Southland Symphony Orchestra brings so much enrichment to the lives of everyone in the local community. Each performance is not only musically inspiring but also fosters a sense of unity and connection among all who attend. Under the visionary guidance of Dr. Sylvia, the music inspires us all to embrace community involvement and the transformative power of music. Her passion and dedication to bringing beautiful music to life serve as a reminder of the joy and value of giving back to the community.
This organization has had a wonderful impact on the community of Ontario California. Being that we are a low income community they are always offering free opportunities for those who would like enjoy symphony music.
SSO has secured itself as a true community asset in the City of Ontario, CA. Offering low-cost and free concerts, they continue to make classical music accessible to a community that would not otherwise have exposure to this musical genre. The musicians come from all walks of life and perform at a professional level. Concerts are family-friendly and offer a wonder opportunity for parents and grandparents to expose young adults to symphonic works, masterpieces, and perennial favorites like Handel's Messiah. To truly appreciate the talent of this local group, you must attend a performance.
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The City of Ontario has been blessed to have a symphony orchestra in town. The Southland Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of their talented conductor Dr.Sylvia Mann, provides high quality performances for concertgoers of Greater Ontario. I have attended many of their concerts and was amazed at the high level of repertoire and musicianship.
A genuine place of community. The people here go to extreme lengths for the people they care for. Not to mention, Bethel is an exceptionally beautiful location that evokes a great sense of importance and age. This place just oozes love and knowledge onto anyone that steps foot into their doors.
This group is great. They always have audience engaging programs. I have been aware of this group for a number of years and am always amazed at how they just continue to get better and better. I don’t know how it’s possible for groups like this to financially maintain…even as a non profit…but I’m 100% supportive of their mission.
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I have been with this group since it’s inception. Somehow the group manages to maintain and continue…always struggling with financial support.
Community orchestras cannot exist in a bubble…without support from the community. Many of the musicians DONATE their time and skills, but like any community orchestra…SSO also hires professional musicians to complete the group for every concert. The group consistently offers challenging program repertoire. They perform the Messiah with a choir and vocal soloists every year. They perform at summer community events in the park.
The group does not have anadequate regular rehearsal space. We rehearse in an old church sanctuary…an area far from optimum for a musical rehearsal. We often perform in the same space…rearranging and cramming into spaces that often have a less than desirable impact on the performance.
Aside for financial support and interest, the group could greatly benefit from a reasonable rehearsal space…a performance venue…music stands…things that many community groups take for granted for their successful existence.
I hope, in addition to $$ funding, the community….Inland Empire, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Pomona, Upland, Fontana, Rialto could step up and find a space for this group to rehearse and perform. The group deserves it.
A professional orchestra, they play many awesome, famous and hard symphonies.
Thanks to Dr. Mann for the continues creativity and passion.
I LOVE working with this group! A wonderful community orchestra, with partnership from professional musicians and community leaders. Incredibly diverse programming and professional level performances. To add to the appeal, audience members are able to be very close to the musicians - immersed in the overall sound - it makes for very a very exciting experience...
I love having the challenge of learning new music, making musician and audience friends, and having the opportunity to help educate both adults and kids about symphonic instruments and music. I will be 80 next year and plan to participate till they throw me out!
A true community orchestra. A great gift to the Ontario area. They do a wonderful job performing beautiful music, and making it accessible for the community
A big plus for quality of life in the area.
This is just a great musical organization. Whether delivering an instrumental program or in conjunction with Choral groups, the music is always top notch. The instrumentalists are dedicated to giving you a quality experience. What a great way to spend Sunday afternoon!
I have been the principal flutist with the Southland Symphony since very early in its inception. The other musicians are great to work with. Dr. Sylvia Mann has an impressive list of credentials and we are so lucky to perform under her baton.
Being a part of a community orchestra as a professional working musician has proven to be a rewarding, fulfilling and an enjoyable experience each time we make music together. We are provided with all kinds of adversity being that we rehearse in a lovely space that is not ideal for an orchestra as it's hard to hear one another, the sound is delayed between orchestra members, it isn't very easy to clearly see what Sylvia is doing due to sitting in an oval shape rather than a cohesive stage, yet we are always putting on beautiful concerts with special guest artists and I really appreciate how Sylvia herself loves the "community" feel of the orchestra but strives to perform as a top notch, professional one at that. After all, music is all about fitting into and blending with what others around you are doing. This really teaches how to listen better, subdivide, and know our parts! We are and always should be working together to provide the world with lovely and soul filling music/talent! Stay humble and harmonious.
So thankful for this organization giving the gift of music to the Ontario California community. Their concerts are free to those that don’t have the resources.
Since I moved to Southern California five years ago, I was searching for a community orchestra. I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to play Flute 2 and Piccolo since joining Southland Symphony Orchestra five years ago. The orchestra is inclusive and has both professional and non-professional musicians. We play an eclectic set of music that celebrate classical, contemporary, and inclusive programming. The orchestra continues to be relevant. I have formed many wonderful friendships with other fellow musicians.
The orchestra continues to need ongoing financial support from the community to purchase music, reimburse for professional musicians, and compensate the artistic director (Dr. Sylvia Mann). I highly recommend this nonprofit organization to the community and encourage you all to support Southland Symphony Orchestra so that they can continue to share music to the community.
Before the COVID Pandemic hit in 2020, I learned that this Symphony would be performing Beethoven’s 9th, which I had just played with another Symphony. I asked if I might join them for the performance they were doing prior to Beethoven and was welcomed with gracious hospitality and was assigned first violin. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the orchestra was really quite good with some very capable players in every section. Our performance was trouble free and the music was well-played. The conductor, Dr. Sylvia Mann, was very good and easy to follow. She understood how to elicit the desired musical expression from the orchestra and communicated clearly to bring the sections together as one instrument. It has been a joyful experience to continue playing with this small, but excellent orchestra when COVID began to subside in 2021.
The Southland Symphony is a wonderful blend of professional and amateur musicians who provide beautiful music to the Ontario community. Their annual performance of The Messiah is a great way to celebrate the Advent season, and draws people from all over the Inland Empire. I love hearing their music fill our sanctuary at Bethel Congregational UCC.