Once again, the good folks at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County have invited me to do a pre-concert lecture, this time for tonight’s recital by pianist Seong-Jin Cho at the Soka Performing Arts Center. The 28-year old Seoul native first gained worldwide attention by winning Third Prize at the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Competition (the … Continue reading
Doing pre-concert lecture for Daniil Trifonov recital tomorrow night
I’ll have the distinct privilege of doing the pre-concert lecture for tomorrow night’s piano recital by Daniil Trifonov in Costa Mesa at Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Many thanks to the Philharmonic Society of Orange County for inviting me. Mr. Trifonov was Gramophone’s 2016 Artist of the Year award and Musical America’s 2019 Artist of … Continue reading
A Zoom chat with Jaime Martin: LA Chamber Orchestra’s Music Director talks about the pandemic, Beethoven 9, and hiring principal players
When last I had the chance to talk to Jaime Martin, he was about to begin the 2019/2020 season, his first as Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. That year started well, but then this thing called COVID-19 shook the world. Three years have passed since that last conversation. A few days ago, Mr. Martin … Continue reading
The Great Indoors: First LA Phil subscription concert of 2022/23 shows off orchestra members, Walt Disney Concert Hall
I love Summer. The longer days and warmer weather facilitate more outdoor activities in Southern California. We can enjoy the plethora of al fresco high- and low-brow choices without the annoyances of mosquitos, high humidity, or thunderstorms to ruin the fun. Musically, the Hollywood Bowl looms large over the scene, and with the top-notch multi-genre … Continue reading
Ranking the Top 10 Hollywood Bowl concerts I saw this summer
While I’m excited to be returning to Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight, I’m bummed that my 2022 Hollywood Bowl summer is now officially over (wipe away a tear . . . sniffle, sniffle). So before we move on to the 2022/23 indoor season, let’s take a moment to reflect on how awesome the summer has … Continue reading
I finally got my Facebook page back
Fair warning: the following is probably not that interesting, but it’s important to publish the news here for the record . . . Mid-summer last year, I tried to login to my personal Facebook page only to discover that, for some reason, my email and password were no longer being accepted. After some unsuccessful attempts … Continue reading
A chat with Joseph Young: the conductor discusses his LA Phil debut, his passion for music education, and a special moment at Peabody Conservatory at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has a reputation for giving their audiences exposure to young conductors, particularly at the Hollywood Bowl. Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra’s current Music and Artistic Director, famously made his debut there in his mid 20s. The latest person to make a debut on the LA Phil’s podium is Joseph Young, Music Director … Continue reading
French connection: Paris Opera Ballet alights with grace upon the Hollywood Bowl stage
World-class ballet is a transient in Los Angeles. All other genres of Western classical performing arts — orchestral, chamber music, operatic, even choral — have seen resident ensembles flourish since the founding of The Music Center in the 1960s. Yet with all due respect to folks like the Los Angeles Ballet led by Thordal Christensen … Continue reading
REVIEW: Finale of New Hollywood String Quartet’s Beethoven festival a home run
This past weekend was an eventful one around Southern California, particularly at two of its most iconic venues. Dodger Stadium was ramping up to host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and all of its related pre-game festivities, including the celebrity softball game and the Home Run Derby. Over at the Hollywood Bowl, the Los … Continue reading
LA Phil adds a timpanist/percussionist
The Los Angeles Philharmonic held open auditions earlier this week for a new “Assistant Principal Timpani / Section Percussion” player. Continue reading
RIP Bramwell Tovey, former LA Phil Principal Guest Conductor at the Hollywood Bowl
Conductor Bramwell Tovey has passed away. He had been Music Director of the Sarasota Orchestra since 2021, and that orchestra made the announcement a few hours ago, noting that he was “[d]iagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in May of 2019 . . . from which he was ultimately unable to recover.” He was … Continue reading
New Hollywood String Quartet, Anne Akiko Meyers, LA Phil principals, and others will be in new “Summer of Beethoven Chamber Music Festival”
The New Hollywood String Quartet and The Da Camera Society have announced the “Summer of Beethoven Chamber Music Festival.” Four concerts of 11 works will be performed in Los Angeles at the Pompeian Room of the Doheny Mansion from July 14 to July 17, 2022. The Quartet — violinists Tereza Stanislav and Rafael Rishik, violist … Continue reading
Marc Lachat will be the next LA Phil Principal Oboe
I hate to say that I told you so, but I told you so. Continue reading
Inside info about LA Phil auditions from Nathan Cole, First Associate Concertmaster
On the heels of all the talk about various auditions in Part 1 and Part 2 of the Spring 2022 edition of “Comings and Goings at the LA Phil” published earlier this week, I thought All is Yar readers would find this interesting . . . Continue reading
Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Spring 2022 edition, part 2 of 2): Principal Oboe candidates — and a bold prediction or two
The last time we talked in detail about the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s attempts to find a new Principal Oboe was three years ago. The previous person in the job, Ramon Ortega, managed to begin and end his tenure in the short span of six weeks [to understand why, go HERE]. The orchestra then held open … Continue reading