A century ago, Manlio Silva spent his days working as a pharmacist and his nights making music.

In May 1926, the Italian immigrant brought together 20 local musicians for the first performance of what would become the Stockton Symphony. One hundred years later, the orchestra is still playing.

On Saturday, the Symphony will mark that milestone alongside another San Joaquin County institution born the same year. The Stockton Symphony and United Way of San Joaquin County will celebrate their centennials with “Unforgettable: A Gala Celebrating 100 Years of Impact” at The River Mill in French Camp.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 and will include dinner, live music, a silent auction, live painting and dancing. Tickets are $250. Proceeds will be split between the two organizations, according to United Way President and CEO Kristen Spracher-Birtwhistle.

The idea began about three years ago during a conversation between Spracher-Birtwhistle and Stockton Symphony CEO Scott Watkins.

“We have two major organizations in this community, same community, started the same year,” Spracher-Birtwhistle said. “Why don’t we put both our centennials together as one?”

For Stockton Symphony Music Director and Conductor Peter Jaffe, the anniversary represents more than a date.

“What we’re celebrating is not only the fact that the organization is 100 years old, but it’s also 100 years of continuous operation,” Jaffe said.

That continuity carried the orchestra through difficult times like the Great Depression and World War II, he said.

A pharmacist, a suitcase of music and a symphony

According to the Stockton Symphony’s historical account, Silva graduated from the Conservatory of Chiavari in Italy before settling in Stockton.

In May 1926, he organized 20 local musicians for the orchestra’s inaugural performance during “Music Week” for the Stockton Musical Club. Five months later, the Symphony opened its first complete season at the California Theatre on Main Street. Tickets cost 50 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

For Silva, the orchestra was also a family undertaking.

In a video interview published by the Symphony for its centennial, Silva’s niece Francesca Vera recalled walking with her uncle to the Stockton High School auditorium while he carried a leather suitcase filled with music.

“I would be putting the music on the stands for him,” Vera said.

Silva and his brother, Tulio, operated the Geneva Pharmacy in downtown Stockton. Vera said her father played cello with the Symphony when his work allowed and that the family helped cover orchestra expenses when concert revenue fell short.

“The pharmacy really was a subsidy of the symphony,” Vera said. “His first love was really music.”

Silva conducted the Symphony until his death in 1958. Kyung-Soo Won later led the orchestra for 27 years, overseeing its transition from a community ensemble into a fully professional orchestra, according to the Symphony.

Jaffe became music director and conductor in 1995 and described the decades since as steady expansion through world premieres, broadcasts and educational programming.

“It’s not like a revolution,” Jaffe said. “It’s like a constant evolution.”

Stockton Symphony CEO Scott Watkins said reaching a century is especially significant because of thwew the orchestra has endured.

“This is the third-oldest orchestra in the state of California,” Watkins said. “Most people wouldn’t expect that… They wouldn’t have thought that Stockton, of all places, would be the place where an orchestra would continue to exist.”

Its history is also on display at the Haggin Museum, where “Stockton Symphony: Inspiring Joy and Building Community Through the Magic of Music” runs through Feb. 7, 2027.

Haggin Museum CEO Susan Obert said no single artifact could capture a century of impact.

“As you walk through the gallery, you realize that in many ways, the Symphony’s history is Stockton’s history as well,” Obert said.

Beyond the concert hall

Jaffe said the Symphony’s evolution has included taking music beyond its traditional audience.

Its Steppin’ Out education program, which brings fourth- and fifth-grade students to live Symphony performances designed to introduce them to orchestral music and instruments, reaches roughly 6,000 to 7,000 children each year, Jaffe said. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, its Magic of Music program has sent smaller groups of musicians into schools and community organizations.

Recent programming has ranged from an all-“Star Wars” concert with a light show to an upcoming performance accompanying the silent film “Nosferatu.”

Two institutions, one centennial

United Way of San Joaquin County also traces its local history to 1926.

Spracher-Birtwhistle said the organization began as the Community Chest and has repeatedly adapted its work to changing community needs.

Although the Symphony and United Way have different missions, she said United Way has helped fund Symphony music education efforts in local schools.

“The common thread is we heal people,” she said. “Music, in many ways, is an equalizer in helping lift up the spirits of people that are in distress.”

Spracher-Birtwhistle said United Way’s share of the gala proceeds will support nonprofit organizations and programs addressing needs including housing, education and economic mobility.

Watkins said the Symphony’s share of any proceeds remaning after event costs will support its broader mission and programming, but emphazised that fundraising was not the gala’s main purpose. 

“This is really more about the celebration part,” Watkins said. “Yeah, it’s a fundraiser. It’s also a celebration of our 100 years.”

Honoring two women tied to the centennials

The gala will also recognize Vera and Donna Ng.

Spracher-Birtwhistle said Vera will be honored for her family’s connection to the founding of the Symphony.

“When I’m there, I really am so proud to be there,” Vera said in the Symphony’s video. “I just think of him up there on the podium and how proud he would be that it’s still going along.”

Ng joined United Way of San Joaquin County through a youth employment program in 1976 and has remained with the organization for 50 years. She now serves as donor relations director and is the longest-serving United Way employee in the country.

“I literally worked in the basement … and worked my way up,” Ng told Stocktonia earlier this year.

Looking toward another century

As the Stockton Symphony and United Way of San Joaquin County enter their second centuries, both organizations are thinking about how to remain relevant to the communities they have served for 100 years.

For the Symphony, that includes finding the next generation of people who will fill its concert halls.

Watkins said about 67% of the Symphony’s current audience is 65 or older, making younger families and professionals an important part of its future. Reaching them, he said, means creating experiences that give audiences a reason to hear music live rather than simply stream it at home.

“If you’re not playing for an audience, then that’s a problem,” Watkins said. “Building a younger audience is really important to us.”

That has meant experimenting with more interactive performances, from Halloween concerts where families can attend in costume to a recent “Star Wars” program accompanied by a light show.

For Spracher-Birtwhistle, the future means continuing to expand the reach of both organizations beyond Stockton and throughout San Joaquin County.

She said United Way and the Symphony have different missions but share a role in strengthening the communities they serve.

“We’re not just sort of an adjunct, nonessential service,” Spracher-Birtwhistle said. “Music, art and philanthropy are essential services to the success of any city and any county.”

Jaffe said change will inevitably continue. Orchestras have adopted new instruments, musical styles and ways of presenting performances throughout their history, and he expects that evolution to continue into the next century.

What he hopes remains unchanged is the experience at the center of it.

“I think there’s something that I hope will never die,” Jaffe said. “And that’s that, first of all, an audience of live people will get together.”

No matter how the orchestra changes, Jaffe said he hopes musicians will continue performing in the moment and sharing that experience with people gathered in the same room.

“That’s something that I hope will continue for the next 1,000 years,” he said.