January Gems
The Guild sponsors January Gems, an afternoon of music featuring soloists from the LAS Competition for Young Musicians. Held on Sunday January 18 at the Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore this year, attendees enjoyed performances by Hiroshi Corro, piano, who played Six Preludes by Robert Muczynski; Ivy Cui, piano, who played Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Major; and Claire Lin, who played the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, accompanied on piano by Kai-Li Cheng. Refreshments provided by Guild board members were served after their performances.
Pictured, left to right, are LAS Music Director Lara Webber; Hiroshi Corro; Claire Lin; Ivy Cui; and LAS Competition Committee Chair Anne Badders. Photo by Guild President PJ Wells.

 
Happy Holidays!
Here are five of about twenty Guild members and friends at Casa Orozco in Livermore on 12/11/25 at the Guild’s third annual holiday lunch, a tradition started by Guild President PJ Wells that is just for fun. Left to right: Anne Anaya, Patti Fredericks, Tim Barry, Linda Miller, and Mary Jestice.
Linda Miller won a very nice prize for wearing the ugliest holiday sweater. (And she was the only person who volunteered to be a contestant!)

Symphony Notes
Read the December 2025 edition of Symphony Notes (1.9MB pdf), the newsletter published by the Guild.

 
Purpose The Guild is the highly dedicated support group and fund-raising branch of the symphony; it has been a (large, active!) auxiliary of the Symphony Association since 1963. Its purpose is to stimulate interest in the Livermore-Amador Symphony and to provide financial support. Membership is open to all who share this goal.

 
Meetings
The Guild meets four times a year (and its board meets about ten times a year); each meeting includes music and food in addition to a short business meeting. The first meeting each season is in September or October, often with a program by Valley Dance Theatre; other meetings are usually in January, April, and May. For our 2025–2026 season, the first meeting was on Friday October 10, 2025, at Cuda Ridge Wines, 2400 Arroyo Road, Livermore, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.: a Prelude Party combined with Sipping for the Symphony!

LAS Concert 12/2/23 Ticket Sales Team … Santa’s Elves?

 
Activities
The Guild’s activities are varied; for example, the Guild handles the annual season-ticket campaign of the Symphony, arranges post-concert and youth-related receptions, presents pops concerts, publishes a newsletter, and organizes estate sales. The Guild organizes “Sipping for the Symphony,” events at local wineries, featuring music performed by LAS-related groups.

 
Join the Guild!
Membership types: Active members ($20/year) participate in all Guild activities; Associate members ($35/year) participate in at least one activity; and Friends ($50/year) are informed about Guild activities but not required to help.

To join the Guild, send your contact info (name / address / phone(s) / e-mail) and a check payable to Livermore-Amador Symphony Guild or L.A.S.G. to the Treasurer, LAS Guild, 583 Bell Ave, Livermore CA 94550. Note any areas you’d be especially interested in helping with. Or print and fill out an application form and mail it in with your check.

For more information, please email Guild President PJ Wells at pj.wells.ca@gmail.com or phone her at 925.245.0625.

 
POPS on the Green 9/27/25
From Mission Impossible to The Music Man

Our annual Pops concert, sponsored by the Symphony Guild, was on the lawn in front of the Bankhead Theater on a lovely afternoon. Please visit our Pops page for more info, including two very short videos.
 

Spring Luncheon 5/22/25
Guild members and supporters enjoyed a luncheon at Beeb’s Sports Bar & Grill on Thursday May 22, with musical entertainment by the Aulos Duo: Catherine Jennings, flute, and Eva Langfeld, oboe.
 

Harmony & Historic Home Tour 5/10/25
On Saturday May 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than 300 people toured eight historic homes in Livermore and enjoyed live music, too, at this fundraiser jointly produced by the LAS Guild and the Livermore Heritage Guild.
The tour photos below are by Rita Szollos.
The Love Livermore video promoted the tour and featured LAS Guild President PJ Wells.

April Gems
The Guild’s annual general meeting in 2025 took place at the Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore on April 24. After the business meeting, the evening’s music featured four soloists from the LAS Competition for Young Musicians. Competition chair Anne Badders introduced the students. There were two piano players: Edward Xiong played a nocturne by Chopin, and Hiroshi Corro played Allegro Appassionato by Saint-Saëns. Charlotte Trinh performed the harp solo La Source by Zabel, and Matthew Lin played the first two movements of the vioin concerto by Glazunov. After some words of praise and inspiration by LAS music director Lara Webber for the technical skills and especially the heartfelt musicality of the students, everyone was invited by PJ Wells, as Guild president and MC, to enjoy refreshments provided by Guild board members.

 
Red Violin Soirée 4/11/25 This sold-out, private fundraising event organized by the Guild took place at a Livermore vineyard home on Friday April 11. It began with wine and hors d’oeuvres, included a recital by Elizabeth Pitcairn on her Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius violin, and ended with coffee and desserts. Pitcairn not only performed, with outstanding piano accompaniment by Miles Graber, but also gave some history of her violin and answered questions from the audience. Kudos to Sandra Hodzic, who created the menu and managed all the food preparation—with assistance on desserts from Guild members. It was a lovely evening with great music and lots of fun.

Sipping for the Symphony 10/11/24 and 3/28/25
We enjoyed great weather and beautiful views while having a very convivial time at Cuda Ridge Wines on October 11, made all the better because we raised funds for the Symphony at the same time! Thanks to Tim Barry’s music combo, the Jammies, who not only performed for us but also offered to play at a future show in exchange for a special donation to the Guild. And thanks to Cuda Ridge’s proprietor and winemaker, the generous Larry Dino.

On Friday 3/28/25 from 5 to 7 p.m., we again met at Cuda Ridge Wines. Thanks again to Larry Dino, the Jammies (including LAS President Tim Barry, who performed not only on guitar but also on violin!), our Guild volunteers (a special shout-out to Sandra Hodzic, who prepared the very attractive and delicious food), and to our festive sippers and supporters!

 
Sipping for the Symphony Photos
This fundraiser was at Page Mill Winery, 1960 South Livermore Ave., in Livermore for three years, and in March and October of 2024 and 2025, we had Sipping events at Cuda Ridge Wines, 2400 Arroyo Road, Livermore. Sipping is organized by the Guild and has been supported by each winery. Guests enjoy musical entertainment, fine wines, delicious nibbles, and unique auction items. Usually two-thirds of the wine-tasting fees plus ten percent of all sales have gone to the LAS Guild.(The photos are from 9/23/21, 9/22/22, and 9/28/23.)

Past Guild treasurer Joan Dickinson (left)
and current treasurer Judy McMurry. 2023

LAS Conductor Lara Webber (left)
with Phil King and Linda Tinney. 2023

Musicians Brad Herbert (left) and Tim Barry,
LAS Assn. president. 2023

Wine to sip and good food to eat, too.
2022

LAS violin player Lana Hodzic (2nd from left)
and friends. 2021

A relaxing table scene during
Sipping with the Symphony. 2022

Linda Tinney, past Guild president,
and Carole Lince, event volunteer. 2021

Musicians Tim Barry (guitar/mandolin/voice)
and Brad Herbert (electric bass). 2022

Beth Wilson (flute) and Kate Fisher (cello),
one of two musical duos in 2021.

 
Bylaws
The current LAS Guild bylaws (89K pdf) went into effect on July 1, 2016.