Colburn Orchestra Returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall in a program of Strauss, Bruch, and Moussa Led by Conductor Earl Lee
Sunday, March 29, 2026
at Walt Disney Concert Hall
colburnschool.edu/colburn-orchestra
(Friday, March 20, 2026, Los Angeles) – The Colburn Orchestra, the renowned flagship ensemble of the Colburn School, returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall under the baton of conductor Earl Lee on Sunday, March 29. This concert, part of the LA Phil’s Sounds About Town series, follows the Orchestra and Earl Lee’s triumphant performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” last March, which was praised as “one of [the Colburn Orchestra’s] finest performances in recent memory” by Bachtrack. This grand program features Samy Moussa’s Elysium, Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, featuring violin soloist Eunice Lee.
Opening the program is Samy Moussa’s Elysium, a sweeping work inspired by the Hellenistic vision of Elysium as a paradisiacal realm to which any mortal might aspire in the afterlife. This vision stands in sharp contrast to the Homeric Elysium, reserved only for heroes and those favored by the gods. The music is as monumental as the realm it seeks to evoke with a broad dynamic spectrum, towering sonorities and great contrasts of movement and stillness.
Rising violinist Eunice Lee joins the Orchestra and Earl Lee for Bruch’s beloved Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor. Widely revered and played, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is known for its incredibly difficult and virtuosic violin passages in addition to its lush orchestral writing. Eunice Lee, who is currently pursuing her studies at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, is a passionate performer and emerging artist. She has earned top honors in numerous competitions, including first prizes at the Young Stars of the Future Competition, the Classics Alive National Auditions, and the Bellflower Symphony Concerto Competition. Lee has appeared as soloist with the Topanga Symphony, San Fernando Valley Symphony, and the Eisner Intergenerational Orchestra, among others. She is a recipient of the prestigious Colburn Foundation Scholarship in Violin and has been awarded multiple fellowships from the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation in recognition of her artistic promise.
Closing out the concert is Strauss’ epic tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra, best known for its iconic use in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. This free form symphonic piece explores the moods of its namesake philosophical text by Nietzsche, with its movements borrowing the names of the book’s chapter titles. From its startling fanfare through a sequence of contrasting episodes, this tone poem unfolds as a theatrical musical narrative that, according to Strauss, reflects the evolution of the human race.
Winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Earl Lee is a renowned Korean-Canadian conductor who has captivated audiences worldwide. Lee is in his fourth season as Music Director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra where has revitalized the ensemble’s artistic vision with programming that bridges tradition and innovation. He has led many of North America’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and others, and steps in on short notice this weekend to make his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra leading Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. In the 2025–26 season, Lee’s engagements include return appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and his debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Korean National Symphony Orchestra. Lee also made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a special project with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). A former cellist trained at the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Marlboro Music Festival, Lee brings a chamber musician’s sense of communication, listening, and shared purpose to every performance, seeking to create music that is both unified and deeply expressive.
Tickets are $22–$60 and available at colburnschool.edu/colburn-orchestra.
About Colburn School
A performing arts institution located in the heart of Los Angeles, the COLBURN SCHOOL trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The academic units of the School provide a complete spectrum of music and dance education united by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music or dance should have access to top-level instruction.
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- The diploma- and degree-granting Conservatory of Music is distinguished by a unique all-scholarship model, renowned faculty, and outstanding performance opportunities. It prepares the very highest level of collegiate musicians for professional careers.
- The Music Academy is a highly selective training program for gifted young pre-collegiate musicians, designed to prepare students for conservatory study and performing careers at the highest levels of achievement. This residential program balances performance, musical instruction, and academics.
- The Community School of Performing Arts welcomes students of all ages, from seven months old to adults. It offers over 120 classes each year in orchestral instruments, piano, guitar, voice, jazz, music theory, drama, and ensembles including orchestra, choir, and chamber music.
- The Trudl Zipper Dance Institute develops performers of all levels, from aspiring professionals in the Dance Academy to beginners starting in Youth Dance. Students of all levels receive training in ballet, tap, and modern genres as part of a comprehensive dance education.
- Created to serve all units of the School, the Center for Innovation and Community Impact empowers the musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by nurturing students’ passion and ability to serve their communities, preparing them for sustainable careers, and embracing the development of new ideas. The Center embodies Colburn’s commitment to developing young artists with the curiosity, skills, and commitment to make a difference in their field.
Each year, more than 2,000 students from around the world come to Colburn to benefit from the renowned faculty, exceptional facilities, and focus on excellence that unites the community.
In 2024, the Colburn School broke ground on a transformational campus expansion designed by Frank Gehry. Located across the street from the School’s existing campus at the intersection of Olive and Second Streets, the building will enable the School to expand its mission of presenting programs for the public. Gehry’s design includes a 1,000-seat in-the-round concert hall named for Terri and Jerry Kohl, five professional-sized dance studios including a 100-seat studio theater, and gardens that bring fresh air and green spaces to the downtown landscape. The expansion will more than double the facilities for the School’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, creating one of the most comprehensive dance education complexes in Southern California.
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