MASTERWORKS FOR STRING ORCHESTRA

LEADER

Margaret Batjer

Program

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN O virtus Sapientiae

BENJAMIN BRITTEN

Simple Symphony , Op. 4

FELIX MENDELSSOHN

Sinfonia No.10 in B minor

Intermission

PAUL HINDEMITH

Op. 44 No. IV, Five Pieces for String Orchestra

EDVARD GRIEG

Holberg Suite , Op. 40

SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2023 AT 7:30PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: One hour and 37 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission.

MARGARET BATJER (Concertmaster and Director of Chamber Music) has served as concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 1998. She is also renowned as a violin soloist, chamber musician and teacher, and has established herself as a versatile and respected artist worldwide.

Batjer has appeared as a soloist with America’s leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Batjer has also performed with leading European ensembles such as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the RTÉ. National Symphony Orchestra (of Ireland), Berlin Symphony Orchestra and the Hall. Orchestra. An esteemed chamber musician, Batjer has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Sarasota Music as well as the Naples and Salzburg Festivals in Europe. In 2020, she formed the Los Angeles Piano Trio with colleagues Fabio Bidini and Andrew Shulman.

Ms. Batjer has had an extensive recording career over the last several decades. Her most recent recording with the LA Chamber Orchestra includes the live premiere of the Pierre Jalbert Violin Concerto, and works by Bach, Pärt and Vasks released on the BIS label. She recorded the Bach Concerto for Two Violins with Salvatore Accardo and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for the Philips label, and later a 2003 Deutsche Grammophon recording pairing Batjer and Hilary Hahn as soloists with Jeffrey Kahane conducting the LA Chamber Orchestra. She has also made numerous chamber music recordings on the EMI, Nuova Era and BMG labels. Batjer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. She is Adjunct Professor of Violin at the USC Thornton School of Music, and on the violin faculty at the Colburn School.

About Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, known to Angelenos as LACO, is a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks as well as a champion of contemporary composers. Headquartered in the heart of the country’s cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed “America’s finest chamber orchestra” (Public Radio International), “LA’s most unintimidating chamber music experience” (Los Angeles Magazine), “resplendent” (Los Angeles Times), and “one of the world’s great chamber orchestras” (KUSC Classical FM).

LACO was founded in 1968 as an artistic outlet for the recording industry’s most gifted musicians. Founder, cellist James Arkatov, envisioned an ensemble that would allow these conservatorytrained players to balance studio work and teaching with pure artistic collaboration at the highest level. The Orchestra presented its first performances with the financial backing of philanthropist Richard Colburn and managerial expertise from attorney Joseph Troy, who also became the Orchestra’s first president. Sir Neville Marriner, Gerard Schwarz, Iona Brown, Christof Perick and Jeffrey Kahane, LACO’s illustrious music directors, each built upon a tradition of joyous music-making performed by exceptional artists. Jaime Martín, praised as “a visionary conductor, discerning and meticulous” (Platea Magazine), joined LACO as Music Director at the start of our 2019/20 season.

LACO has made 31 recordings, toured Europe, South America and Japan, performed across North America, and garnered eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. The Orchestra’s offices are located in downtown Los Angeles.

ROBERT VAN LEER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO