From a Shared Love of Stravinsky to a World Premier – Full Article
October 2026
By Becky Juretic
The SLO Symphony will have the honor of performing the world premiere of “A Sense of Place” by composer Stefan Podell on October 4, 2026. It is a grand occasion with simple beginnings: a casual conversation between two music enthusiasts.
Among Podell’s many distinctions, he has been a SLO Symphony board member since 2019. Around that time, he was seated across from longtime supporter Garrett Foulke at a Symphony event. “We got to talking about music, of course, and we quickly converged on how much we both love The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. I remember thinking, ‘I hope I get to write something for this guy someday!’”
A series of conversations over several years led to Foulke and his wife Dorothy Correa commissioning a piece from Podell, with American Composers Forum acting as the fiscal sponsors responsible for administering funds
Podell’s distinguished career includes composing and arranging music for artists such as Jason Mraz, Styx, Jon Anderson of Yes, Kenny Loggins, Melissa Etheridge, and Jefferson Starship. His Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra was premiered by Maximilian Dimoff, principal bass of The Cleveland Orchestra in 2012 and performed by the San Luis Obispo Symphony in 2021. Other works have been performed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and other ensembles across the United States and around the world.
A resident of Grover Beach, Podell has had a special affinity for the SLO Symphony for many years. He has donated six compositions to raise funds over the last four seasons: Melodee’s Theme and Sunrise Over the Middle World in 2023-24, Cayucos by the Sea and Rise in 2024-25, We Hold Together in 2025-2026, and Cayucos Beach: Unleashed, to be performed later this season.
“I always want to find ways to support the organization, especially if it means connecting people in unexpected ways,” he said.
Podell always starts a commission by asking plenty of questions of the commissioner. “I want to know what lights them up or even gives them chills,” he said. His conversations with Foulke drifted toward memories of places that evoke a visceral response. This was the genesis for the concept of A Sense of Place following the progression of a day, transporting the listener to three extraordinary locations.
Podell’s work is dramatic and evocative, a rich sensory experience. “People often say something along the lines of, ‘This belongs in a movie,’ when they hear my work,” he said. “I like writing accessible themes and finding different ways of expressing them. I want music to be relatable and memorable.”
Podell calls the piece a tone poem, with each of the first three movements expressing a specific experience and place. His descriptions of the movements are this: Zabriskie Sunrise is a slow build from pre-dawn, to the gradual movement of shadow across the valley, to the sun appearing in the sky. San Francisco Ferry arose from Foulke and Correa’s affection for the San Francisco Ferry Building and windswept rides to Sausalito. Listen for the foghorn and clock tower bells that transport you to the City by the Bay. Pacific Beach Sunset: A Green Flash uses the same progression as the beginning of Zabriskie, but in reverse (or “retrograde”). It’s sunset now, starting big and rhythmically complex before concluding quietly with the rare phenomenon of a green ray flashing above the horizon for mere seconds at sunset. And finally, Here recaps the primary theme of the piece, which is that “the most important place we can ever be is right here,” noted Podell.
Podell is excited to hear his work take shape under the skilled direction of Maestro Sewell and the SLO Symphony on October 4. The Symphony will also be performing The Rite of Spring – another connection to that first conversation seven years ago.
“I get the incredible joy of getting to hear a quality orchestra perform my work,” he said. “I’m immensely proud to have this piece premiered by the SLO Symphony, and so very grateful to have been given this opportunity.”