Jeffrey Kahane Leads World Premiere by Ted Hearne on LA Chamber Orchestra Program

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, led by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, concludes its 46th season with a world premiere by Ted Hearne, a composer hailed for his “off beat imagination” (New Music Box) whose new work, Respirator, culminates the Orchestra’s unique “Sound Investment” commissioning program on Saturday, May 16, 2015, 8 pm, at Glendale’s Alex Theatre, and Sunday, May 17, 2015, 7 pm, at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The concert also features Jonathan Biss, “one of the most accomplished pianists of the younger generation” (BBC Music Magazine), who performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major. In addition, Kahane conducts Mendelssohn’s Nocturne & Scherzo, evocative incidental music from A Midsummer Night’s Dream; as well as Mendelssohn’s exuberant Symphony No. 4 in A major, “Italian.” Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks providing insights into the program’s music and artists held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, feature Kahane in conversation with Hearne. After the performance, ticket holders are invited to mingle with friends and musicians at an after-party in the lobby with complimentary drinks and appetizers.

“Sound Investment,” initiated during Kahane’s tenure 14 years ago to engage LACO audiences in developing new works, gives members the rare opportunity to create a legacy in music and observe first-hand the development of a new work from the composer’s earliest ideas to the finished composition. Participants invest $150 or more for a membership, which includes intimate salons throughout the season featuring in-depth discussion with the composer about the creative process and previews of the final work.

Additionally, USC Thornton School student Coleman Itzkoff joins the cello section for these concerts as part of the LACO-Thornton Strings Mentorship Program, now in its fifth year, playing alongside Principal Cello Andrew Shulman and other LACO veterans. Itzkoff won the opportunity in a mock orchestral audition last year for strings as part of the LACO-Thornton Strings Mentorship Program, a unique collaboration between USC’s Thornton School of Music and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra that strives to enhance the preparedness of strings students for a professional career. Itzkoff competed against violinists, violists, double bass players and fellow cellists before an esteemed panel of judges including LACO Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, LACO Principal Violin II Josefina Vergara and Associate Principal Cello Armen Ksajikian.

Hearne, a multitalented musician who is both an innovative composer who mixes wide ranging musical styles and an accomplished singer, is noted for his “topical, politically sharp-edged works” that are “nuanced, elliptical and elusive” (The New York Times). His body of works includes Katrina Ballads, a portrait of media coverage of Hurricane Katrina that won the 2009 Gaudeamus Prize for composition, and The Source, set to text from Iraq and Afghanistan war logs. He has received commissions from the San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic, among LACO and others.

Biss is widely regarded for his artistry, musical intelligence and deeply felt interpretations, winning international recognition for his orchestral, recital, and chamber music performances as well as for his award-winning recordings. The third generation in a family of professional musicians, Biss also serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. In conjunction with Curtis and Coursera, the leading provider of “massive online open courses,” he offered a free, online course on Beethoven’s piano sonatas in 2013 for which more than 30,000 people enrolled.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the world’s premier chamber orchestras as well as a pacesetter in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2014-15 season, the Orchestra’s 46th, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established as well as notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world’s foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 18th season as LACO’s music director.

These concerts are made possible in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation and Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

Tickets, starting at $26, are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase student rush tickets ($12), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert.