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Our world-class Monterey Symphony brings the 2016-17 "Shakespeare in Music" season to a close this weekend with exciting concert performances, special offerings, and its lavish and popular "Derby Day and More" fundraising event in Pebble Beach.

Music director and conductor Max Bragado-Darman leads the April program, featuring guest artist soprano Cyndia Sieden singing "Willow Song" and "Ave Maria," Desdemona's arias from Verdi's "Otello." Bragado will also conduct the orchestra in Mahler's "Symphony No. 4 in G Major."

Sieden, who studied with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in master classes in Carmel Valley in the early 1980s, sings repertoire ranging from the Baroque, classical and romantic to contemporary works. She has appeared in the world's great opera houses, including Munich's Bavarian State Opera, Paris's Opéra Bastille, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu, Brussels's La Monnaie, London's Royal Opera House, and the English National Opera. Her Metropolitan Opera debut was in the title role of Alban Berg's "Lulu," and she returned there in 2008 for the Queen of the Night in "The Magic Flute."

Performances of this program are scheduled April 21-23 at Sherwood Hall in Salinas on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and at Carmel's Sunset Center on Saturday (8 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.). A pre-concert lecture is offered an hour before each event. Enjoy "Symphony of Flavors," the pre-show party for the Monterey Symphony bringing together local musicians with featured local wine, beer and tasty bites. This fun happening takes place at Sunset Center's upper terrace at 6:30 p.m. before the Saturday performance. Call for details and tickets.

Derby Day & More takes place on Saturday, May 6, at the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center. This annual fundraiser benefits the Symphony's "Music in the Schools" programs. Enjoy mint juleps while watching a live-cast of the Kentucky Derby's 143rd "Run for the Roses," followed by a horse show, an auction and dinner.

For tickets and more information on the concert and special events, call 646-8511 or visit online at www.montereysymphony.org.

More Symphony News

The Symphony has announced the programs for its 2017-18 season, a concert cycle dubbed "Concert Grand," showcasing a year of great piano concertos in each concert. Details of the new season will offer in a future column. One important note for you to consider, especially those of you in Salinas, is a new subscription plan for the six-concert cycles. As board chair Lee Rosen points out, most of the Symphony's regional "peer" orchestras offer two concerts of each program. He says, "We were one of the only orchestras presenting three concerts per set, which is very difficult to keep up financially, when the revenue for the third concert has been very low. We are welcoming our Salinas subscribers to the performances at Sunset Center at the same cost as they have been paying for seats at Sherwood Hall." Rosen says that a youth concert may be programed at Sherwood Hall in the future and that if funding becomes available, a return to Sherwood Hall for some concerts in future seasons is possible.