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All Reviews / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2020/2021

Tuesdays in July at the Bowl (part 1 of 2): Alison Balsom and Musgrave trumpet concerto worth the wait

Posted on August 1, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • Leave a comment

The July 20th concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl offered something for every kind of classical music fan. If you’re an aficionado of brass, it would’ve made you very happy. If you like hearing new music, there were two gems to enjoy. If you prefer warhorses, you got one on the … Continue reading →

All Reviews / Music News & Info: Rock, Jazz, World Music, etc. / Reviews 2020/2021

Kamasi Washington thrills in powerful and inspirational Hollywood Bowl concert

Posted on July 27, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 1 Comment

Music is in very good hands whenever Kamasi Washington is around. Last week at the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles native showed off his artistic depth and breadth to go along with undeniable technical virtuosity and bold creativity. He led his band through an evening’s worth of his eclectic yet approachable compositions that showed his … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Master Chorale / Music News & Info: Classical

LA Master Chorale releases details of 2021-2022 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Posted on July 27, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • Leave a comment

The Los Angeles Master Chorale has announced its 2021-2022 season, featuring 10 different programs played over 14 nights. It will mark the group’s post-shutdown return to Walt Disney Concert Hall. Large works conducted by Artistic Director Grant Gershon will include Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (Nov 20 & 21, 2021), Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Pärt’s Te Deum (March 20, … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2020/2021

The LA Phil returns with a Hollywood Bowl season-opening night to savor

Posted on July 19, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 4 Comments

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic returned to the Hollywood Bowl this past Thursday, their first subscription concert since pandemic restrictions had been instituted and subsequently lifted. There was a paying audience in the seats, none of whom were required to wear masks or to socially distance. Ditto for the orchestra members on stage, … Continue reading →

Music News & Info: Classical

VIDEO: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by the US Army Field Band

Posted on July 4, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • Leave a comment

Happy 4th of July, everyone! Enjoy this excellent rendition of my favorite arrangement (by James Neilson). 1st Lt. Alexandra Borza conducts. RELATED POSTS Musical “Fourth of July plumes” for Independence Day 2020 “Bravura,” a classic American march for July 4, 2016 For your 4th of July, music by the other American march king: Karl King Free patriotic music … Continue reading →

All Reviews / Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2020/2021

Jaime Martin and LA Chamber Orchestra dazzle and inspire in their two-concert return

Posted on July 3, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 1 Comment

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra finally returned to the stage this past week. And there was much rejoicing (yaaaaay). These weren’t the first classical music concerts in Southern California since the US began emerging from the haze of the Covid-19 crisis. The Los Angeles Philharmonic made that happen, playing two orchestral concerts at the Hollywood … Continue reading →

Appointments / Auditions & Appointments / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

LA Phil extends contracts of Herbie Hancock and Thomas Wilkins

Posted on July 2, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • Leave a comment

Two important artistic leaders at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association will be around for a few more years. Herbie Hancock and Thomas Wilkins both signed contract extensions with the organization. Legendary jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock will continue as Creative Chair for Jazz until at least 2023. His tenure had been set to expire at the … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Music News & Info: Classical

Things are looking up: LA Chamber Orchestra to re-open Walt Disney Concert Hall with free concert, extend Jaime Martin’s contract, and more

Posted on June 3, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 1 Comment

Big news from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra: First, the orchestra, led by Music Director Jaime Martin, will begin playing again this summer The initial concert on Saturday, June 26, will be at Walt Disney Concert Hall It will be the first performance for a live audience at WDCH since the venue closed for the … Continue reading →

All Reviews / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical / Reviews 2020/2021

REVIEW: LA Phil livestreams opening concert of 2021 Hollywood Bowl Season

Posted on May 17, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 2 Comments

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic launched its 2021 Hollywood Bowl season last night with a free concert for frontline and essential workers, their first performance for a live audience in over 14 months. Those unable or unqualified to be one of the 4,000+ in attendance could enjoy a livestream of the program via … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

LA Phil releases full details of 2021 Hollywood Bowl summer season

Posted on May 11, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 1 Comment

The other shoe has dropped. The Los Angeles Philharmonic sent an email to subscribers this morning inviting them to go to their website to view details of the 2021 summer season at the Hollywood Bowl. The full press release came about 30 minutes later. This comes a month after they announced that (a) there actually … Continue reading →

Interviews / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

A 2020 chat with Norman Pearson: the tuba player talks about his career & influences, the evolution of the LA Phil’s brass section, his preferred place to play on the Disney Hall stage, and much more

Posted on May 10, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 2 Comments

Norman Pearson played his first concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1982 as a substitute on 2nd tuba. Simon Rattle conducted The Rite of Spring. Not a bad start. He’d go on to spend most of his professional career with the LA Phil, including many more concerts as a substitute before becoming an official … Continue reading →

The lost (and found?) <i>All is Yar</i> interviews of 2020: an open letter and prologue

FYI / Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

The lost (and found?) All is Yar interviews of 2020: an open letter and prologue

Posted on May 3, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 4 Comments

Dear Reader (including those of you who’d normally only come here for orchestra audition repertoire lists, the rare operatic April Fools’ joke, or military music freebies, and especially anyone who recognizes that I’m apolitically stealing this “Dear Reader” gag from Jonah Goldberg): In the heady pre-pandemic days of February 2020, I was preparing to chat … Continue reading →

Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

Hollywood Bowl to re-open in May 2021; Dudamel/LA Phil, Thundercat & Flying Lotus, and La Santa Cecilia headline free concerts for critical workers

Posted on April 9, 2021 by CK Dexter Haven • 5 Comments

In the latest sign that the beginning of the end of the pandemic is in sight, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced today that the Hollywood Bowl will once again host audiences for live concerts this summer. Capacity will initially be limited to 4,000 audience members, with hopes/plans to expand that number as the summer … Continue reading →

Appointments / Auditions & Appointments / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Music News & Info: Classical

Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Summer 2020 edition): retirements in the time of Covid-19

Posted on July 11, 2020 by CK Dexter Haven • 4 Comments

Life can seem frozen during this strangest, most turbulent of years. There’s a desire to rewind and redo the past, or to fast-forward to a post-pandemic future that hopefully looks and feels like the underappreciated 2019 (or 2015 or 2000 or . . . ) of our memory. Yet time — and life — trudges … Continue reading →