Henryk Mikolaj Górecki
Born: December 6, 1933 in Silesia, Poland
Studies: Composition with Boleslaw Szabelski at the State Higher School of Music (PWSM) in Katowice, 1955–19602 in Rohrau, Austria
Assignments: Professor of composition and Rector at the PWSM, 1975–1979
On the world scene: The phenomenal success of his Symphony No. 3 (Gramophone’s “Best-selling CD in 1993”) astounded many of his contemporaries, especially in Poland, where the work had been known for more than a decade.
About creating: “Composing is a terribly personal matter: the overcoming of difficulties, gaining knowledge, deciding upon a certain order, a certain method of constructing a new piece. This is important. You have to chose your way, you have to pick a proper path from an infinite number of possibilities. What do I do? “Music begins with sound. It is always based on some musical association, a musical theme or a structure. When composing I always begin with introducing some order. I have many things prepared much, much earlier than I begin to compose a piece. In this way I have researched and analyzed the possibilities provided by my materials. However, many pieces that I had worked on have never been finished. I only ordered the materials.”
Franz Joseph Haydn
Born: March 31, 1732 in Rohrau, Austria
Died: May 31, 1809 in Vienna
Assignments: music director to Count Morzin, Kapellmeister to the Esterhazys
Operas: Lo speziale, L'infedeltà delusa, Il mondo della luna, La fedelta premiata, Orlando paladino and Armida
Is regarded: as the father of the symphony and the string quartet
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Founded: 1968 as an artistic outlet for the film and record studios' most gifted musicians
Music Directors: Renowned pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane has led the group since 1997, continuing the standard of excellence set by the orchestra’s first four music directors, Sir Neville Marriner, Gerard Schwarz, Iona Brown and Christof Perick.
Raves: “America’s finest chamber orchestra” — Jim Svejda, KUSC
“LACO has never sounded better than it does these days…” — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
“At keyboard or on podium, [Kahane] has brought his L.A. Chamber Orchestra into a Golden Age.” — Alan Rich, L.A. Weekly
Awards: First Place Award for Programming of Contemporary Music, offered by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the American Symphony Orchestra League.
Performs: 15 concerts at two historic theaters, the Alex in Glendale and UCLA’s Royce Hall, plus Baroque Conversations at Zipper Concert Hall
In the community: Meet the Music reaches thousands of elementary school students, most of whom have never experienced a classical concert before, and through Neighborhood Concerts, LACO brings live, professional performances to areas of greater Los Angeles where families have little or no access to the city’s cultural institutions.
Web site: www.laco.org
Risa Larson, soprano
Seasons with Chorale: First
Originally from: Japan
Education: BA in Vocal Performance from UCLA
Previous Chorale Solos: Britten's A Ceremony of Carols
Opera and Musical Theatre Performances: Keepers of the Night, Alice in Wonderland, Don Giovanni, Barber of Seville, Marriage of Figaro, Pirates of Penzance, Mikado, City of Angels, Pajama Game, Kiss Me Kate
Has Recorded: a national commercial for Ivory Soap
Other Solo Performances: Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series
Leslie Inman, mezzo soprano
Seasons with Chorale: 12
Previous Chorale Solos: Handel's Messiah, Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer, Haydn's Paukenmesse and Creation, Bach's B Minor Mass
Opera Performances: Opera Pacific (Madam Butterfly, Turandot, Otello, La Bohème, I Pagliacci, Die Fledermaus), Opera Pacific Outreach Program, Dame Quigly from Falstaff (Festa Italiana at the Irvine Bowl), Southland OperaRecordings: Lux Aeterna, Christmas, Argento Te Deum, Glass-Salonen, with the Master Chorale; Mahler 3rd Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Cristal: Glass Music through the Ages, and A Merry Little Christmas with Linda Rondstadt; These are Special Times with Céline Dion
Awards and Honors: Los Angeles Artist of the Future, Miriam Oppenheimer Scholarship (USC), Orange County Opera Guild
Jon Lee Keenan, tenor
Seasons with Chorale: First
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Education: BM in Vocal Performance, Music Education, and Jazz Studies fron UNLV; currently pursuing a MM in Choral Conducting at CSULA and a MM in Vocal Arts at USC
Recordings: Featured soloist with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale on Christmas in Santa Fe
Opera Performances: Tamino in The Magic Flute with Opera Nova (Santa Monica), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Camille in The Merry Widow, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
Also know as: an accomplished jazz bassist
Steve Pence, bass
Seasons with Chorale: 3
Education: BM from Chapman University and two MM degrees from New England Conservatory
Previous Chorale Solos: Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation Mass and Lord Nelson Mass
Opera Performances: Sciarrone in Tosca, Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Nonancourt in Nino Rota's Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze
Has Appeared as a Guest Artist with: Idyllwild Arts Festival, Britten's War Requiem with Cypress Masterworks, Mozart's Grand Mass in c-minor with the Orange County Catholic Chorale, Mendelssohn's Elijah with Lark Society
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By phone: Call 213-972-7282 or 800-787-5262 (in California) 10 am–5 pm, Mon–Fri
In person: at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, 111 South Grand Avenue, at First Street in downtown Los Angeles, Noon–6 pm, Tue–Sun