ABOUT THE PROGRAM

AT A GLANCE

Year of the Wood Dragon

In Chinese horoscopes, the new lunar year promises creative innovation. That spirit is quite apparent in Tan Dun’s partly improvised one-movement concerto for six diverse instruments and Bright Sheng’s more traditional piano trio, both of which mix Chinese folkloric impulses with Western instrumental techniques. In a similar vein, violinist Yi-Wen Jiang’s ChinaSongs is a large collection of traditional Chinese music that he arranged for the Shanghai String Quartet. Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2 is dark and haunted in its core, but its framing movements capture much of the optimism and aspiration forecast for the new year. —John Henken

SELECTIONS FROM CHINASONG 

Traditional, arr. by Yi-Wen Jiang (b. 1963)

Violinist Yi-Wen Jiang wrote the following introduction to ChinaSong: An Anthology of Chinese String Quartet Miniatures, containing his arrangements of Chinese folk melodies, published in 2018 by Huacheng Press in Guangzhou, China.

I was filled with mixed emotions when I held a sample copy of this wonderfully printed volume because it is a milestone of my effort in the promotion of both Chinese folk music and Chinese chamber music. I have poured my heart into the creation of these pieces and have spent many sleepless nights on them. It is such a reward to me that these musical gems have earned great acclaim in China and beyond.

After graduating from the Central Conservatory of Music in 1985, I moved to the United States. Since then, I have devoted myself to music performance and music education for more than three decades. To expand the repertoire of the Shanghai Quartet, the idea of arranging Chinese tunes into string quartet pieces was born. The finished works have proven to be showpieces and well-received encores at our concerts. They have spread far and wide and were released on CD 16 years ago by Delos, a leading American record company. The album has added to their popularity across the world.

It has been my passion arranging these Chinese works for chamber ensemble because I deeply love string quartets. Having performed the masterpieces from different eras and in different styles—those by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Dvořák, Bartók, Shostakovich, and Penderecki—I am fully aware that their recognition as all-time greats owe no small debt to the respective cultural backgrounds from which they came. With this in mind, I am determined to reinterpret the quintessential Chinese spirit with the musical idioms I am familiar with—the structures of voices, arrangement of harmony, counterpoint, and performing techniques—which have introduced innovative elements into my arrangement process.

When I saw the pleasant surprise of audiences when listening to the unconventional renditions of traditional tunes, it encouraged me even more to contribute to the Chinese heritage that I am so proud of. My hard work has translated into resounding success, and my earnest wish has come true: these string quartet pieces have been well received, and my efforts have finally paid off.

As spring is a blossoming season, hopefully this volume can bring you a bouquet of flowers with the grace of an exuberant spring scene. ―Yi-Wen Jiang

FOUR MOVEMENTS FOR PIANO TRIO

Bright Sheng (b. 1955)

Four Movements for Piano Trio was commissioned by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation for the Peabody Trio, winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award. The work was first performed by the Peabody Trio at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City on April 24, 1990. The folkloric style and prelude-like first movement of Four Movements for Piano Trio is constructed through the use of heterophony, a device typical of Asian music. The second movement of the work is based on a humorous and joyful folk song from Se-Tsuan. In the third movement, a savage dance, the melody grows through a series of “Chinese sequences” (my own term to describe a type of melodic development each time the initial motive is repeated, consequently lengthening its duration and widening the tessitura). The last movement evokes a lonesome nostalgia. —Bright Sheng

CONCERTO FOR SIX

Tan Dun (b. 1957)

The world-renowned artist and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world’s music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. A winner of today’s most prestigious honors, including the Grammy Award, Academy Award, Grawemeyer Award, Bach Prize, Shostakovich Award, and most recently Italy’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, Tan Dun has had his music heard throughout the world, played by leading orchestras, at major opera houses and international festivals, and on radio and television. In 2016, Tan Dun conducted the grand opening celebration of Shanghai Disneyland, which was broadcast to a record-breaking audience worldwide. The composer worte the following note.

A playful, dance-like piece, Concerto for Six evokes the joy of a village ritual. Traces of classical Chinese instrumental music are nonetheless evident in this one-movement work, which is constructed as a set of variations upon the number series 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. This numerical sequence governs the piece’s metrical scheme and affects its rhythm and tempo, as well. (In fact, the musicians’ chanting of “Qi-Liu-Wu-Si-San-Er-Yi” is Chinese for “Seven-Six-Five-Four-Three-Two-One.”) In contrast with this strict formal structure are cadenzas and sections of free improvisation for each of the six players, as one might expect in a concerto. —Tan Dun

STRING QUINTET NO. 2 IN B-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 87

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

In the last decade of his brief life, Felix Mendelssohn juggled artistic exploits and obligations in London, Berlin, and Leipzig. He founded (what was then called) the Leipzig Conservatory in 1843, where he taught composition alongside faculty that included Ignaz Moscheles and Robert Schumann. In the fall of 1844, he decided to take an extended holiday from this juggling act, and the Mendelssohns temporarily moved to an apartment in Frankfurt—where the composer allowed himself to relax and focus on writing.

It was there, in the summer of 1845, that Mendelssohn wrote his Second String Quintet. One of eight chamber works he composed in the 1840s, and one of his last, the Quintet holds several distinctions—not least that Mendelssohn chose not to publish it. The reason, it seems, was that he simply didn’t like it enough. Mendelssohn told Moscheles that he considered the finale, in particular, “not good.” It was published posthumously in 1851.

The autograph score appears almost as a final draft, with very few markings, which deepens the mystery: why did Mendelssohn leave it on the shelf? In answer, perhaps, are the composer’s own words to J.C. Lobe—a contemporary who interviewed Mendelssohn—to whom he acknowledged he would sometimes make himself finish a piece despite his disappointment with it.

Sometimes, though, the art is more important than the artist’s humility about it, and this Quintet is appreciated today as a strong chamber work from the latter end of the composer’s life. It is also the signpost of an evolving style, the growing pains of a composer freeing himself from contrapuntal writing and classical embellishments and pursuing more overt and dramatic expression.

The prominent attribute of the Quintet is energy. Immediately, fierce tremolo gales blow through the Allegro vivace, ushering in a sprightly rising theme. Eddies of triplets swirl and froth around the idea and, though the proceedings intermittently relax into a gentle, descending motif, the leaping theme rushes back in for a lively coda. The Andante scherzando changes the pace—mixing a light, courtly waltz theme with moments of devilish pizzicato.

Some of Mendelssohn’s most sober, tragic writing is contained in the Adagio e lento—weighty chords swelling over a trudging cello line. And although this movement slows the work to poignant reflection, the energy remains in an intense, insistent rhythm that pervades, and it all climaxes with wild tremolos quaking beneath a high violin line. The Allegro molto vivace is what, apparently, gave Mendelssohn enough trouble to abandon the work—many have pointed to the absence of contrast in what starts out as a sonata-rondo form, rendering it the only monothematic finale in the composer’s canon. Ignoring its author’s disappointment, though, the finale hurls the Quintet back into action, serving up the most blazing rhythms yet for a rapid dash towards the finish line. —Tim Greiving

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

TED BOTSFORD

As an orchestral musician, soloist, teacher, and proponent of contemporary music, Ted Botsford enjoys a varied career, exploring the sonorities of the double bass and pushing back against its perceived limitations in the musical world.

Botsford joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in August of 2017. Prior to his appointment in LA, he played in the Seattle Symphony for two seasons and was Assistant Principal Bass and Acting Principal Bass of the Oregon Symphony for five seasons. For several summers, he also performed as Principal Bass of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, CA.

Between degrees at Rice University (BM and MM with Paul Ellison), Ted spent a year studying with François Rabbath in Paris, practicing Bach cello suites, working through Rabbath’s sizable catalog of solo music, and receiving the Diplôme and Teaching Certificate in Rabbath’s method, along with a wealth of inspiration.

Always in search of new ways to grow and connect more directly with audiences, Botsford engages in several solo projects each year―most recently performing live-streamed recitals for Occidental College and the 2021 International Society of Bassists convention. He also gave the Portland (OR) premiere of John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass Viol with the Portland Youth Philharmonic.

Following the example of his first teacher, innovative pedagogue George Vance, Botsford teaches students of all ages and is on the faculty at Occidental College and the Colburn Community School for the Performing Arts—an opportunity to pass along rich traditions, discover new possibilities, and inspire passion for the double bass.

MARTIN CHALIFOUR

Martin Chalifour has been Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1995. He graduated with honors from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18 and then moved to the United States to continue studies at the famed Curtis Institute of Music.

Chalifour received a Certificate of Honor at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and is also a laureate of the prestigious Montreal International Competition. Apart from his LA Phil duties, he maintains an active solo career, playing a diverse repertoire of more than 60 concertos. Chalifour has appeared as soloist with conductors Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Neville Marriner, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Outside the U.S., he has played solos with the Auckland Philharmonia, the Montreal Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Taiwan, and the Malaysian Philharmonic, among others.

Chalifour began his orchestral career with the late Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, playing as Associate Concertmaster for six years. Subsequently, for five years he occupied the same position in the Cleveland Orchestra, where he also served as Acting Concertmaster under Christoph von Dohnányi. While in Cleveland, Chalifour taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music and was a founding member of the Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio.

Chalifour is a frequent guest at summer music festivals, including the Mainly Mozart Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.

Maintaining close ties with his native country, he has returned there often to teach and perform as soloist with various Canadian orchestras, most recently in Vancouver and in Hamilton.

Chalifour has recorded solo and chamber music for the Telarc, Northstar, and Yarlung labels. He teaches at Caltech and at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.

ROBERT deMAINE

Robert deMaine has distinguished himself as one of the finest and most versatile instrumentalists of his generation, performing to critical acclaim as soloist, recitalist, orchestra principal, recording artist, chamber musician, and composer-arranger. In 2012, he was invited to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Principal Cello. He collaborates often in a piano trio with violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Natalie Zhu.

A first-prize winner in many national and international competitions, deMaine was the first cellist ever to win the grand prize at San Francisco’s Irving M. Klein International Competition for Strings. As soloist, he has collaborated with many distinguished conductors, including Neeme Järvi, Peter Oundjian, Joseph Silverstein, and Leonard Slatkin, and has performed nearly all the major cello concertos with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he served as principal cello for over a decade.

His recording of the John Williams Cello Concerto is available on Naxos. His forthcoming recordings include the complete works of Beethoven for piano and cello with pianist Peter Takács, the Haydn Cello Concertos with the Moravian Philharmonic of the Czech Republic, and a recital CD of Grieg and Rachmaninoff sonatas with pianist Andrew Armstrong.

DeMaine studied at the Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, the University of Southern California, Yale University, and the Kronberg Academy in Germany. Please visit robertdemaine.com to learn more.

BRIAN HEAD

Brian Head enjoys a multifaceted career as a guitarist, teacher, and composer, performing and recording as a soloist, as an accompanist, and with many groups including inauthentica, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its New Music Group, Ten-String Music, and X-tet. He has premiered works by Tamar Diesendruck, Stephen Hartke, William Kraft, Frederick Lesemann, and Steve Reich, among others. As a composer, he recently wrote an homage to John McLaughlin for the 2005 Grammy Award-winning Guitar Heroes album recorded by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and his works for solo guitar have been performed for many years throughout the U.S. and abroad in venues including Merkin Hall in New York, Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. As a teacher, Brian has a dual appointment on the Classical Guitar and Composition faculties at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. Brian previously led the classical guitar program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is currently president of the Guitar Foundation of America.

TIANYUN JIA

Tianyun Jia is a multiple award-winning violinist and avid chamber musician hailing from China. She has made frequent guest solo appearances with symphony orchestras all over the world. Jia has also won prizes in many renowned international competitions. She received her early formal training in Shanghai, where she rapidly rose through the schools affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Jia subsequently moved to London to pursue her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in 2008, earning her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. She is currently continuing her studies as a Starling Fellow at the USC Thornton School of Music under the tutelage of Midori Goto. 

Jia has given solo recitals at prestigious venues such as London’s Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room in the Southbank Centre, and Singapore’s Victoria Concert Hall. In her native China, she has performed as soloist in Shanghai Concert Hall and Beijing Concert Hall. In recent seasons, she has made solo appearances with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra and the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Jia studied in London with György Pauk and won scholarships from the London Philharmonia Orchestra/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, from the City of London’s Worshipful Company of Musicians, the Hattori Foundation, and the Ruggiero Ricci Foundation. She was awarded second prize in the 2011 Third China Violin Competition, held in Qingdao. She has participated in master classes led by Midori Goto, Maxim Vengerov, Thomas Brandis, Ruggiero Ricci, Aaron Rosand, and the Emerson and Tokyo string quartets. Tianyun Jia is currently a faculty member of the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, China. She has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since September 2017. 

DAHAE KIM

Cellist Dahae Kim joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Assistant Principal in 2016. Previously, she served as Assistant Principal Cello of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has been featured as soloist with the DSO in the Benjamin Lees Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin and with the Detroit Medical Orchestra performing the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in 2014.

Kim completed her studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2013 as a recipient of the Gregor Piatigorsky Scholarship, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees as a student of Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz. She also studied privately with famed cellist Bernard Greenhouse, formerly of the Beaux Arts Trio. She won first place in the 2010 Hudson Valley Philharmonic Strings Competition, returning the following year to perform Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. She was a participant at the Tanglewood Music Center for three years and served as Principal Cello of the National Repertory Orchestra in the summer of 2012, when she also performed as soloist in the Lalo Cello Concerto. As a chamber musician, she has performed on numerous occasions in Jordan Hall and Ozawa Hall and coached with members of the Cleveland, Takács, Borromeo, and Juilliard string quartets.

Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and first studied music with her mother, who taught her piano and violin. She moved to Rockland County, NY, with her family at age eight; there she took up cello studies with Irene Sharp and New York Philharmonic cellist Qiang Tu.

MICHAEL LARCO

Michael Larco was Assistant Principal Violist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 2005 to 2012 and joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in July 2012.

He has collaborated in concert with Lynn Harrell, Itzhak Perlman, Alisa Weilerstein, and Rachel Barton Pine. Recent appearances have included a Chicago “Dame Myra Hess” recital debut, broadcast live on WFMT, with pianist Soojin Ahn; performances at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society with tenor Anthony Dean Griffey; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (West Palm Beach); Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall with Griffey and Warren Jones; Chamber Music Rochester (NY); Skaneateles Festival (NY); and Monadnock Music (NH). Larco was a founding member (2000–2005) of New York City-based Fountain Ensemble.

He has served as principal violist of the Juilliard Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, and James Conlon. In recent seasons, he has performed in the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. An active chamber musician and coach, Larco has been a faculty member at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford and School for Strings (NYC). Most recently, he has coached alongside the Biava String Quartet at the David Einfeldt Chamber Music Seminar at the Hartt School.

Larco received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Samuel Rhodes. In 1999, Larco was awarded the Frank Huntington Beebe Scholarship for studies in Europe. While living in Italy (1999–2000), he studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Thomas Riebl and in Cremona with Bruno Giuranna.

JASON LIPPMANN

Cellist Jason Lippmann joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the 2004/05 season, after five years of performing as a member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Lippmann has also performed with the Baltimore Symphony, with the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Opera, the New World Symphony, the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Along with his orchestral playing, Lippmann has been active as a chamber and solo musician, most recently on the Philharmonic’s Chamber Music and Green Umbrella series.

A native of Cincinnati, OH, Lippmann began his music studies on the violin at the age of three. He switched to the cello a year later and studied with Norman Johns, Assistant Principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony. Lippmann received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Peter Wiley, Alan Stepansky, Julia Lichten, and David Geber, whose father, Ed Geber, was a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic cello section.

Lippmann has performed at the Tanglewood Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Bard Festival, and the Bellingham Music Festival.

JOANNE PEARCE MARTIN

Pianist Joanne Pearce Martin was appointed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic by Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2001. She holds the Katharine Bixby Hotchkis Chair. A native of Allentown, PA, and a graduate of Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute, she balances a busy career as soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist.

Martin has been featured with the LA Phil on multiple occasions at both the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. In 2016, she was the piano soloist in a sold-out and critically acclaimed performance of Messiaen’s epic work Des canyons aux étoiles at London’s Barbican Centre with the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel.

She has performed at dozens of music series and festivals spanning four continents, collaborating with artists such as Joshua Bell, Lynn Harrell, Julius Baker, Joseph Silverstein, and Steven Isserlis. She has been guest soloist with many other orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, including the Charlotte Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Florida West Coast Symphony, England’s Huddersfield Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Since the 1990s, Joanne and her husband, Gavin Martin, have performed in the U.S. and abroad as a two-piano team, including multiple performances with the LA Phil. She has also collaborated periodically with pianist Jeffrey Kahane.

Martin enjoys delving into new musical adventures, such as playing the theremin. She has performed and recorded a commissioned piece (Theremin’s Journey) by Gernot Wolfgang and a solo piano work (D’Nato) by composer and LA Phil Principal Timpanist Joseph Pereira. She is also a regular performer on the LA Phil’s Green Umbrella series.

Martin’s playing can be heard on Hollywood movie soundtracks, and she has made numerous television appearances, notably with violinist Joshua Bell at the Smith Center in Las Vegas and on Tavis Smiley.

During the 2021/22 season, Martin had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Steven Spielberg as the featured solo pianist in his award-winning semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. At the personal invitation of John Williams, she recorded a varied collection of solo classical pieces as well as Williams’ original score for the film.

ASHLEY PARK

Violinist Ashley Jeehyun Park joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in February 2022. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, she is a graduate of the Juilliard School and has principally studied with Joel Smirnoff, Ronald Copes, Hyo Kang, I Hao Lee, and K.G. Zhang. Ashley served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, where she collaborated with esteemed conductors including Barbara Hannigan, David Robertson, and Gerard Schwarz. She also performed with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra as the visiting Principal Second Violin, with the New York Classical Players, with the Verbier Festival Orchestra, and as a substitute with the New York Philharmonic.

Shortly after beginning her violin studies, she made her solo debut at age five with the Elan International Music Festival orchestra in Stowe, VT. Since then, she has received numerous accolades and awards, including first prize at the Hudson Valley String Competition, second prize at the Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition, a distinction from the National YoungArts Foundation, and first prize at the New York Music Competition in four consecutive years. Ashley has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra player at Carnegie Hall, at Lincoln Center, and on stages across Europe, Asia, and New Zealand.

Ashley has participated in festivals and master classes around the world, including the Verbier Festival, the International Holland Music Sessions, the Conservatoire Américaine at the Fontainebleau Schools, and the Great Mountains Music Festival in PyeongChang, South Korea, as the recipient of the Artistic Director’s Scholarship.  

Ashley is committed to giving back to her community and has given performances in senior centers, hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities with organizations like EnoB and as a Gluck Community Service Fellow at Juilliard.

JOSHUA RANZ

Joshua Ranz is Principal Clarinet of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO). He also holds the chair of Principal Clarinet of the New West Symphony and the position of Bass Clarinet with the Pacific Symphony.

As Principal of LACO, Ranz has performed concertos by Mozart, Copland, and Strauss, and was featured prominently alongside mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova on the ensemble’s 2008 European tour. He has also served as Acting Principal Clarinet with the Pacific Symphony for numerous seasons and on its 2006 European tour.

Ranz is also active in the television and motion picture industry. In August 2020, he was featured playing klezmer-style clarinet in the film An American Pickle (HBO MAX). Ranz has played on over 200 soundtracks for John Williams, James Horner, Randy Newman, Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith, Alexandre Desplat, including Star Wars Episode VII and IX, The Lego Movie 2, Toy Story 4, Men in Black, Ready Player One, and Frozen 2. As a studio musician, Ranz has been a featured bass clarinet player on Catch Me if You Can and The Adventures of Tintin, both by John Williams, and on La La Land, Christopher Robin, and Ladybird, among others.

Directly after graduating from Yale, Ranz earned the position of Bass Clarinet in the Honolulu Symphony and later achieved positions in the San Jose Symphony and the Pacific Symphony, with which he is featured on three notable recordings: William Bolcom’s Canciones de Lorca, Richard Danielpour’s An American Requiem, and Lukas Foss’s piano concertos. He has played prominent parts in numerous performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, including regular appearances in its Green Umbrella series, working with Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and other great conductors.

A passionate instructor of the clarinet, Ranz is on the faculty as Lecturer in Clarinet at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and the Biola Conservatory of Music. Originally from New York, Ranz attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He received his bachelor’s degree at Harvard College and his master of music degree at the Yale School of Music, where he studied with David Shifrin.

Ranz plays Buffet Tosca clarinets and bass clarinet with Vandoren BD5 mouthpieces and Vandoren reeds.

DAVID RICCOBONO

David Riccobono joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the Assistant Principal Timpani/Section Percussion at the beginning of the 2022/23 season. Prior to this, he was Principal Percussionist of the Long Beach Symphony and an avid freelancer in the greater Los Angeles area. Riccobono has performed as either percussionist or timpanist with the LA Phil, LA Opera, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, and Pasadena Symphony. His summer engagements include fellowships with the Round Top Festival Institute, Tanglewood Music Center, and Music Academy of the West, as well as performing with the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra in San Diego.

A native of Huntington Beach, CA, Riccobono began playing percussion at the age of eight. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from UCLA, studying with both Raynor Carroll and Theresa Dimond. He went on to pursue a Master of Music degree at USC, studying with James Babor, Joseph Pereira, Naoko Takada and Matthew Howard. Riccobono has also competed in the Modern Snare Drum Competition in Cleveland, OH, and was runner-up in both 2019 and 2021.

JENNI SEO

Korean violist Jenni Seo is a compelling and versatile soloist, chamber player, and orchestral musician known for her rich sound and artistic integrity. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she was Assistant Principal Viola for the Minnesota Orchestra and a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, she is a frequent substitute violist with the New York Philharmonic and has toured with them internationally.

Seo has performed extensively across the world in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, David Geffen Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and she has made recurring appearances at international festivals including Music@Menlo, Mainly Mozart, Pro Musica, NDSU Chamber Music, Bridge Chamber Music, Bad Leonfelden Music, Lakes Area Music, and the Perlman Music Program.

As a recitalist, Seo has been presented by the WQXR Midday Masterpieces Series, the Harvard Club of New York, and the Neue Gallery, and she has appeared on stage alongside Itzhak Perlman, Lynn Harrell, Donald Weilerstein, Roger Tapping, and David Finckel, as well as members of the Cleveland, Takács, Emerson, and Juilliard string quartets.

Seo is an avid educator; her students have been accepted to prestigious programs such as Juilliard Pre-college, Mannes Prep program, and Manhattan School of Music. She has served as a coach for the GTCYS Orchestra in Minneapolis and has led classes and sectionals at the University of Minnesota. She has also served as adjunct viola faculty at the St. Olaf College.

The winner of the 2011 ASTA National Solo Competition, Seo was the recipient of multiple scholarships at the Juilliard School, where she earned her bachelor and master of music degrees, served as Principal Viola of the Juilliard Orchestra, and studied with Cynthia Phelps, Heidi Castleman, and Steven Tenenbom.

BEN ULLERY

Praised by the Chicago Tribune for his “febrile intensity,” violist Ben Ullery enjoys a multifaceted performing career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader, and educator.

In 2023, he was chosen by Music Director Gustavo Dudamel for the position of Associate Principal Viola of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he had held the position of Assistant Principal since 2012. In addition to his appearances with the LA Phil, Ullery has performed across the country and abroad as guest Principal Viola with the Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Australian Chamber Orchestra.

An active solo performer, he has recently given recitals at Festival Mozaic and La Sierra University, where he premiered his own viola arrangement of Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1. Ullery is currently planning his first full-length duo album with pianist Dominic Cheli, which will feature works of Paul Hindemith, Rebecca Clarke, and Lillian Fuchs.

As a chamber musician, he has been in high demand in the Los Angeles area and at festivals and concert series in the U.S. and Europe. In addition to having performed over 50 chamber works on the LA Phil’s Chamber Music series at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Ullery has appeared at the Mozaic, Music in the Vineyards, Mainly Mozart, Emerald City, Music at Millford, Leksand, Grand Teton, and Aspen festivals. He has been featured on NPR’s Performance Today as well as local broadcasts on KUSC in Los Angeles and on Minnesota Public Radio. As a recording artist, he has been featured on releases on the Bridge and Albany record labels.

An enthusiastic teacher, Ullery is on the faculty at the Colburn School, where he teaches orchestral repertoire as well as coaching the Colburn Orchestra’s viola section. Many of his former students have gone on to hold positions with top orchestras in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has given master classes at the Aspen Music Festival; California State University, Fullerton; Azusa Pacific University; and the Shanghai Orchestra Academy.

A native of St. Paul, MN, Ullery earned a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the Oberlin Conservatory and later studied violin at New England Conservatory and viola at the Colburn School. benullery.com

BING WANG

Violinist Bing Wang joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Associate Concertmaster in 1994. She previously held the position of Principal Second Violin of the Cincinnati Symphony and has served on the faculty and as concertmaster at the Aspen Music Festival and School since 2003. Since 2009, she has also been Guest Concertmaster of her hometown orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist, Wang has won critical praise for her appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She appears annually as both concertmaster and soloist at the Hollywood Bowl under the baton of composer John Williams, performing his signature movie classics such as Schindler’s List and his arrangement of Fiddler on the Roof. Wang has appeared regularly with the American Youth Symphony since 1997, and she has also been featured as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Manhattan Symphony. In 2002, she gave her first performances in China since emigrating to the U.S., touring as a soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

Active as a chamber musician, Wang has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Lang Lang, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Chamber music appearances include performances at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany. She also performs regularly on the Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella and Chamber Music series.

Wang began studying the violin with her parents at the age of six. After coming to the U.S. to study with Berl Senofsky at the Peabody Conservatory, she received her master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Glenn Dicterow. In 2012, Bing Wang was named an Adjunct Associate Professor at the USC Thornton School of Music.