LACO Announces Principal Flute and First Violin Section Appointments

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) has appointed Benjamin Smolen to Principal Flute and Misha Vayman to the First Violin section, announced LACO Music Director Jaime Martín. Both musicians are based in Los Angeles and will begin their new posts with the Orchestra in the fall.

“Our musicians are among the finest in the world, and I am very happy to welcome Benjamin Smolen and Misha Vayman to the Orchestra,” said Martín. “I look forward to sharing their artistry with our audiences.”

Smolen, who has performed around the globe, joined the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in 2011, where he holds the Valerie and Hans Imhof Principal Flute Chair. He has also performed as guest Principal Flute with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Pasadena Symphony. Smolen has given solo performances with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Gardner Webb Symphony Orchestra, Princeton University Orchestra, Charlotte Civic and Youth Orchestras, and twice on National Public Radio's From the Top with pianist Christopher O'Riley. In addition to his work on stage, Benjamin is active in the Hollywood scoring industry and has recorded with numerous esteemed film composers, including John Williams, Danny Elfman, Alan Silvestri, and Randy Newman. He can be heard on projects such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, X-Men: Apocalypse, The BFG, Ghostbusters, Mozart in the Jungle, Monsters University, and Night at the Museum, as well as on Neil Young's latest album, Storytone. Smolen has given recitals around the world, and was a featured guest at the Japan Flute Festival and the National Flute Association's annual convention. He won First Prize at the Haynes International Flute Competition and James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition and Second Prize at the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition and National Flute Association Young Artist Competition. His flute and guitar ensemble, Duo Musagete, with guitarist Jerome Mouffe, has performed highly acclaimed concerts in the United States and Europe, and recently released its debut album, Bach to Beaser. Smolen has been a guest teaching artist at Chapman University, CSU-Long Beach, CSU-Fullerton, San Diego State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of California at Irvine, the Symphony Guild of Charlotte, the Long Beach Summer Flute Institute, and Jim Walker's Beyond the Masterclass. Smolen completed his undergraduate studies in the Music and Slavic departments at Princeton University, during which time he also completed a Performance Diploma at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He earned a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance at the New England Conservatory and pursued additional studies at the University of Michigan. He was twice a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. His teachers include Paula Robison, Michael Parloff, Elizabeth Rowe, Jennifer Dior, Jayn Rosenfeld, and Amy Porter. Smolen is a William S. Haynes Artist and performs on a handmade, custom-crafted Haynes 14-karat gold flute.

Vayman, who was appointed to fifth chair in LACO's first violin section, performs in a wide range of contexts, such as opening for experimental pop artist Dorian Electra and soloing with noted orchestras across the United States, Mexico, China, and Russia. He has released albums with the Benefic Piano Trio, the Delirium Musicum Chamber Orchestra, and his genre-defying band, Astral Mixtape, on labels such as Warner Classics and MSR. Vayman has also appeared on albums by Plini, String Theory, Jamie Drake, Ryan Dilmore, and Porter Robinson, among others. He has served on the faculty at numerous summer workshops and gives masterclasses at leading universities across the country. Vayman has twice won the Grand Prize in the international ENKOR Competition, once in the Solo division, and once in the Chamber Music division with the Benefic Piano Trio. He is a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music. Previously, Vayman attended the Colburn Conservatory, and the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, beloved by audiences and praised by critics, is a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and, with eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, a champion of contemporary composers. Headquartered in the heart of the country's cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed “America's finest chamber orchestra” (Public Radio International), “LA's most unintimidating chamber music experience” (Los Angeles magazine), and “resplendent” (Los Angeles Times). Performing throughout greater Los Angeles, the Orchestra has made 32 recordings, including, most recently, a 2019 BIS Records release of works for violin and chamber orchestra that features Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and the world premiere recording of Pierre Jalbert's Violin Concerto (a LACO co-commission). LACO, with offices located in downtown Los Angeles, has toured Europe, South America and Japan, and performed across North America. www.laco.org.

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