The Season of Hope is back at St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica in downtown San Jose.
The free concert series was originally launched in 1996, featuring a variety of performances over 23 days — including choirs, opera singers, harpists, dancers, jazz bands and more, all recruited by Henry Schiro, who led the San Jose Jazz Society at the time.
The series evolved over time, but it remained a real gift, providing people with another reason to come downtown during the bright holiday season. It also gave arts organizations exposure to audiences, some of whom no doubt became ticket-buying supporters to the groups they liked.
It took a hiatus during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 before returning for its 25th season during the last two weeks before Christmas in 2021. Then it went dark for two years and returned last year with a single concert, celebrating the San Jose Symphonic Choir’s 100th anniversary.
The number of concerts has increased to four for this season, beginning Sunday, Dec. 14 with concert pianist Sandra Wright Shen, followed by the San Jose Symphonic Choir (Dec. 15), the Vivace Youth Chorus (Dec. 16) and the Altos Brass Quintet (Dec. 17). Each concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and is scheduled for an hour. The concerts are still free, but donations will support the Cathedral Social Ministries, handled by Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
The Silicon Valley Arts Coalition was the key driver in bringing back the series, which was supported by a grant from ParkSJ and sponsorships from the San Francisco 49ers, LifeScience PLUS and Noon Arts & Lectures.
