LACO Presents Violist Masumi Per Rostad on West Coast Premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s L.E.S. Characters Viola Concerto, a LACO Co-Commission
Music Director Jaime Martín leads Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in the West Coast Premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s L.E.S. Characters Viola Concerto, a LACO co-commission written for and featuring her childhood friend, Grammy Award-winning violist Masumi Per Rostad, who has been praised for his “burnished sound” (The New York Times), on Saturday, April 22, 8 pm, at UCLA’s Royce Hall, and Sunday April 23, 2023, 7 pm, at Glendale’s Alex Theatre. The program, embracing Earth Day and the great outdoors, is bookended by Ives’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Symphony No. 3, “The Camp Meeting,” and Beethoven’s joyful Symphony No. 6 in F major, “Pastoral.”
L.E.S. Characters Viola Concerto, described as “exploding with life” (The Washington Post), offers a different perspective on what it means to be outside, vividly recreating the gritty East Village of 1980s New York City, where Montgomery and Rostad both grew up and studied music together. “Conceived as a series of vignettes,” explains Montgomery, “each of the 5-movements depicts a different real-life street performance artist or character from the Lower East Side, recalled as a childhood memory shared between myself and Masumi Per Rostad. I thought a series of character pieces would be a fun frame in which to place the viola at the center as subject and storyteller, recounting the images and memories of these artist souls and their impact on our creativity. This piece is dedicated to the memory of Chris Pors, Mary Lou Francis, our violin teacher and Executive Director of the Third Street Music School Settlement when Masumi and I were studying there; and Robbie McCauley, my mom…all of whom we lost during the time of COVID Pandemic 2020-2021.” L.E.S. Characters Viola Concerto was co-commissioned by the Grant Park Music Festival, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and LACO.
Rostad, raised in an artist loft converted from a garage with a 1957 Chevy Belair as the remnant centerpiece in his family’s living room, began studying music at the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City, when he was three years old. He has gone on to become one of the world’s most in demand soloists, chamber musicians, and teachers. In addition to maintaining an active performance and teaching schedule, the Japanese-Norwegian violist regularly tours internationally and performs at many of the most prominent festivals, including Marlboro, Spoleto USA, and the Aspen Music Festival. His guest violist collaborations include programs with the St Lawrence, Ying, Pavel Haas, Miró, Verona, and Emerson string quartets, as well as with the Horszowski Trio. Rostad toured and recorded extensively as a former member of the International Sejong Soloists and was a member of the Pacifica Quartet for nearly two decades, from 2001 to 2017. He can be heard on the Cedille Records, Naxos, Hyperion, Musical Observations, Bridge, and Tzadik record labels. Rostad serves on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music.
LACO recognizes the generous support of the Colburn Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. The Orchestra also receives public funding via grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. LACO gratefully acknowledges Hogan Lovells US LLP for generous pro bono support. Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Royce Hall is located at 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91203. For tickets ($32 – $142) and information, please visit www.laco.org or call 213 221 3920.
