Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be! – Don Quixote Immerse yourself in the fantastical world of Don Quixote, where comic misadventures, tender moments and heroic dreams come vividly to life in Richard Strauss’s dazzling tone poem. As the Don, UCLA Philharmonia welcomes our new Professor of Cello Ben Hong in his Philharmonic debut, alongside his trusty sidekick Sancho Panza (aka UCLA Professor of Viola Che-Yen Chen). Before intermission, we’ll do a deep dive into the novel and the tone poem with Prof. Hong, UCLA Distinguished Professor Barbara Fuchs (one of the world’s leading Cervantes scholars) and our Philharmonia musicians. All hail the Knight Errant!