Conductor Martin Pearlman Leads Series Finale

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, AT 8 PM

The Baroque Variations series is supported by a generous grant from the Michael J. Connell Foundation,
with additional support from the E. Nakamichi Foundation.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association concludes its Baroque Variations concert series with Boston Baroque's performance of Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin on Tuesday, June 8, at 8 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Founding conductor Martin Pearlman leads the period instrument orchestra and chorus with solo performances by sopranos Sharon Baker and Kristen Watson; tenors Mark Tucker, Lynton Atkinson and Frank Kelley; and baritones Nicholas Isherwood and Mark Andrew Cleveland.

The June 8 concert is part of the Philharmonic's Building Music project, a series of concerts and symposia presented in conjunction with the Getty Center exploring the relationship between music and architecture, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin was performed in the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, Italy, a landmark piece of architecture.

Monteverdi's Vespers was built around several Biblical texts traditionally used as part of the liturgy in the Roman Catholic Church. The piece is monumental with some movements requiring ten different vocal parts. The fascinating part of Monteverdi's work is that he included secular music alongside the religious components. It also uses an array of musical forms including hymns, sonatas, psalms, and motets. Boston Baroque's performance of Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin is the powerful ending to the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Baroque Variations series.

BOSTON BAROQUE was the first baroque orchestra established in North America. Today, the three-time Grammy-nominated ensemble continues to perform and record a repertoire of great breadth and depth, spanning two-and-a-half centuries of music from Monteverdi to Beethoven. Boston Baroque presents an annual subscription concert season in Greater Boston, and has toured in New York, New England, and the Midwest. With its critically acclaimed series of recordings on the Telarc label, audiences hear Boston Baroque regularly on more than 350 classical radio stations throughout the United States.

MARTIN PEARLMAN is the founder, music director, and conductor of both the orchestra and professional chamber chorus which make up the Boston Baroque ensemble. In addition to his work with baroque ensembles, Pearlman's recent engagements with modern orchestras and choruses include leading the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, his Kennedy Center debut with Washington Opera, and performances with the Utah Opera, Opera/Columbus, Boston Lyric Opera, the Minnesota Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and the New World Symphony. Pearlman was the first conductor from the period-instrument field to perform live on the internationally televised Grammy Awards show.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, at 8 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

BOSTON BAROQUE

MARTIN PEARLMAN, director

SHARON BAKER and KRISTEN WATSONS, sopranos

MARK TUCKER, LYNTON ATKINSON, and FRANK KELLEY, tenors

NICHOLAS ISHERWOOD and MARK ANDREW CLEVELAND, baritones

MONTEVERDI Vespers of the Blessed Virgin

The Baroque Variations series is supported by a generous grant from the Michael J. Connell Foundation with additional support from the E. Nakamichi Foundation.

Tickets ($30 - $75) 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. When available, choral bench seats ($15), will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

# # #