Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's (LACO) 50th Anniversary season concludes with guest conductor Grant Gershon leading the world premiere of Derrick Spiva Jr.'s From Here A Path, the second part of a trilogy for chamber orchestra, and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, featuring noted cellist and classical music innovator Joshua Roman, today, May 19, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, May 20, 2018, 7 pm, at Royce Hall. In addition, Concertmaster Margaret Batjer leads from the first chair both Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in D Minor, the first work ever performed when LACO launched 50 years ago, and Mozart's Symphony No. 39 in E-Flat Major, which wraps the Orchestra's exploration this season of the composer's final three symphonies. Spiva, describing his work, says, "From Here A Path draws inspiration from Husago, a West African piece from Ghana's Ewe people that includes drumming, dancing and singing, kaval flute playing from Eastern Europe and elements of Hindustani classical music. The title references the momentum and resistance one gathers to reach a point."
Pianist Misha Dichter will appear in chamber music program with violinist Mark Peskanov and cellist Julian Schwarz as part of the Bargemusic Masterworks Series, Saturday evening, May 26, 2018 at 6 pm and Sunday afternoon, May 27, 2018 at 4 pm, featuring the New York premieres and world premiere of Gerard Schwarz's Three Duos for violin and cello. The program will also include Schubert's Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, D. 898 (Op. 99).
Distinguished pianist Misha Dichter will appear in recital alongside pianist Cipa Dichter, as part of Bargemusic's Masterworks Series, Sunday afternoon, May 13, 2018 at 4 pm. The pair will perform Schubert's Fantasy in F minor for four-hands Op. 103, D. 940; Mr. Dichter will also perform with Schubert's Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 959.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's (LACO) 50th Anniversary season concludes with guest conductor Grant Gershon leading the world premiere of Derrick Spiva Jr.'s From Here A Path, the second part of a trilogy for chamber orchestra, and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, featuring noted cellist and classical music innovator Joshua Roman, on Saturday, May 19, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, May 20, 2018, 7 pm, at Royce Hall. In addition, Concertmaster Margaret Batjer leads from the first chair both Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in D Minor, the first work ever performed when LACO launched 50 years ago, and Mozart's Symphony No. 39 in E-Flat Major, which wraps the Orchestra's exploration this season of the composer's final three symphonies. Spiva, describing his work, says, "From Here A Path draws inspiration from Husago, a West African piece from Ghana's Ewe people that includes drumming, dancing and singing, kaval flute playing from Eastern Europe and elements of Hindustani classical music. The title references the momentum and resistance one gathers to reach a point."
Ten pianists have been chosen to advance to the Semifinals of Canada's Honens International Piano Competition. The pianists (aged 21 to 29) come from nine countries: Austria, Belgium, Georgia, Hong Kong, Italy, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United States. Only one pianist will be named Honens Prize Laureate and win the world's largest award of its kind—$100,000 (CAD) and an Artist Development Program valued at a half million dollars. The Semifinals and Finals of the Honens International Piano Competition take place during the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition & Festival in Calgary, August 30 to September 8, 2018.
One of the great singers of her generation, renowned for her extraordinary voice and musical versatility, American opera singer and recitalist Jessye Norman has been chosen as The Twelfth Glenn Gould Prize Laureate. Throughout her career, the sheer size, power and luster of her voice has shared equal acclaim with that of her thoughtful music-making, innovative programming of the classics, and fervent advocacy of contemporary music. More than forty years after making her operatic debut, Jessye Norman continues to maintain a busy performance schedule, now concentrating on recitals and concerts.
Hailed as "an artist who means every note he plays" (New York Times), internationally acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel brings power and passion to his celebrated Keyboard Conversations -returning to Folsom for his seventh season. He has been called "The Leonard Bernstein of the piano" (Chicago Tribune).
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) continues its intimate "Jazz Club" performances with jazz trumpeter Amir ElSaffar and his Two Rivers Ensemble on Thursday, April 26 at 8:00pm. ElSaffar was born to an American mother and an Iraqi father. After studying classical music in the U.S. and Iraqi maqam music in Baghdad, he forged his own path by mixing ornaments and microtones from Arab music with melodies and harmonies from the West. His unique fusion has won him accolades from DownBeat magazine and rowdy ovations at the Newport Jazz Festival.
Guest conductor Karina Canellakis, winner of the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, makes her second Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra appearance to lead the US premiere of Dai Fujikura's Secret Forest, Beethoven's energetic and uplifting Symphony No. 2 in D Major and Mozart's dramatic Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, performed by David Fray, a "gifted pianist" (Chicago Tribune), on Saturday, April 21, 8 pm, Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, April 22, 2018, 7 pm, Royce Hall. Fujikura's work has been described as "a riot of imaginative bird and insect noise - well worth exploring" (The Guardian).
David Robertson will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Saint-Saëns's Symphony No. 3, Organ, with Philharmonic organist Kent Tritle, at the 27th Annual Free Memorial Day Concert, Monday, May 28, 2018, at 8:00 p.m. at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the performance; ticket distribution will begin at 6:00 p.m. The audio of the performance will be broadcast onto the adjacent Pulpit Green, weather permitting. The program will be presented without intermission.
A paragon of classical music, famed pianist Maurizio Pollini will perform in recital at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m., marking the 50th anniversary year of his Carnegie Hall debut. The program features Chopin's Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45; Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60; and Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35, as well as the second book of Debussy's Préludes.
MasterVoices - dedicated to celebrating the power of the human voice through the art of musical storytelling - presents two performances of a new production of Orphic Moments, in conjunction with producers Anthony Roth Costanzo and Cath Brittan.
The new music ensemble, International Street Cannibals (ISC), presents "The Easily Satisfied Lover" - an evening of vocal works from the period of early modernism, which turns its lens on archaic male narratives of romance and reframes them through the voice and sensibility of a 21st century woman. Central to the evening is the performance of Arnold Schoenberg's monodrama, Pierrot Lunaire, op. 21 (1912) - a fantastical setting of 21 poems by Belgian symbolist poet Albert Giraud and freely translated in German by Otto Erich Hartleben. The program is a creation of soprano Ariadne Greif, Los Angeles-based director Gray Palmer, and ISC's founder/director Dan Barrett. It features conducting by maestro Christopher Lyndon-Gee; film footage by Swiss-Japanese filmmaker Caroline Mariko Stucky, especially created for this performance; and technical direction and stage management by Tyler Learned.
The Italian Academy presents Re-Inventing Bach, a unique, out-of-the-box duo recital featuring the unexpected combination of flute and violin performed by violinist Elissa Cassini and flutist Roy Amotz.
On Monday, April 9 at 7:30 pm at Symphony Space, Victoria Bond's Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival, Gramercy Opera, and Quog Music Theater, Inc. present the world premiere staged production of the late Eric Salzman's Big Jim & the Small-time Investors. It's the first event of Cutting Edge Concerts 21st season, which continues with performances by Sybarite5 with shakuhachi player James Nyoraku Schlefer (April 16), Hub New Music (April 23), and Cygnus Ensemble (April 30). Details are below.
Christoph Eschenbach will conduct the New York Philharmonic in a program of works by Austrian composers: Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22, with Austrian pianist Till Fellner as soloist in his Philharmonic debut, and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 (Ed. Nowak), Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
As part of its continuing commitment to young artists, The Glenn Gould Foundation presents thirteen-year-old music prodigy Alma Deutscher in her Canadian debut performance on April 13, 2018 at 8 PM at Koerner Hall (273 Bloor Street West). This extraordinarily gifted young musician will perform a concert in celebration of the international jury for the twelfth Glenn Gould Prize who will be in attendance.
The Italian Academy presents Re - Inventing Bach, a unique, out - of - the - box duo recital featuring the unexpected combination of flute and violin performed by violinist Elissa Cassini and flutist Roy Amotz.
Carnegie Hall's The '60s: The Years that Changed America, a citywide festival from January 14-March 24, 2018, concludes this month with a vast array of events presented at Carnegie Hall and at more than 35 leading partner cultural institutions throughout New York City. This special exploration of the '60s invites audiences to explore this turbulent decade through the lens of arts and culture, including music's role as a meaningful vehicle to inspire social change.
Violinist Janine Jansen concludes herPerspectives series at Carnegie Hall this season joining Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguinand The Philadelphia Orchestra on Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. for the New York premiere of Dutch composer Michel Van der Aa's Violin Concerto. The piece, written especially for Ms. Jansen, is described by her as “full of energy and lyricism,” and reflects Ms. Jansen's long-time artistic partnership with the composer. Mr. Van der Aa has said that Ms. Jansen's personality served as his inspiration for the work. “If Janine had played the flute, I would have written a flute concerto,” he said.
