PYSO Pre-Audition Masterclass

Jeffrey Solow Masterclass: Chris Cho plays Shostakovich Concerto

Recital: Ryan Sweeney & Miwa Gofuku

Los Angeles Violoncello Society: Competition Results

After much preparation and anticipation, the results have come back from the 2010 Los Angeles Violoncello Society Scholarship Auditions.  I'm very happy to announce that from our studio Sabrina An (12) was awarded an Honorable Mention, and Chris Cho (14) was awarded first place along with another student.

Both Sabrina & Chris will perform on the Winners' Recital which will take place on Sunday, April 25th.  Please come support your fellow students for their big performance!

LA Philharmonic: Trpceski Plays Rachmaninoff

Fiato String Quartet: Glendale Noon Concert

Recital: Ryan Sweeney & Ines Irawati

Read more at inesirawati.com

Lynn Harrell: Elemental Strings Benefit Concert - Sunday, March 7th @ 2pm

"Once Upon A Mattress": Chris Cho, Principal Cello

PYSO with Blue Steel

January 30, 2010 8:00 pm
at Pasadena High School (google map)

Reserve your tickets today for a special PYSO performance with the Air Force Academy Band, Blue Steel!
Blue Steel is a premier popular music ensemble of the United States Air Force Academy Band made up of seven elite musicians that perform pop music, classic rock, country music and original compositions. For more information about Blue Steel, visit www.usafacademyband.af.mil

Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma in Recital

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 8:00 PM
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012


Call for Availability: 323.850.2000 or click here for details

Program:    
Schumann, Adagio and Allegro
Schumann, Five Pieces in Folk Style            
Lieberson, Remembering Schumann (LAPA co-commission)            
Chopin, Polonaise brillante            
Schumann, Fantasiestuecke, Op. 73            
Chopin, Sonata in G minor

Meadowmount Experience: Aileen Ro

This past summer, Aileen Ro had the good fortune of being accepted into the highly competitve summer program at the Meadowmount School of Music in upstate New York.  I asked her to write about her experience, and here is what she had to say:

"This past summer, I attended the Meadowmount School of Music in New York for seven weeks, and although, at first, I was very intimidated by the thought of going to a camp so far away and for so long and where I would seemingly be doing nothing but playing cello that whole time, my summer at Meadowmount actually turned out to be a very fun and memorable experience from which I learned more than I had ever expected to. Practicing five hours a day, six days a week was definitely really hard to get used to the first week I was there, but after a few days, it just became a normal routine. All those hours of practice allowed me to work extensively on my technique and dedicate a big chunk of time each day for each piece I was working on. During my private lessons with my teacher, Melissa Kraut, I was taught a lot of ways which were new to me on how to work on technique, drill difficult passages, and even organize my practice time. I gained a new perspective of how to play the cello which I was able to use along with all that I had learned from Mr. Sweeney. Since I had to practice about thirty hours with just two private lessons a week at Meadowmount versus maybe about 7-8 hours with one private lesson a week, I had to learn how to be more independent with my practice and even come up with my own practice drills.

Another aspect of my time at Meadowmount that I really enjoyed and learned from was playing music in a chamber group. I had three other girls in my group and we would have rehearsals almost every day with one coaching per week. Before coming to Meadowmount, I had had very little experience with playing in a chamber group. I learned how to listen to the other parts, such as the violin and viola, instead of just my own, and I learned how to listen to how all of the different parts worked together in the quartet. It is a totally different experience from playing a solo piece, and I was able to develop a new skill of playing as a chamber musician. We were also required to attend about three concerts a week, in which the more advanced students were chosen to perform. I remember the first Meadowmount concert I attended and being completely blown away by the performances. I knew that there were musical prodigies out there, but I was still so amazed that these students, who were around my age, could play like that. Even though I was pretty intimated and slightly depressed after that concert, it definitely raised the bar for my own cello-playing and I was ultimately inspired to work even harder

However, Meadowmount is not all about just practicing and concerts. It definitely had a “fun camp” feel to it. We were given lots of free time with which we could basically do whatever we wanted. While some people practiced even more during that time, my friends and I played soccer at the field, used the internet in Main House, or just hung out in our dorms. Trips to town were provided on the weekends where we could go to the mall and watch a movie and finally have some decent food.

I had such a great experience at Meadowmount and would definitely consider going back for another summer in the future."

     - Aileen Ro

PYSO Winter Concert: Kevin Wei, Assistant Principal

MTNA Competition Results

Student Success: Chris Cho

Student Chris Cho has been appointed to be the assistant principal cellist of Crescenta Valley High School Orchestra.  He has the distinction of being one of the youngest cellists to hold this position at his school. 

Congratulations, Chris!

Student Success: Polly Alarcon

Congratulations to Polly Alarcon who was recently named the principal of her school orchestra at the Renaissance Arts Academy in Los Angeles!

Learn more about the Renaissance Arts Academy at http://www.renarts.org/

Featured Performance: Yo-Yo Ma @ Hollywood Bowl

On Tuesday, August 25th, Yo-Yo Ma played the Dvorak Cello Concerto at the Hollywood Bowl with the Orchestra lead by Placido Domingo.  The Performance was electric and enjoyed by all.  Here is what student, Joseph Green, had to say about the performance.

"Yo-Yo Ma’s playing was as expected, amazing.  The double stops that jumped all over the finger board were unbelievably clean.  Yo-Yo Ma’s musicality made it very fun to listen to, and you could easily see how much he enjoyed playing, as well.  It was very interesting to see how much Yo-Yo Ma communicated with the conductor, Placido Domingo, throughout the piece.  The encores were very fun, and Yo-Yo Ma was very gracious about thanking everyone afterward."

Movie Night: Mischa Maisky

This month we watched Mischa Maisky perform the Bach Suites in G Major and C Major for solo cello (BWV 1007 & 1009)

It was amazing to see the incredible technique that Maisky has at his disposal, and the unbelievable artistry in all his playing was truly inspiring.

Coming up next will be a video on the renowned French cellist, Paul Tortelier

"French cellist Paul Tortelier is the subject of this affectionate tribute from filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon, who captured the legendary musician at home during a several-week period in 1972. The resulting three short films on the themes of air, water and fire are supplemented by a 1969 performance of Beethoven's Cello Sonata No. 3 with pianist Sergio Lorenzi and a charming Tortelier family concert filmed at Britain's Norwich Festival in 1964."

Fiato String Quartet @ UCLA

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Fiato String Quartet at UCLA for the Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival.  This performance featuring the works of Dmitri Shostakovich and Robert Schumann will take place on August 17th, 2009.

Fiato String Quartet

Carrie Kennedy and Ina Veli, violins
Charles Hebenstreit, viola
Ryan Sweeney, cello

Program

• Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet no. 3 in F Major, op. 73
• Robert Schumann, String Quartet no. 1 in A Minor, op. 41

Monday, August 17th at 12:30pm

Korn Convocation Hall is in the Anderson complex of UCLA’s north campus. Parking is available for $10 in Lot 4. Enter the campus at Westwood Plaza (off Sunset Boulevard) and inquire at the kiosk.

New Student: Chris Cho

I would like to welcome a new student to our studio, Chris Cho.  We've grown quite a bit in the past two years and with Chris we are now up to 20 students.  I'm so pleased with how well everyone gets along, and the sense of comradery that I see between the students during our technique and studio classes.  Here's looking forward to the big 30 mark!

Studio BBQ

Kevin Wei accepted to Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra

Of the nearly 30 cellists that auditioned this May, Kevin Wei was one of only 12 accepted as a new member of the PYSO orchestra.  With less than 2 years of experience, Kevin will be joining the ranks of the highly promising young musicians of the San Gabriel valley many of whom have been studying their instruments for over 5 years.

Congratulations, Kevin!

from pasadenasymphony.org:
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra has been training tomorrow’s classical musicians since 1972. Celebrating its 37th year in 2008-2009, PYSO is considered among the best youth orchestras in the Southland. This exceptional ensemble is comprised of talented middle school students from grades six through nine who receive advanced instruction and challenging music opportunities through a rigorous program that emphasizes ensemble playing and includes a minimum of three concerts a year. One of the highlights of the season is a 3-day music retreat to the UCLA Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead, which includes performing a concert for the entire Arrowhead community. [...read more]

Aileen Ro attending Meadowmount School of Music

Aileen Ro will be attending the prestigious Meadowmount School of Music this Summer.  The Meadowmount School is famous for having such distinguished alumni as Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, and Joshua Bell to name only a few. [...read more] 

from meadowmount.com:
Meadowmount is a seven-week summer school for accomplished young violinists, violists, cellists and pianists training for professional careers in music. Since 1954, Meadowmount has been under the aegis of the Society for Strings, Inc., a non-profit organization.

The school has a capacity enrollment of over 200, yet remains small enough to provide personal attention to each student. Students have the opportunity to work with an outstanding faculty, prominent guest artists and an excellent staff of pianists.

An orderly work schedule with a daily practice schedule insures maximum accomplishment often resulting in completing a year's worth of work in a summer. Performance opportunities are provided in weekly master classes and three concerts each week. The school is an institution in the community and has been instrumental in providing fine music to local residents and summer visitors from around the world.

"In an ever-changing world, the effort and discipline needed to develop the necessary tools for artistic expression remain constant. Meadowmount continues to instill these values in its students."
...Yo-Yo Ma

LA Opera: La Traviata

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the LA Opera in their production of La Traviata. Performances May 21st through June 21st.  Click here for tickets or call 213.972.8001

from laopera.com:
"La Traviata will go down in opera history as one of the most successful productions LA Opera has staged to date...every element was stupendous." -OperaOnline.us

Verdi’s heart-rending story of a Parisian courtesan with a sordid past and no future features some of the composer’s most ravishing and popular music. Two gifted artists share the role of Violetta Valery. Making her Company debut will be the rising young Russian soprano Marina Poplavskaya, acclaimed by London’s Evening Standard for "her mesmerizing dramatic intensity and vocal power." [...read more]

Pasadena Pops "Side-by-Side" Winner, Aileen Ro

Pasadena Pops Press Release:
...Several Middle school and High school musicians will be selected for the once in a lifetime opportunity to rehearse and play side by side with professional musicians at the Pasadena POPS. These sessions prepare the students for the great experience of performing with the orchestra onstage during the September summer POPS concert “Genius Loves Company,” at the Descanso Gardens in La Canada on September 11th and 12th.

Before they take the stage, each student musician will be teamed up with a professional musician for two private lessons focusing on the music that they will be performing in September. Side-by-Side members will also participate in local sectional rehearsals September 9th and 10th where they will be divided up by section in preparation for their rehearsals and performances. A half day workshop will feature string, wind, brass and percussion specialists who will conduct training sessions on improvisation through jazz and popular rock music. Following the training sessions, the young musicians will perform with their colleagues by section and get the opportunity to listen to and critique each other’s performances. [...read more]


Aileen participated in the audition process for the Pasadena Pops "Side-By-Side" program on April 4th.  From the one hundred applicants that auditioned, Aileen was one of a handful selected to participate in the program this year.

-----
About the concert:
Genius Loves Company

Abraham Lincoln loved Verdi, Stephen Hawking loves Wagner, Dave Brubeck loves Bach, Frank Zappa loved Varèse, and Leonard Bernstein loved everyone! Geniuses have always been drawn to other geniuses.

All concerts take place at Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011. 

Friday, September 11th      7:30pm
Saturday, September 12th  7:30pm
(click here to order tickets)

Orchestra Audition Success: Nicole Green & Ivy Miller

Congratulations are in order for both Nicole Green and Ivy Miller, both newly accepted students at the Harvard Westlake Middle School.  Both girls auditioned for and were accepted into the Middle School Symphony, the most advanced symphonic music ensemble on the middle school campus.

To learn more about the Harvard Westlake instrumental music program click here

PYSO Spring Concert: Soloist, Aileen Ro

Featured Recital: Ronald Leonard

 Ronald Leonard will be performing a solo recital next Saturday featuring the works of Vitali, Brahms, Messiaen, and Piatti.  I encourage any cellist to attend as you are sure to learn a thing or two!

 Saturday, April 25  8:00 PM  

Colburn School, Thayer Hall

200 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (google maps) 

Free Admission!

HMS Goes to Carnegie Hall: Congratulations Abby Shamray & Kevin Wei

As a cello coach for the Huntington Middle School Advanced Orchestra, I am proud to announce that they will be performing at Carnegie Hall on April 10th, 2009!  This incredible opportunity is due entirely to the hard work given by all the orchestra members and the incredible leadership of their teacher, Rob Folsom.

Two of my students, Abby Shamray and Kevin Wei, are members of the HMS Orchestra and will be making the trip to New York.  

Congratulations and good luck!

(...read more)

PYSO Recital Audition Winner: Aileen Ro

Congratulations to Aileen Ro for her success in being selected to play on the PYSO Solo Recital this April 19th.  Aileen will be performing the first movement from the Lalo Concerto in d minor with pianist Jee-Eun Lee. 

Greate job on all your hard work, Aileen!

PYSO Solo Recital
Sunday, April 19th 2009

[update]

Sunday, April 19th at 2:00 p.m.

The Shumei Center, 2430 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA.  (google maps)

Free Admission

Colin Evan Sweeney

I am proud to announce the arrival of my first child, Colin Evan Sweeney.

Colin was born on January 19th, 2009 at 4:30am.  He is now just 5 weeks old, and although he keeps us up at night he is a true treasure.  If you would like to see more pictures click here.

Pasadena Symphony: Triumph of Spirit

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Pasadena Symphony in their all Beethoven concert this week.

Performance January 10th, 2009.  Click here for tickets or call (626) 584-8833

The Pasadena Symphony, with Music Director Jorge Mester conducting Special Guests: Pianist Howard Shelley, The Pasadena Master Chorale and its Music Director Jeffrey Bernstein, Shana Blake Hill, soprano; Tracy Van Fleet, mezzo soprano; Scott Ramsay, tenor; and Dean Elzinga, bass-baritone (...read more)

Pasadena Civic Auditorium
300 E. Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Tickets: $20 - $60, $10 for children, students, seniors.

LA Opera: Das Rheingold

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the LA Opera in their production of Das Rheingold. Performances February 21st through March 15th.  Click here for tickets or call 213.972.8001

from laopera.com:
Gods, goddesses, giants, and dwarves struggle to be lords of the ring, but as Wagner's mammoth music drama unfolds, the ring's curse unleashes its vengeance.

From the opening sounds of the River Rhine's rippling waters through the majestic "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla," you'll be swept away by Wagner's magnificent music. Wagner's Ring creates a vivid world and a musical experience never to be forgotten.

James Conlon conducts an extraordinary cast of internationally acclaimed Wagnerians. As the chief god Wotan, Vitalij Kowaljow, a powerful Ukrainian bass, promises to "dominate every scene he is in" (The New York Times). Making her Company debut as Wotan's insistent wife Fricka will be Michelle DeYoung a "remarkably powerful mezzo" (Opera Today), who has already performed the role at The Metropolitan Opera. Other notable debuts include Arnold Bezuyen as Loge and Gordon Hawkins as Alberich. Making a welcome return from previous seasons will be Jill Grove as the earth goddess Erda, Eric Halfvarson as the giant Fafner, and Graham Clark as Mime, one of his signature roles. (...read more)

yo-yo ma plays golijov

Sunday, 11 Jan 2009    7:00pm
UCLA Royce Hall (get directions)
buy tickets

Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Michael Ward-Bergeman, hyper-accordion
Jamey Haddad, percussion
Keita Ogawa, percussion

Fauré Elegy
Golijov Azul (West Coast premiere)
Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major

from laco.org:
Feel the electricity when Yo-Yo Ma performs Osvaldo Golijov’s Azul, a work inspired by the open air and the deep blue of the night sky. In writing for the celebrated cellist, Golijov—one of the premier composers of our time—marries the technology of the 21st-century and Baroque sensibility with astonishing results.

Don’t miss Yo-Yo Ma in the Golijov work written for him!

“No one since Leonard Bernstein has personified the joy or the passion — of music as has Yo-Yo Ma.” - Appassionato

“[Golijov’s] works arouse extraordinary enthusiasm in audiences, because they revive music’s elemental powers: they have rhythms that rock the body into motion and melodies that linger in the mind.” - The New Yorker (...read more)

Fiato String Quartet

As a member of the newly formed Fiato String Quartet, Mr. Sweeney will be performing selected works of Mozart and Shostakovich in their first concert to be held at the Flintridge Riding Club in La Canada.

Admission is free of charge and is open to the public.

When:
Sunday, December 7th   7:30pm

Where:
Flintridge Riding Club
4625 Oak Grove Dr.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
(get directions)

Program:
Mozart, String Quartet No.17 in B flat Major "Hunt", K.458
Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op.73

LA Opera: Carmen

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the LA Opera in their production of Carmen. Performances October 15th through December 14th.  Click here for tickets or call 213.972.8001

from laopera.com:

Bizet's sizzling opera springs to vivid life in this production that originated at Madrid's Teatro Real. Emilio Sagi, who received critical kudos with last season's Luisa Fernanda, directs this great masterpiece of the lyric theatre. Mezzo-soprano Viktoria Vizin, who was hailed as a "ravishing Carmen" by the Chicago Tribune in her appearance at Lyric Opera, makes her Company debut as the sensuous Gypsy diva. Spanish mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera also makes her Company debut as Carmen, a signature role she has sung recently at Covent Garden and at The Met. Tenor Marcus Haddock takes the part of the obsessive and self-destructive Don José, a role in which he is a "knock-out" (The Independent). Genia Kühmeier makes her Company debut as Micaëla. Acclaimed bass Raymond Aceto takes the role of Escamillo. Emmanuel Villaume, Spoleto Festival USA's Music Director for Opera & Orchestra, conducts. (...read more)

Lynn Harrell Performance: Selected Bach Unaccompanied Suites

Lynn Harrell will be performing at the newly constructed Hahn Hall on the Music Academy of the West campus in Santa Barbara on Nov. 15th.  Come see this amazing cellist as he performs these incredible works. (...read more)

Date/Time:  Saturday, November 15, 2008 @ 4:00 PM

Location:  Hahn Hall, Music Academy of the West (see map)

Directions:

From The North or South

Take Highway 101 to the Olive Mill Road exit.

Turn toward the ocean (right if from the North, left if from the South).

Cross the railroad tracks and continue as Channel Drive curves to the right.

Follow Channel Drive as it passes Butterfly Beach on your left.

At the stop sign, continue up the hill and follow the road as it curves to the right and becomes Fairway Road.

Turn Right into the Music Academy of the West. Follow the signs for parking.

James Conlon USC Lecture: "What Happens When Art Collides with Its Society?"

Monday, October 13, 2008 : 7:30pm

USC University Park Campus, Bing Theatre (see map)

Admission is free.

James Conlon, Music Director, LA Opera, is one of today’s preeminent conductors. He has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic and choral repertoire and has developed enduring relationships with the world’s most prestigious symphony orchestras and opera houses through more than 30 years of conducting. In this lecture, Conlon will explore how compositions and performances were affected by the rise of Nazism and the events of World War II and will look at parallels in societies around the world today. A topic relevant to both eras is what happens when art and society collide. Young artists will be invigorated and encouraged to examine contemporary challenges, connect with historical perspectives and discover their own role in fostering art.

Organized by the USC Thornton School of Music.

LA Opera: Madama Butterfly

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the LA Opera in their production of Madama Butterly. Performances October 1st through October 18th.  Click here for tickets or call 213.972.8001

From laopera.com:

Le Figaro magazine praised Conlon's conducting of Madama Butterfly for it's "passion and elegance...He succeeds better than any other conductor."

Puccini described Madama Butterfly as his most "deeply felt and imaginative opera." This heart-breaking drama of Puccini's most tragic heroine is illuminated in new ways in this elegant minimalist production by Robert Wilson. Soprano Liping Zhang, who made an indelible impression when she debuted in the role at Royal Opera, Covent Garden, takes the part of the impressionable teenage geisha. The acclaimed Metropolitan Opera star Franco Farina appears as the callous Lieutenant Pinkerton. James Conlon conducts (...read more)

LA Opera: Il Trittico

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the LA Opera in their production of Il Trittico. Performances September 6th through September 26th.  Click here for tickets or call (213) 972-8001.

From laopera.com:

Award-winning film directors William Friedkin and Woody Allen join forces to create a new cinematic production of Puccini's trio of one-act operas.

Bringing fresh insight to Puccini's trilogy of one-act operas will be two Academy Award-winning filmmakers. William Friedkin will direct Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica and Woody Allen will make his opera debut directing Gianni Schicchi. Tony Award-winning production designer Santo Loquasto (who has worked on more than 20 Woody Allen films) will design all three operas. On the podium will be Music Director James Conlon.

Il Tabarro ("The Cloak"), the story of a passionate love triangle that leads to a tragic end, features Mark Delavan, Salvatore Licitra and Anja Kampe. Suor Angelica ("Sister Angelica") tells the heart-rending tale of a cloistered nun with a worldly secret, and it features some of Puccini's most meltingly beautiful melodies, including the poignant "Senza Mamma." Sondra Radvanovsky returns to sing the title role, and mezzo Larissa Diadkova makes her Company debut. Gianni Schicchi, a romantic comedy that takes a page from Dante, features Thomas Allen in his debut in the title role along with soprano Laura Tatulescu and tenor Saimir Pirgu, who make their company debuts.(...read more)

Nothing but Beethoven

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday, August 5th.  Click here to order tickets.

from: laphil.com

Classical pianist/conductor Christian Zacharias comes to the Hollywood Bowl to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an all-Beethoven concert that includes the Coriolan Overture, Piano Concerto No. 1, in which he plays, and Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” Tuesday, August 5, at 8 p.m. Zacharias returns Thursday, August 7, at 8 p.m., to lead the LA Phil in a program featuring LA Phil Principal Cellist Peter Stumpf as the soloist in Boccherini’s Concerto in D major, G. 479. Also on the Thursday program are two works by Ravel – Valses nobles et sentimentales and Pavane pour une infante défunte – and Bizet’s Symphony in C major. (....more)

PYSO Vienna Tour

Mr. Sweeney will be joing the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra on their European tour from July 7th - 18th.  Congratulations to my students Aileen Ro & Ashley Bae who are members of this fine orchestra and will be participating in the tour.

From the Pasadena Star News:

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra will travel to Vienna, Austria, to perform at the International Youth Music Festival and Competition.

The young musicians will leave for classical music's legendary capital on Monday.

After months of preparing for what may be the highlight of their budding musical careers, the 80 middle school students, led by Director Jack Taylor, will attend the festival from July 12 to15. (read more...)

From www.pasadenapyso.org:

The young musicians of The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra – lead by Music Director Jack Taylor, Ria Kubota and Anna Lim, co-conductors of the PYSO Chamber Orchestra, and Dr. Victor Aguilar, conductor of the PYSO Wind Ensemble – are rehearsed and ready for the prestigious, invitation-only International Youth Music Festival and Competition in Vienna. (read more...)

National Cello Institute: Opening Concert

Mr. Sweeney will be performing at the opening concert of the National Cello Institute with acclaimed pianist, Ines Irawati. They will be performing a full recital program together including the works of Beehtoven, Piatigorsky, and Prokofiev.

Date: Sunday June 22nd, 2008

Location: Pomona College -- 550 North College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711 (google maps)

About Ms. Irawati:

Known for her expressivity and virtuosity, Ines Irawati is in demand both as a solo recitalist and a collaborative pianist. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, she began piano and composition instruction at age six at the Yamaha Music School in Indonesia. At age 12, she made her official debut playing the third Beethoven Piano Concerto and Chopin's first concerto with the Indonesian Youth Symphony. Her early musical studies began with Muneaki Watanabe, Yazeed Djamin and Iravati Soediarso.

As a performer and a composer, Irawati has performed her own compositions all over Indonesia, Singapore and Sri Lanka. At the age of 15, she was invited to the International UNICEF Benefit in Japan, where she performed her first concerto with the Tokyo Symphony. Her work for solo flute, “Flirting Belugas”, was published by the Manduca Music Publication. Her composition teachers include the renowned Indonesian composer, Slamet Abdul Sjukur, and Donald Erb.

At age 14, Irawati was recommended by Jahja Ling, the recently appointed director of the San Diego Symphony, to join the prestigious Young Artists Program at Cleveland Institute of Music. She was accepted under full scholarship, and continued her studies at the Institute where she then received her Bachelors of Music. Her teachers and coaches include Olga Radosavljevich, Vivian Weilerstein, Anne Epperson, and Donald Weilerstein.

Irawati holds a Masters of Music degree from Yale University, where she studied with Claude Frank, and was coached by Peter Frankl, and Kikuei Ikeda, the second violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet. As both a solo and collaborative pianist, she has participated in master classes with such noted musicians as Emmanuel Ax, Murray Perahia, Martin Katz, Barbara Bonney, and Dawn Upshaw (more....)

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Los Angeles Opera in their production of Puccini's Tosca. Shows Saturday, May 17th through Saturday, June 21, 2008.

from laopera.com:

"Political power and its abuse intensify the tragic love triangle between the fiery diva Floria Tosca, the handsome painter Mario Cavaradossi, and the sadistic police chief Baron Scarpia. Obsessed with the tempestuous singer, the villainous Baron plays a cruel cat-and-mouse game with her and her lover. Tosca strikes a bargain with the diabolical Scarpia only to experience horrifying consequences.

The Hollywood film composer Erich Korngold once referred to Tosca as the "greatest film score of all time" because the music reflects every hair-raising detail of this gripping melodrama in a way that keeps the excitement at fever pitch. Plácido Domingo and Sir Richard Armstrong share the podium."

Congratulations to Ashley Bae and Aileen Ro on their success as winners of the recent PYSO Solo Concert Auditions. Aileen and Ashley will be performing the Double Cello Concerto in g minor, RV 531 by Antonio Vivaldi. The concert will be held on Saturday, April 19th at the Shumei Spiritual Fellowship Center at 2430 East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, California 91107.

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Los Angeles Opera for their 40th anniversary gala with Placido Domintgo on Friday, April 18th

from laopera.com:

Forty years ago, a young tenor on tour in Los Angeles took the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. At that time, few in attendance had any idea what the name Plácido Domingo would come to mean to Los Angeles and to opera fans around the world.

Plácido Domingo would go on to change the face of opera as we know it, performing on the Dorothy Chandler Stage more than 120 times and raising LA Opera to its world-class status.

LA Opera Music Director James Conlon will conduct the LA Opera Orchestra in this Gala performance in which Plácido Domingo will touch on the vast breadth of repertory he has conquered in his unparalleled career. The program will feature some of the roles with which he is most closely associated, along with some newly minted gems and genuine surprises.

This historic Gala performance marks the first time that Plácido Domingo and James Conlon will perform together in Los Angeles. Joining Maestro Domingo on the program will be the internationally celebrated soprano Patricia Racette.

LA Opera: Recovered Voices

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Los Angeles Opera in their Recovered Voices series. Shows Sunday, February 17th through Saturday, March 8, 2008.

from laopera.com:
Los Angeles Opera continues its exploration of music by composers suppressed by the Nazis. This season, Music Director James Conlon's multi-year project Recovered Voices presents two exceptional one-act operas.

Alexander Zemlinsky based The Dwarf (Der Zwerg) on Oscar Wilde's one-act tragedy "The Birthday of the Infanta." Viktor Ullmann's The Broken Jug (Der zerbrochene Krug) is taken from a comedy by the Romantic German poet Heinrich von Kleist. Vivid imagery, supercharged emotions, and rich late-Romantic orchestral textures characterize these operas. You'll hear beguiling echoes of Mahler, Strauss and Wagner, but the overall effect is one of exciting musical discovery.

LA Opera: Otello

Mr. Sweeney will be performing with the Los Angeles Opera in their production of Giuseppe Verdi's Otello. Shows Saturday, February 16th through Sunday, March 9, 2008.

on laopera.com:
"From the opening tempest scene to the spine tingling finish, Verdi's transformation of the original Shakespeare play crackles with theatrical electricity and incandescent intensity. When the evil Iago cleverly exploits Otello's obsessive jealousy, the Moor's innocent wife Desdemona is blindsided in the explosive dramatic friction. This musical portrait of Otello's descent into a tortured heart of darkness is explicit in every chilling detail - you'll feel the Moor's temples throb with Vesuvian rage and hear the blood boiling in his veins as he destroys all in life that he holds dear. "

Lynn Harrell Lecture/Demonstration

Cellist, Lynn Harrell, will present a multi-media lecture/demonstration on cello technique and the relationship of vocal music to cello playing. The lecture is open to the public and admission is free.

Date:
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:00pm

Location:
Professional Musicians Local 47, Union Hall
817 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (google maps)