Juanjo Mena to Close LA Philharmonic's 2014 Classical Season with Beethoven's Ninth, 9/11

The Hollywood Bowl's 2014 classical season concludes in grand fashion with conductor Juanjo Mena leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Choral," Thursday, September 11, at 8 pm.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale and soloists soprano Camilla Nylund, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, tenor Donald Litaker, and bass Morris Robinson join the LA Phil for the performance of Beethoven's celebration of life and brotherhood.

The program opens with Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.

Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester, United Kingdom, Juanjo Mena is one of Spain's most distinguished international conductors. Following his recent concerts with the symphonies of Los Angeles, Houston, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Toronto, Maestro Mena returns to North America for a 2014/15 season that includes return visits to Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as his debuts with the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. His European highlights this season include his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as well as concerts with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquesta Nacional de España and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. A guest of international festivals, Maestro Mena has appeared at the Stars of White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Hollywood Bowl, Grant Park (Chicago), Tanglewood and La Folle Journee (Nantes). He recently led the BBC Philharmonic on tours of Europe and Spain, including performances in Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Madrid, and performs with them every year at the BBC Proms in London. Throughout Europe, Juanjo Mena has appeared with the Dresden Philharmonic, Munich Radio Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Oslo Philharmonic, Danish Radio Symphony, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Milan and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, as well as with all the major orchestras in Spain.

Giving a voice to Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale is led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Proclaimed "the nation's most pioneering major chorus" (Los Angeles Times), it has also been hailed as "inspired" (The New York Times), "magnificent" (Chicago Tribune) and "a superb vocal ensemble" (The New York Observer). The Chorale is currently in its 51st season as a resident company of The Music Center of Los Angeles County and its 12th as the resident chorus at Disney Hall. Presenting its own concert series each season, it performs choral music from the earliest writings to the most recent contemporary compositions. To date, the choir has commissioned 45 and premiered 92 new works, of which 62 were world premieres, and has been awarded three ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventurous Programming as well as Chorus America's prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. The Chorale has performed in more than 300 concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, and has toured with the orchestra to Europe and New York City. It has also appeared at the Ojai Music Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the Ravinia Festival and the Overture Center in Madison, Wisconsin, as well as in leading venues throughout the Southland.

Complete program:

BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9, "Choral"

The concert is set for Thursday, September 11, 2014, 8 PM at The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Tickets for the Hollywood Bowl 2014 summer season are available now at HollywoodBowl.com or via credit card phone at 323.850.2000. For full artist biographies and additional information, visit hollywoodbowl.com.

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