LA Chamber Orchestra World Premieres Andrew Norman's MUSIC IN CIRCLES III April 20, 2013

The highly anticipated world premiere of Music in Circles III, a new piece by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) Composer-in-Residence Andrew Norman, is the centerpiece of LACO's “Concertos: Handel & Mozart” orchestral concert on Saturday, April 20, 2013, 8 pm, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, and Sunday, April 21, 2013, 7 pm, at Royce Hall, UCLA. Illustrating perfectly the Orchestra’s unique artistic sensibilities, dazzling technical skills and astonishing versatility across a wide spectrum of musical idioms, the evening also features Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, hailed as one of the world’s foremost Mozart interpreters, conducting and playing the composer’s towering Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482. In addition, Handel’s virtuosic Concerto Grosso in A major, Op. 6, No. 11, is led by LACO Concertmaster Margaret Batjer from the first chair, as was standard practice during the Baroque era, and Kahane assumes the podium to conduct Ginastera’s Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23, a chamber orchestra tour de force.

“Music in Circles III is about gradual transformation – from one sound into another, from one instrument to another, from one kind of music to another," says Norman, whose music, described as “Chaplinesque” (Los Angeles Times), is critically acclaimed for its “daring juxtapositions and dazzling colors” (The New York Times). "Over the course of ten minutes, the piece moves on a multi-layered journey from stillness to frenzy and back again; and from the most intimate, isolated sounds that an orchestra can make to the most expansive and communal. Along the way it features every single one of LACO’s phenomenal players in a moment of solo playing, showing the orchestra to be both a collection of different, unique voices and a powerful, collective whole.”

Norman's work is presented as part of LACO’s innovative “Sound Investment” commissioning initiative, now in its 12th year. The program gives investor members the rare opportunity to create a legacy in music and to observe first-hand the development of a new work from the composer’s earliest ideas to the finished composition. Participants invest $150 to $300 for a membership, which includes salons throughout the season that feature in-depth discussion with the composer about his creative process and previews of the final work.

A graduate of USC and Yale, Norman currently lives and works in Brooklyn. The LACO concerts featuring Norman’s world premiere are included in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Brooklyn Festival, which highlights the creative energy and compelling music emerging from New York’s most dynamic borough that blurs the lines between classical and popular, between rock and experimental, and between the concert hall and the nightclub.

Norman discusses his new piece and creative process at LACO’s Concert Preludes, pre-concert talks held one hour before curtain and free for ticket holders.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is considered one of the world’s premier chamber orchestras as well as a leader in presenting wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissions. Its 2012-13 season, the Orchestra's 44th, features a compelling mix of beloved masterpieces and genre-defying premieres from firmly established and notable up-and-coming composers programmed by Jeffrey Kahane, one of the world’s foremost conductors and pianists, who marks his 16th season as LACO’s music director.

Andrew Norman’s residency is funded in part through New Music USA's MetLife Creative Connections program.

Tickets ($25 – $110) are on sale now and may be purchased online at laco.org, by calling LACO at 213 622 7001, or at the venue box office on the night of the concert, if tickets remain. Discounted tickets are also available by phone for seniors 65 years of age and older and groups of 12 or more. College students may purchase student rush tickets ($10), based on availability, at the box office the day of the concert; also available for college students is the $25 “Campus to Concert Hall All Access Pass” – good for all seven of LACO’s Orchestral Series concerts at either the Alex Theatre or UCLA’s Royce Hall, LACO’s Discover Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 at Ambassador Auditorium and for all three Westside Connections concerts at The Broad Stage, plus other benefits.

Official Website: http://www.laco.org