Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads 101 young musicians from across the country during the “Take a Stand” symposium and festival | Photo by Brian Lauritzen If you have questions about the future of classical music, you’re not going to find answers in an orchestra’s administrative offices or the board room of a big opera company. I … Continue reading Meet the Future Faces of Classical Music
Scully at the Bowl
Vin Scully on stage with Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl On Thursday night, Hall of Fame former Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully’s voice once again wafted over the summer evening breezes of Southern California. There was no crack of the bat, no mention of deuces being wild, and no radio dial in sight (at least … Continue reading Scully at the Bowl
Behind the Scenes of the Ojai Music Festival with Vijay Iyer
Photo by Barbara Rigon | Homepage photo by Lena Adasheva Vijay Iyer is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, electronic musician, and writer. He’s a winner of the MacArthur Fellowship, the so-called “Genius Award.” And he’s this year’s music director for the Ojai Music Festival, which runs from June 8th to 11th in majestic Ojai. KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen sat … Continue reading Behind the Scenes of the Ojai Music Festival with Vijay Iyer
5 Questions for Michael Giacchino
This weekend, the American Youth Symphony will present a screening of Star Trek Into Darkness with the film score played live to picture. David Newman will conduct Michael Giacchino's exhilarating score and Giacchino will be on hand for a pre-concert/screening Q&A with film music journalist (and frequent KUSC contributor) Jon Burlingame. Details here. In advance … Continue reading 5 Questions for Michael Giacchino
Kicking Brass: An Interview with the LA Phil’s Andrew Bain and Thomas Hooten
This week’s LA Philharmonic radio broadcast on Classical KUSC features two concerto performances by two LA Phil brass principals. Thomas Hooten, principal trumpet, will play Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat. Andrew Bain, principal French horn, will play Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4. Before the performance, which was recorded in February 2015, I sat down with … Continue reading Kicking Brass: An Interview with the LA Phil’s Andrew Bain and Thomas Hooten
Street Symphony’s Musical Activism: “We’re creating deeply vulnerable spaces where we’re allowed to feel.”
“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” ~Robert Schumann Schumann's simple creed has become the mission of a group of local musicians and musical activists known as Street Symphony: the brainchild of LA Philharmonic violinist Vijay Gupta, who tells me it grew out of a relationship … Continue reading Street Symphony’s Musical Activism: “We’re creating deeply vulnerable spaces where we’re allowed to feel.”
Yo-Yo Ma: “Part of creativity is accepting all the things we don’t know, because that’s when you start to explore.”
The Urban Dictionary definition is as follows: goat rodeo (noun): 1. A chaotic situation, often one that involves several people, each with a different agenda/vision/perception of what's going on. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s definition is a little bit different: “If there were forks in the road and each time there was a fork, the right decision … Continue reading Yo-Yo Ma: “Part of creativity is accepting all the things we don’t know, because that’s when you start to explore.”
Remixing the Rite
It’s not every day that electronic music DJs dabble in the classical music realm…but often, when they do, the results are less than thrilling. Okay…Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won an Oscar for that last one—a remix of In the Hall of the Mountain King, from Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt. "There's this increasing wave in … Continue reading Remixing the Rite
Kenneth Turan on 2013 Oscar Nominations
Here I am chatting with LA Times and Arts Alive film critic Kenneth Turan about this year's Oscar nominations. Surprises, omissions, and *gasp* perhaps a snub in a minor category? For more from Turan, including his thoughts on the 1971 Claude Sautet policier Max et les Ferrailleurs, tune into Arts Alive this Saturday morning at … Continue reading Kenneth Turan on 2013 Oscar Nominations
Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic on Stravinsky’s Rite
This weekend, the LA Philharmonic performs Igor Stravinsky's seminal masterpiece, The Rite of Spring, with music director Gustavo Dudamel. The concerts mark the opening of the 2012-13 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall. I spoke with Dudamel as well as several members of the LA Phil about what it's like to perform The Rite. Here … Continue reading Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic on Stravinsky’s Rite
Brian Lauritzen 