Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Announces Appointment of Manhattan Beach Resident, Stephen A. Block, to Board

Venture capitalist Stephen A. Block has been appointed to the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s (LACO) Board of Directors, announces LACO President Dana Newman. Block is a partner of Orange County-based K5 Ventures and managing director of its accelerator, K5 Launch. He is also a member of Tech Coast Angels, Southern California’s largest angel investing group, serving on the Executive Committee of the Orange County network. Block, who has been appointed to LACO’s board for a three-year term, has more than 40 years of broad legal, management and executive experience, having served on the boards of both private and public companies and several industry trade associations; drafted legislation; lobbied at the state and federal levels; and testified before Congressional and state legislative committees.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, proclaimed “America’s finest chamber orchestra” by Public Radio International and “resplendent” by the Los Angeles Times, has established itself among the world’s top musical ensembles. Since 1997, LACO has performed under the baton of acclaimed conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, hailed by critics as “visionary” and “a conductor of uncommon intellect, insight and musical integrity” with “undeniable charisma,” “effortless musicality and extraordinary communicative gifts.” Under Kahane’s leadership, the Orchestra maintains its status as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and a champion of contemporary composers. During its 46-year history, the Orchestra has made 31 recordings, toured Europe, South America and Japan, performed across North America and garnered eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, LACO presents its Orchestral Series on Saturdays at Glendale’s Alex Theatre and on Sundays at UCLA’s Royce Hall; Baroque Conversations at downtown Los Angeles’ Zipper Concert Hall; Westside Connections chamber music series, designed to illustrate the relationship between music and other artistic disciplines, at the Moss Theater in Santa Monica; and an annual Discover concert, which features an in-depth examination that sheds new light on a single piece of music, at Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium. LACO also presents a Concert Gala, an annual film event, featuring the Orchestra performing the score live, and several fundraising salons each year. Additionally, LACO outreach programs, Meet the Music, Community Partners, Campus to Concert Hall and the LACO/USC Thornton Strings Mentorship Program, reach thousands of young people annually, nurturing future musicians and composers as well as inspiring a love of classical music.