Symphony San Jose marks historic events with ‘Yellow River Cantata’

Historic ‘Cantata’

This year marks the 80th anniversary of three historic events: the end of World War II, the conclusion of the Sino-Japanese War and the founding of the United Nations.

To commemorate these events, 70 musicians from Symphony San Jose, more than 20 Chinese-American organizations and 170 chorus members will present a performance of “The Yellow River Cantata,” composed by Xian Xinghai in 1939. The cantata will performed in Mandarin with English subtitles on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

Xinghai blended Western classical music forms such as cantata and symphony with traditional Chinese folk melodies and instruments for his work, which was inspired by Guang Weiran’s patriotic poem entitled “Yellow River.” The poem was adapted as the work’s lyrics. “The Yellow River Cantata” consists of eight movements, each with its own distinct character and message.

Tickets are $35-$125 at 408-286-2600 or www.symphonysanjose.org.

Neighborhood Notes

ALMADEN/ROSE GARDEN>>Several students from the San Jose Unified School District were among 10 students from Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE) center’s Medical Assisting, Medical Science/Health Careers and Nursing Careers courses who were pinned on July 21 after completing the Mission College’s summer Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program.

Toraya Abdo from Lincoln High School and Itman Mohamed and Cynthia Skulborstad from Pioneer High School are all now eligible to take the California state exam to become a CNA. The exam includes both a written knowledge section and a hands-on demonstration of 23 essential nursing assistant skills.

The summer program is only open to high school juniors and combines 60 hours of classroom instruction, 24 hours of lab time and 100 hours of clinical training.