LACO to 'Discover' Mozart Tonight

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Music Director Jeffrey Kahane serves as musical "tour guide" for LACO's annual "Discover" program, which this season features a special one-night-only exploration of Mozart's incomparable and deeply moving Requiem in D minor with special guests Alison King, soprano; Emily Fons, alto; Nicholas Phan, tenor; Aubrey Allicock, bass; and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, tonight, February 19, 2015, 8 pm, at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium.

The evening is designed to lead patrons to a greater understanding of Mozart's musical capstone and to appreciate the work with "new ears." Kahane, lauded for his "eloquence" (The New York Times), explores a different work each year for LACO's annual Discover concert. According to LA Opening Nights, "Some conductors are born educators, and Jeffrey Kahane is one of them." Adding a special flourish to Kahane's introduction to the work are Antaeus Company actors John Sloan (Mozart ) and JD Cullum (Salieri).

After Mozart left his final work-a Requiem mass-in a tantalizing state of incompleteness at his death, his widow, Constanze, desperate for the full commission fee, turned to Franz Süssmayr, the composer's friend, who delivered a completed score. Noted fortepianist and Mozart scholar Robert Levin published a new edition of the Requiem in the 1990s, about which The New York Times proclaimed, "Where Süssmayr was timid, Mr. Levin is bold. [His] daring approach makes Mozart's Requiem sound more convincing structurally and more vibrant musically." Kahane explores the chilling legend and score of the masterpiece Mozart wrote on his deathbed. After intermission, Kahane conducts Levin's innovative completion of this heart-wrenching work, followed by a question and answer segment with the audience.

Tickets (starting at $25) 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. Student rush tickets ($12), based on availability, may be purchased at the box office the day of the concert.

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. Now in his 18th 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.

AUBREY ALLICOCK, bass-baritone, made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the fall of 2014 as Mamoud in The Death of Klinghoffer. Recent activities include the young Emile in Terence Blanchard's Champion with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, his debut with the Ojai Music Festival in Steven Stucky's The Classical Style, the cover of Argante in Handel's Rinaldo at Glyndebourne, and his Seattle Opera debut as Angelotti in Tosca. He returns next season to Seattle in the title role of The Marriage of Figaro and makes his Komische Oper Berlin debut in 2015 as Escamillo in Carmen. He holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Indiana University.

A highly regarded Southern California theater veteran, JD CULLUM has starred in plays at the Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theater, South Coast Repertory and the Pasadena Playhouse. He is the recipient of multiple Garland Awards and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards for his work. His film and TV credits include, The Lone Ranger, Mad Men, The Newsroom, Bones, The Mentalist and Weeds. He is a longstanding member of the Antaeus Company.

In the 2014-15, season mezzo-soprano EMILY FONS returns to the Dallas Opera for her celebrated portrayal of Mozart's Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro before joining the Alabama Symphony and Jory Vinikour for Handel's Messiah. This season also includes notable de¬buts with the San Diego Opera as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and with the legendary Seiji Ozawa's Ongaku-Juku in the title-role of Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges. In addition, Fons returns to the Madison Opera for her first Rosina in The Barber of Seville and to Santa Fe Opera as Ruby in the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon's highly-anticipated Cold Mountain.

A graduate of the Yale Opera Studio, soprano ALISON KING made her role debut as Micaela in Carmen at the Music Academy of the West. In 2015, King is a featured soloist in the Marilyn Horne Song Cel¬ebration at Carnegie Hall alongside her mentor, Marilyn Horne. She performed in a master class with Kurt Moll at Carnegie Hall and debuted with Carnegie Hall's Neighborhood Recital series in col¬laboration with Carrie-Ann Matheson as part of the Marilyn Horne Legacy. King was a soloist in Dvo?ák's Stabat Mater with conductor Helmuth Rilling. Other recent roles include Anne Trulove (The Rake's Prog¬ress), Giulietta (I Capuleti e I Montecchi) and Brigitta (Iolanta).

The Grammy-nominated LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE, proclaimed "the nation's most pioneering major chorus" (Los Angeles Times), and hailed as "inspired" (The New York Times) and "a superb vocal ensemble" (The New York Observer), is led by artistic director Grant Gershon. Founded in 1964, it presents its own concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, has appeared at the Ojai Music Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center and the Ravinia Festival, and garnered three ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventur¬ous Programming and Chorus America's Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic, it has given over 300 performances and toured to Europe and New York City. Its discography includes five commercial CDs and a digital recording under Gershon's baton, and three CDs under its late music director emeritus Paul Salamunovich.

American NICHOLAS PHAN is one of the most compelling young tenors appearing on the world's leading festival, concert and opera stages. He has worked with esteemed conductors Harry Bicket, Bernard Labadie, Zubin Meh¬ta, Helmuth Rilling and Michael Tilson Thomas, among others. Phan is a founder and the artistic director of Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, an organization devoted to promoting the art song and vocal chamber music repertoire. His growing opera repertoire includes Candide, Sweeney Todd, The Elixir of Love, The Magic Flute, Falstaff and Ariodante. The New York Times named his solo album, Still Fall the Rain (AVIE), one of the best classical recordings of 2012.

Actor JOHN SLOAN most recently appeared in Stop Kiss at The Pasadena Playhouse. Also in Los Angeles, he has performed at The Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, The Antaeus Company and Theatre@Boston Court. In New York and elsewhere, he has appeared at Soho Rep, American Jewish Theatre, LaMama etc., Mint Theatre Company, Denver Center Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Intiman Theatre in Seattle. His TV credits include Bones, Farmed and Dangerous, Private Practice, Liz & Dick, CSI:NY, Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Happy Hour, The Triangle and many others. In addition to his acting work, Sloan is a co-artistic director of The Antaeus Theatre Company.

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (LACO), 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.

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