Dudamel Plays Violin in Chamber Music Society Evening and Later in the Week Conducts the Philharmonic in Three Concerts Featuring Pianist Simon Trpčeski in His Walt Disney Concert Hall Debut and Works by Salonen, Prokofiev and Berlioz

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008, AT 8 PM

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MARCH 28 AND 29, 2008, AT 8 PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2008, AT 2 PM

The Chamber Music Society series is supported by a generous grant from the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation
The March 28 – 30 Concerts Are Generously Sponsored by UBS

Charismatic international conductor Gustavo Dudamel returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall to perform as a violinist with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a Chamber Music Society concert, Wednesday, March 26, at 8 p.m. The same week, Dudamel leads the Philharmonic in three performances, Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 30, at 2 p.m. Also performing in the weekend concerts is pianist Simon Trpčeski, another rising young talent, in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut.

The March 26 Chamber Music Society performance features Strauss’ Till Eulengpiegel-einmal anders! , as well as two works by Mozart – String Quintet in C major, K. 515 and Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581. For the Strauss piece, Los Angeles Philharmonic members Martin Chalifour, violin; David Howard, clarinet; Shawn Mouser, bassoon; William Lane, horn; and Christopher Hanulik, bass, perform. The Mozart String Quintet features Philharmonic members Mitchell Newman and Robert Vijay Gupta, violins; Minor Wetzel and Meredith Snow, violas; and Gloria Lum, cello. For Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, Dudamel takes the stage playing violin along with Philharmonic members Michele Zukofsky, clarinet; Martin Chalifour, violin; Dale Hikawa Silverman, viola; and Peter Stumpf, cello.

The evening is the sixth of the LA PHIL’s Chamber Music Society series 2007/08 season presentations at Walt Disney Concert Hall that includes two series of four concerts performed by members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and distinguished guest artists. Upcoming guest artists include: pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet on April 15; and bass-baritone Eric Owens on May 13.

On March 28 through March 30, Dudamel returns to his conductor role to lead the Philharmonic in a program featuring Salonen’s Insomnia, said by the composer to be one of his darker and deeper works; Prokofiev’s scintillating Piano Concerto No. 1, with pianist Simon Trpčeski; and Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique, a musical tale in which the composer is the central character.

Dudamel, one of the most exciting young conductors today, takes over the helm as LA PHIL Music Director in the fall of 2009. He is currently Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra as well as Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Trpčeski first came to public attention in the UK at the London International Piano Competition in 2000, and since then has appeared with many of the major and renowned orchestras throughout the world.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BP Hall one hour prior to the Friday through Sunday concerts, and are free to all ticket holders. Steven Stucky, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and Consulting Composer for New Music for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, hosts.

One of today’s uniquely gifted conductors, GUSTAVO DUDAMEL continues to thrill international audiences and bring the highest level of musicianship to orchestras worldwide. His remarkable ability to communicate and become one with the orchestra takes musicians and listeners alike on a memorable journey. He has recently been appointed the Music Director of Los Angeles Philharmonic, effective 2009/10, and enters his ninth year as Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Dudamel’s 2007/08 season officially began with his first concert as Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra after which he returned to the Lucerne Festival for his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic with piano soloist Daniel Barenboim. During the season he debuts with the New York Philharmonic, the Berliner Philharmoniker, and Berlin Staatskapelle. In August 2007, Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela toured Europe with performances at the Edinburgh Festival and the BBC Proms in the UK, and five German venues, including Schleswig Holstein Festival, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Dresden Semperoper, Bonn Beethovenfest, and Frankfurt Alte Oper, followed by a U.S. tour in October, with performances in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Dudamel returns to work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducts the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Dudamel also debuts this season with the San Francisco Symphony and returns to the Philharmonia Orchestra in London in June 2008. Other highlights include a performance at Berlin Staatsoper with La Bohème and a return to La Scala, also with La Bohème, along with concerts at Madrid’s Orquestra Nacional de España, Filarmonica della Scala and Orquestra Sinfonica dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Italy. Dudamel is an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist. His debut recording, Beethoven 5&7 with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra was released worldwide in September 2006, and he has received the 2007 Echo Award (Germany) for “New Artist of the Year.” His second recording with the Orchestra, Mahler 5, was released in May 2007. News of Dudamel’s talent spread worldwide after his triumph at the inaugural Bamberger Symphoniker Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in May 2004. Born in 1981 in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, he studied violin at the Jacinto Lara Conservatory with José Luis Jiménez and later, with José Francisco del Castillo, at the Latin American Academy of Violin. In 1996, he began his conducting studies with Rodolfo Saglimbeni and during the same year was named Music Director of the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra. In 1999, along with assuming the Music Director position of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, he began conducting studies with José Antonio Abreu, the Orchestra’s founder. In May 2007, Dudamel was awarded the Premio de la Latindad by the Union Latina, an honor, given for outstanding contributions to Latin cultural life, which is presented by the 37 Latin American and African member states of the Union Latina organization.

SIMON TRPČESKI, though still in his 20s, has established himself as one of the most remarkable young musicians to have emerged in recent years, playing with many of the world’s great orchestras and delighting audiences world-wide. His recent sell-out recital at the Wigmore Hall, London prompted the Telegraph’s critic to describe him as “one of the great musicians of our day.” Following a successful BBC Proms debut in 2004 Trpčeski has performed extensively in the UK, including concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé as well as the City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras. In the coming season he will make a seventh return visit to the Wigmore Hall and will continue to give recital performances throughout UK, Europe and the U.S. He also will return to the Philharmonia Orchestra, with whom he plays each season, and to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Trpčeski has enjoyed successful performances all around the world including U.S. engagements with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Seattle Symphony. In Asia he has performed with the New Japan Philharmonic, Sendai Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras. European engagements have included debuts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Kammerphilharmonie, DSO Berlin, NDR Hamburg, Orchestre National de Lille and Swedish Chamber Orchestra. For the 2007/08 season Trpčeski’s international highlights include a return visit to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, and Danish National Symphony Orchestra. He will also return to the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and has a debut tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Trpčeski’s first recital recording, as part of the EMI Classics’ Debut Series, features music by Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Stravinsky and Prokofiev. It received both the Editor’s Choice and the Debut Album Awards at the Gramophone Awards. Trpčeski’s second recital recording, an all-Rachmaninoff disc, which has received unanimous praise from the critics, marked his transition to EMI Classic’s main label. In early 2007, EMI released his third disc, a critically-acclaimed all-Chopin recording and most recently, in February 2008, the label released Debussy: Images, which has been equally applauded by critics. Born in the Republic of Macedonia in 1979, Trpčeski has won prizes in international piano competitions in the UK (London International Piano Competition 2000), Czech Republic and Italy. In July 2002, he graduated from the Faculty of Music of the University of St Cyril and St Methodius in Skopje where he studied with Professor Boris Romanov. He was a member of the BBC New Generation Scheme 2001 – 2003 and in May 2003 he was awarded the ‘Young Artist Award’ by the Royal Philharmonic Society.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music — Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008, at 8 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY



GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, violin

MEMBERS OF THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC



STRAUSS Till Eulengpiegel-einmal anders!

MOZART String Quintet in C major, K. 515

MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581



The Chamber Music Society series is supported by a generous grant from the Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation.



FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008, at 8 PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2008, at 8 PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2008, at 2 PM



GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, conductor

SIMON TRPČESKI, piano



SALONEN Insomnia

PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 1

BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique

The March 28 – 30 concerts are generously sponsored by UBS.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BP Hall one hour prior to the Friday through Sunday concerts, and are free to all ticket holders. Steven Stucky, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and Consulting Composer for New Music for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, hosts.

Tickets ($22 - $47 for March 26; $40 - $142 for March 28 – 30) 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. When available, choral bench seats ($15) are released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances two weeks prior to the concert. 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 10 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For information, please call 323.850.2000.

# # #