Our 2012 Season kicked off on March 10 with an amazing multimedia concert of 19th century American songs by MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE, featuring soprano Karen Benjamin, pianist Victoria Kirsch, bass-baritone Cedric Berry, and KUSC morning show host (and frequent L.A. Philharmonic pre-concert lecturer) Alan Chapman, double bass and vocals.
This is the music that helped define America. The songs were spiritual, political, romantic…or just plain fun!
On April 28, the dynamic duo 4HandsLA—award-winning pianists STEVEN VANHAUWAERT and DANNY HOLT—dazzled us with a piano four-hands concert.
Piano four-hands—two pianists playing on the same piano—is a rare concert treat, and a doubly rich pianistic experience!
Steven and Danny played the Mozart Sonata in D Major for Four Hands, KV 381, and the charming Poulenc Sonata for Piano Four Hands, and finished this fabulous concert with Ravel’s exciting Rapsodie Espagnole.
Our audience was so wowed by this duo’s musicality, technical expertise, sheer exuberance and fun that we’ve named Steven and Danny as our new Artists in Residence beginning with our 2013 Season.
On May 19, the UPSTREAM ENSEMBLE, led by concert pianist and composer Marek Zebrowski, performed the world premiere of the Brahms Triumphlied transcribed for piano quintet.
This concert was the culmination of a 3-year composition project commissioned by L.A. Musical Salon. This new chamber piece was scored for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass, and expands the repertoire available for this relatively rare instrumentation, which is the same as Schubert’s beloved Trout piano quintet.
Rousing and uplifting, the debut of this new chamber piece was enthusiastically welcomed by the audience at this premiere.