The Brothers Ferrandis

With all the great music out there written for woodwinds, you rarely see an orchestra hire a wind soloist for a concert set. Often an orchestra just spotlights its own members when it wants to do a concerto or piece with a wind soloist. Unless, of course, the soloist is the music director’s brother.

It’s more fortunate for the Santa Rosa Symphony that Jean Ferrandis is the brother of Music Director Bruno Ferrandis than the other way round. First-rank flute soloists aren’t exactly falling out of the trees, and Brother Jean has had an international career for more than 25 years. Thanks to him, audiences will get to hear a rarity, Jacques Ibert’s Flute Concerto, as well as Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2, alongside Debussy’s marvelously entertaining Jeux (Games) and a Ravel standard, La Valse. Not a bad way to celebrate spring – and if you’re waiting for other orchestras in the area to do a similar program, well, don’t hold your breath.