Walt Disney Concert Hall Reopens with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Performance

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), one of the nation’s premier music ensembles and a leader in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions, resumes live performances with invited audiences attending concerts at two different venues beginning on June 26, 2021, at The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, made possible by a generous leadership gift from Terri Jerry Kohl. LACO will be the first ensemble to perform at the landmark venue since it was temporarily shuttered more than a year ago due to the pandemic. Music Director Jaime Martín conducts the Walt Disney Concert Hall concert as well as one at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall on July 1, 2021. Attendance at the concerts will be limited, and LACO will observe all city, county and venue safety protocols. Audience members – comprised of LACO-invited friends and family, vital community partners and others who have helped the Orchestra weather the pandemic – must have proof of vaccination. Both programs will be recorded for the second season of SummerFest, LACO’s highly regarded digital chamber music series, which will stream weekly beginning in July at no cost on LACO’s YouTube channel.

“I am so happy to once again be able to perform with LACO for in-person audiences,” says Martín, whose contract was just extended for five years through the 2026-27 season. “We are particularly honored to perform for those whose incredible generosity and steadfast support has enabled the Orchestra to endure during these challenging times. We’ve planned two wonderful musical celebrations in recognition of them. We are also pleased to be able to share this music with audiences around the globe through our SummerFest digital series.”

LACO awakens Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday, June 26, 7 P.M., with Martín on the podium conducting the full Orchestra in Alberto Ginastera’s Variaciones concertantes, featuring LACO soloists and infused with the folkloric-influenced melodies and rhythms of Argentina. He also leads Juan Pablo Contreras’ Mariachitlán, the title track on the composer’s Latin Grammy-nominated album, an orchestral homage to his birthplace, the Mexican state of Jalisco, where mariachi music originated. Martín concludes the musical journey with Mendelssohn’s evocative Symphony No. 4 in A major, “Italian.”

LACO is making available to the public a limited number of free tickets for the Walt Disney Concert Hall concert via a giveaway at www.laco.or/summerfest. Participants must be fully vaccinated to be eligible. Giveaway details are available at www.laco/SummerFest.

On Thursday, July 1, 7 P.M., LACO travels to The Huntington in San Marino, to give the first live performance in Rothenberg Hall since it, too, was temporarily shut down due to the pandemic. The centerpiece of the program is the original 1915 version of de Falla’s extraordinary sung ballet El amor brujo conducted by Martín and featuring celebrated mezzo soprano, LA’s own Suzanna Guzmán. Martín also leads Debussy’s iconic Prélude à “L'après-midi d'un faune” and the world premiere of Kimani Bridges’ The Flower.

“We can’t wait to see LACO’s dedicated fans and supporters back in the concert hall to express our gratitude to them,” says LACO Executive Director Ben Cadwallader. “We’ve been looking forward to this moment for such a long time and it’s a huge boost to the entire LACO family. We have also made it our absolute top priority to ensure that our audiences and musicians are safe as we resume live performances. It is a special honor for LACO to reopen Walt Disney Concert Hall under Jaime’s baton as the city eases restrictions. We are extremely grateful to Terri and Jerry Kohl whose vision and incredible generosity makes LACO’s Walt Disney Concert Hall performances possible. We salute their passion for classical music and their love for the stellar artists who create it, as well as their desire to foster live performance, especially at this critical time.”

LACO recognizes the generous support of the Colburn Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. The Orchestra also receives public funding via grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. SummerFest at Walt Disney Concert Hall is made possible by a leadership gift from Terri Jerry Kohl. SummerFest sponsors also includes the Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Foundation. To support LACO, its stellar artists and live and digital programming, please visit LACO.org/donate or call (213) 622-7001, EXT. 4.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) ranks among the world’s top musical ensembles. Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, the Orchestra is a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and, with eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, 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). Performing throughout greater Los Angeles, the Orchestra has made 32 recordings, including, most recently, a 2019 BIS Records release of works for violin and chamber orchestra that features Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and the world premiere recording of Pierre Jalbert’s Violin Concerto (a LACO co-commission). In 2020, due to the global pandemic, LACO pivoted from presenting live performances to producing the groundbreaking CLOSE QUARTERS interdisciplinary digital series melding musical and visual arts, which has garnered more than 1.6 million views across social media platforms since its debut in November 2020. The “digitally native” programs, created specifically for streaming and applauded as “musically and artistically compelling” (Los Angeles Times) have “redefined how classical music can be presented in the 21st century (Cultural Attaché). LACO, with offices located in downtown Los Angeles, has toured Europe, South America and Japan, and performed across North America. www.laco.org

In September 2019, Jaime Martín assumed his LACO post and also became Chief Conductor of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra. In LACO concert reviews, the Los Angeles Times has hailed Martín’s “infectious music making,” noting “the musicians seem to be having a blast. The audience is invited to the party.” Overseas, he has been praised as "a visionary conductor, discerning and meticulous" (Platea Magazine), and London's The Telegraph said, "his infectious enjoyment of the music communicated to the orchestra and audience alike.” He has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Gävle Symphony Orchestra since 2013 and is the Artistic Advisor of the Santander Festival.  He was also a founding member of the Orquestra de Cadaqués, where he was Chief Conductor from 2012 to 2019. Having spent many years as a highly regarded flautist, Martín turned to conducting full-time in 2013, and very quickly became sought after at the highest level.  Recent and future engagements include appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony and Gulbenkian orchestras, as well as a nine-city European tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Martín has recorded a series of highly acclaimed Brahms discs for Ondine Records with the Gävle Symphony and various discs with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra for Tritó Records. He has also commissioned multiple world and regional premieres of works by composers including Ellen Reid, Andrew Norman, Missy Mazzoli, Derrick Spiva, Albert Schnelzer and Juan Pablo Contreras. As a flautist, Martín was principal flute of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English National Opera, Academy of St Martin the Fields and London Philharmonic Orchestra. Jaime Martín is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music, London, where he was a flute professor.