to bring that inventiveness to the CCCO, which has been an institution in the community since the 1970s.

The concert, "How to Make it in America" will explore music penned by several of the most ambitious, diverse composers to make a name for themselves in America. The program includes music by William Grant Still, who was a true way-paver as an African-American composer and conductor. Also on the program are works by prominent and well-loved Bay Area composer Nancy Bloomer Deussen, and Antonin Dvorak, whose music represents the melting pot of his Czech heritage with the American landscape. The concert closes with a piece by George Gershwin, whose work was momentous in propelling American composers into the international spotlight.