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Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Music Director Jeffrey Kahane conducts some of his top musical picks in this deeply personal orchestral program that includes the world premiere of Shiver and Bloom by rising composer Julia Adolphe on Saturday, March 18, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, March 19, 2017, 7 pm, at Royce Hall. The work by Adolphe, whose style is "a neat fusion of shimmering textures and cataclysmic climaxes" (Financial Times), is part of LACO's singular and highly successful "Sound Investment" commissioning program, initiated during Kahane's tenure 16 years ago to engage LACO audiences in developing new works. Kahane also conducts Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 2, written for extended chamber orchestra and featuring acclaimed pianist Jon Kimura Parker, "known for his liquid tone" and "dazzling showmanship" (Winnipeg Free Press). World-renowned mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, a "luminous standout" (New York Times), also returns to LACO to perform selections from Mahler's tender and intimate Rückert Lieder, as well as the arias "Deh, per questo istante solo" from Mozart's opera Le clemenza di Tito, and "As with rosy steps the morn" from Handel's oratorio Theodora.
Adolphe, a "remarkably assured" composer of works "alive with invention," (The New Yorker), is also an active writer, producer, teacher and band-leader. Her works have received performances across the U.S. and abroad by the New York Philharmonic, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, Grammy-nominated pianist Aron Kallay and the Great Noise Ensemble, among many others. Her awards include a 2016 Lincoln Center Emerging Artists Award, a 2015 Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as grants from New Music USA and American Composers Forum. Adolphe, a native New Yorker, is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the USC Thornton School of Music.
Adolphe says of her new work, "Shiver and Bloom evokes the perceived divide between the mind and the body. A high, floating, ethereal soundscape captures the wandering thoughts of the mind while a low, grounded, striving motif suggests the physical world of the body. These two contrasting realms swerve together and apart, creating the images of the work's title. The blooming of the low strings, bassoon, and horn yearns for unity with the icier, shivering, detached gestures of the high strings, flute, and clarinet. Over the work's twelve minutes, the worlds intersect and transform one another, melding into a more holistic entity."
Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Cooke is sought after by the world's leading orchestras, opera companies and chamber music ensembles for her versatile repertoire and commitment to new music. A frequent performer of contemporary works, Cooke recently performed seven world premieres in venues across the globe, and released an album, Liszt Vol. 4 on Hyperion alongside Julius Drake. Past recordings include music by William Bolcom, Mohammed Fairouz, John Harbison, Xavier Montsalvatge and John Musto, as well as her solo album If you love for beauty with the Colburn Orchestra. She is a graduate of Rice University and The Juilliard School.
Parker, known for his passionate artistry and engaging stage presence, has had a versatile career that has taken him from Carnegie Hall and Berlin's Philharmonie to the Beijing Concert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Recent engagements include solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic; Philadelphia, Minnesota and IRIS orchestras; and Chicago and Milwaukee symphonies. He toured Off the Score with iconic Police drummer Stewart Copeland in spring 2016, and throughout the season gave 20 concerts with the newly formed Montrose Trio, featuring violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith. A committed educator, Parker is professor of piano at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He is also artistic advisor of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.
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.
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 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 tickets ($8), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert via phone. 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.
