Everyone loves a comeback story — and you needn’t go very far in our Capital Region to find one of the most crowd-pleasing, soul-satisfying ones. It even comes with a musical soundtrack!

I refer, of course, to the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, our own phoenix that rose from the ashes of financial frailty, two recessions, one pandemic, occasional mismanagement and changing audience tastes. How wonderful to feature some of its players in this issue’s Women in Leadership photo spread, especially since I wanted to produce this theme for the past three years. All it took was a call to Giuliano Kornberg, the Philharmonic’s executive director, to explain what I wanted to accomplish — the many moving parts that would need to be considered — and voila! We had our plan. I hope you enjoy the results of this idea on the cover and starting on page 48 of this issue.

A little background on this amazing ensemble, which began in 1948, going from riches to rags and back in the span of seven rollercoaster decades.

Related: Second Act: After years of financial turmoil and uncertainty, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera wraps up its most successful season in a decade

Many longtime area residents — as well as disappointed patrons who, years ago, bought annual subscriptions only to have the then-Sacramento Symphony Orchestra cancel the season — are at least passingly familiar with the group’s multi-storied struggle to stay alive. It went through a revolving door of executive and artistic directors, staff members, boards of directors, full-time and one-weekend-only maestros, name changes and, finally, the merger that began to save two faltering professional companies at once: the re-christened Sacramento Philharmonic and the venerable but often financially challenged Sacramento Opera.

The on-again, off-again financial instability of the Sacramento Symphony resulted in its declaring bankruptcy and closing up shop entirely in 1997. Several years later, it returned under new management and with a new name: the Sacramento Philharmonic. Following some years of leadership we could kindly call questionable, the newly minted Sacramento Philharmonic merged with the Sacramento Opera 11 years ago. Then miracles began to happen. Under the stabilizing leadership of Alice Sauro — who had played first-chair violin for a major city orchestra until a longtime shoulder injury saw her move from being a celebrated musician to a highly respected administrator — the SP&O, as it was now referred to, began to sell single tickets and subscriptions again to a gratefully returning audience, as well as a new, younger one.

Then, the aforementioned Kornberg, a young, charismatic executive director (and one of our 2021 Young Professional honorees) who’d previously worked in fundraising, jumped into the job with both feet and unlimited energy. What Sauro had begun, Kornberg not only solidified but also expanded, as the orchestra reclaimed its prestige, along with its new solvency. It now conducts complete seasons of classical music and opera at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center and has broken attendance and donation records in the process.

Related: On the Rise: Giuliano Kornberg

In addition, Kornberg has led the successful effort to secure multi-year contracts with musicians, itself a major feat in a town often governed by the dictates of organized labor. Maybe best of all, the SP&O musicians frequently appear at community events and are a welcome presence at area schools whose music education programs dissolved somewhere along the way.

You don’t have to be a music lover to recognize the value of having a thriving arts scene in Sacramento, whether your tastes run to professional performance groups such as the SP&O, the Sacramento Ballet, B Street Theatre, the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra and Capital Stage, or the many other music and dance companies that make up the fabric of our region.

Speaking of the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra, I’d like to acknowledge them too in this piece, not for a comeback but for their amazing staying power. Led by longtime friend Don Kendrick, the Choral Society is this year celebrating 30 years of incredible performances in our region. I make it a point to attend several of them, including their annual Home for the Holidays each Christmas.

Related: The Show Must Go On: Sacramento’s performing arts nonprofits find new ways to engage the community

When you combine the accessible amenities of our burgeoning arts and sports environments, as well as our flourishing educational institutions, the net result is tremendous local and regional pride.

You may know that cities throughout the country are rated on a tier system to determine their suitability to host conferences, conventions, concerts and the relocation of major employers. Sacramento was always considered a “second-tier” city, which may have meant we had a sizable but not enormous population, a decent domestic airport but not an international one, a major league sports team but only one, and an ample but not metropolitan supply of hotels. Well, we’ve been upgraded, and we’re not through. Today, Sacramento is generally considered a rapidly evolving “1.5-tier” city, functioning as a major, fast-growing hub, according to a recent online summary. We’ve matured into an economically stable area, “offering a blend of capital city stability, relative affordability compared to the Bay Area, and growing luxury.” Sounds good to me.

All of this is music to my ears. What do you think?

Winnie Comstock-Carlson
President and Publisher

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