Maestro Peter Jaffe will step out from the wings of the Atherton Auditorium stage on Oct. 20 to conduct the Stockton Symphony’s annual Halloween concert. He will don a costume. And he will be center stage for the second portion of his 30th season at the artistic helm of the city’s oldest performing group.
The symphony has continuously presented orchestral music to Stockton audiences for 98 years, and Jaffe’s tenure as conductor has been for nearly a third of that.
One might think that as a consummate musician and conductor, who counts Leonard Bernstein as one of his personal mentors, simply providing the best orchestral concerts possible to Stockton residents would be his raison d’etre. And it is.
But after 30 years, leading the symphony has evolved — personally and professionally — to become much more.
“The rate of change has been phenomenal,” Jaffe said. “It’s why I still love the job.”
During Jaffe’s tenure, the Stockton Symphony has steadily raised the level of musicianship and quality of guest artists. It also has introduced several world-premiere performances, shown videos in concerts and created them for the symphony’s own YouTube channel, taken music to thousands of local schoolchildren and played whimsical arrangements from movie scores and Broadway shows. For example, this weekend’s concert will include selections from “Batman,” “Spider-Man,” “Ghostbusters,” “Wonder Woman,” “Jaws” and James Bond movies.
Jaffe touts the symphony’s works from African American, Latin and female composers. It embraces IDEA — short for inclusion, diversity, equity and access — Jaffe said. The organization wants the board, the audience and the music to consistently reflect that commitment.
It puts to bed the notion that symphonies only play stuffy music from European composers of the 1700s and 1800s, sometimes called “dead, white guy” music.
Jaffe’s changes to the symphony also don’t appear only onstage. He said that, over the years, he’s learned to embrace working with the board of directors and artistic committees that help run the organization. He’s even learned to appreciate the art of asking donors for money.
“I used to go to the lunches and the dinners, but would expect someone else to make the ask,” he said. “Now, I have no problem being the one to make the ask. In fact, it’s my duty.”
The ask, now, however, may be more important and with higher intensity than in years past. Like many arts groups, Jaffe and new CEO Scott Watkins have found it difficult to sustain a strong financial footing since the pandemic. The symphony has lost half its subscribers since March 2020, and since then, has played to houses half-full or less. Yet the symphony is fortunate; many arts groups ceased operations post-COVID, another string of casualties dotting the artistic landscape.
In light of the reduction, the symphony now plays only one concert a month between September and May instead of two identical performances as in years past. Jaffe and Watkins agreed that one audience of 750 is better than two of 400 each. And they say that’s true for both the musicians, who can feel the energy of a larger crowd, and audience members, who enjoy the camaraderie of more people being together.
“Our audience surveys revealed that people really want the social interaction with each other as much as they want to listen to the great music,” Watkins said.
Stockton Symphony’s 2024-25 Season
Oct. 20 – Heroes & Villains
Nov. 17 – High Impact
Dec. 15 – Celebrate the Season
Jan. 31 – Family Classics: Construction Zone
Feb. 16 – Queens of Soul
March 16 – Tunes & Fables
April 5 – Resurrection
May 10 – Star Wars Galaxy Blowout
All performances except March 16 at Atherton Auditorium, San Joaquin Delta College
March 16 performance at Hutchins Street Square, Lodi
Future performances this season include Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, holiday favorites, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (featuring a combined choir of Stockton Chorale and Delta College singers) and a whole concert of “Star Wars” themes, including those from “The Mandalorian.”
Jaffe and Watkins also are preparing for the symphony’s 100th season in 2026-27. By then, they hope the organization’s subscriber base will go up, the number of ticket-holders will increase to consistently fill the 1,400-seat auditorium on Delta College’s campus and the symphony will be situated to play long into the future — even after Jaffe lays down his baton for the final time.
Regardless of whether those goals are recognize by the orchestra’s centennial, two things seem certain: The Stockton Symphony will continue to play great music, month after month, year after year, and Jaffe will be on the podium.
“The whole really is greater than the individual parts. There are so many people creating and working together,” Jaffe said. “You really can’t taste that kind of synergy in any other venue than a live performance.”