Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Conducted By Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, Features Internationally Acclaimed Cellist Ralph Kirshbaum In Tchaikovsky’s Variations On A Rococo Theme December 10, 2011

Kahane also Conducts Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin,
Thomas Adès Three Studies from Couperin and Respighi’s Gli uccelli (The Birds)

Saturday, December 10, 2011, 8 pm (Alex Theatre)
Sunday, December 11, 2011, 7 pm (Royce Hall – UCLA)

Internationally acclaimed cellist Ralph Kirshbaum joins the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, for Tchaikovsky’s elegant Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 33, on Saturday, December 10, 2011, 8 pm, Alex Theatre, and Sunday, December 11, 2011, 7 pm, Royce Hall – UCLA. The eclectic program, titled “Reflection” in reference to 17th- and 18th-century musical sensibilities, also includes Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin, written in six movements, each of which the composer dedicated to a friend who died in World War I. Kahane also conducts Three Studies from Couperin, composed in 2006 by Thomas Adès based on music from Couperin’s harpsichord works, which “casts 18th-century music in a vivid new light” (The Observer); and Respighi’s Gli uccelli (The Birds), written in 1927 as a suite for small orchestra inspired by 18th-century Baroque compositions imitating bird song. Pre-performance "Concert Preludes" talks are presented to provide insights into the music and artists; they are held one hour before curtain and are free for all ticket holders.

Tickets ($24 – $105) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. 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 rush tickets one hour before curtain; also available for students is the $25 “Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass” – good for all seven of LACO’s Orchestral Series concerts at either the Alex Theatre or UCLA and for all three Westside Connections concerts at The Broad Stage, plus other benefits.

Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, JEFFREY KAHANE has established an international reputation as a truly versatile artist, recognized around the world for his mastery of diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. In 2011-12, Kahane celebrates his 15th season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He previously served as music director of the Colorado and Santa Rosa symphonies. He has garnered tremendous critical acclaim for his innovative programming and commitment to education and community involvement and received multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming for his work in both Los Angeles and Denver. In addition to his projects with LACO, he has recently appeared at the Aspen, Mostly Mozart, Blossom, Music@Menlo and Oregon Bach festivals; performed concertos with the Toronto and Houston symphonies; guest conducted the San Francisco, National and Indianapolis symphonies; and play/conducted programs in Europe with the Camerata Salzburg and Hamburg Symphony. Upcoming highlights for Kahane include concerto performances with the Indianapolis, Oregon and Colorado symphonies and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; play/conduct programs with the New York Philharmonic and with the Vancouver, Seattle, New Jersey, Omaha and Santa Rosa symphonies; his debut conducting the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center; play/conducting a Beyond the Score program with the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a solo/chamber music program at Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the LA Phil in honor of his 15th anniversary as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

The distinguished career of Texas-born RALPH KIRSHBAUM—which encompasses the worlds of solo performance, chamber music, recording and pedagogy—launches him into “…the highest echelon of today’s cellists” (Los Angeles Times). Kirshbaum has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras. He has been a frequent guest of the Dallas, Pittsburgh, Boston and Chicago symphony orchestras, the San Francisco and Houston symphonies, the Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also appeared with the BBC and London symphony orchestras; the London, Royal Stockholm, Helsinki and Israel philharmonic orchestras; the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich; and the Orchestre de Paris. In honor of the legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, Kirshbaum leads the inaugural Piatigorsky International Cello Festival in Los Angeles in March 2012, an event presented by USC’s Thornton School of Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in partnership with The Colburn School and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Alongside his solo career, Kirshbaum is a renowned pedagogue. Currently he holds the Gregor Piatigorsky Endowed Chair in Violoncello at USC’s Thornton School of Music. He also served on the faculty of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for 35 years and remains its International Chair of Cello. His critically acclaimed recording of Bach Suites for EMI/Virgin Classics remains one of the finest available. Also noteworthy is his recording of the Brahms Double and Beethoven Triple concertos for BMG Classics with the London Symphony Orchestra. Of Kirshbaum’s recording of William Walton‘s Concerto, the composer wrote, “It is most heartening to hear a performance in which everything is just right—it is excellent and moving.” Now residing in Los Angeles, Kirshbaum maintains a great love of American football, tennis and Texan food. The rare Montagnana cello he plays once belonged to the 19th-century virtuoso Carlo Alfredo Piatti.

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (LACO), proclaimed “America's finest chamber orchestra” by Public Radio International, 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.” Under Kahane’s leadership, the Orchestra maintains its status as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and a champion of contemporary composers. During its 43-year history, the Orchestra has made 30 recordings, toured Europe, South America and Japan, performed across North America, earning adulation from audiences and critics alike, and garnered seven ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, LACO presents seven Orchestral Series concerts at both Glendale's Alex Theatre and UCLA's Royce Hall, five Baroque Conversations concerts at downtown Los Angeles' Zipper Concert Hall, three Westside Connections chamber music concerts at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, three Family Concerts at the Alex Theatre and an annual Discover concert at Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium. In addition, LACO presents a Concert Gala, an annual Silent Film screening at Royce Hall and several fundraising salons each year. LACO was founded in 1968.