LA Chamber Orchestra's Cello Concertos Program Set for Piatigorsky Fest

Internationally acclaimed virtuosos Colin Carr, Thomas Demenga, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Giovanni Sollima lead Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) in a concert of cello concertos as a crowning feature of the USC Thornton School of Music's Piatigorsky International Cello Festival and the season finale of LACO's engaging Baroque Conversations series on Saturday, May 21, 2016, 8 pm, at USC's Bovard Auditorium. On the program are CPE Bach's Cello Concerto in A major; Boccherini's Cello Concerto in G major; Leo's Cello Concerto No. 3 in D minor; Platti's Cello Concerto in D minor; and Vivaldi's Cello Concerto in C minor. The Festival is a 10-day cello extravaganza presented by USC's Thornton School of Music and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in partnership with LACO showcasing 26 international artists representing 15 countries and four continents. Named for the great cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, who lived most of his adult life in Los Angeles and taught cello for many years at USC, the Festival focuses on the art of the cello, its music and musicians.

KUSC's Gail Eichenthal moderates a free pre-concert panel discussion, featuring former students of Piatigorsky in USC Thornton School of Music's Newman Recital Hall (adjacent to Bovard Auditorium), at 6:30 pm.

Colin Carr, praised for his "rich tone" (Calgary Herald) and in demand as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and teacher, has played with such leading conductors as Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit and founding LACO music director, Sir Neville Marriner. As a member of the Golub-Kaplan-Carr Trio, he recorded and toured extensively for 20 years, and has also made guest appearances with the Guarneri and Emerson String quartets and with New York's Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Carr has garnered numerous awards, including the Naumburg Competition (First Prize), the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Award and the Rostropo­vich International Cello Competition (Second Prize). Carr studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Maurice Gendron and William Pleeth. A professor at Stony Brook University in New York, he plays a 1730 Matteo Gofriller cello.

Swiss-born Thomas Demenga, who plays with a "fascinating mixture of abandon and cool precision" (The Telegraph), has performed around the globe with such artists as Heinz Hol­liger, Gidon Kremer, Thomas Larcher and Paul Meyer. He has also appeared with the Berliner Sinfonie-Orches­ter, Boston Symphony Orchestra and L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, to name a few. A champion of new music, Demenga is noted for his compelling interpretations of 20th and 21st century works and for adding his unique sensibilities to his historically-informed performances of Baroque, classical and romantic repertoire. In 2000, he was composer-in-residence at the Davos Festival Young Artists in Con­cert and served as artistic director until 2006. He also served as an "artiste étoile" at the Lucerne Festival and is presently the artistic director of Camerata Zürich. He records for ECM Records, Munich, and plays the 1669 Andrea Guarneri ex-Soyer cello.

Jean-Guihen Queyras, hailed for performances that are "fresh, alert and original" (Los Angeles Times), enjoys an enviable reputation as a soloist with leading orchestra, a chamber musician and solo performer of exceptional versatility and integrity. He has performed under such conductors as Ivan Fischer, Ji?í B?lohlávek, Oliver Knussen and Sir Roger Norrington, among others. A member of the Arcanto Quartet and an enthusiastic exponent of contemporary music, Queyras is committed to expanding cello repertoire and has collaborated with numerous composers, including Thomas Larcher from whom he commissioned a work for solo cello and string orchestra that he premieres in 2016. Queyras, who plays a 1696 Gioffredo Cappa cello, on loan from Mécénat Musical Société Générale, is a professor at the Musikhochschule Freiburg.

Giovanni Sollima, "a classical player with a rock star status" (Sydney Morning Herald), studied cello with Giovanni Perriera and Antonio Janigro, and composition with his father, Eliodoro Sollima, and Milko Keleman. He has worked with such renowned artists as Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Yuri Bashmet, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Viktoria Mullova, Patti Smith, Philip Glass and Yo-Yo Ma. In demand as a soloist around the world and with musical interests ranging from Baroque to heavy metal, he has collaborated with artists in the fields of dance, theatre and cinema, including Karole Armitage, Carolyn Carlson, Bob Wilson, Peter Stein, Peter Greenaway and John Turturro. As composer, he contributes significantly to new repertoire for the cello. Sollima teaches at the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Fondazione Romanini of Brescia.

LACO's enlightening five-concert Baroque Conversations series provides insight into the genesis of orchestral repertoire from early Baroque schools through the pre-classical period with the host(s) of the evening introducing the music from the stage and engaging the audience in Q&A to conclude the concert.

Baroque Conversations is generously sponsored by Carol & Warner Henry, a Friend of LACO and the Ronus Foundation. The Piatigorsky Festival's participation in this concert is underwritten by J&A Beare, London.

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 2015-16 season 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 19th season as LACO's music director.

Ticket prices are $80 for adults and seniors, and $40 for students. They are available online at laco.org, or by calling 213-740-4672. Single tickets can also be purchased at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain.

Photo Courtesy of Jean-Guihen Queyras

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