Boston Court Pasadena Announces 2019 Winter Music Series

Boston Court Pasadena presents the 2019 Winter Music Series featuring acclaimed artists from a variety of genres: classical, world, opera, experimental, jazz and some that defy categorization, curated by Artistic Director for Music, Mark Saltzman.

The winter season will feature 17 concerts by renowned musicians from across Los Angeles and the globe, launching with a Valentine's Day performance by Pink Martini's Storm Large, followed the next night by One Body, a one-man chamber cantata based on the transcendentalist works of Walt Whitman and St. Augustine (February 15). The series also features The Passion of McQueen (March 1) a semi-staged concert of a new opera in development about the captivating life of couture designer Alexander McQueen with music by Project Runway winner and composer Kentaro Kameyama.

Classical offerings include members of LA's own Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra (February 16) performing an eclectic program of Beethoven, Bartók and Billy Childs as well as a 90th Birthday concert for Scottish composer Thea Musgrave (February 23) featuring The Eclipse Quartet and Mark Robson, and including a pre-concert conversation with Ms. Musgrave and composer Jack Van Zandt. David Lockington (March 24), Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony, will trade his baton for his cello to perform a program of classic cello repertoire, as well as his original compositions. Boston Court continues its tradition of showcasing and providing opportunities for emerging artists with USC Graduate Students in Vocal Performance in a program inspired by Gertrude Stein (March 2) and the Los Angeles Children's Chorus Chamber Singers (March 31).

The Lyris Quartet, who the Los Angeles Times calls "radiant...exquisite... and powerfully engaged," will perform a program from American composer and microtonal master, Ben Johnston (March 15). Other new music concerts include Hocket: The Composer/Performer Initiative (March 23) which features world premiere commissions from tenor saxophonist Hitomi Oba and percussionist Derek Tywoniuk and Aperture Duo: Linnea Powell & Adrianne Pope (March 30), a theatrical chamber music concert spotlighting emerging U.S. and Mexican composers.

Pianist Lao Tizer will bring his band and eclectic jazz style to Boston Court Pasadena for a "robust mix of originals and covers that incorporate grooves from across the musical spectrum," (Jazziz) (March 29). The winter music series is rounded out with singer-songwriter Daniel Zaitchik performing music from his upcoming album, "National Geographic," an evocative collection of folk-pop songs exploring mysteries of nature and the heart (March 22) and East LA's Los Cambalache with their celebration of the son jarocho musical style (March 8).

"Our mission at Boston Court is to explore and present some of the most interesting and stimulating music and musicians in the vast cultural universe that is available to us in the 21st century. We continue to forge ahead with this pursuit throughout our 2019 season," notes Artistic Director Mark Saltzman. "This year's series not only showcases an extraordinary range of programming with our eclectic offerings of both new works and classic masterpieces, but we continue our efforts to cultivate up-and-coming musicians and composers, always drawing our inspiration from some of LA's most captivating musical talents."

Well-known for its bold and adventurous theatrical work, Boston Court Pasadena has also long been a home for innovative and diverse musical programming, presenting more than 30 concerts annually in the intimate and acoustically robust 80-seat Marjorie Branson Performance Space. Concerts at Boston Court Pasadena are generously supported by the Colburn Foundation, the Amphion Foundation, and Boston Court's donors.

Fall Music Series tickets are $30 - $35 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $20 for full-time students. Fees may apply. Tickets, performance times and more information on each artist/program can be found at BostonCourtPasadena.org.