L.A. Chamber Orchestra Launches 50th Anniversary Joined by Joshua Bell

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) launches its milestone 50th anniversary with three back-to-back weeks of unique programs spanning L.A. County that culminate in the ensemble's first 2017-18 Season Orchestral concerts featuring internationally acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell on Saturday, September 30, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre, Glendale, and Sunday, October 1, 2017, 7 pm, at UCLA's Royce Hall. In performances led by guest conductor Jaime Martín that help kick off Leonard Bernstein's centennial, Bell performs Bernstein's lyrical Serenade (after Plato's Symposium) for violin and orchestra inspired by Plato's text on love.

Martín, in his LACO debut, also conducts Brahms' Serenade No. 1 in D Major, noted for its prominent horn section and remarkable symphonic quality, and Mozart's Overture to the opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio. Bell, one of the most celebrated violinists of his era and recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize, has recorded more than 40 CDs, garnering Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone and Echo Klassik awards.

Named music director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in 2011, he is the only person to hold the post since Sir Neville Marriner, LACO's founding music director, formed the orchestra in 1958. Bell last appeared with LACO in 2000. Martín, a prominent flautist turned conductor, is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Orquestra de Cadaqués and Artistic Director of the Santander International Festival. After each performance, the audience is invited to a free post-concert party in the lobby to celebrate LACO's season opening.

Also as part of its 50th Anniversary, LACO is featured earlier in September in two other programs that highlight many of the Orchestra's innovative community partnerships, celebrate the city's rising young artists and highlights some of the world's leading musicians. LACO showcases two partnerships by joining the Valley Performing Arts Center and members of the LA Opera Chorus for "Amadeus Live," conducted by Richard Kaufman, on Saturday, September 16, 7 pm, at VPAC's Great Hall in Northridge. One of the greatest biopics ever made, this look at the incomparable life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart swept the 1984 Oscars. Newly mastered for live accompaniment, the film is brought to life by LACO and members of the LA Opera Chorus. The performance, presented in partnership with Valley Performing Arts Center, resounds with Mozart's masterpieces, none more poignant than his Requiem, building to the film's tragic ending. LACO's performance also honors Sir Neville Marriner, who conducted the film's original soundtrack.

Additionally, LACO presents a free community concert in partnership with Grand Performances and The Colburn School, on Friday, September 22, 8 pm, at the California Plaza Water Court in downtown Los Angeles. The evening features Venezuelan-born maestro Carlos Izcaray providing commentary in both English and Spanish with two top Colburn School students joining LACO as soloists: 14-year-old Music Academy student Kevin Miura on violin and 20-year-old Conservatory of Music student Cristina Mateo Sáez on clarinet. ("Amadeus Live," tickets can be purchased via Valley Performing Arts Center at http://www.valleyperformingartscenter.org; the Grand Performances concert is free and open to the public with no reservations required.)

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), ranked among the world's top musical ensembles, marks its 50th anniversary in the 2017-18 season. Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, the Orchestra is known as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks as well as a champion of contemporary composers. LACO, headquartered in the heart of the country's cultural capital, 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). LACO, which performs throughout greater Los Angeles, has garnered eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming.

Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, provide insights into the program's music and artists. Following the performance, ticket holders are invited to mingle with LACO musicians in the lobby at an after-party, which includes complimentary drinks and appetizers.

Tickets for LACO's season-opening Orchestral performance on September 30/October 1 start at $27. On sale now, they may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001 x 1. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase student rush tickets ($8), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert. Also available for college students is the $30 "Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass" - good for all eight of LACO's Orchestral concerts, five Baroque Conversations and three Westside Connections series concerts.