Jeffrey Kahane Leads Bach Sonatas at LA Chamber Orch Baroque Conversations, 4/19

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) continues its popular "Baroque Conversations" with a program featuring three Bach sonatas performed by LACO Music Director and keyboardist Jeffrey Kahane and three LACO principals on Thursday, April 19, 2012, 7 pm, at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Kahane, who celebrates his 15th anniversary as LACO music director, performs the Viola da Gamba Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 with Principal Cello Andrew Shulman; the Oboe Sonata in G minor, BWV 1030b with Principal Oboe Allan Vogel; and the Violin Sonata in E major, BWV 1016 with Concertmaster Margaret Batjer. Kahane shares his insights into the music from the stage and invites questions from the audience. A complimentary pre-concert wine reception for ticket holders begins at 6 pm.

LACO's "Baroque Conversations" series explores the genesis of orchestral repertoire from early Baroque schools through the pre-classical period.

Tickets ($50) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001 x 1, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Student rush tickets ($10), based on availability, may be purchased at the box office one hour prior to the concert with appropriate college ID.

Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, JEFFREY KAHANE has established an international reputation as a versatile artist, recognized for his mastery of diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. In 2011-12, Kahane celebrates his 15th season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He previously served as music director of the Colorado and Santa Rosa symphonies. He has garnered critical acclaim for his innovative programming and commitment to education and community involvement and received multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming for his work in both Los Angeles and Denver. In addition to his projects with LACO, he has recently appeared at the Aspen, Mostly Mozart, Blossom, Music@Menlo and Oregon Bach festivals; performed concertos with the Toronto and Houston symphonies; guest conducted the San Francisco, National and Indianapolis symphonies; and play/conducted programs in Europe with the Camerata Salzburg and Hamburg Symphony. Upcoming highlights for Kahane include concerto performances with the Indianapolis, Oregon and Colorado symphonies and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; play/conduct programs with the New York Philharmonic and with the Vancouver, Seattle, New Jersey, Omaha and Santa Rosa symphonies; his debut conducting the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center; play/conducting a Beyond the Score program with the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a solo/chamber music program at Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the LA Phil in honor of his 15th anniversary as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

MARGARET BATJER, who curates LACO's Westside Connections series, joined the Orchestra as concertmaster in 1998. She made her first solo appearance at the age of 15 with the Chicago Symphony in Gian Carlo Menotti's Violin Concerto. Since then, she has been re-engaged by the Chicago Symphony, as well as a succession of other major orchestras. Batjer has also appeared as a soloist throughout Europe with orchestras including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Equally respected as a chamber musician, Batjer has performed regularly at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest, the La Jolla Summerfest, the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, and the Naples and Cremona festivals in Italy. She has recorded the Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor for Philips with Salvatore Accardo and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and more recently for Deutsche Grammophon with Hilary Hahn and LACO. Batjer has won numerous prizes, including the G.B. Dealey Award in Dallas. She joined the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at USC in 2005.

ANDREW SHULMAN's career as cellist and conductor has taken him round the world. As conductor, he has performed extensively in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and Scandinavia. He is a regular guest conductor with the Britten-Pears Orchestra, the Ambache, Haydn and BranDon Hill chamber orchestras in London and Bristol, and the Salomon and Jönköping orchestras in the UK and Sweden. He has conducted the world premieres of several major works, including the first performance of a previously unpublished work by Benjamin Britten with the Britten-Pears Orchestra. In the field of opera, he has conducted Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte at the Theatre Royal in Bristol. As soloist, Shulman has performed all of the major cello concertos with orchestras in Europe, the US and the Far East, including the Philharmonia Orchestra; the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; the Los Angeles and Royal Liverpool philharmonics; and the City of Birmingham, Utah and Singapore symphonies. He also directed the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the London Chamber Orchestra in concerto performances from the solo cello chair. Shulman studied cello, composition and conducting at London's Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. He became a professor at the historic Royal College of Music in 1986, has given master classes around the world, and this year joined the faculty at USC. He was bestowed with an Honorary RCM by HRH The Queen Mother and is the first British winner of the prestigious Piatigorsky Artist Award. He has also recorded over 25 CDs with EMI as cellist of the Britten Quartet. Formerly the principal cello of the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Shulman joined the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra as principal cello in 2008.