Extension of Esa-Pekka Salonen's Contract as Music Director through 2005/2006 Season Also Announced

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and Executive Vice President and Managing Director Deborah Borda today announced details of the Los Angeles Philharmonic programming for 2002/2003, the orchestra's final season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Borda also announced the extension of Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen's contract through the 2005/2006 season.

The 84th subscription season begins on October 3, 2002, and runs through May 25, 2003 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with a return to the weekend-long Ojai Music Festival in June of 2003 capping the year.

"When we set off to plan the 2002/2003 season, the main challenge was to create programming that was substantial, artistically challenging and satisfying, regardless of the fact that we were moving to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in just a year. I believe that next season promises one of the most interesting seasons presented and a fitting tribute as our last at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion," said Esa-Pekka Salonen.

During the course of the season, American composer John Adams will be in residence through the On Location program and will have two major works performed - El Niño, a multi-media presentation for orchestra, with film, chorus, and dancers, produced by Peter Sellars; and the Los Angeles Philharmonic commission, Naïve and Sentimental Music - in Los Angeles and New York. Violinist Midori, who celebrates the 20th anniversary of her professional debut in the 2002/2003 season will also collaborate in an On Location residency. The five-year symphony-and-string-quartet cycle focusing on the work of Dmitri Shostakovich, which began last season, will continue, and fifteen orchestra members will take their turn in the spotlight as soloists, many for the first time.

The orchestra will give the world premieres of commissioned pieces by William Kraft, Gabriela Ortiz, and Augusta Read Thomas, as well as the United States premieres of works by Alberto Colla and Mark-Anthony Turnage, and the Los Angeles and New York premieres of John Adams' El Niño.

"Our final season at the Pavilion is one of both reflection and celebration, as we examine the musical milestones of the past four decades in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion," commented Deborah Borda. In tribute to a past era, and in anticipation of the future, Salonen will conduct the orchestra in a black tie "Farewell" gala on December 13.

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen has committed to continue in his post through the 2005/2006 season, which would extend his leadership of the orchestra to fourteen seasons, the second longest in Philharmonic history. Salonen began his tenure in the 1992/1993 season, after having led the orchestra as a guest conductor every season since his American debut with them in 1984.

"When I came to the orchestra in 1984, I immediately felt the Philharmonic would be a major part of my life. Now, years later, I still feel excited and stimulated working with these musicians, which proves my initial hunch was correct. We are in the middle of an incredibly important time in the life of this orchestra and I can think of no other place I would rather be than in Los Angeles," said Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Deborah Borda announced the extension noting, "…nothing gives me greater assurance about the future of the Los Angeles Philharmonic than the fact that Esa-Pekka Salonen is so strongly committed to our shared future. His inspired vision and music making is an essential part of the required chemistry here. This fact is no secret throughout the national and international music community, and neither is the fact that he chooses to remain here to craft a musical life which has substance and meaning. As we face the challenges of planning and opening Walt Disney Concert Hall, I can imagine no partner more brilliant."

Board President John Hotchkis added that "…while other orchestras search for Music Directors of substance, musicality and that special something, we are thrilled that Esa-Pekka Salonen, one of the world's greatest conductors, will continue to be with us in Los Angeles."

On Location, the Philharmonic's artist residency program initiated last season, continues this year with two featured guests. Violinist Midori and composer John Adams will each participate in their own residency projects, which include subscription concerts, as well as other activities.

"When On Location was conceived and launched in the 2001/2002 season, our singular goal was to bring truly gifted artists to this community, let them explore their artistic dreams, and enrich this city through their presence and participation. We also hoped they would develop a connection to Los Angeles and return to nurture and develop that relationship over their career span," said Deborah Borda.

Continuing, she added, "This year's residencies are special to me, in that I feel a personal connection to John and Midori. When I first entered the field of professional orchestra management, I was fortunate enough to work with John as the administrator of his now legendary New and Unusual Music series. And what a heady time that was! As Midori began her solo career some 20 years ago, it was also my pleasure to work with her and to watch over the years her profound development as both an artist, teacher, and human being — all aspects she will touch on during On Location."

American composer John Adams' residency is in two parts. In the fall, as part of the orchestra's Green Umbrella series, a program at UCLA will include a reprise performance of the composer's Naïve and Sentimental Music (Salonen and the Philharmonic gave the premieres of the piece in Los Angeles and New York in March of 1999); Gloria Cheng and Grant Gershon play his Hallelujah Junction for Two Pianos; and Adams leads Voices, a work by young American composer Derek Bermel. In the spring, Salonen leads the first performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic of Adams' masterwork, El Niño, on March 13, 15, and 16 with vocal soloists Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and Willard White.

Adams, looking forward to the residency, stated, "Over the past twenty years I have had the extraordinary pleasure of hearing almost all of my orchestral music in memorable performances by the Philharmonic. The Music Center audiences are among the most musically literate and adventurous anywhere, and I always look forward to making music for them, knowing it will reach ears that are ready for something new. The forthcoming season allows me to have the long-awaited luxury of working together on El Niño with both Esa-Pekka and Peter Sellars, friends and collaborators for many years. My admiration for Esa-Pekka continues to grow as I see him deepen as both an interpretive mind and one of the most significant composers of our time."

Salonen will also lead both works in New York City, when the orchestra is presented by Lincoln Center's Great Performers series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (March 20 and 22; El Niño) and at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall (March 24; Naïve and Sentimental Music).

In addition to the subscription and Green Umbrella performances, Adams will participate in pre-concert discussions and symposia in both Los Angeles and New York, as well as make visits to local Los Angeles School Partners classes. A program in the Philharmonic's Chamber Music series will also be devoted to his music.

Celebrating 20 years as a professional artist, violinist Midori joins the Philharmonic to mark this milestone as part of her On Location residency. She will perform as soloist in two weeks of subscription concerts led by Esa-Pekka Salonen: on November 15, 16, and 17 she plays Sibelius' Violin Concerto on an all-Scandinavian program with Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite and Nielsen's Symphony No. 5; and November 20, 21, and 23 she plays Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, which will be paired with Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica" and Christopher Rouse's Rapture. In addition, as part of her commitment to teaching and mentoring young artists, Midori will host a lunch for Los Angeles County teachers and administrators, and participate in projects with our Music Matters education programs for school children, including a benefit chamber music concert with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and American Youth Symphony. Additional community outreach activities and master classes will be scheduled, as well.

Two weeks of programs (January 23, 24, 25, & 26; and March 13, 15, & 16) will reflect the multi-cultural heritage of Los Angeles by examining works that have been written or influenced by Mexican or Latino composers. On January 23, 25, and 26, Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a rousing program featuring the Philharmonic percussion section in the world premiere of Mexican Gabriela Ortiz's Concerto for Percussion, her countryman Silvestre Revueltas' Redes, complete with film by Paul Strand, and opening with Copland's festive El Salón México.

This program is a collaboration with the Latin-American Cinemateca of Los Angeles, which will arrange varied ancillary events surrounding these concerts: lectures focusing on the art and politics of Mexico and Revueltas' Modernist works; exhibitions of art and photography related to films of the era; a dramatic reading of an R.M. Cohen play about Revueltas' life and career ("The Song That Killed the Snake"); a screening featuring both a documentary on his life and others films he scored.

In discussing his choice of these composers, Esa-Pekka Salonen said, "…it is no secret that I am a big Revueltas fan and Redes contains some of his best music. Pairing this piece with another contemporary piece by a Latin composer (Concerto for Percussion) and the brilliant but souvenir-like piece of music by Copland, provides an interesting discourse about Latin American influences in the United States."

John Adams' El Niño (March 13, 15, and 16), and a chamber music series performance with works by Latin-American composers will round out the concert offerings of this exploration. In partnership with the Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Public Library and About Productions (a local interdisciplinary theater group) will host a bilingual poetry reading that explores how contemporary writers are reinterpreting the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Poetry by Sor Juana and other poets represented in the libretto of El Niño will be interwoven in the reading. The Social and Public Arts Resource Center (SPARC) will host an exhibit of work by artist Yreina Cervantes, whose work was integral to the creation of El Niño. SPARC will also coordinate panel discussions that address the political, social, and spiritual themes present in El Niño, and the HeArt Project (a group that brings arts programs to local teen centers with no access to arts) will produce a workshop based on these themes present in the opera, geared to teens.

World Premieres: Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic's English hornist, Carolyn Hove, and the orchestra in the world premiere performances of William Kraft's English Horn Concerto, a Los Angeles Philharmonic commission, on January 16, 18, and 19. Rounding out the program are Wagner's Prelude to Die Meistersinger and Schumann's Third Symphony, "Rhenish." Formerly the Philharmonic's timpanist and first director of the New Music Group, William Kraft still lives in Los Angeles and continues to compose for both orchestra and small ensembles.

Salonen will also lead the world premiere of Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz's Concerto for Percussion on January 23, 25, and 26, on a Latin-themed program that opens with Copland's El Salón México and closes with Silvestre Revueltas' Redes, which will be performed with film. Principal Trombonist Ralph Sauer will give the world premiere of Augusta Read Thomas' Trombone Concerto on March 29 and 30, led by Salonen. Currently the Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and one of today's most productive composers, Thomas wrote this concerto specifically for Sauer. Both new works were commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

U.S. Premieres: Le rovine di Palmira, by Italian composer Alberto Colla, will receive its U.S. premiere by conductor Roberto Abbado and the Philharmonic on January 31, February 1 and 2, on a program with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 26 and Brahms' Fourth Symphony. Written in 1999 by the then-30-year-old composer, Le rovine di Palmira is one of several large-scale orchestral works in Colla's catalogue, all written in the late 1990s.

Your Rockaby was written in 1994 by British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage for his favorite instrument. A work for solo saxophone and orchestra, the concerto-like piece was inspired by a monologue by Samuel Beckett - Rockaby, an old woman's lullaby to herself - and written expressly for soloist Martin Robertson, who makes his subscription debut in these programs. Conductor Sir Andrew Davis, who recorded the work with Robertson and the BBC Symphony in 1996 for the Decca label, leads the U.S. premiere on February 21, 22 and 23.

Los Angeles Premiere: On March 13, 15, and 16, Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen will lead the orchestra in the Los Angeles premiere of John Adams' El Niño during the composer's residency with the orchestra. The New York premiere follows later that month at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, presented by Lincoln Center, on March 20 and 22.

Gerald Levinson's Five Fires for orchestra was awarded the Prix International Arthur Honegger de Composition Musicale in 1998, and receives its Los Angeles premiere on April 10, 11 and 12 by the Philharmonic and David Zinman. The American's works have been heard throughout the United States by major orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic; the orchestra premiered Levinson's Second Symphony under Sir Simon Rattle in 1995.

Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonic continue a five-year survey of the complete symphonies and string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich begun during the 2001/2002 season. The Shostakovich Cycle resumes on October 16, 17, and 18 with Salonen leading the orchestra in Symphony No. 6. The program also includes Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, and pianist Peter Serkin as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453.

The cycle continues in the spring, with Salonen leading Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 on April 25, 27, and 30 in a Russian program that also features Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen as soloist in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3. One of the best-known of Shostakovich's symphonies, the Fifth, will be performed May 2, 3, and 4 by Salonen and the orchestra, who will also be joined by Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk in his subscription debut performing Dvorák's Cello Concerto.

Each Upbeat Live pre-concert event for these evenings will feature a performance of one of Shostakovich's string quartets, performed by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition, panel discussions on the composer's life and work; symposia on art, politics, and censorship; and an all-Shostakovich quartet Chamber Music series program will round out the Cycle events this year.

Celebrating the Philharmonic's own coming of age during its years in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the achievement of the past forty years, the orchestra honors its own artists in the final season of residency at the Pavilion. More than a dozen musicians of the orchestra bid farewell to the Pavilion by taking solo turns throughout the season, many for the first time.

"I am very proud of the amazing talent that runs so deep in this orchestra. This is a unique opportunity to hear well-known soloists and people who have not yet been in the spotlight," said Esa-Pekka Salonen.

From the String section: Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour (February 15, 16, and 19), Concertmaster Alexander Treger (April 4, 5, and 6), Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang, and Assistant Principal Cello Ben Hong (March 29 and 30), and, in their solo debuts, violinists Michele Bovyer, Stacy Wetzel, Jonathan Wei, and Akiko Tarumoto (November 29, 30, and December 1); Winds: Principal Oboe David Weiss (March 29 and 30), and English horn Carolyn Hove (January 16, 18, and 19); Brass: Principal Trombone Ralph Sauer (March 29 and 30); and, also in their debuts, the percussion section: Mitchell Peters (Principal), Raynor Carroll (Principal Percussion), James Babor, and Perry Dreiman (January 23, 25, and 26).

Three Los Angeles music organizations - the Philharmonic, the Master Chorale, and the Chamber Orchestra - collaborate this season to explore different views of the story of the Nativity with varying interpretations. The Philharmonic joins the Los Angeles Master Chorale in the rarely-heard work of Berlioz, L'enfance du Christ (December 20, 21, and 22), which was last played by the orchestra in 1977; and John Adams' El Niño (March 13, 15, and 16); and the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra join forces for Mozart's version of Handel's Messiah (April 5 and 6). In addition, Self Help Graphics & Art, a community arts center in East Los Angeles, will host a Family Day in March, which will include interactive visual arts projects for children, including story telling and a children's concert, based on the Nativity theme.

The final three weeks of concerts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion hold special importance for their conductors, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Pierre Boulez. On May 8, 10, and 11, Salonen leads Mahler's Third Symphony, with soloist Michelle DeYoung, the first piece he led as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Boulez conducts a program that includes Berg's Violin Concerto (with soloist Jennifer Frautschi in her Philharmonic debut), which was on his first Philharmonic concert, as well as Bruckner's Ninth Symphony (May 16, 17, and 18).

Closing the season, on May 22, 24, and 25, Boulez leads four short works in a program crafted to say goodbye symbolically to the orchestra's home of the last four decades in a unique way. Janácek's Sinfonietta and Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony function as bookends for this notable concert; offering a fitting closing to the season and the Philharmonic's time at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

In addition to the world premiere performances, Shostakovich Cycle concerts, and On Location programs, Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen will lead the Philharmonic in four additional orchestral programs during the 2002/2003 season.

• The opening weekend of the year brings two major works from the 20th century to the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion: Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin Suite and Orff's Carmina Burana. Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Philharmonic, vocal soloists Harolyn Blackwell (soprano), Stanford Olsen (tenor), and Rodney Gilfry (baritone), along with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
• Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs Beethoven's mighty "Emperor" Concerto (No. 5) on a program that also spotlights excerpts from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream (December 12, 14, and 15).
• In the spirit of the season, December 20, 21, and 22 bring Berlioz's interpretation of the Nativity downtown: L'enfance du Christ, led by Salonen and featuring Susanne Mentzer (mezzo-soprano), Vinson Cole (tenor), Gilles Cachemaille (baritone), and Nmon Ford (baritone), with the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
• Finns are in the spotlight on March 6, 7, and 9 as Salonen leads the Finnish soprano Karita Mattila as soloist for Strauss' Four Last Songs. Opening the evening is Lutoslawski's Fourth Symphony, a signature piece of Salonen's and a work that was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Closing the program is Sibelius' Fifth Symphony. The program is also scheduled for performance during the orchestra's residency in New York City on March 23 at Lincoln Center.

Two conductors will make their Los Angeles Philharmonic winter subscription debuts this season: Russian Vladimir Jurowski, who was appointed music director of the Glyndebourne Festival in 2000, and Canadian Peter Oundjian, artistic director of the Caramoor Music Festival.

Jurowski studied music in Russia and Germany while growing up, and has since appeared on some of the world's most famous opera house stages: The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Bastille in Paris, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and the Komische Oper in Berlin, among others. His debut with the Philharmonic (October 11, 12, and 13) includes a program of works by Russian masters Stravinsky (Divertimento from The Fairy's Kiss) and Tchaikovsky (Manfred Symphony) .

Oundjian led the Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl last summer and has amassed an impressive list of conducting achievements since turning to the podium from violin playing several years ago. He conducts a program (April 4, 5, and 6) which includes Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 with Concertmaster Alexander Treger as soloist, and Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony.

Three pianists make their subscription debuts with the Philharmonic this season, as well: Gianluca Cascioli, Lang Lang, and Garrick Ohlsson.

Italian pianist Gianluca Cascioli was discovered by two prominent jury members, Luciano Berio and Maurizio Pollini, at the 1994 Umberto Micheli International Piano Competition, where he won First Prize. The win launched his career and led the way for his American debut with Roberto Abbado leading the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in 1999. His appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (January 31, February 1, and 2) are also with Abbado, in a program of music by Alberto Colla, Mozart (Piano Concerto No. 26) and Brahms (Fourth Symphony).

Lang Lang, who made his debut with the Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in 2000, returns to Los Angeles for his winter subscription debut on December 5, 6, 7, and 8 with Zubin Mehta leading a program of Liszt (Orpheus), Bartók (Concerto for Orchestra), and the beloved First Piano Concerto of Tchaikovsky. Currently a student at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Lang Lang has watched his career skyrocket since his unexpected debut at Ravinia in 1999, which brought him to world attention. Hailed as "the biggest, most exciting keyboard talent in years," by the Chicago Tribune, Lang Lang has since given his Carnegie Hall and London debuts and performed with many of the world's most prestigious orchestras.

Garrick Ohlsson returns to Los Angeles on April 17, 18, and 19 for his subscription debut with the orchestra, having recently appeared on the Celebrity Recital Series. Iván Fischer leads the three performances of Dohnányi's Symphonic Minutes, Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3, and Dvorák's Symphony No. 8.

Violinists Sayaka Shoji and Jennifer Frautschi make their first appearances with the orchestra this season.

Shoji, at age 16, was the first Japanese violinist to win the prestigious Paganini International Violin Competition (1999) and since then, the prodigy has appeared both in recital and as soloist at numerous festivals and with orchestras throughout Europe. Her debut recording is with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic; her performances in Los Angeles with Mehta (January 9, 10, and 11) feature the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.

Jennifer Frautschi, a top prizewinner in the 1998 Naumburg Violin Competition and local Colburn School alumna, has garnered numerous awards and accolades and has been soloist in recital and with orchestras in the US and Europe. Recent seasons have included a recital tour of Switzerland and debut at Lincoln Center in New York, as well as chamber music. Her debut with the Philharmonic on May 16, 17 and 18 with Pierre Boulez includes Berg's Violin Concerto on a program with Bruckner's Ninth Symphony.

Three vocalists who have appeared at the Hollywood Bowl or in recital will make their subscription debuts with Salonen and the Philharmonic this season; soprano Harolyn Blackwell, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and baritone Rodney Gilfry. Blackwell and Gilfry take their turn in the season opening weekend (October 3, 4, 5, and 6) in Orff's Carmina Burana, and Lieberson joins Dawn Upshaw and Willard White in John Adams' El Niño (March 13, 15, and 16).

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's schedule will continue to be enhanced with new subscription offerings. Due to the success of the Sunday Brunch Series last year, it will be expanded in the 2002/2003 season to include all eight 'H' series concerts, or will be available in a choice of two four-concert series. Patrons can join fellow concert-goers at a gourmet brunch in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion's elegant Grand Hall, prepared by Patina. Brunch begins at Noon. Concert highlights on this series include vocalists Harolyn Blackwell, Stanford Olsen, and Rodney Gilfry in the opening week's program of Bartók and Orff; orchestra members in the spotlight as soloists; pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard as soloist in the beloved "Emperor" Concerto of Beethoven; and others. Concerts take place on October 6, December 1 and 15, January 26, February 23, March 16 and 30, and May 11. Patrons may subscribe to this series with or without the brunch option.

The Casual Fridays Series will also continue this season on series E2, a three-concert series of Friday evenings. Orchestra members dress casually and both an orchestra member and the conductor speak from the stage. The slightly shorter concert - 70-minutes without intermission - affords members of the audience the opportunity to mingle afterwards with the conductor and the Philharmonic musicians at Otto's restaurant for conversation and refreshments. Salonen leads the Casual programs on October 4, November 29, and David Zinman conducts the April 11 program.

Associate Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya will preside over two subscription programs during the 2002/2003 season: November 1, 2, and 3 with violinist Pamela Frank as soloist and symphonic works by Schubert and Strauss; and November 29, 30 and December 1 in a rousing program of Italian favorites, including Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with members of the orchestra as soloists, and Respighi's Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals, which was on the Philharmonic's first program in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Three other distinguished conductors will return to the podium for two weeks each during the year: former Music Director Zubin Mehta leads programs of Liszt, Bartók, and Tchaikovsky (December 5, 6, 7, and 8) and Mendelssohn and Bruckner (January 9, 10, and 11); Sir Andrew Davis (music director, Chicago Lyric Opera) leading concerts on February 15, 16, and 19, as well as Holst's The Planets and Mark-Anthony Turnage's Your Rockaby for saxophone and orchestra on February 21, 22, and 23; and Pierre Boulez (Principal Guest Conductor, Chicago Symphony), who leads the last two programs of the season in May. Among the other conductors who the Philharmonic will welcome back are Roberto Abbado, Iván Fischer (founder and music director, Budapest Festival Orchestra), Emmanuel Krivine, András Schiff (in the dual role of conductor and piano soloist), and David Zinman (music director, Aspen Music Festival).

Distinguished guest artists returning to the Philharmonic stage during the 2002/2003 season include: pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Richard Goode, Olli Mustonen, András Schiff, Peter Serkin, and Mitsuko Uchida; violinists Pamela Frank, Midori, the orchestra's Principal Concertmaster, Martin Chalifour; Concertmaster Alexander Treger and Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang; cellist Truls Mørk; and vocalists Gilles Cachemaille, Vinson Cole, Michelle DeYoung, Nmon Ford, Karita Mattila, Susanne Mentzer, Heidi Grant Murphy, Stanford Olsen, Dawn Upshaw, and Willard White.

Prior to the start of the 2002/2003 season, Esa-Pekka Salonen will lead the orchestra in a three-week tour of European Festivals in August and September. Performances will take place at the Edinburgh, Flanders (Brussels), Helsinki, London (Proms), and Lucerne festivals.

Salonen will also lead the Philharmonic in four concerts in March 2003 in New York City, presented by Lincoln Center's Great Performers series. On March 20 and 22, they will give the New York premiere performances of Adams' El Niño at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Symposia will include conversations with Salonen, Adams, and Peter Sellars. At Avery Fisher Hall, on March 23, soprano Karita Mattila joins Salonen and the orchestra for the program of Lutoslawski, Strauss and Sibelius; March 24, Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin Suite and Adams' Naïve and Sentimental Music comprise the program.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's annual schedule includes a wide range of programs designed to reach audiences beyond the traditional concert-going public, including young people and persons separated from the musical community by distance, economic issues, cultural differences, and education. Programs include:

• The School Partner Program, an intensive three-year partnership that began in September 2001 with five Los Angeles County public elementary schools. Five public middle schools will be added this year, and five public high schools added in year three. The program includes weekend and night-time workshops for faculty members, including Music for Educators, Music for Elementary Educators, and Philharmonic 101 (for music teachers). In addition, students from the selected schools will participate in in-school residency programs, and attend Symphonies for Schools concerts and workshops as well as regular Philharmonic concerts. Parents will attend special workshops introducing music to their children. In conjunction with this effort, the Philharmonic continues its Adopt-a-Player program.
• Toyota Symphonies for Youth, the Philharmonic's original concert series for young people. The Saturday morning series at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion welcomes children and their parents to hear music chosen especially for their enjoyment, enhanced by innovative and fun presentations, commentary, and ancillary activities. The theme for 2002/2003 will be "Music and the Arts," and will include concerts featuring dance, the visual arts, and theater.
• Symphonies for Schools, a free series of concerts held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for students in grades three through twelve. Teachers attend workshops that provide them with information on how to bring music into their classrooms, and prepare their students for the concerts.
• Neighborhood Concerts, an annual series of free programs by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in community venues throughout the Southland. Some Neighborhood Concerts will be scheduled next season in coordination with the School Partner program.

Other educational initiatives include Upbeat Live pre-concert events, the Bronislaw Kaper Awards, and student rehearsals. Los Angeles Philharmonic education and community programs are made possible by grants from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the California Arts Council, a State agency, and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

The 2002/2003 Celebrity Recital Series presents four virtuoso performances, featuring appearances by pianist Yefim Bronfman on December 3, 2002; the team of violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and duo guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad on January 31, 2003; a Los Angeles recital debut by Finnish soprano Karita Mattila on March 2, 2003; and, also in his recital debut, Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev on March 17, 2003.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2002/2003 season also includes series specifically devoted to new music and chamber music performances.

The Green Umbrella new music series begins its third decade of performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group with five programs at the Colburn School's Zipper Hall. In addition, the series will open with a special program at UCLA's Royce Hall (October 26). The concert will include John Adams' Naïve and Sentimental Music conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Adams' Hallelujah Junction for two pianos played by Grant Gershon and Gloria Cheng, and Derek Bermel's Voices for clarinet and orchestra, conducted by John Adams with the composer as soloist. This program will be a joint presentation between the Los Angeles Philharmonic and UCLA Live.

Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Philharmonic New Music Group on January 14 in a varied program that includes a work of his own (Mania). The New Music Group will give the U.S. premiere of James MacMillan's Parthenogenesis (a Los Angeles Philharmonic commission) on February 24, in a concert that also includes Thomas Adès' Cardiac Arrest and Judith Weir's Thread. The final New Music Group concert of the series (April 22) features a program comprised entirely of U.S. premieres, conducted by composer/conductor HK Gruber. Scheduled are Gruber's Zeitfluren (a co-commission by the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the London Sinfonietta, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and European Music Month, Basel) and Brett Dean's Pastoral Symphony, as well as works by Olga Neuwirth and Kurt Schwertsik.

Two programs will feature visiting ensembles: the CalArts New Century Chamber Players and the UC San Diego ensemble, red fish, blue fish. Complete dates, artists, and programs for the concerts will be announced at a later date.

The Chamber Music series will offer Philharmonic audiences an opportunity to enjoy more intimate music making by the orchestra's musicians and special guests. Programs will complement Midori and John Adams' On Location residencies, as well as the Shostakovich Cycle, and the exploration of Latin American music's influence on US culture. Additional programs, dates, and artists will be announced at a later date.