Karina Canellakis Leads Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in US premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Secret Forest

Guest conductor Karina Canellakis, winner of the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, makes her second Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra appearance to lead the US premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Secret Forest, Beethoven’s energetic and uplifting Symphony No. 2 in D Major and Mozart’s dramatic Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, performed by David Fray, a “gifted pianist” (Chicago Tribune), on Saturday, April 21, 8 pm, Glendale’s Alex Theatre, and Sunday, April 22, 2018, 7 pm, Royce Hall.  Fujikura’s work has been described as “a riot of imaginative bird and insect noise – well worth exploring” (The Guardian).

Canellakis is internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretive depth.  She made her European conducting debut in 2015 with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in Graz, Austria, replacing the late Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and returning the following June to conduct Concentus Musicus Wien in a Beethoven Cycle.  Canellakis first made headlines in 2014 filling in last-minute for Jaap van Zweden with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich’s 8th Symphony.  She was BBC Music Magazine’s 2008 "Newcomer of the Year" and is the subject of the documentary Swing, Sing and Think. 

Fray, also named "Newcomer of the Year" by BBC Music Magazine, maintains an active career as a recitalist, soloist and chamber musician worldwide.  He has collaborated with leading orchestras and distinguished conductors such as Marin Alsop, Pierre Boulez, Kurt Masur and Riccardo Muti.  His orchestral highlights in Europe have included performances with the Royal Concertgebouw, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London Philharmonic and Orchestre de Paris.  Fray made his US debut in 2009 with the Cleveland Orchestra, followed by performances with the Boston, San Francisco and Chicago symphonies and the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics.  He received the prestigious German Echo Klassik Prize for Instrumentalist of the Year.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), ranked among the world’s top musical ensembles, marks its 50th anniversary in the 2017-18 season.  Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, the Orchestra is known as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks as well as a champion of contemporary composers.  Headquartered in the heart of the country's cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed “America’s finest chamber orchestra” (Public Radio International), “LA’s most unintimidating chamber music experience” (Los Angeles Magazine), “resplendent” (Los Angeles Times), and “one of the world's great chamber orchestras"(KUSC Classical FM).  LACO, which performs throughout greater Los Angeles, has garnered eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming.  Jaime Martín, praised as "a visionary conductor, discerning and meticulous" (Platea Magazine), is LACO’s Music Director Designate and takes the podium as Music Director in the 2019-20 season.

Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, provide insights into the program's music and artists.

Tickets start at $27 and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001 x 1.  Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more.  College students with valid student ID may purchase discounted tickets ($8), based on availability.