LA Chamber Orchestra Presents Matthew Aucoin World Premiere Conducted by the Composer

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) presents the world premiere of Evidence by gifted composer/conductor/poet Matthew Aucoin, the Metropolitan Opera’s youngest-ever assistant conductor, who conducts his work on Saturday, May 14, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and Sunday, May 15, 2016, 7 pm, at UCLA's Royce Hall. Music Director Jeffrey Kahane conducts the remainder of the program, which showcases piano “avatar” Marc-André Hamelin, whose “legend will grow…there is no one like him” (The New Yorker), in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, among the composer’s “Golden Period” piano concertos. The program ends on a glorious note with Schumann’s deeply-felt Symphony No. 2 in C major. As the concluding program of LACO’s 2015-16 Orchestral Series, the concerts mark the final appearances of LACO’s illustrious Principal Oboe Allan Vogel and Principal Flute David Shostac, who are retiring after 85 years of combined service to the Orchestra.

Additionally, USC Thornton School of Music students Joanna Lee and Philip Marten join the violin sections for the concerts as part of the LACO-Thornton Strings Mentorship Program, now in its sixth year, playing alongside Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and other LACO veterans. Lee and Marten won the opportunity in a mock orchestral audition last year for strings as part of the mentorship program, a unique collaboration between USC’s Thornton School of Music and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra that strives to enhance the preparedness of strings students for a professional career. Lee and Marten competed against violists, cellists, double bass players and fellow violinists before an esteemed panel of judges, including LACO Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and Principal Cello Andrew Shulman.

Regarding his new work, Aucoin says, "A piece of music is a world that the composer dreamed up. To me, that's exciting because it means she or he has revealed some hidden powers lurking within this world. The image that kept returning to me as I worked on Evidence was that of a journey from shore to shore in some challenging element, maybe a sea journey, or a journey through space. Whatever the element is, I wanted to see if I could get from one shore to the other."

LACO commissioned Aucoin, “one of the most sought-after young voices in classical music” (Wall St. Journal), as part of its singular and highly successful “Sound Investment” commissioning program, initiated during Music Director Jeffrey Kahane’s tenure 15 years ago to engage LACO audiences in developing new works. It gives members the rare opportunity to create a legacy in music and observe first-hand the development of a new work from the composer’s earliest ideas to the finished composition. Participants invest $300 or more for a membership, which includes intimate salons throughout the season featuring in-depth discussion with the composer about the creative process and previews of the final work.

Aucoin, a recent graduate of Harvard College, also studied composition at The Juilliard School with Robert Beaser and has demonstrated great skill and promise in the realm of opera. In 2015 his third opera, Crossing, debuted at the American Repertory Theater and his fourth, Second Nature, premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Metropolitan Opera has asked for yet another opera from him as part of its new commissioning program. In addition to composing, Aucoin is also a skilled conductor, appearing with the Met as an assistant conductor and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through its Solti Conducting Apprenticeship. This season, he is one of three Dudamel Conducting Fellows with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was recently named LA Opera’s Artist-in-Residence.

Hamelin’s original blend of musicianship and virtuosity has earned him legendary status as a pianist. Long known for his exploration of unfamiliar pianistic terrain, he is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical brilliance of his performances of the classic repertoire. His career has been replete with accolades, among them nine Grammy® nominations, the 2014 ECHO Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year and the German Record Critics’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Writing in The New Yorker, Alex Ross praised his “monstrously brilliant technique and his questing, deep thinking approach” and called Hamelin’s hands “among the wonders of the musical world.” Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, provide insights into the program's music and artists. Kahane discusses with Aucoin his role as LACO’s Sound Investment composer and his new work. Following the performance, ticket holders are invited to mingle with LACO musicians, including Vogel and Shostac, in the lobby at an after-party, which includes complimentary drinks and appetizers.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the world’s premier chamber orchestras as well as a pacesetter in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2015-16 season, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established as well as notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world’s foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 19th season as LACO’s music director.

Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Tickets, starting at $27, are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase student rush tickets ($12), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert.