LA Opera's THE GHOST OF VERSIALLES Wins Grammy Awards

LA Opera Music Director James Conlon's world premiere recording of composer John Corigliano and librettist William M. Hoffman's The Ghosts of Versailles, released on the PentaTone label, today won two 2017 Grammy® Awards for Best Opera Recording and Best Engineered Album, Classical.

The opera marks James Conlon's second recording with LA Opera that has been acknowledged by The Recording Academy; Mr. Conlon previously received two Grammy® Awards in 2009 for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording for conducting LA Opera's recording of Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.

The Ghosts of Versailles features Patricia Racette in the leading role of Marie Antoinette and Broadway legend Patti LuPone as the Turkish entertainer Samira. The cast also includes Robert Brubaker, Joshua Guerrero, Christopher Maltman, Lucas Meachem, Renée Rapier, Brenton Ryan, Lucy Schaufer, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Stacey Tappan, Guanqun Yu, and the LA Opera Chorus & Orchestra. The production was recorded live at LA Opera during performances in February 2015 and the recording was engineered by Mark Donahue & Fred Vogler.

James Conlon, who celebrates his 10th year as Music Director of LA Opera this season, is one of today's most versatile and respected conductors. Since his 1974 debut with the New York Philharmonic, he has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra. Through worldwide touring, an extensive discography and videography, numerous essays and commentaries, frequent television appearances and guest speaking engagements, Mr. Conlon is one of classical music's most recognized interpreters. He has conducted more than 270 performances at the Metropolitan Opera since his debut there in 1976 and has conducted at Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera at Covent Garden in London, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Teatro del Opera di Roma.

Mr. Conlon has led more LA Opera performances than any other conductor in the company's history, including operas by 22 different composers and 24 company premieres. Highlights of his tenure are LA Opera's first Ring cycle, initiating the groundbreaking Recovered Voices, and spearheading Britten 100/LA. His enormously popular pre-concert lectures at LA Opera consistently attract capacity crowds. He is currently conducting The Abduction from the Seraglio and Salome and will lead Tosca in April, as well as a revival of Noah's Flood, LA Opera's community production, in May.

Mr. Conlon is also Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin, Italy, where he is the first American to hold the position in the orchestra's 84-year history. He has also served as Music Director of the Cincinnati May Festival (1979-2016); Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony (2006-15); Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera (1995-2004); General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Germany (1989-2002), where he was Music Director of both the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and the Cologne Opera; and Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (1983-91). In 2002, he received the Légion d'Honneur from then-President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac. For further information visit www.jamesconlon.com.

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