SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2005

CHILDREN'S WORKSHOPS AT 10 AM; CONCERT AT 11 AM

Sponsored by Toyota

Los Angeles Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Alexander Mickelthwate leads the fourth concert in a series of six Toyota Symphonies for Youth performances on Saturday, March 19 at 11 a.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The youthful maestro and the orchestra explore stylistic ways to hear emotions through the "Power of Music" using varied examples of composers and works. The program includes selections from Bernstein's Overture to Candide, Mussorgsky's "Old Castle" from Pictures at an Exhibition, Hermann's motion picture score Psycho, Mozart's Overture to The Marriage of Figaro and Sibelius' Finlandia.

The interactive program demonstrates how emotions are expressed in music via tempo (fast and slow), articulation (rhythm), dynamics (loud and soft) and harmony (minor and major). Three short arrangements of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" aids the children in seeing how emotions can change when we change while the music selections bring the feelings to life from fright and terror (Psycho) to joy and happiness (The Marriage of Figaro.)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's Toyota Symphonies for Youth series take place on six Saturday mornings throughout the season. Before every concert, Walt Disney Concert Hall becomes a musical playground with hands-on art making, musical activities, dance, theater, and storytelling. Workshops take place in the lobby and garden spaces one hour prior to the performance.

ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE is the newly-appointed Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was the sole choice of Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen to assume the expanded duties of the post. He immediately proved his conducting talent to local audiences and was critically praised for his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group on November 1, 2004, leading the world premiere of a commissioned piece by Mason Bates. Just a few weeks later, Mickelthwate then successfully took the helm of the orchestra to lead a program featuring works by Sibelius, Shostakovich and John Adams with only 30 minutes notice when guest conductor Mikko Franck became ill. Mr. Mickelthwate recently completed his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the end of the 2003-04 season. Mr. Mickelthwate strives to engage young people in music. He has conducted more than 60 Young People's Concerts in Atlanta, and organized an exchange between the Atlanta Youth Symphony and Berlin Youth Orchestra during the summer of 2003, hosting concerts in both cities. After winning a Peabody merit scholarship, Mr. Mickelthwate came to America from his native Germany to study at Baltimore's Peabody Institute of Music with Frederik Prausnitz and Gustav Meier. As the recipient of the Emory and Geraldine Ford Foundation sponsorship, he became a fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, (studying there with Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano, and André Previn), the Aspen Music Festival, and the National Conducting Institute (Washington DC) where he was recognized by NSO Music Director Leonard Slatkin, who engaged him as cover conductor the following season.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SATURDAY, MARCH 19:
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOPS AT 10AM; CONCERT AT 11AM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Power of Music

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor

Jessica Goldberg, co-writer

Ed Bargueirena, co-writer

Music selections to include:
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide

MUSSORGSKY "Old Castle" from Pictures at an Exhibition

HERMANN Selections from the motion picture score Psycho

MOZART Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro

SIBELIUS Finlandia

Sponsored by Toyota

Tickets ($15) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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