Contacts: Elizabeth Hinckley, 213.972.3034
Ryan Jimenez, 213.972.3405
For photos: Beth Norber, 213.972.3409

Program Highlighted By World Premiere of Lera Auerbach's
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Special Guest Conductor John Williams Is Featured Leading the Orchestra
In His Composition Sound the Bells!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, AT 7:30 PM

Los Angeles Philharmonic Concertmaster Alexander Treger conducts the American Youth Symphony in the third concert of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Sounds About Town series on Sunday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Treger, the Music Director/Conductor of the American Youth Symphony since the 1998/99 season, will lead the orchestra in Mahler's vibrant Symphony No. 1 as well as the world premiere commission of Lera Aurebach's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, commissioned by the American Youth Symphony, featuring Grammy-nominated violin soloist Philippe Quint. The program also features the celebrated composer John Williams as special guest conductor; Williams conducts his composition Sound the Bells!.

With the inclusion of Auerbach's piece in the program, this Sounds About Town program not only highlights the musicians of the future, but also an emerging composer. A young woman in her 20s, Auerbach is gaining quick acclaim and has already made her mark among composers of the 21st century. The Sounds About Town series is a program of six Sunday evenings at Walt Disney Concert Hall highlighting the Los Angeles area's premier youth orchestras. The series continues with the daKAH hip hop orchestra on March 14; the USC Thornton Symphony on April 18; and the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra on May 2.

For 38 years, the AMERICAN YOUTH SYMPHONY has been providing vital orchestral training and important performance opportunities for exceptionally talented young instrumentalists between the ages of 16 and 25. This organization has greatly enriched Los Angeles' musical life and many former American Youth Symphony members have gone on to join professional orchestras in the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, Asia, South America, and South Africa. In the 1998/1999 season, Alexander Treger succeeded Mehli Mehta as music director/conductor of the orchestra.

A musician of interests and talents, ALEXANDER TREGER is not only concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but also a devoted conductor. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, California's Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and the Santa Monica Symphony. Treger also enjoys teaching young musicians, and has given numerous master classes around the world. Following numerous guest conducting appearances, Treger was appointed music director/conductor of the American Youth Symphony in the 1998/1999 season, succeeding Mehli Mehta.

Composer/conductor JOHN WILLIAMS is one of the most respected and honored composers of film and concert music, and is Laureate Conductor of the Boston Pops, where he held the post of conductor for 14 seasons. He has composed the music and served as music director for more than 90 films, and has been honored with five Oscars (he is the most nominated living person, with 39 Oscar nominations, most recently for Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone and Catch Me if You Can), three Golden Globes and 18 Grammys, as well as numerous gold and platinum records. In addition to his film music, John Williams has written many concert pieces, including symphonies and concertos. His bassoon concerto, The Five Sacred Trees, was given its West Coast premiere in April 1999 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and soloist David Breidenthal. Williams, who has conducted at the Hollywood Bowl nearly every season since his debut there in 1978, was one of the first two inductees into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Grammy Award nominee violinist PHILIPPE QUINT is rapidly establishing his reputation with audiences and critics alike. His debut recording on the Naxos label of the William Schuman Concerto was nominated for two Grammys this year, including one for Best Soloist with Orchestra. Defecting from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and now an American citizen, Philippe Quint continues his commitment to American music by recording Lukas Foss's complete works for violin and piano, with Foss at the piano. The disc was released by the Elysium label in September 2003. Philippe Quint studied at Moscow's Special Music School for the Gifted with the famed Russian violinist Andrei Korsakov. He made his orchestral debut at the age of 9 performing Wieniawski's Concerto No.2. Graduating from The Juilliard School in 1998, Philippe received both Bachelor's and Master's degrees. His formidable pedagogues include Dorothy Delay, Cho-Liang Lin, Masao Kawasaki, and Felix Galimir. He has also received coaching and participated in Master Classes with Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Arnold Steinhardt.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, AT 7:30 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

AMERICAN YOUTH SYMPHONY

ALEXANDER TREGER, conductor

JOHN WILLIAMS, guest conductor

PHILIPPE QUINT, violin

WILLIAMS Sound the Bells

AUERBACH Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (world premiere commission)

MAHLER Symphony No. 1

Tickets ($15 - $35) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. 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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