LA Philharmonic Performs 2 Neighborhood Concerts, 9/29 & 10/3

The Los Angeles Philharmonic begins its 2010/11 series of Neighborhood Concerts with two free performances. Conductor and Dudamel Fellow Manuel López leads the orchestra on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, and an LA Phil wind and brass ensemble on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at McArthur Park Band Shell.
 
The program for the Los Angeles Philharmonic performance at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts features Moncayo's Huapango, Rossini's Overtures to La gazza ladra and Semiramide and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. The wind and brass ensemble at MacArthur Park Band Shell, comprised of the wind, brass and percussion sections of the LA Phil, performs Copland's Fanfare for The Common Man, Dvorak's Serenade for Winds Op. 44 (movements 1 & 4), Dukas' Fanfare to La Péri, Mozart's Serenade No. 12, K. 388 (movements 1 & 4), Handel/Boudreau's Water Music (movement 1), Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever and Mores/Carli's El Firulete.
 
Both concerts are free. Tickets for the concert at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 are available only by visiting the CCPA Ticket Office or by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope with the number of tickets requested to the CCPA Ticket Office at 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, CA 90703. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. There is a limit of four tickets per household. Seating is General Admission. All ticket holders must be seated by 7:15 p.m. No tickets are required to attend the afternoon MacArthur Park concert. (Bring blankets to sit on!)
 
Twenty-six-year-old conductor Manuel López is one of four conductors chosen to participate in the 2010/11 Dudamel Fellowship Program. Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, together with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, created the Dudamel Fellowship Program in 2009 to provide a unique opportunity for promising young conductors from around the world to develop their craft and enrich their musical experience through personal mentorship and participation in the LA Phil's orchestral, education and community programs.
 
Lopez is a product of the internationally recognized State Foundation for the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela (FESNOJIV - Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela), commonly known as El Sistema. Lopez began his musical studies on the violin at the age of 6, and joined the Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in 1999, subsequently touring with the orchestra to the United States, Uruguay, Argentina, Italy, Germany, and Austria. Lopez also served as concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra of Caracas for 4 years under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.
 
As part of his fellowship responsibilities, López will visit Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), www.heartofla.org, an after-school academic, arts and athletic center for underserved youth in Los Angeles, to observe classes and play violin for the students participating in the LA Phil's Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) program. HOLA is home to the second project of YOLA, the LA Phil's initiative to provide access to instrumental and orchestral education in order to promote youth development. Aptly named "YOLA at HOLA," the program will engage 80 first graders and 40 fourth graders, offering academic tutoring four days per week and daily ensemble instruction. YOLA at HOLA students will also meet as a full orchestra twice a week, for a total of 15 hours of weekly instruction.  Heart of Los Angeles has become a home-away-from-home for countless numbers of inner city youth. With YOLA, this vibrant community center will become a hub of intensive and transformative music making. The program's design is based upon learning from the first YOLA site at the EXPO Center in South Los Angeles.
 
The Los Angeles Philharmonic's neighborhood concerts in the community include free orchestra, chamber music and jazz concerts in churches, community centers and other local venues around Southern California.  The Los Angeles Philharmonic has been presenting free neighborhood concerts for the past 19 years, as part of the organization's dedication to making music accessible to the widest possible audience.