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  • MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS LEADS LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC FOR FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 20 YEARS
  • Dec. 11, 2003
  • Concerts Feature Mahler's Sixth Symphony at Walt Disney Concert Hall

    THURSDAY & FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 & 12, AT 8 PM

    SATURDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 & 14, AT 2 PM

    December 11 sponsored by Smith Barney

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic's inaugural season at Walt Disney Concert Hall continues as Michael Tilson Thomas returns to Los Angeles to lead the orchestra for the first time in nearly twenty years. Tilson Thomas leads Mahler's dark, dense Sixth Symphony on Thursday and Friday, December 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14 at 2 p.m. Friday's performance is the first Casual Fridays event of the season.

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders.

    Now Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles native Michael Tilson Thomas was Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonic from 1981 to 1985, and last led the orchestra in the summer of 1985. Regarding his much-anticipated return, Tilson Thomas remarks, "I'm very much looking forward to this. I remember very fondly all the many projects we did, and friends I had - and still have. I came back much more frequently when my parents were still alive, but it is thrilling to see all of the changes in the city."

    The single-work program he leads is also featured on the December 12 Casual Fridays performance, where members of the orchestra, as well as the conductor, leave the concert attire at home and dress down. Mingling with the musicians following the concert is encouraged.

    Conductor MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, music director of the San Francisco Symphony since 1995, has been praised for his innovative programming and enthusiasm for performing the work of American composers. He has led the SFS on numerous national and international tours, including tours of European festivals and Japan. Their recordings on BMG Classics/RCA Red Seal have resulted in four Grammy Awards. Tilson Thomas won the Koussevitzky Prize at Tanglewood in 1969 and since then, has been principal guest conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Great Woods Music Festival, and chief conductor and director of the Ojai Festival. He is the founder of the New World Symphony in Miami and a composer noted for song cycles, including settings of the work of American poets.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Thursday, December 11, 2003 at 8 PM

    Friday, December 12, 2003 at 8 PM - Casual Fridays

    Saturday, December 13, 2003 at 2 PM

    Sunday, December 14, 2003 at 2 PM


    Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, conductor

    MAHLER Symphony No. 6

    December 11 sponsored by Smith Barney

    Upbeat live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders.

    Tickets ($15 - $120) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full-time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For more information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 213.972.3034; Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310