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  • TEEN-AGED VIOLINIST SAYAKA SHOJI DEBUTS WITH ZUBIN MEHTA AND THE PHILHARMONIC, PERFORMING MENDELSSOHN'S CONCERTO
  • Jan. 9, 2003
  • CONCERT ALSO FEATURES BRUCKNER'S SEVENTH SYMPHONY

    Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, January 9, 10 & 11

    Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji makes her debut with the Philharmonic in concerts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, January 9, 10, & 11 at 8 p.m. Former Music Director Zubin Mehta, who has been a mentor of sorts to the young violinist, having collaborated together several times, leads the program, which opens with Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto featuring the teenaged soloist, and concludes with Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

    Upbeat Live, a free pre-concert event that features musicologist Eric Bromberger interviewing Sayaka Shoji, takes place in the Pavilion's Grand Hall one hour before each performance.

    Its melody and mood have made Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto an audience favorite. One of the most lyrical of the composer's instrumental works, it stands with those of Beethoven and Brahms as one of the most significant compositions in the genre.

    Primarily influenced by Beethoven and Wagner, Anton Bruckner wrote his Seventh Symphony from 1881-1883. It brought the 60-year-old composer his first taste of public success and marked the beginning of his belated fame when it premiered in Leipzig in December 1884. The audience's applause lasted for a quarter of an hour and the reviews were enthusiastic.

    ZUBIN MEHTA currently holds the music directorships of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. His long association with the Israel Philharmonic began in 1969, and in 1981 he was given a lifetime appointment with that orchestra. Mehta served as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1962-1978, during which time he amassed a large discography, took the Philharmonic on tours throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, and developed a strong connection to the Southern California community. In 1978, he became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, a post he held for 13 years, longer than any director in that orchestra's history. Mehta's distinguished career includes guest-conducting appearances at the world's major opera houses and concert halls. In addition, he has won renown as an international activist, utilizing musical performance as a forum to promote peace and harmony worldwide.

    Japanese violinist SAYAKA SHOJI gave her first performance in 1993 at the age of ten. Since then she has won numerous competitions and she rose to international attention in 1999 as the first Japanese winner of the Paganini International Competition. She has appeared around the world with leading orchestras and conductors including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Russian National Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and the Tokyo Symphony. She performs frequently with Mehta, as well as other noted conductors. Shoji is a keen recitalist and chamber musician, touring Italy and Japan often. She records for Deutsche Grammophon and currently lives in Köln, Germany.

    EDITORS - PLEASE NOTE:

    Thursday, January 9, 8 PM

    Friday, January 10, 8 PM

    Saturday, January 11, 8 PM


    Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. in Los Angeles

    Los Angeles Philharmonic

    ZUBIN MEHTA, conductor

    SAYAKA SHOJI, violin

    Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto

    Bruckner: Symphony No. 7

    Upbeat Live, a free pre-concert event that features musicologist Eric Bromberger interviewing Sayaka Shoji, takes place in the Pavilion's Grand Hall one hour before each performance.

    Tickets ($14 - $82) are on sale now at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons-May, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino, and selected Wherehouse locations), and by credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. Tickets are also available on-line at www.laphil.com. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available two hours prior to the performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts. For further information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, (332) 850-2047