From Top clockwise: Jaime Martin, Margaret Badjer, Andrew Shulman, Tereza Stanislav, Josefina Vergara, Claire Brazeau, Kenneth Munday, David Washburn. Photo courtesy LACO
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra throws open its virtual doors to the entire community, inviting the public to stream at no cost its digital 2021 gala, “Meet the Moment,” which celebrates the Orchestra’s virtuosic musicians, on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at 6 pm (PT). Filmed at iconic locations across Los Angeles, the gala includes dazzling performances and poignant reflections by Music Director Jaime Martín and the Orchestra’s artists and honors LACO’s long-time supporters and friends from Capital Group. Donations are accepted and proceeds from the virtual party supports LACO’s musicians. They also help ensure the future of LACO’s education programs, including Meet the Music. Martín and LACO Executive Director Ben Cadwallader host the gala, which is co-chaired by Jennifer Diener and Anne-Marie Spataru. It will be broadcast at laco.org/gala and LACO’s YouTube channel.
“LACO’s home stage is all of Los Angeles since the Orchestra typically performs in venues across the southland, and that’s reflected in ‘Meet the Moment,’” say Diener and Spataru. “We are delighted to welcome virtual audience members from L.A. and around the globe to celebrate LACO’s astonishing artistry.”
Cadwallader adds, “This gala has two main goals: celebrating and supporting the musicians in our Orchestra, and ensuring the future of LACO’s vital education programs. We also honor the trailblazing philanthropy of Capital Group. Over the last two decades, Capital Group executives have been generous LACO board members and donors, and we are grateful for their sustained support.”
Gala highlights include a special broadcast of selections from LACO’s 2019 performance of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and the finale of Prokofiev’s beloved “Classical Symphony,” plus an array of compelling musical performances from LACO’s 2020 SummerFest and the 2020/21 season of Close Quarters.
Additionally, the celebration includes a virtual auction, open to the public. Registered bidders will enjoy an array of glittering silent auction items that include a five-day stay in Reykjavik, Iceland (redeemable within two years) and a stay at the InterContinental Los Angeles in downtown LA, as well as specially curated collectors-edition items from Marvel, accessories from Armani, a photograph of Kobe Bryant by former LA Lakers’ photographer Atiba Jefferson, and more. The auction opens on April 14 and closes after the celebration on April 18.
Support for “Meet the Moment” comes from The Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. To support LACO, its stellar artists and digital programming, please visit LACO.org/donate or call (213) 622-7001, ext. 4.
LACO recognizes the generous support of the Colburn Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. The Orchestra also receives public funding via grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. James Darrah at LACO is generously underwritten by Ruth Eliel and Bill Cooney. Gil Shaham’s debut performances with LACO are generously supported by Terri & Jerry Kohl. LACO: Close Quarters series sponsors include Hilda Herrera Adler, Steve & Evelyn Block, Al Evans & Anna Rosicka, Peggy & Jack Falcon, Anne & Jeffrey Grausam, Diane Henderson, William & Priscilla Kennedy, Alan G. + Jane A. Lehman Foundation, Dana & Ned Newman, Dr. Hervey & Doris Segall, and Anne-Marie & Alex Spataru.
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), led by Music Director Jaime Martín, ranks among the world’s top musical ensembles. Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, LACO is a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and, with eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, a champion of contemporary composers. Headquartered in the heart of the country’s cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed “America’s finest chamber orchestra” (Public Radio International), “LA’s most unintimidating chamber music experience” (Los Angeles magazine), “resplendent” (Los Angeles Times), and “one of the world’s great chamber orchestras”(KUSC Classical FM). Martín, who builds upon LACO’s rich legacy, made his first appearance as LACO’s Music Director Designate in early 2019 in a concert described by the Los Angeles Times, as “a thrilling performance, and the orchestra played like it was having the time of its life,” adding, “he will make fans very quickly.” Overseas, he has been praised as “a visionary conductor, discerning and meticulous” (Platea Magazine), and London’s The Telegraph said, “his infectious enjoyment of the music communicated to the orchestra and audience alike.” Performing throughout greater Los Angeles, the Orchestra presents orchestral, Baroque and chamber concerts as well as salon evenings in private spaces and unique experiences that explore classical music’s cutting-edge sounds. The Orchestra has made 32 recordings, including, most recently, a 2019 BIS Records release of works for violin and chamber orchestra that features Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and the world premiere recording of Pierre Jalbert’s Violin Concerto (a LACO co-commission). LACO, with offices located in downtown Los Angeles, has toured Europe, South America and Japan, and performed across North America.
