In the first weeks of the 2026/27 season Walt Disney Concert Hall, three principal musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic take the stage as featured soloists. Acting Concertmaster Bing Wang and newly appointed Principal Viola Ben Ullery share the spotlight on October 2, 3, and 4 for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with conductor Kwamé Ryan. The following weekend, October 9 and 11, Principal Oboe Ryan Roberts plays a Martinů concerto under the baton of Susanna Mälkki. 

Ahead of their performances, Bing, Ben, and Ryan shared what makes these pieces special and what we should listen for as members of the audience.  

Bing Wang, Acting Concertmaster 
Barbara and Jay Rasulo Chair 

Ben Ullery, Principal Viola  
John Connell Chair 

Can you briefly describe Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante?  

Bing Wang: This is a concerto for violin and viola with orchestra, and it is considered the most well-known collaborative work for these two string instruments. It’s really a conversation between the violin, viola, and orchestra. Mozart gives the two soloists equal voices, and the music moves between being playful and lighthearted and being very expressive and intimate. 

Ben Ullery: It’s a very special piece for a lot of reasons and especially for the viola. There aren’t very many great viola concertos at all, and especially not before the 20th century, so to have this piece by one of the “A-list” composers is amazing. Mozart was said to have liked playing the viola himself in chamber music, and you can definitely hear that coming through in the way he writes for the instrument. 

I’d say it’s also equally special for the violin though. Mozart wrote five other concertos for violin, but they were all written when he was a teenager for himself to play. Those concertos are definitely great music, but the Sinfonia Concertante, although it was written only a few years later, shows much more of Mozart’s mature style that you hear in his famous operas and later piano concertos.

What is your favorite moment in the piece? What do you think people should listen for in the music? 

Wang: The second movement is my favorite. It’s simple but incredibly expressive. I especially love the back-and-forth between the violin and viola. I’d listen for the way the two instruments pick up each other’s ideas and respond to one another. 

Ullery: I’d say the second movement, which is in C minor, is the real gem of the piece. It’s always striking when Mozart writes in a minor key, like in his famous G-minor Symphony or the G-minor Viola Quintet, and this movement is no exception. It has a ton of complexity of expression in the harmonies and solo lines, and it culminates in a cadenza for the two solo instruments that’s very emotional.

How would you describe the relationship between the viola, violin, and orchestra in this piece? 

Wang: The violin and viola are equal partners, sometimes playing together and sometimes passing ideas back and forth, with the orchestra joining in that conversation.

Ben and I have played together in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for many years, and we have also played chamber music together throughout the years—though we haven’t played the Sinfonia Concertante together yet. There’s tremendous trust and familiarity between us that makes this collaboration with our dearest colleagues and conductor Kwamé Ryan especially exciting. We truly hope to share the joy and beauty with everyone in the audience!

Ullery: Mozart really treats the solo viola as the equal to the violin. They’re almost like two leading characters in an opera having a dialogue. I’m looking forward to playing the piece with Bing to see what kind of ideas she’ll bring to the conversation!

Ryan Roberts, Principal Oboe 
Carol Colburn Grigor Chair

Can you briefly describe Martinů’s Oboe Concerto? What special aspects of it should the audience know? 

I love this concerto above all for its variety and originality. It is full of so many colors and contrasts that give the piece a real emotional depth. Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů composed to “express the never-ending search for truth and the meaning of life,” and the result, in this case, is a piece that truly has it all! 

The first movement is ebullient and bubbling with jazzy rhythms; the second movement is introspective and dramatic, with an emotional climax that transitions into the joyful, dancing finale.

What is your favorite moment in the concerto and why? 

My favorite moment in the concerto is when the jubilant, frolicking third movement takes a dark turn in the first solo cadenza. The oboe part quickly takes on an almost terrifying intensity, with virtuosic scales and arpeggios that flash up and down the range of the instrument. This contrast makes for one of the most dramatic and memorable sections of the piece.

What do you hope audiences who have never heard of this concerto or this composer discover or experience through the music? 

When audiences hear this concerto—which was written in 1955—I hope that they discover a musical language that is both approachable and “modern” sounding. Martinů’s music is inventive and colorful and invites the listener to reconsider any preconceived ideas that they might have about 20th-century tonality.

How does this Martinů piece complement Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra? 

Bartók and Martinů are two of the most significant Central/Eastern European composers of the 20th century, and both were inspired by the folk music of their native countries. Hearing how these folk influences manifest in virtuosic concerti—one for the oboe, one for the whole orchestra!—is a rare and fascinating musical side-by-side.