![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2570.jpeg\")
James Gilmer<\/p>\nBerks Sinfonietta presented an evening of music celebrating love and peace Saturday at Atonement Lutheran Church, featuring a regional premiere, a celebrated piano concerto and an early Schubert symphony while showcasing the talents of local musicians and conductors.<\/p>\n
The July 18 performance of Canto de Amor e Paz featured Berks County conductors James Gilmer and Tyler Readinger leading the orchestra in the absence of Artistic Director David McConnell. Guest pianist Jacob Leonowitz, orchestra director at Governor Mifflin School District, joined the ensemble as the featured soloist in Maurice Ravel\u2019s Piano Concerto in G Major.<\/p>\n
The performance drew a strong crowd. Audience members responded enthusiastically throughout the evening, giving standing ovations following the featured performances by Leonowitz, Readinger and Gilmer.<\/p>\n
James Gilmer<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight was a chance for two younger conductors to have a great opportunity,\u201d Gilmer said after the performance. \u201cTyler did a wonderful job. Jacob Leonowitz did a wonderful job on the Ravel. I\u2019m very pleased with how the Schubert went.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gilmer said the evening reflected Berks Sinfonietta\u2019s broader mission of nurturing young musicians and conductors within the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think what Berks Sinfonietta is trying to do with young musicians and conductors is creating a very bright future for the county,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The program opened with Canto de Amor e Paz (\u201cSong of Love and Peace\u201d) by Brazilian composer Claudio Santoro. Although little known outside his native country, Santoro\u2019s music has gained increased international attention in recent years. Written for string orchestra in 1950, the work was presented as its regional premiere.<\/p>\n
The reflective composition, which earned the International Peace Prize from the World Peace Council in 1952, offered a contemplative opening to the evening. Built around a single expressive musical idea, the piece explores themes of hope and peace through warm, lyrical writing for strings.<\/p>\n
The concert\u2019s centerpiece featured Governor Mifflin School District orchestra director Jacob Leonowitz as soloist in Maurice Ravel\u2019s Piano Concerto in G Major. The concerto, first performed in 1932, is known for combining classical elegance with energetic rhythms influenced by jazz, creating a work that is both virtuosic and approachable.<\/p>\n
Leonowitz, who has led Governor Mifflin\u2019s orchestra program for the past decade while also serving as the district\u2019s Performing Arts Chair, returned to Berks Sinfonietta in a different role after previously performing with the ensemble as a violist.<\/p>\n
The evening concluded with Schubert\u2019s Symphony No. 3 in D Major, composed in 1815 when the Austrian composer was just 18 years old. Bright melodies, lively rhythms and youthful energy made the work an uplifting finale, showcasing both the orchestra\u2019s precision and expressive range under Gilmer\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n
![\"Tyler](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2568.jpeg\")
Tyler Readinger<\/p>\n
Preparing a performance of that scale requires months of study before rehearsals even begin, Gilmer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a conductor, you look at the score months in advance. You have to know everybody\u2019s part,\u201d he said. \u201cOver three rehearsals, the orchestra has improved, and tonight, I think, was the best yet. So it\u2019s just a testament to how the group collaborates and comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gilmer credited the ensemble\u2019s years of performing together for its continued growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been doing it for 12 years now, so they\u2019re used to working with different styles, listening to one another,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they get better and better every concert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded to bring high-quality chamber orchestra performances to Berks County while introducing audiences to lesser-known orchestral works, Berks Sinfonietta continues to emphasize homegrown talent and opportunities for emerging musicians alongside established performers. Saturday\u2019s concert reflected that mission, pairing familiar masterworks with a regional premiere and showcasing local artists before an appreciative hometown audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Berks Sinfonietta presented an evening of music celebrating love and peace Saturday at Atonement Lutheran Church, featuring a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-248008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}