New music has long been a facet of LACO programming – the Orchestra’s Sound Investment program has commissioned and premiered new works for 18 consecutive seasons – but last month’s inaugural SESSION event took it to whole new level.
“SESSION is designed to appeal to those culturally curious souls who may be unfamiliar with classical music as well as concertgoers intrigued by the ways in which the genre can defy expectations,” says LACO Executive Director Scott Harrison.
Immersive, interdisciplinary and set in a beer hall, SESSION proved a unique experience where LACO musicians joined forces with Creative Advisor Andrew Norman and art collective Four Larks. Interactive sound design and site-specific visual concepts provided a unique backdrop for the cutting-edge compositions on the program.
the reviews
Hub blogger, Vernoica An, got to the heart of what made the SESSION event so engaging in her post Baroque and brews: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra shakes up expectations with new casual concert series:
“The highlight of the evening was Norman’s string trio, The Companion Guide to Rome. Each movement of the work is a character study of a Roman church, the music is informed by the proportions of the buildings, the qualities of the surfaces, the patterns in their floors, the artwork on the walls and the lives and legends of the saints whose names they bear. 4Larks actors performed theatrical projections during the piece, adding to the multimedia experience.”
Vernoica An
the musicians
LACO Violinist Maia Jasper White, also co-artistic director of the Salastina Music Society, and Cellist Giovanna M. Clayton, embraced the face painting and wall-to-wall art as something #creative:
the concertgoers
Patrons described the “beautiful, architectural, modular concert” as #breathtaking:
behind the scenes
Collaborators and provocateurs, Four Larks, kept up a steady stream of site study posts during the run up to the event. LACO Special Events Associate Beverly Wu also caught some of the staging action on the day of the event.