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  • WDCH
  • daKAH HIP HOP ORCHESTRA SHAKES UP WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
  • Mar. 14, 2004
  • Ensemble Pushes the Boundaries of Musical Genre By Combining Traditional Hip Hop with Jazz and Classical Music

    SUNDAY, MARCH 14 AT 7:30 PM

    The ground-breaking daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra, conducted by Geoff "Double G" Gallegos (pictured), brings their distinctive sound to Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. DaKAH, the brainchild of Gallegos, is a symphonic ensemble that combines the electronic rhythms of hip hop with jazz and classical music. Featured soloists for this performance include electric violinist Lili Haydn and vocalist Fanny Franklin.

    Unlike conventional hip hop music, which is mostly electronic, daKAH takes the essential spirit of hip hop music and orchestrates it for acoustic instruments, dancers, singers, rappers, and deejays. The result is an exciting new sound that stretches the boundaries of musical genres.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic's presentation of the daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra is part of the Sounds About Town series, a program of six Sunday evenings at Walt Disney Concert Hall highlighting the Los Angeles area's premier youth orchestras. The series continues with the USC Thornton Symphony on April 18 and concludes with the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra on May 2.

    GEOFF GALLEGOS (Double G) came into conducting as a necessary evil. As daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra has grown, it became increasingly challenging for Double G, a sax player, to hit the cues for the ensemble as well as all his notes. Ultimately focusing on conducting, Double G's musical brain was trained at Berklee College of Music in Boston; his musical soul was trained on the road, in tour vans, buses, planes, trains, and automobiles. At age 22, he found himself onstage with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, playing sax in a pops show, feeling intimidated by the players who could really play. Rather than stay intimidated, Double G came to Los Angeles and started daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra, the ultimate union of formally and informally trained musicians. In addition to his work with daKAH, he is an active studio composer, arranger, and conductor in Los Angeles.

    Since its inception in 1999, daKAH HIP HOP ORCHESTRA has expanded steadily and received widespread acclaim for its genre-bending, culture-blending performances. The Los Angeles-based orchestra aims to bring genuine musical experiences to both symphonic and hip hop audiences with unique programming that marries these two genres while maintaining the integrity of each. Forming what may be considered a United Nations of music, the dozens of musicians that comprise daKAH come from wildly diverse musical backgrounds, cultural experiences, artistic tastes, and lifestyles. Their common threads are outstanding musical dexterity and a spirit of curiosity and collaboration. DaKAH is unlike many other orchestras in its balance of formally trained musicians and self-taught musicians and other improvisers from jazz and contemporary traditions. In 2002 the orchestra and its conductor, Geoff Gallegos (Double G), received a Durfee Foundation Artist Award that led to the release of daKAH's first studio album, "Unfinished Symphony."

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    SUNDAY, MARCH 14 AT 7:30 PM

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    daKAH HIP HOP ORCHESTRA

    GEOFF "Double G" GALLEGOS, dakonductor

    LILI HAYDN, electric violin

    FANNY FRANKLIN, vocalist

    GANG STARR (arr. Gallegos) Gang Starr Remix

    THE ROOTS (arr. Gallegos) Rootrilogy

    FUNKADELIC (arr. Galegos) Maggot Brain

    PARLIAMENT (arr. Gallegos) Come In Out Of The Rain

    GALLEGOS Reepus II in A minor a.ka. Unfinished Symphony

    Tickets ($15 - $35) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For more information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Beth Norber, 213.972.3409