LA Chamber Orchestra to Present West Coast Debut of Schoenberg's SCATTER

Rising French conductor Alexandre Bloch, principal guest conductor of Düsseldorf Symphoniker, makes his Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra debut conducting the West Coast premiere of Adam Schoenberg's Scatter, a triple concerto written for and featuring genre-defying PROJECT Trio, on Saturday, November 12, 8 pm, Alex Theatre, and Sunday, November 13, 2016, 7 pm, Royce Hall.

Bloch has been hailed for his "passion and precision" (The Arts Desk). Project Trio is comprised of Peter Seymour, double bass, Greg Patillo, flute, and Eric Stephenson, cello, who have been described as "a cross between chamber musicians and rock stars" (Iowa Public Radio). The program also includes Mozart's Symphony No. 38, "Prague," a work that helped expand the symphonic genre with its structure and contrapuntal complexity, and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, "Scottish," inspired by a visit the composer made to Scotland in 1829.

Project Trio's Stephenson describes Scatter as "a unique triple concerto for the entire trio, melding cycles of chamber music and orchestra that are held together by electronic elements." He adds that ethereal sounds make it a "celebration of sound."

Schoenberg, recently named one of the Top 10 most performed living classical composers by orchestras in the United States, has been hailed for music that is "invigorating" (Los Angeles Times) and full of "mystery and sensuality" (The New York Times). His works have been performed or premiered at the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has received commissions from Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Texas Performing Arts, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, and, jointly, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Aspen Music Festival, among others. Soon to be released are recordings of Schoenberg's orchestral works by the Kansas City Symphony, and his chamber music by the Blakemore Trio. An arrangement of When You Wish Upon a Star for Meyers and the London Symphony Orchestra was released in 2015 on eOne Music, and a recording of his keyboard works by pianist Nadia Shpachenko was released in 2014 on Reference Recordings. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Schoenberg earned his Master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Robert Beaser and John Corigliano. He is a professor at Occidental College, where he runs the composition and film scoring programs.

Bloch, in addition to his role with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, was appointed music director of Orchestre National de Lille beginning in the 2016-17 season. Widely admired for his enthusiasm and energy, the French conductor came to international attention as winner of Donatella Flick's LSO Conducting Competition in 2012, after which he was appointed assistant conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra. He has guest conducted the Oslo Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Concertgebouw Orkest, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBCNOW, Poznan Philharmonic, NWD Philharmonie and Australian Youth Orchestra, among others.

PROJECT Trio, combining world-class artist virtuosity with rock star energy, has been singled out by Gramophone Magazine "an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every stylism in between," and hailed by The Wall Street Journal for their "wide appeal, subversive humor and first-rate playing." Performing more than 70 concerts a year, Project Trio made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2010. Two recordings, When Will Then Be Now and Random Roads Collection, debuted at the top of both the Billboard Canadian and US classical and jazz charts.

Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, provide insights into the program's music and artists.

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 $27, are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001. 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 ($12), 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.

IF YOU GO:

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
"Mozart & Mendelssohn"
Alexandre Bloch, conductor
PROJECT Trio, ensemble

PROGRAM:
MOZART Symphony No. 38, "Prague"
ADAM SCHOENBERG Scatter (West Coast premiere)
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3, "Scottish

WHEN/WHERE:
Saturday, November 12, 2016, 8 pm
Alex Theatre, 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale CA 91203
AND
Sunday, November 13, 2016, 7 pm, Royce Hall
Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095

TICKETS/INFO
Tickets start at $27.
To order tickets, call 213 622 7001, or visit www.laco.org
(Discounts for groups of 12 or more, seniors 65+ and college students, if available)

CONCERT PRELUDES:
7 pm (Alex Theatre)
6 pm (Royce Hall)
One hour before curtain, pre-concert talks provide insights into the music and artists. Free for ticket holders.

Photo Credit: Vanessa Maldonado