The Topanga Symphony will be performing at the Topanga Community Center on Sunday April 2nd at 3 p.m., a free classical music concert featuring Music Director and Conductor Jerome Kessler on cello. This concert represents the 41st season of free classical music concerts presented by the Topanga Symphony and is sponsored in part by a grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture Organizational Grant Program. Jerome Kessler has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Topanga Symphony since it began in 1982. He has often been a soloist with the orchestra as a virtuoso cellist, most recently performing the premiere of his friend and fellow conductor Barry Brisk’s Cello Concerto on March 8, 2020. Kessler will perform Laszlo Varga’s arrangement of the Cello Sonata in F Major by Richard Strauss, under the baton of guest conductor Michael Stanley. Varga has often appeared as a soloist with the Topanga Symphony, most recently on July 8, 2001. As a renowned cello teacher, Varga has seen scores of his students accept positions with orchestras and universities throughout the world. Prior to his retirement, he conducted master classes and performed in recitals, as well as conducted worldwide groups of cello ensembles. The other offering of the day is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony #3 in E flat, Op. 55 (“Eroica�). Beethoven composed his third symphony from 1803 to 1804 when the world was transitioning from mostly rural country living into the industrial age. As a leading artist of the time, Beethoven and other artists were concerned that the embrace of nature would be obscured by the urban lifestyle. Musically it manifested into a change from classical to romantic music evoking and encouraging an emotional connection to nature and freedom. The impressive work is considered the first symphony written in the romantic style and brings both bold and lyrically expressive qualities to the audience. Become a Friend The Topanga Symphony donors are affectionately known as “Friends of the Topanga Symphony.� These individuals and community businesses keep the musicians playing this beautiful music free to the public. Visit us at topangasymphony.com for more information about this amazing community orchestra and how to help support an iconic treasure of Topanga. Bring your neighbors and friends to the concert on April 2nd at 3 p.m. The Community Center is located at 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290.