Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra to Debut Series at The Huntington

To help celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will perform three concerts in Rothenberg Hall at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.
The series, entitled “In Focus,” will provide insights into the backstories of the great chamber music repertoire through the lens of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s artists in an intimate setting. The first performance will take place on Weds., Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and includes the chamber works of Mozart and Brahms.
Among the selections for Wednesday’s show are Brahms’ Horn Trio and String Sextet in B-flat major and Mozart’s D Major Flute Quartet. Featured Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra artists are Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, violin Jacqueline Brand, Associate Principal viola Victoria Miskolczy, viola Robert Brophy, Principal cello Andrew Shulman, cello Trevor Handy, Principal flute Joachim Becerra Thomsen, Principal horn Michael Thornton and guest Bernadene Blaha, piano.
“In Focus” continues at The Huntington on April 5 with clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms featuring Principal clarinet Joshua Ranz, and concludes May 10 with Principal oboe Claire Brazeau and special guest pianist Robert Theis featured on Mozart’s Oboe Quartet, Brahms’s Piano Quartet and works by Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann. At both concerts, NPR’s Renée Montagne moderates a discussion at the conclusion of the program.
Tickets, starting at $49, are available online at laco.org, or by calling the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at (213) 622 7001. Single tickets can also be purchased at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Discounted tickets are available by phone for groups of 12 or more. College students with valid student ID may purchase tickets for $8, subject to availability.
“This is a new program and I am very excited,” Batjer said in a phone interview. “The program is called ‘In Focus’ and the focus is obviously on the music, but also on the performers and the conversation will involve some of the musicians who are performing. This will also provide a way to get to know the performers more personally. There will be discussion during the concert that will allow musicians to give an introduction to the music we are performing.”
At Wednesday’s show, Principal horn Michael Thornton will talk about the Brahms Horn Trio.
“Michael will talk about the differences of playing a piece on a modern horn that was written for an older instrument,” Batjer said. “Hopefully we will give the audience a little insight into what they are going to hear. When they share their personal and historical references to the music, it becomes more personal. This is a way for the listener to connect to that piece of music in a different way.”