Camerata Pacifica Launches Season: Beethoven, Mozart & Elgar

Camerata Pacifica, a chamber music collective renowned for its musical versatility and bold programming demonstrating the limitless scope of the chamber music repertoire, launches its 2023-24 season with turn-of-the-20^th-century English romanticism on a program featuring Elgar's mighty Piano Quintet in A Minor. Other works include Mozart’s Piano Sonata in F Major, a musical mosaic that shifts from dancelike to dramatic, and one of Beethoven’s remarkable early works, the String Trio in D Major. Camerata Pacifica presents the program in four locations across Southern California, from the San Gabriel Valley to Santa Barbara, with a matinee performance on Sunday, September 10, 3 pm, at Thousand Oaks’ Janet and Ray Scherr Forum; and evening performances on Wednesday, September 13, 7:30 pm, at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Thursday, September 14, 8 pm, at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles; and Friday, September 15, 7:30 pm,  in Hahn Hall at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy.

Five virtuosic artists comprise the unparalleled ensemble on Camerata Pacifica’s 34^th season opener, including violinist Paul Huang, The Bob Christensen Chair in Violin, recipient of the 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a winner of the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. Violinist Jason Uyeyama has performed and toured regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2005. British violist Timothy Ridout is “that rare kind of musician who could play a cardboard box and make it sing” (Guardian). Armenian cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, Gold Medal winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, was named a BBC New Generation Artist. Celebrated Principal Piano Irina Zahharenkova is acclaimed for her “impressive…musical color” (Bachtrack).

Artistic Director Adrian Spence says, “The repertoire of masterpieces was specifically selected to showcase the strengths and boundless talent of the program’s five exceptional musicians.”

For tickets ($75 at The Huntington, Hahn Hall and Zipper Hall; $80 at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum) and information, visit www.cameratapacifica.org.

Camerata Pacifica, considered one of the nation’s leading chamber ensembles, has been hailed as “innovative and intrepid” (The Daily Telegraph), “visceral and powerful” (The Economist). Its considerable commissioning portfolio includes more than 20 works by such established and rising composers as John Harbison, Jake Heggie, Huang Ruo, Lera Auerbach, Bright Sheng, Ian Wilson, David Bruce, Libby Larsen, and John Luther Adams. Two new commissions for the ensemble are currently in process from Clarice Assad and Niloufar Nourbakhsh. The chamber collective has also been lauded for its warm and engaging rapport with audiences, bringing context and immediacy to the music it performs. Based in Santa Barbara, California, the ensemble enjoys a busy performance schedule throughout Southern California and beyond. Camerata Pacifica’s flagship annual series showcases its exceptional musicians as well as a range of distinguished guest artists. Each program is structured as a week-long residency with the ensemble performing in four Southern California locales: The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Colburn School’s Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles; Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks; and Santa Barbara’s Music Academy, Hahn Hall. The chamber ensemble has previously toured to Hong Kong and appeared at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, and major concert halls in London, Dublin and Belfast. Camerata Pacifica was founded by Artistic Director Adrian Spence, an acclaimed “high-flying flautist” (The Irish Times) applauded for his “unstoppable energy, his organizational genius, his taste in music and musicians” (Noozhawk). A native of Northern Ireland, Spence’s keen artistic sensibilities are evident in every aspect of Camerata Pacifica, from the ensemble’s stellar roster of international chamber artists and thoughtfully curated musical offerings to its authentic connection with audiences. He also sets the tone for the deep comradery among the collective’s musicians, which is evident both on and off stage.

In addition to its busy performance schedule, Camerata Pacifica is committed to serving the community. In 2021, Camerata Pacifica, in collaboration with UCLA Health, developed The Nightingale Channel, a landmark resource for hospitals providing programming drawn from the ensemble’s extensive video library of its performances delivered via iPads to patient bedsides and care teams. Based on the well-documented positive effects of music in healing, The Nightingale Channel has been adopted by UCLA Health, UC Davis Health, Keck Medicine at USC, Loma Linda University Medical Center, City of Hope National Medical Center, and Augusta University Health, and is being introduced to other hospitals across the country.