Ruth Reinhardt will conduct the Colburn Orchestra at the Ambassador Auditorium. [Images courtesy of the Colburn School]
“It’s wonderful for us to be in Pasadena, to have the opportunity to play in a wonderful hall in Pasadena because we know that we have a lot of supporters of the Colburn school who will be coming to that performance,” said Lee Cioppa, Dean at Colburn Conservatory of Music.
Cioppa, who resides in Pasadena, said the orchestra will perform in the Ambassador Auditorium three times this season.
The group has not been able to perform in the Auditorium since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when concerts were banned.
The 2022-23 season kicks off with an “emotional journey from a turbulent Brahms overture to Bartok’s lively Concerto for Orchestra.”
The opening will also feature the performance of one of Colburn’s trumpet students, according to Cioppa. The orchestra will perform for the Pasadena audience under the direction of Ruth Reinhardt, who will conduct the Colburn Orchestra for the first time.
“I’m thrilled to have her joining us,” Cioppa said of Reinhardt. “She’s just an incredible up and coming talent in the conducting world.”
According to Cioppa, Colburn Orchestra is comprised of between 75 to 90 students of Colburn Conservatory of Music, which itself has a total of 130 students.
“When you see the Colburn Orchestra on stage, you’re actually seeing most of the conservatory students on stage at the same time.”
Despite being students, she said that that members of the Colburn Orchestra, who are extremely talented, already sound like professionals.
“If you just go to a Colburn Orchestra concert and didn’t know [that they are students] you would absolutely think that you were hearing a professional ensemble — they are just incredibly gifted,” she said.
Cioppa urged residents not to miss the opportunity to hear the incredible music that will be produced by the students at the upcoming concert, adding that years from now these students will grace grander stages.
“So many of our students actually will go on to positions in professional orchestras and it’s a very special thing, I think, to [see and hear] these extraordinary positions just as they’re really launching into their careers.”
“20 years from now, I hope you are buying tickets to see them across the street at Disney Hall or maybe even just five years from now.”
To get tickets for the upcoming concert: visit https://checkout.colburnschool.edu/316/343?z=0
The second concert of the Colburn Orchestra at Ambassador Auditorium, which will be held on Saturday, November 19 will feature a “dazzling double concerto that perfectly marries the violin and cello’s lush tones.”
Music Director Yehuda Gilad will be Colburn Orchestra’s conductor for the concert.
The third concert, which features “two Romantic era giants” will be held on February 25, 2023. For the concert, the orchestra will be under the direction of conductor James Conlon.
Now in its 19th season, the Colburn Orchestra has already performed for Southern California audiences at venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Royce Hall, The Broad Stage, Segerstrom Concert Hall, and The Soraya.
In August 2018, the ensemble made its United Kingdom debut at the Edinburgh International Festival. For more information about Colburn Orchestra, visit: https://www.colburnschool.edu
