Celebrate the rich musical heritage of Czechia at Colburn’s Czech Celebration, a season-long festival curated by Los Angeles Opera Music Director James Conlon.
From the beloved works of Dvořák and Smetana to the groundbreaking voices of Kaprálová, Janáček, Schulhoff, and Martinů, the festival highlights the profound influence Czech composers have had on 20th-century music and national identity.
Experience these masterpieces across Colburn Orchestra performances and intimate chamber concerts featuring students, faculty, and distinguished guest artists.
The festival culminates in a grand finale: an exploration of Czech masterworks performed by the Music Restored Ensemble and paired with a special Czech-inspired dinner in the Colburn Café.
Colburn Orchestra Passion and Poetry: An Afternoon of Musical Storytelling Sunday, October 26 at 3 pm The Soraya, Northridge
Carlos Miguel Prieto, Conductor Mert Yalniz, Conductor Salonen Fellow Zi Yang Low, Violin ravel Alborada del gracioso
DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto in A Major SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande Bursting with musical color and raw emotion, the first half of this program takes audiences on an immersive European adventure. The charming orchestration of Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso is infused with the sounds of Spain while the spirted Bohemian melodies of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto paint a vibrant picture of the Czech countryside. The concert culminates in a moody tone poem by Schoenberg that depicts a tragic tale of forbidden love. The Colburn Orchestra is generously underwritten by Eva and Marc Stern. This performance is generously supported by Molly and Brian Kirk.
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Faculty Recital Henry Gronnier, Violin; Benjamin Lash, Cello; and Fabio Bidini, Piano Sunday, November 2 at 3 pm Thayer Hall
Join us for an evening of artistry and inspiration as Colburn’s acclaimed faculty take the stage with a program of Dvořák piano trios.
Music Restored: Adam Millstein, Violin and Dominic Cheli, Piano Thursday, November 6 at 7 pm Thayer Hall
Violinist Adam Millstein and pianist Dominic Cheli performs works by innovative Czech composers who profoundly impacted the trajectory of 20th-century music. Works by Janáček and Martinů appear alongside two lesser-known composers: Vítĕzslava Kaprálová, who was on the threshold of a successful international career as a composer and conductor when she died in exile in France at the age of twenty–five, and Erwin Schulhoff, a prolific and multi-faceted creative figure who was the subject of the Colburn-produced online series Schulhoff and More.
Presented as part of Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers, which encourages greater awareness and more frequent performances of music by composers whose careers and lives were tragically cut short by the Nazi regime.
Music Restored is made possible through the generous support of Marilyn Ziering and the Emma and Adam Zhu Foundation, alongside the many donors who are inspired by this important work.
This concert is made possible by Erica Clark in recognition of the extraordinary Music Restored initiative and the equally extraordinary virtuosity of the musicians Adam Millstein and Dominic Cheli.
Colburn Orchestra Cultural Landscapes: Smetana’s Má Vlast Saturday, December 6 at 7 pm The Wallis, Beverly Hills
Kevin John Edusei, Conductor Sieun Park, Cello
BLOCH Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque SMETANA Má vlast (My Country)
Led by renowned German conductor Kevin John Edusei, the Colburn Orchestra returns to The Wallis with a lavish program spotlighting the rich cultural heritages of its composers.
The concert opens with Ernest Bloch’s Jewish-inspired masterpiece Schelomo, an intense and poignant rhapsody that casts the cello as King Solomon and the orchestra as a world full of temptation. Bedřich Smetana’s Má vlast (My Country) then invites the audience on a journey through Bohemia’s countryside and lore in a rousing, atmospheric love letter to his Czech homeland.
The Colburn Orchestra is generously underwritten by Eva and Marc Stern.
Music Restored Exploring Czech masterworks Saturday, March 7 at 7 pm Zipper Hall
James Conlon, Conductor Music Restored Ensemble
DVOŘÁK Nocturne in B Major KAPRÁLOVÁ Partita for Piano and Strings MARTINŮ Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani
James Conlon, one of today’s most versatile and respected conductors, leads the Music Restored Ensemble in a love letter to Bohemian melodies.
The program begins with a piece from the godfather of Czech music himself, Dvořák, followed by works from two 20th-century Czech composers whose personal and professional relationship often inspired each other’s work. In her tragically short career, Vítězslava Kaprálová wrote nearly 50 compositions brimming with humor, energy, and warmth. The concert concludes with an orchestral tour de force by Bohuslav Martinů.