NY Phil Conductor Joshua Weilerstein Will LA Chamber Orch in West Coast Premiere

Two profoundly gifted 27-year-old classical music artists make their highly anticipated Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra debuts when New York Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Joshua Weilerstein, "one of the most promising podium presences of his generation" (Los Angeles Times), conducts Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 featuring International Tchaikovsky Competition winner Narek Hakhnazaryan, a "phenomenal cellist (who) produces a powerful and colorful sound... and flashes virtuoso tricks with insolent ease" (The Washington Post), on Saturday, April 18, 2015, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, April 19, 2015, 7 pm, at UCLA's Royce Hall. Weilerstein, who won the prestigious 2009 Malko Competition for Young Conductors in Copenhagen, Denmark, at age 21, also conducts Mozart's Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter," and the West Coast premiere of imagined landscapes: six Lovecraftian elsewheres, inspired by the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, by composer Joseph Hallman, named one of the top composers under 40 by National Public Radio.

Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks providing insights into the program's music and artists held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders, feature Weilerstein and Hakhnazaryan in conversation with LACO director of artistic administration Daren Fuster.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the world's premier chamber orchestras as well as a pacesetter in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2014-15 season, the Orchestra's 46th, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established as well as notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world's foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 18th season as LACO's music director.

Tickets, starting at $26, are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org or by calling LACO at 213 622 7001. 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 student rush tickets ($12), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert.

JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN is the assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, where he made his subscription concert debut in the 2013-14 season. In 2009, at 21, Weilerstein was unanimously named the winner of the 2009 Malko Competition for Young Conductors in Copenhagen, Denmark. He made his professional conducting debut with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra later that year. Weilerstein became the first non-Venezuelan guest member of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra when he was invited to join the violin section for the orchestra's 2007 American tour with music director Gustavo Dudamel. Since then, he has rapidly become one of the most sought-after young conductors in the world. Recent engagements include the Los Angeles, Royal Stockholm and Brussels philharmonics; Toronto and BBC symphonies; and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. He studied at the New England Conservatory, from which he received dual Master of Music degrees in orchestral conducting with Hugh Wolff and in violin with Lucy Chapman in 2011. He studied with David Zinman and Robert Spano at the Aspen Music Festival in the summers of 2009 and 2010, where he was awarded the Robert J. Harth and Aspen Conducting Prizes, its most distinguished honors.

NAREK HAKHNAZARYAN was born in 1988 in Yerevan, Armenia, into a family of musicians: his father is a violinist and his mother is a pianist. Mentored by Mstislav Rostropovich, Hakhnazaryan was the only cellist invited to travel on behalf of Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation. As First Prize winner in the 2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Hakhnazaryan debuted in the Young Concert Artists Series in New York at Carnegie's Zankel Hall and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2011 XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition, the most prestigious prize given to a cellist. Already hailed a "seasoned phenom" (Washington Post), and praised for his "intense focus and expressive artistry" (The New York Times), Hakhnazaryan is emerging as one of the most significant young artists on the world stage.

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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