Cellist Ralph Kirshbaum Joins LA Chamber Orch for Two Concerts

Internationally acclaimed cellist Ralph Kirshbaum joins the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, for Tchaikovsky's elegant Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 33, on Saturday, December 10, 2011, 8 pm, Alex Theatre, and Sunday,
December 11, 2011, 7 pm, Royce Hall – UCLA.  The eclectic program, titled
"Reflection" in reference to 17th- and 18th-century musical sensibilities,
also includes Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin, written in six movements, each
of which the composer dedicated to a friend who died in World War I.  Kahane
also conducts Three Studies from Couperin, composed in 2006 by Thomas Adès
based on music from Couperin's harpsichord works, which "casts 18th-century
music in a vivid new light" (The Observer); and Respighi's Gli uccelli (The
Birds), written in 1927 as a suite for small orchestra inspired by
18th-century Baroque compositions imitating bird song.   Pre-performance
"Concert Preludes" talks are presented to provide insights into the music
and artists; they are held one hour before curtain and are free for all
ticket holders.

Tickets ($24 – $105) are on sale now and may be purchased online at
laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001, or at the venue box office on the
night of the concert, if tickets remain.  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 rush tickets one hour before curtain;
also available for students is the $25 "Campus to Concert Hall All Access
Pass" – good for all seven of LACO's Orchestral Series concerts at either
the Alex Theatre or UCLA and for all three Westside Connections concerts at
The Broad Stage, plus other benefits.

Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, JEFFREY KAHANE 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. In
2011-12, Kahane celebrates his 15th season as music director of the Los
Angeles Chamber Orchestra. 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. In addition to his
projects with LACO, he has recently appeared at the Aspen, Mostly Mozart,
Blossom, Music@Menlo and Oregon Bach festivals; performed concertos with the
Toronto and Houston symphonies; guest conducted the San Francisco, National
and Indianapolis symphonies; and play/conducted programs in Europe with the
Camerata Salzburg and Hamburg Symphony. Upcoming highlights for Kahane
include concerto performances with the Indianapolis, Oregon and Colorado
symphonies and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; play/conduct programs with the
New York Philharmonic and with the Vancouver, Seattle, New Jersey, Omaha and
Santa Rosa symphonies; his debut conducting the Juilliard Orchestra at
Lincoln Center; play/conducting a Beyond the Score program with the
Philadelphia Orchestra; and a solo/chamber music program at Walt Disney
Concert Hall presented by the LA Phil in honor of his 15th anniversary as
music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

The distinguished career of Texas-born RALPH KIRSHBAUM-which encompasses the
worlds of solo performance, chamber music, recording and pedagogy-launches
him into "…the highest echelon of today's cellists" (Los Angeles Times).
Kirshbaum has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras. He has
been a frequent guest of the Dallas, Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago symphony
orchestras, the San Francisco and Houston symphonies, the Cleveland
Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also appeared with the BBC
and London symphony orchestras; the London, Royal Stockholm, Helsinki and
Israel philharmonic orchestras; the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich; and the
Orchestre de Paris.  In honor of the legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky,
Kirshbaum leads the inaugural Piatigorsky International Cello Festival in
Los Angeles in March 2012, an event presented by USC's Thornton School of
Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in partnership with The Colburn
School and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.  Alongside his solo career,
Kirshbaum is a renowned pedagogue. Currently he holds the Gregor Piatigorsky
Endowed Chair in Violoncello at USC's Thornton School of Music. He also
served on the faculty of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester
for 35 years and remains its International Chair of Cello.  His critically
acclaimed recording of Bach Suites for EMI/Virgin Classics remains one of
the finest available. Also noteworthy is his recording of the Brahms Double
and Beethoven Triple concertos for BMG Classics with the London Symphony
Orchestra. Of Kirshbaum's recording of William Walton's Concerto, the
composer wrote, "It is most heartening to hear a performance in which
everything is just right-it is excellent and moving."  Now residing in Los
Angeles, Kirshbaum maintains a great love of American football, tennis and
Texan food. The rare Montagnana cello he plays once belonged to the
19th-century virtuoso Carlo Alfredo Piatti.

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 of uncommon intellect, insight and musical
integrity" with "undeniable charisma."  Under Kahane's leadership, the
Orchestra maintains its status as a preeminent interpreter of historical
masterworks and a champion of contemporary composers.  During its 43-year
history, the Orchestra has made 30 recordings, toured Europe, South America
and Japan, performed across North America, earning adulation from audiences
and critics alike, and garnered seven ASCAP Awards for Adventurous
Programming. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, LACO presents seven
Orchestral Series concerts at both Glendale's Alex Theatre and UCLA's Royce
Hall, five Baroque Conversations concerts at downtown Los Angeles' Zipper
Concert Hall, three Westside Connections chamber music concerts at The Broad
Stage in Santa Monica, three Family Concerts at the Alex Theatre and an
annual Discover concert at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium.  In addition,
LACO presents a Concert Gala, an annual Silent Film screening at Royce Hall
and several fundraising salons each year.  LACO was founded in 1968.

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