Colburn Unveils MusicRestored.org, Building on the OREL Foundation’s Website To Offer an Even Broader Resource on Music Suppressed by the Nazis
New Recording Series Launches with: Ein Quartett-Satz on the name of Walter Arlen by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Cadenzas for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 by Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942)
Upcoming Performances to include: Violinist Adam Millstein and Pianist Dominic Cheli performing works by Kaprávlová, Smetana, Schulhoff and Martinů, November 6, 2025, Thayer Hall
James Conlon leading a program of orchestral works by Dvořák, Kaprávlová and Martinů, March 7, 2026, Zipper Hall
Los Angeles, CA (Monday, October 6, 2025) – The Colburn School today announced the expansion of one of its signature programs, the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices, into Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers. This new designation reflects the growing scope of the program and Colburn’s ongoing commitment to illuminating the work of composers whose lives and careers were destroyed or disrupted by the Nazi regime. Through performance, educational initiatives, recordings, and a new online resource, Colburn continues to raise greater awareness of the legacies of composers whose music was nearly lost to history.
Led by Artistic Director James Conlon and inspired by LA Opera’s groundbreaking Recovered Voices project, the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices was established at Colburn in 2013 with the support of Los Angeles philanthropist Marilyn Ziering. Conlon has dedicated decades to uncovering and reviving the music of artists whose careers and lives were tragically altered or ended by the Nazi policies in Europe from 1933 to 1945. The Colburn School partnership brought the music of this almost-forgotten generation to new audiences and encouraged young musicians to learn about these artists and return to their music throughout their careers. Now, Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers encompasses multiple events and performances each year that showcase the composers, their music, how the politics of the time impacted their lives, and for some, how their work postwar created the sounds of the 20th century. Since its inception, there have been more than 60 live performances and 26 audio/video recordings, along with more than 100,000 views on YouTube.
“What began as a personal mission has grown into a shared endeavor with the Colburn School,” said Conlon. “Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers reflects the expanded scope and enduring urgency of this work. Deeply relevant in today’s fractious world, there are ongoing and compelling moral, historical, and artistic reasons to expand awareness. These composers are not merely historical footnotes; they are vital contributors to our cultural heritage. In collaboration with The Colburn School, I am endeavoring to prepare the future generations to carry on the work and the mission into the far future.”
“The Colburn School is deeply committed to preserving and advancing the legacies of exiled and suppressed composers,” said Sel Kardan, President and CEO, Colburn School. “Thanks to our exceptional partnership with James Conlon, we are pleased to launch a new center for performance and study to ensure these important works continue to be performed and the legacies of these composers are kept alive.”
It is because of this initiative that Colburn School alumnus and Music Restored Program Director Adam Millstein has found what he believes to be his purpose in life, which is to help preserve the legacy of these composers and advocate for their music so that it is never forgotten.
“Working with The Colburn School and James Conlon to share the music of exiled and suppressed composers is both a privilege and a responsibility, and I’m inspired every day by the opportunity to ensure these voices continue to be heard,” said Millstein. “Although I am an alumnus of the Colburn School, I still consider myself a student who learns every day about these composers through their music that remains as relevant and important today as when it was written.”
Launch of MusicRestored.org and Acquisition of the OREL Foundation
For many years the OREL Foundation, founded by James Conlon and Professor Michael Beckerman of New York University, maintained one of the world’s most valued web sites on the topic of music suppressed by the Nazis. It served as a major resource for musicians and organizations seeking information and guidance in the preparation of programs featuring music by suppressed composers.
Following the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the members and directors of the OREL Foundation decided to transfer the organization’s intellectual assets to the Colburn School. With James Conlon’s association to both the OREL Foundation and Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers, it proved a fitting transition.
Colburn has transitioned the OREL web assets and content to MusicRestored.org, allowing the School to build upon the important work it is doing to educate students, performers, and the public on the legacy of these composers. The new site is a home for the digital and performance content produced by Music Restored which includes multimedia online series, album releases, livestreams, recorded performance content, documentaries, and live performances and lectures around the world.
Music Restored Recording Series
MusicRestored.org will feature a series of newly released audio and video recordings spotlighting the works of Music Restored composers. Now available is Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Ein Quartett-Satz on the name of Walter Arlen, performed by Adam Millstein and students at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. This lyrical and intimate work is one of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s 52 musical “greeting cards”, and the only one written for string quartet. The work pays homage to his enduring friendship with Walter Arlen and weaves in musical quotes from Schubert as a nod to Arlen’s Viennese heritage.
Later this fall, a new audio and video recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 will be released, featuring rarely heard cadenzas by Erwin Schulhoff. Performed by soloist Dominic Cheli with conductor James Conlon, the recording presents the complete concerto with Schulhoff’s cadenzas for the first and third movements. Composed in 1923 in Berlin, these cadenzas are part of a full set Schulhoff wrote for Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1–4.
Additional recordings will continue to appear at a steady pace in the years ahead, inviting listeners to discover and celebrate these restored musical treasures.
Upcoming Music Restored Performances
The 2025-26 Music Restored concert season begins on November 6, 2025 with a special chamber performance by Adam Millstein, violin, and Dominic Cheli, piano, featuring works by Czech composers who profoundly impacted the trajectory of 20th-century music. Works by Smetana 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.
KAPRÁLOVÁ Elegy SMETANA From My Homeland, Op. 128 SCHULHOFF Sonata for Solo Violin, WV 83 MARTINŮ Violin Sonata No. 2, H. 208 Tickets available here
On Saturday March 7, 2026, James Conlon will lead 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’s serene Nocturne in B Major is a short lyrical work with hypnotic orchestration. The concert then turns to 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—one of her most inspired works being the spirited piano concerto on this program. The concert concludes with an orchestral tour de force by Bohuslav Martinů, Kaprálová’s mentor, friend, and lover.
DVOŘÁK Nocturne in B Major KAPRÁLOVÁ Partita for Piano and Strings MARTINŮ Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani Tickets available here
About Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers is a unique Colburn resource that encourages greater awareness and more frequent performances of music by composers whose careers and lives were tragically cut short by the Nazi regime. Led by Artistic Director James Conlon, Music Restored brings well-deserved attention to composers whose names and works were very nearly eliminated from history through performances in Southern California and around the world, original video series, recordings, TEDx Talks and lectures, and more. It encourages young musicians to not only learn about the artists but to return to their music throughout their career.
Inspired by LA Opera’s groundbreaking Recovered Voices project, the initiative was established at Colburn in 2013 with the support of Los Angeles philanthropist Marilyn Ziering. Originally named the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices, in 2025, the program was renamed Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers in recognition of its expanded presence and launch of the Music Restored website with assets acquired from the OREL Foundation, one of the world’s most valued web sites on music suppressed by the Nazis.
Music Restored is grateful to Robert Elias for his many years of meaningful contributions. Music Restored is made possible through the generous support of Marilyn Ziering, the Emma and Adam Zhu Foundation, and the many individual philanthropists who believe in this vital work.
About the 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.
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 the Frank Gehry-designed Colburn Center, a multi-faceted campus expansion of the Colburn School. Located across the street from the School’s existing campus at the intersection of Olive and Second Streets, the Colburn Center 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 Hall, five professional-sized dance studios including a 100-seat studio theater, and gardens that bring fresh air and green spaces to the downtown landscape.
In addition to the 1,000-seat Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, the expansion will also 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. The dance facilities include a 100-seat theater for dance and four professional-sized studios for dance instruction and rehearsal. The Colburn Center will also add a rooftop garden that will be large enough to host receptions and outdoor performances, as well as a ground-level garden with a dedicated performance space that will be open to the public.
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Contact: Jennifer Kallend jkallend@colburnschool.edu 215-622-6195
Lisa Bellamore lbellamore@gmail.com 323-500-3071