Camerata Pacifica To Showcase Landmark Chamber Works By Brahms, Pärt & Schoenberg This March

Camerata Pacifica continues its season on March 10-15, 2024, at four Southland venues, with a program of seminal chamber works by Brahms, Schoenberg and Pärt. They include Brahms' impassioned masterpiece Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34, and Pärt's crystalline and deeply emotional Spiegel im Spiegel.

In addition, the noted chamber music collective honors the sesquicentennial of the birth of Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), considered among the most influential composers of the 20th century, with a performance of Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4, one of his earliest and most important works. The lush tone poem was written in a single movement, reflecting the profound influence Brahms and Wagner had on his music.

The concerts are Sunday, March 10, 3 pm, at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks; Tuesday, March 12, 7:30 pm, at The Huntington's Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Thursday, March 14, 8 pm, at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles; and Friday, March 15, 7:30 pm, at Hahn Hall at Santa Barbara's Music Academy.

Violinist Abigél Králik, “a shooting star in the truest sense of the word” (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Kultur), makes her Camerata Pacifica debut on the program, which also features the return of Jason Uyeyama, violin, who performs regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Che-Yen (“Brian”) Chen, viola, “an excellent player” (Violinist.com); Principal Cello Ani Aznavoorian, whose “scorchingly committed performances…wring every last drop of emotion out of the music” (The Strad); and Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel, “a pianist well worth watching” (The New York Times)

“On this program, Camerata Pacifica connects the musical links between three composers from disparate eras,” explains Camerata Pacifica Artistic Director Adrian Spence. “Brahms himself was influenced by folk music. He, in turn, was a tremendous influence on both Arnold Schoenberg and Arvo Pärt, each of whom reflected that through their own distinctive musical sensibilities and styles.”

For tickets ($75 at The Huntington, Hahn Hall, and Zipper Hall; $80 at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum) and information visit www.cameratapacifica.org.

ABOUT CAMERATA PACIFICA

Camerata Pacifica, considered one of the nation's leading chamber ensembles, has been hailed as “innovative and intrepid” (The Daily Telegraph), “visceral and powerful” (The Economist). Its considerable commissioning portfolio includes more than 20 works by such established and rising composers as John Harbison, Jake Heggie, Huang Ruo, Lera Auerbach, Bright Sheng, Ian Wilson, David Bruce, Libby Larsen, and John Luther Adams. Two new commissions for the ensemble are currently in process from Clarice Assad and Niloufar Nourbakhsh. The chamber collective has also been lauded for its warm and engaging rapport with audiences, bringing context and immediacy to the music it performs. Based in Santa Barbara, California, the ensemble enjoys a busy performance schedule throughout Southern California and beyond. Camerata Pacifica's flagship annual series showcases its exceptional musicians as well as a range of distinguished guest artists. Each program is structured as a week-long residency with the ensemble performing in four Southern California locales: The Huntington's Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Colburn School's Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles; Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks; and Santa Barbara's Music Academy, Hahn Hall. The chamber ensemble has previously toured to Hong Kong and appeared at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, and major concert halls in London, Dublin and Belfast. Camerata Pacifica was founded by Artistic Director Adrian Spence, an acclaimed “high-flying flautist” (The Irish Times) applauded for his “unstoppable energy, his organizational genius, his taste in music and musicians” (Noozhawk). A native of Northern Ireland, Spence's keen artistic sensibilities are evident in every aspect of Camerata Pacifica, from the ensemble's stellar roster of international chamber artists and thoughtfully curated musical offerings to its authentic connection with audiences. He also sets the tone for the deep comradery among the collective's musicians, which is evident both on and off stage.

In addition to its busy performance schedule, Camerata Pacifica is committed to serving the community. In 2021, Camerata Pacifica, in collaboration with UCLA Health, developed The Nightingale Channel, a landmark resource for hospitals providing programming drawn from the ensemble's extensive video library of its performances delivered via iPads to patient bedsides and care teams. Based on the well-documented positive effects of music in healing, The Nightingale Channel has been adopted by UCLA Health, UC Davis Health, Keck Medicine at USC, Loma Linda University Medical Center, City of Hope National Medical Center, and Augusta University Health, and is being introduced to other hospitals across the country. 

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