YOSA Philharmonic to Present Full-Album Rendition of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

February 22, 2022 - Downtown

By Jade Esteban Estrada, Co-Editor | San Antonio Sentinel

On Mar. 7, the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) Philharmonic will perform the Beatles’ acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album from start to finish at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Sgt. Pepper’s Live will feature local musicians Joe Reyes, Chris Maddin, Diego Navaira, and Emilio Navaira IV who will accompany the orchestra as they reinvent songs from the iconic album. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. 

More than 50 years after its initial release, Sgt. Pepper’s remains one of the best-selling albums in music history. It was the first rock album ever to win the Grammy for Album of the Year and was named Britain’s greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone in 2018.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the most important rock & roll album ever made, an unsurpassed adventure in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology by the greatest rock & roll group of all time,” wrote the publication.

In the Hulu docuseries McCartney 3,2,1, Beatles band member Paul McCartney tells the backstory of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

"I was on a plane with our roadie, and we were eating, and he said, 'Can you pass the salt and pepper?' I thought he said 'Sergeant Pepper,'" McCartney said. "We had a laugh about that. And the more I thought about it, Sergeant Pepper — that's kind of a cool character."

With this performance, YOSA continues its series of concerts reinventing classic rock and pop albums with a full orchestra accompaniment. Past musical celebrations have included tributes to Prince, Radiohead, the Eagles, and Selena.

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The mission of Youth Orchestras of San Antonio is to enhance education, enrich the community, and transform lives by pursuing excellence in classical music in a nurturing environment that is accessible to all youth. 

The YOSA Philharmonic performs professional-level repertoire in premier venues at home and abroad, collaborating regularly with internationally renowned soloists and composers. 

Troy Peters, YOSA’s musical director, will conduct the concert.

More information on the concert can be found on the Tobin’s website.

Jade Esteban Estrada is a co-editor for the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. jade@sasentinel.com | Twitter: @satx_writer