Founded in 1949, Beach Cities Symphony Orhestra (BCSO) has been providing free concerts featuring classical music to the South Bay community.  BCSO perferms a range of classical pieces and highlights works by local composers.  The Orchestra consists of nearly 100 players, including both professional and non-professional musicians.  The current musical director is Maestra Arlette Cárdenes, BCSO’s first female conductor.

Prize-wining young soloists are given orpportunites to perform with the orchestra. BCSO is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization.

To enrich lives of our community  through classical music.

To provide free public concerts that entertain, inform, educate and enrich lives and scholarship opportunities to aspiring young musicians.

Brad Cohen–Chairman

Peter Landecker–President

John Cather–1st Vice Chairman

Nancy Carr–2nd Vice Chairman

Al Cain –Treasurer

Robert Torres–Secretary

Diane Cohen

Joanne Lazzaro

Ari Polidi

Amber Purohit

Erika Robinson

Arlette Cárdenes is the Music Director of the Beach Cities Symphony Orchestra, having previously served as Associate Conductor since 2024 and Conductor of the Passacaglia Chamber Orchestra. She co-founded the Culver City Chamber Orchestra in 1997 with her brother, violinist Andrés Cárdenes, and has been its Music Director since 2005.

A dedicated cellist, she performs with the Peninsula and Beach Cities Symphonies and teaches privately in Culver City, where she has maintained a cello studio for over 30 years. Ms. Cárdenes earned her Master of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Michigan on full scholarship and her Bachelor’s from CSUN, where she won the concerto competition. 

Her conducting studies include work with esteemed mentors such as John Koshak, Marin Alsop, and Leonard Slatkin through programs like the Conductor’s Guild Symposium and the American Symphony Orchestra League. She has performed with numerous orchestras across Michigan and California and now also offers virtual lessons to students nationwide.

Dr. Geoffrey Pope

Paul Piazza, Guest Conductor

Dean Anderson, Guest Conductor

Michael Stanley, Guest Conductor

Barry Brisk 25 Year Tenure

Louis J. Palange

“In all the years of different conductors, each gave the orchestra a personal sound and quality.“–Bob Peterson