Riverside’s ‘Hollywood’ orchestra to perform live shows this weekend in surprise comeback

Riverside Philharmonic will return with live showcases of its popular annual holiday concert in Downtown Riverside after canceling previous performances due to the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

At 2:00 p.m. Saturday the accomplished orchestra will perform the first of two shows at the Riverside City College (RCC) Coil School for the Arts concert hall, located at 3890 University Avenue. The second showcase will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.

Both shows will feature traditional performances of crowd favorites, including the “March” from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” and “March of the Toys” from “Babes in Toyland” by Victor Herbert.

The orchestra will be joined by La Sierra University Chorale students to sing sacred a capella music during the show’s second half,.

This year Riverside Philharmonic will also present a new family and kid-friendly afternoon holiday concert on Dec. 5. The event will be held at the Cesar E. Chavez Community Center located at 2060 University Avenue. It is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets to all three events can be found on Eventbrite and the orchestra’s main webpage. Costs per ticket start at $35 for Saturday’s showcases. Due to safety measures RCC requires that attendees aged 12 and older provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a photo ID. Masks are required in-doors.

Coined “Hollywood’s Best, Riverside’s Own,” Riverside Philharmonic is a fully professional orchestra made up of some of the greatest first-class studio musicians from Hollywood.