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Press Releases
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Announces 2023/24 Season
Highlights Include:
- Nearly Two Dozen Concert Across Three Distinctive Series;
- Five World and West Coast Premieres, all LACO Commissions or Co-Commissions, by Danny Elfman, 2023/24 Sound Investment Composer Nina Shekhar, LACO Artistic Advisor Derrick Skye, Dai Wei, and Nina C. Young;
- A Slate of Distinguished Guest Artists, Including Violinists Augustin Hadelich, Jennifer Koh, and Christian Tetzlaff; Pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Anne-Marie McDermott, and Gabriela Montero; Guitarist JIJI; Soprano Amanda Forsythe; Countertenor John Holiday; and Bass Thomas Bauer;
- Five LACO Musicians also to Appear as Soloists - Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, Assistant Concertmaster Tereza Stanislav, Principal Viola Yura Lee, Principal Cello Andrew Shulman, and Principal Oboe Claire Brazeau;
- Works by Mozart and Bach Threaded throughout Season; Plus Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major; Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major; and Works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, His Daughter Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Caroline Shaw, Chausson, Brahms, and More;
- Program Commemorating Centenary of Sir Neville Marriner, Who Served as LACO’s First Music Director from 1969 to 1978;
- LACO Conductor Laureate Jeffrey Kahane Returns to Guest Conduct;
- Performances Across the Southland – on the Westside at UCLA’s Royce Hall and Beverly Hills’ Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, on the Eastside at Glendale’s Alex Theater and San Marino’s The Huntington; Downtown L.A.’s Zipper Hall; Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts in Northridge; and Orange County’s Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Music Director Jaime Martín and Executive Director Ben Cadwallader announce the Orchestra’s 2023/24 Season, featuring nearly two dozen intimate and transformative concerts across three series – Orchestral, Chamber, and Baroque – that bridge a spectrum of works new and iconic, highlighting LACO's virtuosic artists and offering a fresh perspective on the boundless array of chamber and orchestral music.
Martín says, “This season LACO explores connections between new and timeless music and the relevance of those works in the world today. Musical lineages, divergent perspectives, and unexplored realms will be revealed through LACO’s singular artistry. I look forward to the collaborations between LACO’s gifted artists and our stellar guest artists as we delve into many of my favorite pieces from the past and visionary works from living composers.”
Long committed to championing new music, LACO presents five world and West Coast premieres, all commissioned or co-commissioned by LACO. Among them are the world premieres of LACO Sound Investment composer Nina Shekhar, noted for her bold and deeply personal works, and Nina C. Young’s Traces, a violin concerto co-commissioned by LACO and the Philadelphia Orchestra that was written for violinist Jennifer Koh, who will be featured on the premiere, which LACO Conductor Laureate Jeffrey Kahane leads in his only Orchestra appearance of the season.
Three highly anticipated West Coast premieres are also slated, including four-time Oscar-nominated, GRAMMY- and Emmy Award-winning composer/musician Danny Elfman’s Suite for Chamber Orchestra, co-commissioned by the Library of Congress, The Andre Kostelanetz Royalty Pool, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Additionally, LACO presents the West Coast premiere of Dai Wei’s poignant Invisible Portals, a co-commission by LACO and the American Composer’s Orchestra, and the third and final work in Artistic Advisor Derrick Skye’s Prisms, Cycles, Leaps, a dazzling multicultural exploration commissioned by LACO that engages in an endless pursuit of connection to reconstruct musical and cultural divides.
LACO welcomes back several acclaimed soloists, among them violinists Augustin Hadelich, hailed for his “breathtaking technique and illuminating interpretations” (Limelight Magazine), performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, and Christian Tetzlaff, who plays with “unbridled intensity” (Chicago Classical Review), featured on Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D major. Additionally, pianist Marc-André Hamelin, “a performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” (The New York Times), returns to play Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor on the Orchestra’s Chamber series.
Making their LACO debuts are pianists Anne-Marie McDermott, “one of the great American pianists of her generation,” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), performing Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, and Gabriela Montero, “the queen of improvisation” (Associated Press), playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor; and guitarist JIJI, noted for “mesmerizing” and “stirring” performances (The Washington Post), on Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto. Three vocalists also make their LACO debuts – bass Thomas Bauer, showcasing on an all-Bach program “the emotional intensity and rare beauty in his baritonal sound” (Opernglas), as well as soprano Amanda Forsythe, praised for her “wonderful agility and silvery top notes” (Opera News), and countertenor John Holiday, “one of the most hailed countertenors in the world” (OperaWire), who are featured together on Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in a program commemorating LACO’s first Music Director, Sir Neville Marriner, who led the Orchestra from 1969 to 1978.
LACO’s Concertmaster and Director of Chamber Music Margaret Batjer, Assistant Concertmaster Tereza Stanislav, celebrating her 20th season with the Orchestra, Principal Viola Yura Lee, Principal Cello Andrew Shulman, and Principal Oboe Claire Brazeau are featured soloists on various programs as well.
Batjer also curates the Chamber Series, which showcases smaller groups of musicians on works from the 18th century and early Baroque schools through the 20th century. The series includes works by Chausson, Boulanger, Debussy, Franck, Leclair, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and his daughter Avril Coleridge-Taylor.
LACO’s beloved Baroque Series features an all-Bach program and another that juxtaposes works by Scarlatti and Vivaldi with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s Baroque-inspired Stucco & Brocatelle.
Additionally, LACO performs all six of Bach’s seminal Brandenburg Concerti on a program presented by the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) in November 2023 and two new music concerts in 2024.
Cadwallader says, “Audiences new to LACO as well as our longtime subscribers and patrons often remark about the essence of LACO’s performances. They note that while attending a concert is a collective endeavor, each person is impacted differently, in a deeply personal manner, creating both a shared and unique experience for concertgoers. We welcome everyone to experience the virtuosity and splendor of LACO.”
LACO performs in various venues across the Southland – on the Westside at UCLA’s Royce Hall and Beverly Hills’ Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis); on the Eastside at Glendale’s Alex Theater and San Marino’s The Huntington; in Downtown L.A. at Zipper Hall; in Northridge at The Soraya; and in Orange County at Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts.
PROGRAMS DETAILED
Lineage: Coleridge-Taylor Chausson
September 30, 2023, 7:30 pm, The Wallis
October 1, 2023, 7:30 pm, Zipper Hall
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
AVRIL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Idylle for Flute and Pianoforte
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor
CHAUSSON Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2023/24 Season launches with the first of two intimate programs in the Orchestra’s Chamber Series curated by Concertmaster and Director of Chamber Music Margaret Batjer. Celebrated pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who “plays with both technical virtuosity and evident joy” (The New York Times), joins LACO artists to trace the familial and musical lineage of Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his only daughter, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, a pianist/composer who followed in her father’s musical footsteps. The program opens with Avril’s Idylle for Flute and Pianoforte proceeded by her father’s Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor. Lineage is also reflected in the final work, Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet by Chausson, which integrates the rhapsodic and introspective style of the composer’s mentor, César Franck.
Dimensions: Hadelich Mendelssohn
October 21, 2023, 8 pm, Alex Theatre
October 22, 2023, 7 pm, Royce Hall
Jaime Martín, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
DAI WEI Invisible Portals (LACO Co-Commission, West Coast Premiere)
- MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor
MOZART Symphony No. 41 in C major, “Jupiter”
LACO’s 2023/24 Orchestral Series begins with Music Director Jaime Martín conducting the West Coast premiere of Dai Wei’s poignant Invisible Portals, a co-commission by LACO and the American Composer’s Orchestra, which filters musical traditions through the Chinese-born composer’s experimental lens. Inspired by her recent collaborations with local performers and musicians in Tibet and Yunnan province, Wei says of Invisible Portals, “The work involves musical elements such as throat singing, traditional ethnic dance music, contemporary resonance, and the propulsive rhythms of pop music. I want to create a multicultural and multidimensional conversation that goes beyond time and space, which ultimately takes me to the sanctuary I carry inside.” The program continues with Grammy-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich, whose performances reveal “something from a plane beyond ours” (The Washington Post), playing Mendelssohn’s transportive Violin Concerto in E minor, and concludes with Mozart’s eternal Symphony No. 41 in C major, “Jupiter.”
Pathways: Koh Kahane*
November 11, 2023, 8 pm, Alex Theatre
November 12, 2023, 7 pm, Royce Hall
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
C.P.E. BACH Sinfonia in D major
NINA C. YOUNG Traces (LACO Co-Commission, World Premiere)
- MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 in A minor, “Scottish”
*Program is part of California Festival: A Celebration of New Music
LACO Conductor Laureate Jeffrey Kahane, “a precise and demanding presence on the podium” (Orange County Register), returns to the Orchestra to conduct the world premiere of Nina C. Young’s Traces, a violin concerto written for violinist Jennifer Koh, who is featured on the premiere. Young, whose work was co-commissioned by LACO and the Philadelphia Orchestra, is known for creating electroacoustic music imbued with vibrant, arresting immediacy. Kahane also conducts C.P.E. Bach’s minimalistic Sinfonia in D major and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor, “Scottish,” influenced by the German composer’s travels through Scotland as a young man as part of a multi-year Grand Tour of Europe.
The program is part of the state-wide California Festival: A Celebration of New Music, a two-week event November 3-19, 2023, showcasing the most compelling and forward-looking voices from around the world in performances of new works written within the past five years. The initiative is a collaboration among more than 50 music institutions from across California with outreach support from the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ASCO).
Brandenburg Concerti
November, 30, 2023, 8 pm, The Soraya**
LACO performs all six of Bach’s seminal Brandenburg Concerti in a program presented by The Soraya. The Orchestra has previously performed the Concerti over 50 times, more often than any other works in its repertoire. They remain evergreen and present an opportunity to showcase the immense talents of many of LACO’s virtuosic principals.
**Presented by the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Visions: Elfman Tetzlaff
December 9, 2023, 8 pm, Alex Theatre
December 10, 2023, 7 pm, Royce Hall
Jaime Martín, conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin
DANNY ELFMAN Suite for Chamber Orchestra (LACO Co-Commission, West Coast Premiere)
MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major
BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D major
Continuing its string of significant premieres, LACO, conducted by Music Director Jaime Martín, presents the highly anticipated West Coast premiere of Suite for Chamber Orchestra by four-time Oscar-nominated, GRAMMY- and Emmy Award-winning composer/musician Danny Elfman, co-commissioned by the Library of Congress, The Andre Kostelanetz Royalty Pool, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Celebrated for his global reach, Elfman was LACO’s 2023 gala honoree. The program also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major and spotlights acclaimed violinist Christian Tetzlaff, hailed for his “combustible” performances and “striking bravura” (Chicago Classical Review), on Brahms’ towering Violin Concerto in D major.
Baroque: Bach Bauer
February 3, 2024, 7:30 pm, The Wallis
February 4, 2024, 7:30 pm, The Huntington
Margaret Batjer, leader
Thomas Bauer, bass-baritone
J.S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 1
J.S. BACH Concerto for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord
J.S. BACH Ich Habe Genug
J.S. BACH Concerto for Three Violins
LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer leads an all-Bach concert featuring bass Thomas Bauer on the first of two programs on the Orchestra’s engaging Baroque Series. Bauer, who sings with “sheer virile force” and “emotional intensity” (Opernglas), performs Bach’s Ich Habe Genug, a reflection on gratitude and the power of perspective. Other Baroque gems presented include Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1; Concerto for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord; and Concerto for Three Violins.
Legacy: Debussy Hamelin
March 2, 2024, 7:30 pm, The Wallis
March 3, 2024, 7:30 pm, Zipper Hall
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
LECLAIR Sonata for Two Violins in E minor, Op. 3, No. 5
BOULANGER Three Pieces for Cello and Piano
DEBUSSY Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp
FRANCK Piano Quintet in F minor
Special guest Marc-André Hamelin, a pianist “known for a technical finesse that borders on the supernatural” (The Seattle Times), headlines the final program on LACO’s popular Chamber Series. He performs Nadia Boulanger’s post-impressionist Three Pieces for Cello and Piano, and Franck’s expressive Piano Quintet in F minor, complementing Leclair’s innovative Sonata for Two Violins in E minor, Op. 3, No. 5, and Debussy’s dream-like Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. All four composers on the program are united by their contributions to the multi-generational musical pedagogy and landscape of France. They each exemplify the myriad ways in which our lives are continually shaped by the people and circumstances around us.
Traditions: Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater
March 30, 2024, 8 pm, Alex Theatre
March 31, 2024, 7 pm, Royce Hall
Jaime Martín, conductor
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
John Holiday, countertenor
J.S. BACH Suite from Easter Oratorio
PERGOLESI Stabat Mater
MOZART Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Music Director Jaime Martín conducts three enduring works on this special Easter weekend Orchestral program, which commemorates the centenary of Sir Neville Marriner, who served as LACO’s first music director from 1969 to 1978. Paired on Stabat Mater, Pergolesi’s transcendent meditation on redemption, are guest artists soprano Amanda Forsythe, who possesses “a springwater-pure voice” (Classical Voice North America), and genre-defying countertenor John Holiday, a finalist on Season 19 of NBC’s?The Voice. The Suite from Bach’s unparalleled Easter Oratorio opens the concert, which closes with Mozart’s iconic Symphony No. 40 in G minor.
Horizons: Shostakovich Skye
April 20, 2024, 8 pm, Alex Theatre
April 21, 2024, 7 pm, Royce Hall
Jaime Martín, conductor
Tereza Stanislav, violin
Yura Lee, viola
DERRICK SKYE Prisms, Cycles, Leaps (LACO Commission, West Coast Premiere)
MOZART Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin and viola
BACEWICZ Overture
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major
Jaime Martín conducts the Orchestra’s West Coast premiere of the LACO-commissioned third and final work in Artistic Advisor Derrick Skye’s Prisms, Cycles, Leaps, a compelling multicultural exploration that engages in an endless pursuit of connection in order to reconstruct musical and cultural divides. Skye describes it as “a dazzling musical travelogue that links North Indian Hindustani classical music with the music of the Balkans and the Volta region of Ghana.” The program continues with LACO Assistant Concertmaster Tereza Stanislav and Principal Viola Yura Lee sharing their stellar artistry as soloists on Mozart’s searingly beautiful Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin and viola. LACO also embraces the power of music to unify during times of dissonance with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major, his seminal ode to freedom, and Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz’s blazing Overture.
Baroque: JIJI Vivaldi
May 4, 2024, 7:30 pm, The Wallis
May 5, 2024, 7:30 pm, The Huntington
Margaret Batjer, violin & leader
JIJI, guitar
Andrew Shulman, cello
SCARLATTI Sonata in D minor
VIVALDI Concerto in D minor for Guitar
LEO Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor
CAROLYN SHAW Stucco & Brocatelle
CHARLES AVISON/SCARLATTI Concerto Grosso after Scarlatti, No. 6 in D major
VIVALDI “Spring” from The Four Seasons
MAX RICHTER “Spring” from Recomposed
LACO’s Baroque Series concludes with a selection of masterworks from the Italian Baroque led by Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, among them Vivaldi’s Concerto in D minor for Guitar, featuring South Korean guitarist JIJI, “a graceful and nuanced player” (Kansas City Star). Principal Cello Andrew Shulman is also a soloist on the program that includes Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor by Leo, who was considered Scarlatti’s heir apparent; Scarlatti’s Sonata in D minor; Vivaldi’s “Spring” from The Four Seasons; and Charles Avison’s Concerto Grosso after Scarlatti, No. 6 in D major. Two contemporary works inspired by the era round out the program – Caroline Shaw’s Stucco & Brocatelle and Max Richter’s recomposed version of “Spring” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Departures: Montero Mozart
May 24, 2024, 8 pm, Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts†
May 25, 2024, 8 pm, Alex Theatre
Jaime Martín, conductor
Gabriela Montero, piano
NINA SHEKHAR title TBA (LACO Sound Investment Commission, World Premiere)
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 in C major (“The Great C major”)
LACO’s 2023/24 Season wraps with Jaime Martín conducting the word premiere of a LACO Sound Investment commission by Nina Shekhar, noted for bold and deeply personal work that “surprises and delights aplenty” (Los Angeles Times). Sound Investment is a groundbreaking program LACO established in 2001 that engages audience members in developing new classical works. Renowned Venezuelan-born pianist Gabriela Montero, who captivates with her visionary interpretations, takes the stage for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor. Schubert’s last major work, Symphony No. 9 (“The Great C major”), caps the season finale.
†LACO appears courtesy of The Philharmonic Society of Orange County
New Music Programs
2024
LACO performs two new music concerts in 2024 (details TBA).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LACO recognizes the generous support of the Colburn Foundation. The Orchestra also receives public funding via grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; State of California; California Arts Council; the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; and City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. LACO gratefully acknowledges Hogan Lovells US LLP for generous pro bono support.
Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
TICKETS/INFORMATION
For information about the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2023/24 season or to order tickets, please call 213 221 3920, email boxoffice@laco.org or visit www.laco.org
VENUE ADDRESSES
Alex Theatre, 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91203;
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626;
Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095;
The Huntington, Rothenberg Hall, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108;
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330;
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). LACO, with offices located in downtown Los Angeles, has toured Europe, South America and Japan, and performed across North America. www.laco.org.
JAIME MARTÍN assumed his LACO post and also became Chief Conductor of Ireland’s RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in September 2019. 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 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 Skye, 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 in the Fields and London Philharmonic Orchestra. Jaime Martín is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music, London, where he was a flute professor.
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