String Trio Chamber Music to Play Mount Wilson Observatory in July

Mount Wilson Observatory, the place where humankind discovered its place in the universe, has announced the third date in its Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome six-month series, to take place on Sunday, July 9, 2023. The performances are presented inside the singular vaulted dome of the 100-inch telescope. The concert series is curated by Artistic Director Cécilia Tsan, who is also its co-founder.

The program will feature Haendel-Halvorsen: Passacaglia for Violin and Cello and Mozart: Divertimento in E flat for Violin, Viola and Cello performed by Ambroise Aubrun (violin), Victor de Almeida (viola), and Cécilia Tsan (cello). The same program will be offered twice: first at 3:00 PM and again at 5:00 PM. There will be an artist reception with light fare and refreshments between the performances.

Tickets are $55 and will be available for purchase on Mount Wilson Observatory's website in advance (highly recommended) or at the door. For more information on the concert series, please visit https://www.mtwilson.edu/concerts where tickets for this and future concerts are available.

Seating inside the historic dome is limited. Access to the dome performances is via a 53-step staircase. Mount Wilson Observatory sits at a mile-high elevation so the air is noticeably thinner. There is no ADA-compliant access.

All proceeds go to support the Mt. Wilson Institute in its mission to preserve, protect and promote the Observatory and the science accomplished there. Poised for rediscovery, the grounds of the legendary observatory—founded in 1904 by astrophysical pioneer George Ellery Hale—are open for free to the public year round, weather permitting. For visitor information, please see https://www.mtwilson.edu/visiting.
 

The Performers

 

Cécilia Tsan, Artistic Director & Cello & Series Co-Founder

Praised by the L.A. Times for her “...uncompromising musical character and towering technique,” French born cellist Cécilia Tsan graduated from the Paris Conservatory summa cum laude and is a prizewinner at the Barcelona, Florence and Paris International Competitions. An international soloist and chamber musician, she recorded several CDs and hundreds of movie soundtracks in Hollywood. She serves as Principal Cello with Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra. 

As the Artistic Director of the Mount Wilson Observatory music series, Ms. Tsan produces chamber music and jazz concerts at Mount Wilson every summer.

Ambroise Aubrun, Violin

Hailed as a “marvelous violinist” (France Musique) with “sensitive tone” (Pizzicato Magazine) and “tremendous ease, suppleness and beauty of sound” (Nice-Matin), violinist Ambroise Aubrun has performed extensively in Europe and North America.

His albums for the Editions Hortus and Navona Records have embraced a wide range of repertoire from Bach to Tanguy (b.1968) and received praise of the highest caliber. Aubrun's performances and albums have been broadcast on CBS, WFMT, France Musique, Klara Radio (Belgium), KPFK, WTUL New-Orleans, and K-USC Los Angeles.

He has served as guest concertmaster of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, and is a regular guest of the Los Angeles Philharmonic violin sections. He is the winner of the Charles Oulmont Prize of the Fondation de France and laureate of the Langart Foundation in Switzerland.

Currently Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Aubrun has served on the faculty of UCLA and UC Santa Barbara as well as several academies, and is regularly invited to give masterclasses around the world. He is the artistic director of the Bruman Chamber Music Festival at UCLA. Aubrun plays a Matteo Goffriller violin, on loan from the Langart Foundation.

Victor de Almeida, Viola

Recently appointed Assistant Principal Viola of the Pacific Symphony, Brazilian-American Victor de Almeida has served as Principal Viola of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Associate Principal Violist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

A double prizewinner at the 2008 Primrose International Viola Competition, Victor de Almeida has enjoyed a busy career as a Los Angeles-based musician in the Hollywood film and television industry, playing in over 500 major motion pictures and television shows.

He constantly seeks new music to premiere and has contributed substantially to the existing repertoire for viola by transcribing works for other instruments. This includes his 16-year project to transcribe the orchestral score of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring for viola and piano. A passionate advocate for the instrument, de Almeida continues his mission to inspire the world to know and recognize the beautiful sound of the viola as a solo instrument. 

The Remaining Concerts Of The Season

August 13:

Zelter String Quintet

Kyle Gilner & Gallia Kastner, violins, Carson Rick, viola, Allan Hon, cello, 

Program: Mason: String Quartet No.3 | Puccini: Cristantemi | Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor.

https://www.mtwilson.edu/events/sunday-afternoon-concert-in-the-dome-august-13-tbd

September 10:

Long Beach Symphony Sextet

Roger Wilkie & Chloe Tardif, violins, Andrew Duckles & Jonah Sirota, violas, Cécilia Tsan & Allan Hon, cellos.

Program: Brahms: Sextet in B Flat Major and Jonah Sirota: arrangements of film music.

https://www.mtwilson.edu/events/sunday-afternoon-concert-in-the-dome-september-10-tbd

October 8:

Los Angeles Reed Quintet

Claire Brazeau, oboe; Don Foster, clarinet; Brian Walsh, bass clarinet; Anthony Parnther, bassoon; Patrick Posey, saxophone.

Program TBA.

https://www.mtwilson.edu/events/sunday-afternoon-concert-in-the-dome-october-8-tbd

For more information about Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome, please visit: https://www.mtwilson.edu/concerts.

The Venue

The 100-inch telescope is the instrument with which astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered our place in an expanding universe , which deeply expanded human knowledge. The dome for the telescope—designed by seminal Chicago architect Daniel Burnham—is a 20th century temple to science whose acoustics rival the great cathedrals of Europe, a truly unique setting for this ambitious music series. 

Mount Wilson Observatory

Since its founding in 1904 by astronomer and visionary George Ellery Hale, Mount Wilson Observatory has played host to some of the most important discoveries in modern astronomy. Located on Mount Wilson, a 5,710-foot (1,740-meter) peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest, Mount Wilson.

Photo credit: Irina Logra

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