Los Angeles Philharmonic Members Perform Chamber Music; Assistant Conductor Lionel Bringuier Conducts Music of Sibelius

Upground Heats it Up with Cumbia and Reggae Beats; Bitter:Sweet Cools it Down with Jazzy Electronica Grooves

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 11 AM to 4 PM

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association offers a variety of free performances at the fourth annual Grand Avenue Festival, a showcase of the thriving and robust cultural community of Downtown Los Angeles, held Sunday, September 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association is once again joining the celebration of highly acclaimed and nationally renowned restaurants, theaters, concert halls, museums and other downtown organizations offering free performances and activities in and around Walt Disney Concert Hall. Auditorium performances are free, but require tickets and are limited to four per person. Tickets are given out one hour before the performance in front of Walt Disney Concert Hall on First Street between Grand and Hope Avenues.

Attendees can treat themselves to a diverse selection of programs in Walt Disney Concert Hall's main auditorium. Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic kick-off the festivities with an intimate chamber music performance. Violinists Mitchell Newman and Robert Gupta; violist Ingrid Hutman; and cellist Gloria Lum comprise the quartet. Newly appointed Assistant Conductor Lionel Bringuier leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a family-friendly performance that features the music of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. East L.A.'s Upground keeps audiences moving with their infectious blend of ska, reggae, rock, funk and cumbia, performed in both Spanish and English. Underground's explosive performances have transformed them into one of the most sought-after young bands in Los Angeles' competitive Latin music scene.

Bitter:Sweet, led by the sultry vocals of Shana Halligan and the musical savvy of Kiran Shahani, ends the day with infectious and sizzling trip-hop. Since the duo's debut album, The Mating Game, arrived on the scene just one year ago, Bitter:Sweet has received countless accolades. Both Underground and Bitter:Sweet make their debut performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Throughout the day, Walt Disney Concert Hall's outdoor spaces, the Keck Amphitheatre and Gardens, host a variety of non-ticketed attractions. dublab soundsystem, a collective of progressive DJs, spins eclectic sets of roots music; art educator Rosanne Kleinerman hosts workshops for children; and with the help of Hit+Run, attendees can customize their own screen printed t-shirts for one-of-a-kind wearable art.

Conductor LIONEL BRINGUIER begins his two-year appointment as Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in September 2007. Bringuier was selected through a competitive process that included over 150 applicants from around the world. In his first season as Assistant Conductor, Lionel Bringuier conducts many of the Philharmonic's education and community concerts. He will lead other concerts as scheduled, including subscription concerts at the world-renowned Hollywood Bowl, the Philharmonic's summer home, and a Green Umbrella new music series concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Bringuier also serves as the cover conductor for Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen or guest conductors throughout the orchestra's subscription season and on tour. In addition, his duties include serving as a member of the planning team for the educational series Toyota Symphonies for Youth.

BITTER:SWEET has received critical acclaim from the press, including The Los Angeles Times, who claimed their debut release, The Mating Game, was "perhaps the best album of its kind since Portishead's Dummy was released more than a decade ago." Since The Mating Game was released in April 2006, a handful of the hottest producers remixed Bitter:Sweet tunes, now available as The Remix Game, a compilation bound to feed hungry fans until their 2008 sophomore release. Many of the hottest television shows - Grey's Anatomy, Nip/Tuck, Entourage, Desperate Housewives, and more - have used Bitter:Sweet's music. Kiran Shahani (a founding member of Supreme Beings of Leisure) and Shana Halligan, founders of Bitter:Sweet, created one of the most seductive interpretations of retro swank and hot beats since Sean Connery was James Bond.

dublab soundsystem is a collective of the planet's most progressive music selectors. dublab sessions cross genres and defy classification. Each DJ digs deep to find rare gems. Their mission is to share beautiful music with wide open ears. Whether dublab is bringing dance floors to a boil, exploring magic experimentalism, or spinning eclectic sets, lucky listeners will absorb all shades of future roots sounds.

HIT+RUN was conceived in 2005 by Southern California natives Mike Crivello and Brandy Flower to bring live, on-the-spot t-shirt screen-printing to the public. For each event, four different artists create exclusive designs that are made into silk-screens. Attendees can choose blank shirts to customize with their own combination and placement of the images. The designs are only available during the one-day exhibition, turning each shirt into a limited-edition piece of wearable art.

ROSANNE KLEINERMAN is a painter, jewelry designer, and art educator whose work has been exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, and some places in between. She holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and teaches art to children and adults at LACMA, UCLA, and at various schools in Los Angeles County.

UPGROUND, based out of L.A.'s Eastside, has crossed cultural boundaries and language barriers, and has merged into the mainstream as a talent to be reckoned with. Their music - a fusion of Ska, reggae, Cumbia, rock and funk - translates into pure, raw musical energy. They have shared the stage with such acts as Ozomatli, Tom Morello(Rage Against the Machine), Tierra, Malo, Los Amigos Invisibles, Quetzal, El Gran Silencio, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Go Betty Go and The B-Side Players. They have also had the privilege to open for The Killers and The Chemical Brothers at the Shrine Auditorium. Critical acclaim and recognition greeted Upground's first EP and their live performances as time went on, bringing about a rave Los Angeles Times review. In September 2006, Upground won the 2006 Sprint Battle of the Bands. Upground released their debut full length CD titled Feel the Vibe at the end of summer 2006.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

All concerts listed below take place in and around WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, as part of the Grand Avenue Festival on Sunday, September 30, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Grand Avenue Festival Ticket Policy

Tickets, limited to four per person and free of charge to all ages, are required to attend performances in the Auditorium during the Grand Avenue Festival. Tickets are available one hour prior to each performance on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Grand Avenue Festival Ticket Booth, located at First Street, between Grand and Hope Avenues. Capacity is limited and tickets cannot be resold. For additional information, please visit www.laphil.com or call 323.850.2000.

Grand Avenue Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall is generously sponsored by Farmers Insurance. Additional support is provided by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Affiliates. Special thanks to W. M. Keck Foundation, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Karl H. Loring, and David and Linda Shaheen Foundation for their generous support through the Endowment Fund.

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