Camerata Pacifica Series Returns with Contemporary and Timeless Chamber Masterworks by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Vinko Globokar, and Christos Hatzis Featur

Camerata Pacifica rings in the New Year with a compelling and unexpected mix of chamber masterworks both time-honored and contemporary featuring the highly anticipated Camerata Pacifica debut of South Korean-born violinist YuEun Gemma Kim, admired for “her exceptional virtuosity” (LA Opus). Four performances across Southern California are set for Sunday, January 14, 3 p.m., at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks; Tuesday, January 16, 7:30 p.m., at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Thursday, January 18, 8 p.m., at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles; and Friday, January 19, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Hahn Hall at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy.

The program opens with Mendelssohn’s beloved Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49, laced with driving energy, which spotlights Kim along with Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel, “a pianist well worth watching” (The New York Times), and Principal Cello Ani Aznavoorian, whose “scorchingly committed performances…wring every last drop of emotion out of the music” (The Strad). Principal Clarinet Jose Franch-Ballester interprets Brahms’ lyrical and timeless Clarinet Sonata in E Flat Major, Op. 120, considered a touchstone of the clarinet repertoire.

The performance then takes a delightfully avant-garde turn with Principal Percussion Ji Hye Jung, an audience favorite, playing French-Slovenian composer Vinko Globokar’s ?Corporel, a mesmerizing performance art piece for solo percussionist in which the artist uses her own body and voice as instruments. Jung is also featured on Christos Hatzis’ Fertility Rites, a “compositional tour de force” (San Francisco Classical Voice) for five-octave marimba and tape that weaves in the haunting aural textures of prerecorded and manipulated Inuit throat singing.

“YuEun, Ani, Ji Hye, Jose, and Gilles are all extraordinary artists celebrated for their enthralling performances,” says Camerata Pacifica Artistic Director Adrian Spence. “The scope of their considerable artistic range will be on full display on this wildly eclectic program. It’s one you definitely won’t want to miss.”

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.