Lahav Shani To Lead The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra At The Soraya

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra returns to The Soraya under the helm of "wunderkind" chief conductor Tel Aviv born Lahav Shani on Wednesday, March 25 at 8:00pm with a program featuring the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 with Shani conducting and performing the piano solo and the Bartók Concerto for Orchestra. This concert is part of city-wide Violins of Hope project.

Tickets start at $49 and are available at The Soraya, by phone at (818) 677-3000, and online at TheSoraya.org. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) is at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330.

"Violins of Hope, Beethoven 250, and a rising star of classical music completely comes together with the Rotterdam Philharmonic concert as we welcome Lahav Shani - an Israeli appointed the next music director of the Israel Philharmonic who is also performing the piano solo performs the Beethoven Fourth Piano Concerto," said Thor Steingraber, Executive Director of The Soraya. "On this occasion, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra will also feature a violin rescued from the Holocaust. All of this combines for a moving evening that celebrates the human spirit."

The youngest Chief Conductor in the orchestra's history, Lahav Shani assumed his position in September 2018, following Yannick Nézet-Séguin and earlier Valery Gergiev, James Conlon and Jeffrey Tate. In the 2020-21 season, Shani will succeed Zubin Mehta as Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. As the soloist, Shani replaces the previously announced Nelson Friere who withdrew due to injury.

The Violins of Hope collection will make the journey from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, in an unprecedented collaboration between The Soraya, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, four Southern California symphony orchestras, and Chair Susanne Reyto.

The Soraya will present three concerts featuring the violins, with an Opening concert on March 22 featuring the LA Jewish Symphony, followed by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani leading the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra on March 25, and concluding with the Jerusalem Quartet on April 5.

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra also performs this program at McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts in Palm Desert on March 23, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on March 24, and The Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara on March 26.

This performance is sponsored by Earl S. Enzer '83 & Karen Enzer '82, The Lloyd E. Rigler-Deutsch Foundation, Kathleen P. Martin.

Violins of Hope at The Soraya is sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation, Los Angeles County Supervisor Shelia Kuehl, Luxe Hotel, and Wilmington Trust.

About Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Lahav Shani
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1918. From 1930, under principal conductor Eduard Flipse, it developed into one of the foremost orchestras of the Netherlands. In the 1970s, with Jean Fournet and Edo de Waart, the orchestra gained international recognition. Valery Gergiev's appointment heralded a new period of bloom, which continued from 2008 with Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Both Gergiev and Nézet-Séguin remain with the orchestra as honorary conductors. Lahav Shani is principal conductor since the 2018-2019 season.

Lahav Shani is Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He assumed his position in September 2018, succeeding Yannick Nézet-Séguin and becoming the youngest Chief Conductor in the orchestra's history. His first season as Chief Conductor will comprise a tour of Germany and Switzerland, among other major projects. In the 2020/21 season, Shani will succeed Zubin Mehta as Music Director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and will be the orchestra's Music Director Designate from 2019/20.

In the 2017/18 season, Shani became Principal Guest Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, following a number of appearances with the orchestra since his debut in May 2015, including a major European tour in January 2016. Shani also works regularly with the Berlin Staatskapelle, both at the Berlin Staatsoper and also for symphonic concerts. In spring 2019 he will return to conduct "Don Giovanni" at the Berlin Staatsoper.

Recent and upcoming highlights as a guest conductor include engagements with the Vienna Philharmonic, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Bamberger Symphoniker and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

Shani was born in Tel Aviv in 1989 and started his piano studies aged six with Hannah Shalgi, continuing with Prof. Arie Vardi at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv. He went on to complete his studies in conducting with Prof. Christian Ehwald and piano with Prof. Fabio Bidini, both at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin. Whilst a student he was mentored by Daniel Barenboim. In 2013 he won First Prize in the Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition in Bamberg. June 2016 saw Lahav Shani's debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra as a conductor and as a piano soloist; his appointment as Chief Conductor from 2018 was announced two months later.

As a pianist Shani made his solo recital debut at the Boulez Saal in Berlin in July 2018. He has play-directed piano concerti with many orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Recent concerto engagements include appearances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Renaud and Gautier Capuçon with the Israel Philharmonic. Shani also has considerable experience performing chamber music appearing recently at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, the Cologne Philharmonie and the Verbier Festival.

For more information call (818) 677-3000 or visit TheSoraya.org.

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