The Diablo Symphony Orchestra is joined by members of the San Ramon Valley High School orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 titled “Pastoral Symphony, or Recollections of Country Life”. The symphony’s five movements invite audiences to share the composer's intense love of the countryside, complete with famous birdcalls, a babbling brook, a gathering of peasants, a sudden and intense storm and, finally, happy and thankful feelings after the storm passes by. Also featured is Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor with DSO’s own concertmaster Sara Usher and area violinist Dawn Harms. Also known as the Double Violin Concerto, this popular work, an exquisite example of late Baroque music, was composed when Bach was particularly focused on instrumental music, including works for solo violin and the Brandenburg Concertos. Ms. Harms was first violinist with the Harrington String Quartet for ten years and is currently a member of the San Francisco Opera and New Century Chamber orchestras. She is also co-concertmaster with the Oakland Symphony and serves on the music faculty at Stanford University. Ms. Usher earned a Certificate of Performance in violin at Yale’s Graduate School of Music, is a founding member of the Corvo String Quartet, and plays regularly with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. The orchestra also premieres rising Iranian composer Aida Shirazi's new work Ardea Alba, commissioned by the DSO and inspired by an encounter with a Snowy Egret. This descriptive work employs unusual instrumental techniques to simulate familiar sounds from nature, including the hissing movement of air. Ms. Shirazi is a Ph.D. candidate in composition at the University of California, Davis, and is co-founder and board member of the Iranian Female Composers Association. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Lesher Center box office or by visiting http://www.diablosymphony.org. Tickets will also be available at the door during the hour preceding the 2 p.m. concert. Season Sponsors: John and Lorus Mosher; Patrick and Shirley Campbell Foundation.