Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra released details of their 2026-27 season. It will be their last one with Jaime Martin as Music Director before he steps down and becomes Music Director Laureate. (Incidentally, the prior Music Director, Jeffrey Kahane, had been Music Director Laureate since he stepped down in 2018, but LACO’s …
This is part 2 of my conversation from Tuesday, May 28, with Matthew Howard, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Principal Percussion (part 1 is HERE). We continue our discussion about Naru, the percussion concerto Joseph Pereira wrote for him and the LA Phil receiving it’s premiere this week (Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in Walt Disney Concert … Continue reading
Almost all classical musicians start playing their instrument in their youth, usually when their age is still in single digits — some as young as 2-years old are bowing cardboard violins. They spend two decades refining their craft to take multiple auditions, hoping to get paid to play music. Most of them play in a … Continue reading
Last Sunday, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic closed their curiously-named “Mahler Grooves Festival” with a fourth and final performance of a his-and-hers program: Gustav’s Symphony No. 5 and Alma’s Five Songs. The concert proved to be a thrilling way to cap Mr. Dudamel’s latest exploration of the Mahler oeuvre. The Venezuelan conductor has … Continue reading
Sad news coming from the Los Angeles Master Chorale: Marshall Rutter, long-time supporter of Southern California classical music, choral music in general, and the LAMC specifically, passed away yesterday. He was 93. His best known commission was Morten Lauridsen‘s O Magnum Mysterium, dedicated to his wife Terry Knowles and premiered by the Master Chorale conducted … Continue reading
One of the Southern California orchestras looking for a new leader found their person. This past Wednesday at Segerstrom Concert Hall, the Pacific Symphony officially introduced Alexander Shelley as their next Artistic & Music Director. He will serve as Music Director Designate for the 2025-26 season and officially take the post in Fall of 2026, … Continue reading
Carlos Miguel Prieto’s recent appearance conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl showcased the breadth of music by Mexican composers and his intimate knowledge of all of it. The program combined familiar works with three pieces the orchestra had not previously played, including two by living composers. Significant contributions by the Ballet Folklórico … Continue reading
Gershwin night at the Hollywood Bowl is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. There’s so much high quality material to work with that even average interpretations can bring joy to a listener’s heart. Fortunately for attendees at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recent Gershwin concert, the performances were well above-average, with the soloists — pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, mezzo-soprano … Continue reading
Last week, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2024 classical music summer season officially kicked off at the Hollywood Bowl with visits by conductor Elim Chan and violinist Augustin Hadelich. They brought along works by Unsuk Chin, Prokofiev, and Rimsky-Korsakov which can be challenging for any orchestra, particularly one that was barely back from a multi-week break. … Continue reading
Welcome back, dear friends. I hope the last year has treated you well. It’s good to be with you again. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic back at the Hollywood Bowl and their summer classical music subscription season officially kicking off tonight, I wanted to start the latest edition of this regular “Comings and Goings” series … Continue reading
Geez, I step away from covering classical music for a few months, and things decide to go crazy! First, in early February, Gustavo Dudamel announced that at the end of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2025-2026 season, he’d decamp for that “other” Philharmonic in New York. Then, last month, LA Phil CEO Chad Smith made his … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
All is Yar 