Brandenburg Concertos to Be Performed by Los Angeles Chamber Opera

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performs the complete cycle of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos led from the first chair by LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and featuring harpsichord "superstar" (The Times) Mahan Esfahani, on Saturday, December 9, 8 pm, at Beckman Auditorium, Caltech, Pasadena, and Sunday, December 10, 2017, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, UCLA.

The popular Brandenburgs offer an opportunity to showcase the immense talents of many of LACO's virtuoso principals, notably Principal Flute Joachim Becerra Thomsen, Principal Oboe Claire Brazeau and Principal Trumpet David Washburn. Washburn's agility in the work's stratospheric range has made him one of the most in-demand performers of Bach's masterpiece in the country. This signature LACO work has been performed by the Orchestra an astonishing 52 times during its 50-year history, more often than any other work in its repertoire.

Esfahani, who also serves as LACO's first-ever Baroque Artistic Partner, has been hailed as "one of today's most thrilling harpsichordists" (Gramophone). Since making his London debut in 2009, he has worked tirelessly to establish the harpsichord in the mainstream of concert instruments in classical and contemporary repertoire and gave the first harpsichord recital in the history of the BBC Proms in 2011.

Batjer has served as concertmaster of LACO since 1998. She made her first solo appearance at age 15 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has since soloed with such leading orchestras from around the world as 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 other festivals in the US and Europe. Batjer has recorded extensively for Philips, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon and BMG. She is on the faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music and the Colburn Music Academy.

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. Headquartered in the heart of the country's cultural capital, LACO 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.

Tickets for LACO's performances on December 9 and 10 start at $27 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 with valid student ID may purchase discounted tickets ($8), based on availability. 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, three In Focus series concerts and three Sound Investment salons.

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