Update: 10:54 a.m. April 20. The correct date for the upcoming spring concert is May 2.

In Morgan Auditorium at the University of La Verne, the sound of chairs shifting and instruments tuning gives way to something more unified as rehearsal begins.

The La Verne Symphony Orchestra—a multigenerational ensemble of musicians ages 18 to 80—will present its spring concert at 4 p.m. May 2 in Morgan Auditorium. The performance, titled “Operation Opera,” will be led by Music Director and conductor Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann and feature singer Sherry Kaplan. A full program is available on the orchestra’s website.

The 45-member ensemble reflects a mix of the community it serves: about half are local residents, one-third are students, and the remainder include faculty and other community musicians. The orchestra was founded in 2013 by Dr. Danielle Rosaria Cummins and has grown steadily in the years since.

For Catherine Bacus, a longtime cellist and the orchestra’s board president, that growth is most visible in the energy of new musicians joining the group. She said watching younger musicians join the group for the first time is meaningful to her. 

“Their excitement of playing music with a large group is priceless,” she said.

Bacus said the orchestra offers more than performance opportunities, fostering connections that extend beyond rehearsals. Adding that many members build friendships that extend beyond rehearsals and performances.

“Playing music with others fosters cooperation and teamwork,” she said. “Students, faculty, and community members interact and form friendships.”

For student violist Miguel Hernandez, those connections have become a defining part of the experience.

“I find myself getting very attached to, not only my instrument but the people that I get involved with in the orchestra,” Hernandez said. “It’s another community I can blend myself in with.”

He said performing in a large ensemble was initially intimidating, but over time became something more meaningful. He described it as “a beautiful moment that I could never forget.”

As the concert approaches, Hernandez said the group hopes audiences will connect with the performance. He said they want listeners to “get to understand and feel the underlying emotion” through the music.

Mann has played since she was 10. She became conductor and music director in 2023, and brings decades of experience as both a musician and conductor. She said each performance represents months of preparation, beginning with rehearsals that started in February and continuing with individual practice outside scheduled sessions.

The work behind the scenes, she said, is often unseen by audiences.

“The preparation that goes into every performance… is like the pictures of ‘an iceberg with a little bit of the iceberg on top and the giant, huge continent of ice below it,’” Mann said.