Colburn School 2024–25 Season — Preview

2024–25 Season Highlights

Colburn Orchestra

The premier ensemble of the Colburn Conservatory of Music performs throughout Southern California.

Saturday, September 28, 2024: Carlos Miguel Prieto, Conductor | Aleksandra Melaniuk, Conductor | Bence Bubreg, Clarinet

WAGNER Prelude from Tristan und Isolde
NIELSEN Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 in F Major

The season opens with an evening of soulful masterworks rife with musical and emotional turmoil. The ever-shifting textures and styles of Nielson's single-movement clarinet concerto are paired with Brahms’s Third Symphony, which exudes the composer’s characteristic angst as it alternates between major and minor. The moody prelude to Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde rounds out the program.
At Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium.

Saturday, October 26, 2024: Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor | Ray Ushikubo, Violin

SAARIAHO Lumière et Pesanteur
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D Minor
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D Major

Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall for an all-Finnish program. After an ethereal piece by Kaija Saariaho – a work dedicated to Salonen himself – the violin shines in Sibelius’s brooding Violin Concerto before the soaring melodies and triumphant timbre of Sibelius’s Second Symphony close out the concert. Presented by the LA Phil.
At Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Saturday, November 23, 2024: Lidiya Yankovskaya, Conductor | Eugene Lin, Cello

STRAUSS Don Quixote
ESMAIL RE|Member
DEBUSSY La mer (The sea)

The journey of errant knight Don Quixote is depicted through solo instruments in Strauss’s tone poem of the same name. Debussy brings an undulating seascape to life in his famous La mer, and a piece by Renee Esmail uses a unique oboe duet to capture the uncertainty felt in concert halls in 2021.
At Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium.

Saturday, February 1, 2025: Yehuda Gilad, Conductor | Duncan McDougall, Violin

SARAH GIBSON Painting the Floor
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 6
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto

The two critically-panned works on this program have since become audience favorites. Shostakovich’s Sixth starts with an achingly emotional slow movement before plunging toward a fast and fiery finish. In Tchaikovsky's lively Violin Concerto, the virtuosic demands made on the soloist never fail to leave audiences awestruck. A David Hockney-inspired piece by Sarah Gibson opens the concert.
At Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium.

Saturday, March 22, 2025: Mert Yalniz & Aleksandra Melaniuk, Conductors [Salonen Fellows]

Under the batons of Salonen Fellows Mert Yalniz and Aleksandra Melaniuk, soloists from the Conservatory perform concerto movements with the Colburn Orchestra.
At Zipper Hall.

Saturday, April 12, 2025: Stéphane Denève, Conductor | Chi-Jo Lee, Piano

GERSHWIN An American in Paris
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G Major
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

This afternoon of playful pieces begins with Gershwin’s An American in Paris, which paints a vivid picture of life in the French capital—bustling streets, car horns, and all. The musical fireworks continue in a jazz-influenced piano concerto by Ravel before the lively spirit and dance-like melodies of Dvořák’s Eight Symphony close out the program. Presented by The Soraya.
At Northridge’s The Soraya.

Colburn Chamber Music Society

The Colburn Chamber Music Society (CCMS) series features renowned guest artists joined on stage by Conservatory of Music students and faculty for a set of intimate performances.

Sunday, September 15, 2024: Jennifer Koh, Violin

MISSY MAZZOLI Lies You Can Believe In for String Trio
NINA YOUNG Spero Lucem for Piano Quartet
FAURÉ Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor
SCHUMANN Piano Quartet in E-flat Major

A multifaceted artist with a passion for new music, violinist Jennifer Koh continually enchants audiences with her virtuosity and technical prowess. She takes the Colburn stage for a program blending classic and contemporary.

Sunday, October 13, 2024: Louis Lortie, Piano

SAINT-SAËNS Caprice sur des airs danois et russes
FAURÉ Piano Quartet No. 2
ROUSSEL Divertissement for Winds and Piano
HAHN Piano Quintet

Celebrated for his passionate playing and unique musical interpretations, award-winning French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie boasts an impressive career as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. He takes the stage for a program of innovative chamber works by French contemporaries Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Roussel, and Hahn.

Sunday, November 10, 2024: Paul Watkins, Cello

Carlos SIMON be still and know for Piano Trio
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Clarinet Quintet
WAGNER Lohengrin Prelude for Cello Quartet
MOZART Horn Quintet
BRITTEN Sinfonietta for Wind and String Quintets

Cellist Paul Watkins’s remarkable artistic resume includes membership in the famed Emerson String Quartet, eight concerto appearances at the BBC Proms, and regular performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He curates a program sure to excite both wind and string lovers alike with its unique instrumental combinations.

Sunday, January 19, 2025: Jonathan Brown, Viola

MOZART String Quartet No. 1 in G Major
STEVE REICH Different Trains for String Quartet and Tape
SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht for String Sextet

Violist Jonathan Brown, Colburn’s newly appointed professor of chamber music, is a longtime member of the acclaimed Cuarteto Casals. With the quartet, he has performed in major concert halls across the globe and amassed a robust library of recordings. For his Colburn debut, Brown pairs Mozart’s charming String Quartet No. 1 with eclectic works by Schoenberg and Steve Reich.

Sunday, March 30, 2025: Afendi Yusuf, Clarinet

PENDERECKI Quartet for Clarinet and Strings
VILLA-LOBOS Quintette en forme de chôros
BRAHMS Clarinet Quintet in B Minor

Cleveland Orchestra principal clarinet Afendi Yusuf has become an in-demand soloist and chamber musician thanks to his “clear, liquid tone, pitch-perfect intonation, and effortless technique” (Chicago Classical Review). The Conservatory alumnus returns to the Colburn stage for a program of quartets and quintets by Brahms, Villa-Lobos, and Penderecki.

Colburn Presents

Thursday, September 5, 2024, Trio Azura in Recital | Thayer Hall

Duncan McDougall, Violin; Yejin Hong, Cello; Yanfeng Tony Bai, Piano

RACHMANINOFF Trio elégiaque No. 1
JENNIFER HIGDON Piano Trio No. 1
SCHUBERT Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major

Fresh off their 2024 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition win, Trio Azura performs an intimate concert of piano trio works by Rachmaninoff, Schubert, and Jennifer Higdon.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024, William Hagen, Violin, and Albert Cano Smit, Piano | Thayer Hall

SCHUMANN Violin Sonata No. 2
DVOŘÁK Sonatina
BARTOK Rhapsody No. 1
RAVEL Tzigane

The dynamic alumni duo of violinist William Hagen and pianist Albert Cano Smit take the Colburn stage once again for a program of Dvořák, Schumann, Bartok, and Ravel.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024, Calidore String Quartet + Erich Wolfgang Korngold | Zipper Hall

KORNGOLD String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 16
KORNGOLD String Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 26
KORNGOLD String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34

The acclaimed Calidore String Quartet returns to its alma mater for a week of intimate performances and master classes. Winner of BBC Music Magazine’s 2024 Chamber Award, Calidore has been praised for its “deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct” (New York Times).

Friday, November 15, 2024, Calidore String Quartet + Quartet Integra| Zipper Hall

MARSALIS Selections from String Quartet No. 1 ('At The Octoroon Balls') (1998)
KORNGOLD String Sextet, Op. 10 (1916)
MENDELOSSHN String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 (1825)

Friday, February 7, 2025, Marko Topchii, guitar, in Recital | Thayer Hall

FREDERIC HAND Undercurrents
BACH Partita No. 2 in C Minor
ARAUD DUMOND Comme un Hommage à Ravel
RAVEL Pavane, Sonatine, Alborada del Gracioso (arr. Topchii)
SHEVCHENKO Carpathian Rhapsody
POULENC Sarabande
DOWLAND Chromatic Fantasy
MANGORE Un Sueño en la Floresta
GIULIANI Six Variations
LEO BROUWER La Gran Sarabande
RODRIGO Toccata
GRAEME KOEHNE A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design

Marko Topchii, winner of the 2023 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, performs guitar classics, contemporary works, and unique arrangements.

Sunday, February 9, 2025, Quartet Integra and Fabio Bidini in Recital | Thayer Hall

SCHUMANN Piano Quintet in E-flat Major
BRAHMS Piano Quintet in F Minor

Delight in an evening of masterworks performed by Van Cliburn-winning pianist Fabio Bidini and Quartet Integra, Colburn’s ensemble-in-residence. These talented musicians will bring to life Brahms’s and Schumann’s only piano quintets, two of the most popular in the genre.

Friday, February 14, 2025, Steven Isserlis & Connie Shih in Recital| Zipper Hall

BEETHOVEN Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor
MARTINŮ Cello Sonata No. 2
BOULANGER Trois Pièces for Cello and Piano
GRIEG Cello Sonata in A Minor

Superstar cellist Steven Isserlis comes to DTLA for a special duo recital with longtime collaborator Connie Shih on piano. “A musical force to be reckoned with" (Toronto Star), the pair brings a program of virtuoso cello sonatas by Beethoven, Martinů, and Grieg, plus a short piece by Nadia Boulanger.

Saturday, February 15, 2025, Adrian Dunn Singers| Zipper Hall

Adrian Dunn, Colburn’s Director of Choral Programs, leads a joyous musical celebration of Black History Month featuring acappella spirituals and original compositions for chorus. The program will be performed by the Adrian Dunn Singers, an all-Black professional ensemble founded by Dunn and dedicated to transforming classical music and the music industry at large.

Friday, March 28, 2025, Kerson Leong, violin, in Recital | Thayer Hall

POULENC Violin Sonata
FAURÉ Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major
BOULANGER Deux Morceaux
FRANCK Violin Sonata in A Major

Kerson Leong, described by the Toronto Star as “not just one of Canada’s greatest violinists but one of the greatest violinists, period," performs a dynamic program of sonatas by Poulenc, Fauré, Boulanger, and Franck.

Recovered Voices

The Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at Colburn brings to life important repertory by composers whose careers and lives were disrupted and destroyed during the years of the Nazi regime in Europe.

Wednesday, September 17, 2024 | ARC Ensemble | Thayer Hall

Pre-Concert Lecture featuring Maestro James Conlon and ARC Ensemble Artistic Director Simon Wynberg

KAUFMANN Sonatina No. 12 for Clarinet and Piano
KANITZ String Quartet in D Major
BLOCK Suite for Clarinet and Piano
LAKS Quintet for Piano and Strings

Canada’s Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory), a group dedicated to the recovery of suppressed and lost 20th-century music, performs a program of rarely-heard works for clarinet, piano, and strings.

Sunday, February 16, 2025, Recovered Voices Recital | Thayer Hall

Adam Millstein, Violin & Dominic Cheli, Piano

KAUDER Violin Sonata in A Minor
KORNGOLD Marietta’s Lied
KORNGOLD Serenade from Der Schneemann
SCHOENBERG Phantasy
ZEISL Brandeis Sonata

The dynamic duo of violinist Adam Millstein and pianist Dominic Cheli performs concert works by talented émigré, many of whom made Los Angeles their home. The innovative creations of these composers influenced each other and profoundly impacted the trajectory of 20th century music.

Saturday, March 15, 2025, Music of Poland | Zipper Hall

Aleksandra Melaniuk, Conductor | Alena Hove, Violin & Martha Chan, Flute

WEINBERG Concertino for Violin and String Orchestra, Op. 42
WEINBERG Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra, Op. 75
WEINBERG Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 145

Despite being a friend and contemporary of Shostakovich, the musical genius of Mieczysław Weinberg went unrecognized for much of the 20th century due to Soviet-Era suppression. This concert highlights three of Weinberg’s more than 150 works: a playful flute concerto, a concertino for violin and string orchestra, and a dramatic chamber symphony.