Santa Monica native Brian Stone will lead the Westside Chamber Orchestra through an all-French program at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m. Admission is free, with suggested donations of $20 general and $10 for students and seniors.

The concert, titled "From France," features Paul Dukas' Fanfare to La Peri, Francis Poulenc's Sinfonietta, and Georges Bizet's Symphony in C. According to the Eventbrite listing, the program pairs two of France's greatest opera composers showing "what they can do without words" — Poulenc of The Dialogues of the Carmelites and Bizet of Carmen.

The orchestra won The American Prize in Orchestral Programming, the Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for 2025, selected from applications nationwide. Stone, who holds a doctorate from the Peabody Conservatory and has worked in opera pits across 10 states and five countries, told the Argonaut the recognition meant a lot for a small ensemble.

"For such a small organization in gigantic Los Angeles, to win this award is such an honor," Stone said. "We try to do some interesting programming that the community will hopefully find intriguing."

Susan Greenberg, the orchestra's principal flute, said in a Santa Monica Daily Press profile last fall that despite playing for over 50 years with conductors at the L.A. Philharmonic, L.A. Chamber Orchestra, and LA Opera, Stone's knowledge of repertoire still surprises her.

The WCO is a program of Sounds Like LA, a nonprofit that offers tuition-free music education and public concerts across the LA area. Concerts are produced in collaboration with The Da Camera Society, founded in 1973 and affiliated with Mount Saint Mary's University. Da Camera's artistic director, Julius Reder Carlson, co-founded Sounds Like LA, formerly known as the Santa Monica Youth Orchestra.

Stone said the orchestra expanded from three concerts per season to five this season. The "From France" program is the fourth of five in the current season, which opened in November 2025.

Seating is limited. Residents can reserve free tickets through Eventbrite or contact [email protected] or (310) 985-3439 for questions about accessibility and seating. St. Paul's Lutheran Church is at 958 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica.

Upcoming community events

  • Saturday, July 25, 7 p.m. — Westside Chamber Orchestra "From France" concert, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 958 Lincoln Blvd. Free admission.
  • Saturday, August 29, 7 p.m. — Westside Chamber Orchestra "From Religion" concert featuring soprano Tiffany Ho, alto Rachel Labovitch, and baritone Michael Segura in works by Tomasi, Stravinsky, and Pergolesi. St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Free admission.
  • Saturday, November 14, 7 p.m. — Westside Chamber Orchestra performs Leonard Bernstein's Serenade with former LA Philharmonic concertmaster Martin Chalifour. St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Free admission.