Virtuoso Pepe Romero with the Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose

Virtuoso Pepe Romero performs Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez with the Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose 

7:30 p.m. Oct 24, 2026, Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose

Pepe Romero, one of the greatest guitarists of our time, is coming to the Hammer Theatre Center - it's not often you can experience a living legend of the guitar in a theatre this intimate. On Saturday October 24, Romero joins Mission Chamber Orchestra for Rodrigo'sConcierto de Aranjuez, a work he has made his own over a lifetime. Rodrigo himself composed concertos for him, and the great flamenco guitarist Serranito has said that Romero "has the gift of putting Spanish music at the center of the world.”

Romero’s performance is the centerpiece of "Sunlight and Dance," the second concert of our 30th Anniversary Season, an evening filled with warmth and dancing rhythm. We open with the quicksilver Los Esclavos FelicesOverture by Arriaga, the Basque prodigy known as "the Spanish Mozart," with students from Piedmont Hills High School joining us on stage through our Side-by-Side program. Debussy's hazy Rêveriefollows, a daydream in sound before the dance begins.

The Concierto de Aranjuez takes us to the heart of Spain, with all its moods, then the party moves to Brazil by way of Paris with Milhaud's witty Le Boeuf sur le toit (The Ox on the Roof), packed with the street tunes of Rio. Finally, we reach the Argentine pampas with Ginastera's Ballet Suite La Estancia, closing with its exhilarating Malambo, a fiery gaucho dance and one of the most rousing finales you’ll ever hear!

This is music that's hard to sit still through. Make sure to secure your tickets now.

P.S. Do you know someone who would love an evening of Spanish guitar and dance? Forward this email and bring them along!

Juan Cristóbal Palacios
Music Director and Conductor
Mission Chamber Orchestra of San José