Symphony No. 8 (Mahler) Symphony No. 8 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. Because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the "Symphony of a Thousand", although the work is normally presented with far fewer than a thousand performers and the composer did not sanction that name. The work was composed in a single inspired burst, at Maiernigg in southern Austria in the summer of 1906. The last of Mahler's works that was premiered in his lifetime, the symphony was a critical and
Santa Cruz Symphony founding in 1958. In 1967 the Symphony Association Board changed the name to the Santa Cruz County Symphony Association "in keeping with the all-county scope of its work." In 2013, the Symphony Association Board changed the name to Santa Cruz Symphony. Lou Harrison composed a piece for the Santa Cruz Symphony in 1961 titled Suite from The Marriage at the Eiffel Tower. During the first several years of its existence, no admission was charged for the orchestra's performances, Funds came from audience donatins, fund drives and other contributions. In 1969 the Watsonvill and Santa Cruz Symphony Guilds merged to become