Yo-Yo Ma Joins Long-Time Colleague Jeffrey Kahane on LA Chamber Orchestra Program

World renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who has introduced new generations to the vitality and timelessness of classical music, joins Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) on Haydn's Cello Concerto in C, a tour de force showcasing the instrument's full range of color, to celebrate Music Director Jeffrey Kahane's final season with the Orchestra on Sunday, October 16, 2016, 7:30 pm, at USC's Bovard Auditorium.

Ma, a long-time colleague of Kahane with whom he toured internationally for nearly a decade, also performs Brahms lyrical Cello Sonata No. 2, for cello and piano, with Kahane on piano. The concert, a co-presentation of LACO and USC Thornton School of Music, includes two chamber works as well, Haydn's "Gypsy" Trio featuring Kahane, LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and Principal Cello Andrew Shulman, and Brahms' Variations on a Theme of Haydn.

Ma, a "megastar" whose "name has become virtually synonymous with classical music," (San Diego Union-Tribune), has produced more than 75 albums and won more than 15 Grammy Awards. Whether performing a new concerto, revisiting a familiar work from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music or exploring cultures and musical forms outside of the Western classical tradition, the acclaimed musician strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination. In 2001, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2010, he was named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Currently serving as a UN Messenger of Peace, he was appointed Artistic Advisor At Large for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the 2016-17 season. He also served as artistic director of the Silk Road Project, an organization dedicated to promoting the various traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade route.

Kahane, equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, has established an international reputation as a truly versatile artist, recognized around the world for his mastery of diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. Now in his 20th season as LACO music director, he previously served as music director of the Colorado and Santa Rosa symphonies. He has garnered tremendous critical acclaim for his innovative programming and commitment to education and community involvement and received multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming for his work in both Los Angeles and Denver. He is a Professor of Keyboard Studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.

Batjer, concertmaster of Los Angeles Chamber Orches­tra since 1998, made her first solo appearance at age 15 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has since soloed with leading orchestras from around the world including the Philadelphia, St. Louis and Dallas symphonies; the Prague, Halle and Berlin sympho­ny orchestras; and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. An esteemed chamber musician, she appears regularly at the Marlboro Music Festival, as well as many other festivals in the US and Europe. Batjer has recorded extensively for Philips, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon and BMG. In 2008, Batjer developed LACO's Westside Connections chamber music series. She serves on the faculty of the USC Thorn­ton School of Music and the Colburn Music Academy.

Shulman was appointed principal cello of LACO in 2008 and is a professor of violoncello at the University of Southern California. He was the first British winner of the Piatigorsky Artist Award and was bestowed with an Honorary RCM by The Queen Mother in 1986. Shulman was solo cello of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, first chair with London's Philharmonia Orchestra and principal cello of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has given recitals in the Royal Palace in Stockholm; in London at Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace and Royal Festival Hall; and locally at the Hollywood Bowl.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), proclaimed "America's finest chamber orchestra" by Public Radio International, has established itself among the world's top musical ensembles. Since 1997, LACO has performed under the baton of acclaimed conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, hailed by critics as "visionary" and a conductor with "effortless musicality and extraordinary communicative gifts." Under Kahane's leadership, the Orchestra maintains its status as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and a champion of contemporary composers.
Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Tickets, starting at $90, are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001.

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