Osvaldo Mendoza, founder of Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra, shares that he got his footing in Coronado when he moved from Texas to San Diego around 2017. He originally started in Coronado teaching in the Coronado School of the Arts. “In Texas, I used to conduct a youth orchestra every week. When I arrived in Coronado, that was the first question I asked – where is the orchestra?” To his dismay, there wasn’t one. “I had two options – either say there’s no orchestra or actually start one.”
For the first few years, Osvaldo admits that his busy schedule prevented him from adding on any extra projects. When he finally started working on his dream, he knew he had to reach out in the community. He says, “I told the library that I wanted to do something with a small orchestra. I asked if I could do a concert for them and they said yes.”
Founding Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra
As with many good stories in this decade, things took a pause as COVID hit. Osvaldo says, “After COVID, we had to move to Phoenix. In 2020-2021, that year was off. It was kind of weird for everyone. The following year they called me around May, and asked if I was interested in doing a concert and I said yes.”
While he agreed to it, he laughs, “The only one in the orchestra was me! I didn’t have anyone. I put together a very small orchestra – back then we were 18 musicians. We all played for free, we didn’t charge anything – including me.
“I was already living in Phoenix, but I drove over, and we had our first rehearsal. We only had three rehearsals before our first show. I was very fortunate because 100% of them were professional musicians. In my mind I thought, I really want to do a community orchestra – where we have people from different backgrounds or different points in their lives.”
He was not expecting to have a group of professional musicians – but that’s what he attracted. “It turns out that as we move through the years, there were more professional musicians to really join the Orchestra with harmony. We went from the first concert in July 2021 with 18 musicians. Then, the second concert was in December. We went from 18 to 54.”
A Strong Start for the New Orchestra
For that first show, Osvaldo explains, “Most of [the musicians] were eager to play because they went without playing for almost a year or more. That turned out to be a different kind of vision for the orchestra. Most of them had a master’s degree in music performance. They are people that have been playing in orchestra for years!”
Watching the orchestra come together changed his vision. “I have to stray away from thinking that it was just a community orchestra. From then we moved on. We had different concerts from bag pipes, a kind of Irish music, to Mexican music, to Spanish music through holiday concerts. It’s been quite journey that’s for sure.”
Conducting a State Away
On living a state away, Osvaldo explains, “That’s the great thing about a professional orchestra. Every time we have a concert, like this holiday show, I’m just coming out on Wednesday. We practice Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and then we perform the concert on Saturday. Normally, I’ll give them the music a month in advance, but we pretty much put it together in the three days before the performance.”
What Inspired Osvaldo
“I’ve been thinking about this for almost 20 years – to have an orchestra. The inspiration came three years ago when I had the time to do it. Coronado is one of the best places to do something like this. It’s a great town. Very small but at the same time, a lot of people know it. It has huge potential. I think that it could be an island of music. When you cross that bridge, you feel different. You never get tired of looking at Coronado.”
Holidays in Coronado Show – Saturday, December 21
For the upcoming concert, Osvaldo details, “We’re going to have 60 musicians, but on top of that, we’re going to have a choir of 20 kids. So it’ll be about 80 musicians on stage. I think the most we have done is 100 but that was too crazy,” he laughs.
Collaboration is a big part of creating a show for the Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra. Osvaldo shares, “I like to give opportunities to kids, especially during the holiday concert. Being able to collaborate with the community organizations on this occasion is great. We’re going to be collaborating with the Coronado Dance Academy and then the choir is going to be the Christian Children’s Chorus from La Jolla. Every holiday concert I like to partner with someone. Most of all, I want to give opportunity to young people.”
Talking about how the show will feel, he explains, “The combination with children’s choir and Coronado Dance Academy is going to be one of those concerts that really hits. We live in an era where everything looks kind of weird. We need something positive. I think this concert will definitely have that air of being grateful and joyful.”
A new piece that will be shared at the holiday concert is “Vespers of Joy,” written and composed by Osvaldo. This is a unique twist based on three Christmas songs: “The Christmas Waltz,” “Fum, Fum Fum,” and “Deck the Halls” (played in 7/8 instead of 4/4). It promises to uplift and inspire!
Purchase Tickets for Holidays in Coronado
2025 Plans for the Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra
Looking forward, Osvaldo reflects on how far they have come in a short time period and laying the foundation for a sustainable future. “I’m very fortunate. I think it was almost two years ago when we had our first board of directors. That’s how we started the 501C3 nonprofit. They’ve been key components to the success of the orchestra. Thanks to them, we know people in Coronado and outside of Coronado. They know us. The goal is to be financially stable and to make sure that we have at least four major concerts a year. Then probably do another four just for the community free concerts. Small kinds of venues. Once it’s established financially for a few years, the next move should be to have a youth symphony as well.”
With his current orchestra, he says, “In every concert, I tried to push the boundaries in terms of having the either more professional musicians or having different kinds of levels of music that are challenging for the orchestra.”
“I’m glad to have the support of the community. We’re very thankful. We definitely need all the support that we can have. This is a premium organization which requires us to have supporters. To keep moving it. Really, the goal is to make Coronado Island one of the jewels of music – to have people coming from all of the world just to hear us. You never know, we’ve probably got to have a festival during the summer. There are a lot of plans there but obviously we have to build the organization. We have to get support and sponsors. We can definitely have more of an effect in Coronado.”
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