All entries by this author

Classical Focus: Oct. 11 – 20

October 10, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

The Los Angeles chamber music scene has so much to offer this time of the year that it is difficult to know where to begin this week.  The opening gala of the Los Angeles Master Chorale Sunday, Oct. 16, will be especially unique, and any of the outstanding instrumental groups performing this week will be [...]



Music Review: Dudamel and the LA Phil with Herbie Hancock

October 1, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

The Los Angeles Philharmonic season-opening gala at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sept. 27 was more than just another star-studded event as eight-time Grammy Award-winning pianist Herbie Hancock, now the LA Philharmonic Creative Chair for Jazz, stepped bravely into an exciting new musical adventure.  The “Rhapsody in Blue” theme sported an all-Gershwin program that featured [...]



Classical Focus, Sept. 7 – 11

September 6, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

This week is a perfect time to sample the artistry of the remarkable pianists from the Los Angeles area.  There are recitals galore as the local university faculties parade, making for a fine week to focus on the classical pianists of LA.  So, while we wait with anticipation for the chamber season to open, marvel [...]



Classical Focus, July 28 – Aug. 25

July 26, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

Jump into the cool sounds of the summertime — the L.A. scene is hot.  Ah, these summer days, these summer days!
Here are a few highlights that we think you will enjoy from the summer music calendar for August in Los Angeles.
LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl
The LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC at the Hollywood Bowl is [...]



Music Review: Southwest Chamber Music Summer Festival

July 19, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera, Featured Articles

Bravo for a bold piece of programming!  Southwest Chamber Music opened its four-program Summer Festival outdoors on the art gallery loggia at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens July 9 and 10 with a fantastic first installment on its unique promise of delivering the complete body of Mozart string quintets.  Hearing these magnificent [...]



Music Review: Salastina Music Society Season Finale

June 21, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

Violinists and Co-directors Kevin Kumar and Maia Jasper celebrated a great first-anniversary concert of the Salastina Music Society as they closed their inaugural season June 18 at the Colburn School’s Thayer Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
The Salastina Music Society is a distinctive new element in the LA chamber music scene with a contemporary approach to [...]



Classical Focus, June 15 – 23

June 13, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

The early summer schedules are free, or nearly so, and the weather is great.  Ah, summertime in LA, the fiddles are jumpin’ and the listenin’ is easy!
Wednesday, June 15, if you are near Glendale or Pasadena, then why not enjoy one of these FREE afternoon chamber music concerts with lunch and a few friends?  The [...]



Classical Focus, May 19 – 22

May 18, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

The chamber music season in Los Angeles may be winding down for the summer, but the stages are still lively this week with four great concerts that are all worth your attention.  Thursday night, don’t pass up the opportunity to hear the moving music of Steve Reich and Yotam Haber at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall.  Then, [...]



Classical Focus, May 10 – 17

May 9, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

The chamber music scene in Los Angeles is truly world class, and this week there is music for every preference from the very old to the very new.  Start the week this Tuesday, May 10, at Walt Disney Concert Hall with HESPÈRION XXI and their musical celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence that [...]



Music Review: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

May 1, 2011 | By Theodore Bell | Category: Classical Music and Opera

Jeffrey Kahane and Allan Vogel were brilliant in their performances with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) as the 2011 Westside Connections season closed with chamber music and discussion on Thursday, April 28, at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center Eli and Edythe Broad Stage.
LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer directs this unique series that [...]