LA Phil and YOLA Musicians Visit Princeton University
Concerts as Part of Gustavo Dudamel’s First Major
Academic Residency
 

Los Angeles, CA (January 4, 2019) – Five musicians from the LA Phil and eleven musicians from Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), including five YOLA alumni, will travel to Princeton University this month as part of Gustavo Dudamel’s residency at Princeton University Concerts, in celebration of its 125th anniversary as one of the oldest concert series in the country. In addition to the LA Phil and YOLA performances, Dudamel's January 7 through 9 visit will also include panel discussions on topics including the intersection of art and faith, civic engagement, and El Sistema.

On January 7, LA Phil musicians Bing Wang (violin), Rebecca Reale (violin), Teng Li (viola), Ben Hong (cello), and Boris Allakhverdyan (clarinet) will perform music by Mozart, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, and a new work by Princeton faculty composer Juri Seo. In the lead up to this performance, a YOLA woodwind quintet and a YOLA string sextet will perform works by Alexander Glazunov, Jacques Ibert, and Zequinha de Abreu.

The YOLA musicians will also tour the Princeton campus, as well as meet with musicians from Trenton Music Makers, a New Jersey-based El Sistema program.

On January 9, Dudamel will be joined by Elsje Kibler-Vermaas (LA Phil’s Vice President, Learning), Anne Fitzgibbon (Founder and Executive Director of NYC’s Harmony Program), and Lou Chen (Princeton undergraduate student in the class of 2019) in a discussion on El Sistema moderated by Stanley Katz (Professor of Public and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies at Princeton). The visit will also include a post-concert panel discussion with Princeton University professors Alexander Nehamas and Elaine Pagels, moderated by Dudamel, on “Art & Faith” on January 7, and a conversation in Spanish between Dudamel and Princeton Professor Javier Guerrero titled “La Música Como Libertad: Gustavo Dudamel en Princeton” on January 8.

Dudamel’s first major academic residency takes place over the course of three visits to Princeton’s campus in December 2018, January 2019, and April 2019, and includes concerts curated and led by Dudamel, community and educational events, and a series of themed talks, discussions, and interdisciplinary exhibits exploring music’s relationship to the world around us. A full list of events for Dudamel’s residency can be viewed at princetonuniversityconcerts.org.

The participating current YOLA musicians are:

Audrey Chung, horn, grade 10, YOLA at HOLA
Fabiola Marinero, violin, grade 11, YOLA at EXPO Center
Sergio Paez, violin, grade 10, YOLA at Torres
Gizelle Polanco, cello, grade 12, YOLA at EXPO Center
Jackie Rodriguez, cello, grade 12, YOLA at EXPO Center
Jennifer Santos, viola, grade 8, YOLA at EXPO Center

The participating YOLA alumni are:

Daniel Egwurube, flute, junior at University of Nevada Las Vegas, YOLA at EXPO Center alum
John Gonzalez, bassoon, freshman at Peabody Conservatory, YOLA at HOLA alum
Alice Morales, oboe, junior at Cal State University Fullerton, YOLA at EXPO Center alum
Juliana Rodriguez, viola, junior at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, YOLA at EXPO Center alum      
Dameon Williams, clarinet, sophomore at University of California, Los Angeles, YOLA at EXPO Center alum

YOLA at EXPO Center is a partnership of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Harmony Project, and the EXPO Center, a City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks facility. YOLA at HOLA is a partnership between the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). YOLA at Torres is located on the campus of Esteban E. Torres High School, Torres East L.A. Performing Arts Magnet.

About the Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of music from all genres – orchestral, chamber and Baroque music, organ and celebrity recitals, new music, jazz, world music and pop – at two of L.A.’s iconic venues, Walt Disney Concert Hall (laphil.com) and the Hollywood Bowl (hollywoodbowl.com). The LA Phil’s season at Walt Disney Concert Hall extends from September through June and throughout the summer at the Hollywood Bowl. With the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic at the foundation of its offerings, the LA Phil aims to enrich and transform lives through music, with a robust mix of artistic, education and community programs.

Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA)
Through Gustavo Dudamel’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) program – inspired by Venezuela’s revolutionary El Sistema – the LA Phil and its community partners provide free instruments, intensive music training, and academic support to over 1200 students from vulnerable communities, empowering them to become vital citizens, leaders, and agents of change. YOLA provides each student, from the ages of 6 to 18, with a strong musical and social foundation through participation in 12-15 hours of programming each week.

With YOLA sites in South L.A., the Rampart District, Westlake/MacArthur Park and East L.A., YOLA engages students from more than 200 schools in L.A. County. Music study is complemented by leadership development opportunities, parent workshops, and performances. YOLA’s young musicians have performed on great stages all over the world, including the LA Phil’s two iconic venues – the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall – in many other locations throughout Southern California, on national and international television broadcasts, and alongside the greatest artists. 
 
On August 15, the Los Angeles Philharmonic unveiled the architectural design by Gehry Partners, LLC, for its new Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center at Inglewood: the first permanent, purpose-built facility for Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA).

For more information please visit laphil.com/yola