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Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

On Father's Day for Japan Relief

Guido Lamell, Music Director of L.A. Musicians Symphony and Chorus, announces major Benefit Concert to support Japan Disaster Relief

“Beethoven 9 for Japan” – Father’s Day, June 19, 7pm -

Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall

Area musicians will join forces as the L.A. Musicians Symphony and Chorus, under the direction of L.A. Philharmonic violinist, Guido Lamell, for a special benefit concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall to support disaster relief in Japan. Featuring Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the program will culminate in an audience sing-along of its famous Chorale Finale. Also on the program: Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.”

Guido Lamell — Music Director, Conductor

Press

Press Release

Beethoven 9 for Japan

“Beethoven 9 for Japan” – Father’s Day, June 19, 7pm - Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert HallGuido Lamell, Music Director of L.A. Musicians Symphony and Chorus, announces major Benefit Concert to support Japan Disaster ReliefArea musicians will join forces as the L.A. Musicians Symphony and Chorus, under the direction of Guido Lamell, for a special benefit concert at Disney Concert Hall to support disaster relief in Japan. Featuring Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the program includes an audience sing-along of its famous Chorale Finale. Also on the program: Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.”The ensemble includes members of leading Los Angeles area orchestras and choirs, including the L.A. Philharmonic, the LA Master Chorale, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, among others. With the generous cooperation of the Professional Musicians Local 47, AGMA, and the professional freelance community, area artists, directors, and soloists are donating their creative services to form one great combined orchestra and choir that reflects the spirit, generosity and commitment of the greater Los Angeles community.According to Lamell, “This will be the most ambitious and memorable concert to date supporting Japan disaster relief in Los Angeles. We are pleased and encouraged by the response so far. We will be announcing program and cast additions on a continuing basis until the day of performance.” “We started with a simple idea: Why not do something special on Father’s Day to support the many families in Japan who need so much help right now? Let’s look beyond our own fathers and families to the larger family that includes all of us. The idea is gathering a great following.” said Arpad Lamell, Executive Producer. . Tickets are on sale now at Disney Hall or through TicketMaster. General ticket prices range from $30 to $140. A limited number of special reservations will be available at higher donor-pricing levels for selected seating areas. Ticket purchases are tax deductible in part and will be processed and distributed for the benefit of Relief and Rebuilding efforts through the US-Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund. The US-Japan Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Further information available online: www.Beethoven9forJapan.org
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Media Alert

World Class Soloists announced for Father’s Day “Beethoven 9 for Japan” Benefit Concert at Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall – June 19, 7pmWHAT:Soprano Elissa Johnston, tenor Robert MacNeil, mezzo-soprano Janelle DeStefano, and Bass-Baritone Michael Dean will appear as soloists with the Los Angeles Musicians Symphony and Chorus, under the baton of music director, Guido Lamell, in a major benefit performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on Father’s Day. The program takes place at 7pm, June 19th. Says Arpad Lamell, executive producer: “We would be extremely fortunate to have any one of these artists join us in our efforts to raise funds for tsunami relief and rebuilding efforts in Japan. Artists of this caliber often have calendars that are booked years in advance. To have Elissa, Robert, Janelle, and Michael appearing on the same program together only 3 months after the March 11th disaster is nothing short of a miracle. For them to so generously contribute their services and Father’s Day observances for the benefit of others is as great a symbol of humanity and goodwill as Beethoven’s own work. They are certainly well matched to this inspiring masterwork and to this area-wide effort. The LA community is fortunate to be able to extend and participate in their generosity by attending this concert on Father’s Day. WHEN: Sunday, June 19th, 7pm concert •6:30 p.m. - Media check-in at the media desk at Disney Concert HallWHERE: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Downtown Los AngelesINTERVIEW OPPS: - Guido Lamell, Music Director, Los Angeles Musicians Symphony and Chorus- Barry Socher, Concertmaster, Los Angeles Musicians Symphony and Chorus- Robert Gupta, Assistant Concertmaster, LA Musicians Symphony and Chorus- Arpad Lamell, Executive Producer, “Beethoven 9 for Japan” concert VISUALS: - soloist portraits (4)- photo: Guido Lamell, Disney Hall Marquee- photo: Guido Lamell with Japan General Consul IharaBACKGROUND INFO: - artist bios: Elissa Johnston, Robert MacNeil, Janelle DeStefano, Michael Dean - photo: Guido Lamell with Japan General Consul Ihara CONTACT:Vickie Fite, Winner & Associates, (310) 432-7770, (310) 613-0937, vfite_winnr.com Jennifer Reza, Winner & Associates, (310) 432-7770, (626) 278-5647, jreza_winnr.com

Event Flyer

Topanga Messenger Interview

Guido Lamell Conducts Beethoven’s Ninth for Japan Relief on Father’s Day

By John SippleJune 2, 2011Topanga, CaliforniaWhat does a member of the fabled Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra string section do when the regular concert season ends and he has some extra time on his hands?If the musician is LA Phil violinist Guido Lamell, intrepid conductor of the on-hiatus Topanga Philharmonic, he looks for projects that allow him to use his conducting skills to benefit a good cause, such as raising funds for victims of Japan’s triple disaster.He then recruits 200 or so of his nearest and dearest advanced concert musician and singer friends from the greater Los Angeles area’s premier orchestras and choruses, rents the Walt Disney Concert Hall and prepares to conduct a performance of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony on Father’s Day, June 19, at 7 p.m. to raise money for the Japan Earthquake Relief Effort. After producing and performing some 26 benefit concerts for the Topanga Co-op Pre-School since 1989, Maestro Lamell — or Guido, as he insists — learned last autumn that the Topanga Co-op Pre-School is on hiatus and that there was not a sponsor for a 2011 Topanga Philharmonic concert. “Even though there was not a Topanga concert planned, musicians kept calling wanting to play in some conducting project of mine,” says Lamell from his Santa Monica home studio. “I have an enthusiastic following. And then in March the earthquake in Japan happened and the pictures on the Internet started showing things that were mind boggling, unthinkable. “I feel a great affinity for Japan because I spent a good bit of time there, including a wonderful cross-county rail trip with my 80-year-old father. You meet people and get to understand them a bit. Then this catastrophe. I felt that I had to do something for Japan, something big. There is nothing bigger than the Beethoven Ninth.“The Japan disaster is perhaps the most staggering natural disaster in our lifetime and I want to help. We should not forget Japan.” Although the cause is serious, the event will be fun. “After we finish the Beethoven Ninth, we will repeat the ‘Ode to Joy’ chorus, this time with the audience singing along,” says Lamell. “What a blast that will be. The audience singing with the orchestra of nearly 100 and chorus nearing 100, at Disney Concert Hall — I guarantee we’ll shake the walls.”For those who don’t know the “Ode to Joy,” Lamell will video the onstage chorus and post them to the event’s website, www.beethoven9forjapan.org. “We will coach the music, singing and German pronunciation of the words so those watching the video will be able to hear the vocal parts and decide which one fits their voice. That way, when they are invited to participate, they’ll know what to do.”Musicians are donating their time and talent. The audience donates to the cause through tax-deductible ticket purchases that range from $30 to $140, a contribution that will help provide food, medicine and aid to families who have lost everything. “This is a community-wide effort with first-rate performers from the premier area orchestras and choruses — including some of my colleagues from the LA Philharmonic and from the LA Master Chorale — as well as veteran studio musicians and a select few highly gifted students,” says Lamell. “Everyone onstage will be expected to know the Beethoven Ninth and to have performed it before.” Soloists on board at press time include the internationally acclaimed singers soprano Elissa Johnston and bass-baritone Michael Dean.Is a concert on Father’s Day evening a problem for Lamell? “That gives us about three weeks — instead of three months — to pull this together. But the occasion — Father’s Day — is very important now. Just try to imagine for a moment what families in Japan have experienced. Thousands have lost their dads…. Dads have lost children. Four hundred thousand homes and businesses are gone! We can’t begin to fathom the agony this has caused. Of course, some Fathers here in LA may prefer to go to a ball game, which is great. But many dads would love to come as a family to one of the greatest concert halls in the world and experience an amazing piece of music — a cornerstone of our culture — in a family-friendly setting to benefit an epic human need.”What if I want to perform at the concert? “We have a very high standard for this. This has to be the best concert possible. Our chorus will be prepared by Lesley Leighton of the LA Master Chorale. Players will share the stage with the best around, so they must have experience with the piece and significant experience performing. We will also consider a few very gifted students.” Instrumentalists and singers should contact Guido Lamell at lamell_beethoven9forjapan.org. Please include details of your experience. What makes you do this? “I love the opportunity to conduct this music and I feel a great responsibility to help in light of such hardships. I feel that conducting is the most exhilarating and liberating thing that I can do in my life and the 9th Symphony is an incredible vehicle for that whole experience. The first movement is sheer power, more and more power, never enough. The second movement is dazzling in its complexity of the ensemble — and too steer that is like the three dimensional feeling that you get flying a plane (Lamell got his pilot’s license long ago). The third movement is a tender, beautiful song, like something you would write for a little girl, your daughter, childlike and beautiful. The last movement is cosmic. It adds the human voice and soars farther than ever before. It’s humbling. It will take us many hundreds of hours of planning and preparation to pull off this hour and a half of music-making, but its worth it to me.” You have been a member of the LA Philharmonic string section for 31 years. The LA Phil is rated in the top 10 orchestras in the world. If each orchestra has 36 violinists, that puts you in the top 360 orchestral violinists in the world. When did you realize that you had this gift — that you could do this — get up there night after night and perform at that level? “I’m not sure I’m there yet! (laugh). Seriously, it’s an ongoing process. I began playing the violin at age six, yet I continue to discover new essentials of technique and interpretation to this day. When I was a junior in high school — age 17 — I was practicing the Bruch Violin Concerto and suddenly, one day, there was a change. I heard the music in a profoundly dimensional way … like viewing a scene with one-eye closed and then opening the other. It was a stunning moment for me.” What advice do you have for the parents of a gifted child? “Get the best teacher in town at the very beginning. And that may be the most expensive, but it is worth it. The first few years are the most critical. If you start at five or six — even earlier, these days — and have a teacher who really understands the instrument, who can teach you good technique — you keep that with you for life. Then you can have a teacher who says ‘this is Russian, so make it big and warm and soft, like a fur coat,’ and you’ll have the technique to make that sound.” Lamell loves to have LA Phil orchestra members and visiting soloists over for dinner and a musical soiree. He designed his house in Santa Monica to provide the function of performing chamber music. “My father was an architect so I had a general idea of what I was doing. I got a $30 CAD program — Easy Home Designer or something — and created the plan. The challenge was to create a home with a quality music space on a standard size Santa Monica residential lot.” The result is a stunning home with a large, high-ceilinged music room in the center of the first floor, an elegant staircase leading to an exposed second floor and carefully planned skylights and windows that provide ideal indoor daylight and a serene ambiance. The acoustics, of course, are superb. “We had nineteen players in a circle in this room with about 100 guests on the staircase and upstairs. Simon Rattle and some of his Berlin Philharmonic players and Gustavo Dudamel and some of my LA Phil colleagues. We all played the Mendelssohn Octet, with parts doubled and tripled. What a sound!” What would you like to be when you grow up? “I still ask myself that question and the answer is that I would like to be a conductor. I love the violin and always will, but I’m more and more irresistibly drawn to the full symphony orchestra as THE vehicle of expression. If you consider, it’s the greatest musical invention of all! When I conduct, I feel no limits — everything is possible. What could be better that to have a large group of really smart, talented people who are following you, allowing you to lead them, agreeing to your vision. It is the greatest privilege.” Article reprinted with permission of the Topanga Messenger newspaper. All rights reserved. Copyright June, 2011 www.topangamessenger.com

Contact

Guido Lamell,

Music Director of L.A. Musicians Symphony and Chorus

Arpad Lamell,

Executive Producer

Lamell_Beethoven9forJapan.org

phone: (310) 452-3354

Press Release
Media Alert
Event Flyer
Topanga Messenger Interview
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Downloadable Print Files:

B9 Press Release 6-4-11.pdf

Media Alert announce soloists2.pdf

Big9_Flyer.pdf

Beethoven_Concert_Poster_PDF.pdf

Full Messenger Article_GLamell_JSipple_Layout 1.pdf

Artists

Elissa Johnston
Robert MacNeil
Janelle DeStefano
Michael Dean

Elissa Johnston

Elissa Johnston, soprano

Soprano ELISSA JOHNSTON has appeared in a wide range of repertory. Her orchestral engagements have included appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Atlanta Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and the San Francisco Contemporary Players. She has performed numerous times with the L.A. Philharmonic New Music Group, both in Los Angeles and at the Ojai Festival, with conductors Tan Dun, David Zinman, Daniel Harding, and Steven Stucky. She made her Lincoln Center debut in 1999 singing Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes with the New York City Ballet and returned to Lincoln Center in May of 2001, premiering Morgen!, a set of 10 orchestral songs by Richard Strauss choreographed by Peter Martins. Johnston also appeared in the New York Philharmonic's Copland Festival and Lincoln Center's Stravinsky Festival. Her recital appearances include programs at the Aldeburgh Festival in England and at the Aspen Festival's Winter Music Series with composer Ricky Ian Gordon. Also in Aspen, she sang the role of Pat Nixon in the world premiere of John Adams' concert suite from Nixon in China entitled The Nixon Tapes, with the composer conducting. Upcoming engagements include Mendelssohn's Elijah and Lobgesang with the Fort Worth Symphony and Beethoven's Missa solemnis with the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the new Walt Disney Concert Hall.Johnston's recent operatic engagements include Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Snape Proms in England, the role of Female Chorus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia at the Aldeburgh October Britten Festival, and Marzelline in concert performances of Beethoven's Fidelio at the Aspen Festival and with the Wheeling Symphony. With Los Angeles Opera, she has appeared in Il trovatore, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Return of Ulysses. Elissa Johnston also performed the role of Brigitta in concert performances of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by Valery Gergiev.

Robert MacNeil RobertMacNeil pic.jpg

Robert MacNeil, tenor

Tenor Robert MacNeil has been praised by the Los Angeles Times for possessing a voice that is “clarion” and “clear”. After performing roles in Tannhäuser, Der Rosenkavalier, Il Trovatore, Fidelio and La Boheme with Los Angeles Opera, he returns in their 2008-09 season in Puccini’s Il Tabarro. In the Spring 2008, Mr. MacNeil solos with the Angeles Chorale, New West Symphony and summer concerts with Cal Philharmonic. The tenor made his debut with the famed Ojai Festival under Kent Nagano in Orff’s Die Kluge and recorded the role of Martin in Copland’s opera The Tender Land, which was released on the Koch International Label.An accomplished concert artist, the tenor has been soloist in more than fifty performances of Handel’s Messiah. He has soloed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in performances of Elijah, the Sydney Choral Festival in the Berlioz Requiem and in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Central Union Philharmonic in Beijing. He made his Carnegie Hall solo debut in Britten’s The World of the Spirit and appeared in Rome with the Orchestra Roma Symphonia in Verdi’s Requiem. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Oregon Symphony, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Symphony, Oregon Festival of American Music, Pacific Chorale, Long Beach Opera, Pasadena Symphony, California Philharmonic, Angeles Chorale, Opera Santa Barbara, New West Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Bozeman Symphony and numerous concerts with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, William Hall Master Chorale, Bakersfield Symphony, California Master Chorale and the Cascade Music Festival.Mr. Mac Neil, a National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, has his B.M. from Chapman University and M.M. from the University of Southern California. At the University of Southern California, he was a Marilyn Horne Scholar and was named Most Outstanding Graduate Student from the Thornton School of Music.More information on Robert MacNeil can be found at http://www.classicalsinger.com

Janelle DeStefano

Janelle DeStefano, mezzo-soprano

Praised for her “passionate delivery” and “rich seamless voice,” mezzo-soprano Janelle DeStefano has sung on regional operatic and orchestral stages across the United States. As a concert soloist, Ms. DeStefano has rendered dramatic performances in works such as the Bach B-minor Mass, the Vivaldi Magnificat, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, the Mozart Requiem, Respighi’s Laud to the Nativity and the Szymanowsky Stabat Mater. This spring Ms. DeStefano appeared with the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus in Bach's The Passion according to St. Matthew, and in December 2011, she returns to the Walt Disney Concert Hall as the alto soloist in the Messiah with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Operatic roles include Romeo in I Capuletti e i Montecchi, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia and most recently Dido in Dido and Aeneas with the Bach Collegium San Diego. Ms. DeStefano has a special interest in Spanish song and zarzuela, and has performed at the Interpretation of Spanish Song Festival in Granada, as well as with acclaimed early music ensemble, El Mundo. Her portrayal of the gypsy, Maria, in La Alegria de la Huerta at the Jarvis Zarzuela Festival (available on DVD) was hailed as the "pick of the Chueca" by Zarzuela.net. A winner of several vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, San Diego District, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Musical Merit Foundation, Ms. DeStefano recently received her DMA with honors from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and is Associate Professor of Music at Santa Monica College. During the devastation in Japan, Ms. DeStefano was in labor, giving birth to her daughter, Graziana, born March 11, 2011.

Michael Dean Michael DeanBW.jpg

Michael Dean, bass-baritone

American bass-baritone Michael Dean is in demand worldwide in both concert and operatic repertoire, appearing with many of the leading opera houses and orchestras of the U.S. and Europe. The New York Times lauded his “strong appealing bass-baritone,” while the San Jose Mercury News considered him “the standout, his voice a penetrating wake-up call." He has made frequent appearances at New York City Opera, where he has performed the title role in The Marriage of Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, George in Of Mice and Men, and Papageno in The Magic Flute. Recent appearances have also included Jason McFarlane in the “Live From Lincoln Center” broadcast of Lizzie Borden; the title role in Don Giovanni and Silva in Ernani at the Landestheater in Linz, Austria; Figaro in Antwerp, Belgium, Of Mice and Men at Arizona Opera, and Colline in La Bohème in Strasbourg and Berlin. Dean has also received critical praise for his numerous recordings of baroque opera, including Agrippina, Ottone, Dido and Aeneas, Radamisto, Giustino, and Serse. Season 2011/12 promises debuts with I Musici de Montreal in Messiah and Modesto Symphony in Mozart’s Requiem, a work he repeats in his return to the Louisiana Philharmonic.Highlights of Dean’s 2010/11 season included appearances with the Calgary Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony and Louisiana Philharmonic, all in Messiah, as well as a Mozart Requiem with Quad City Symphony and Mercury Baroque in Houston and Missa Solemnis with Richmond Symphony. Dean’s 2009/10 season was once again filled with Messiah performances, among others with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and Alabama Symphony.His 2008/09 season continued the close collaboration forged with conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto the season before, this time in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Handel’s Messiah with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Creation with the Orquesta Sinfonica National de Mexico, and Lord Nelson Mass with the Huntsville Symphony. He also sang St. Matthew Passion with the Richmond Symphony as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Quad City Symphony.During season 2007/08, Dean returned to the Pittsburgh Symphony for Messiah, a work he later repeated in his debut with the Houston Symphony and Monterey Symphony, and sang both Haydn’s Creation and the Brahms Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic under Carlos Miguel Prieto, with whom he also appeared at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, Mexico.Dean’s other recent orchestral highlights include his debut with the New York Philharmonic in the world premiere of Aaron Kernis’ Garden Of Light, conducted by Kurt Masur, returning the following year for Street Scene, conducted by Leonard Slatkin, Handel’s Alexander’s Feast with Choral Arts Society of Washington at the Kennedy Center, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Omaha Symphony, Mozart Requiem with Oregon, Rossini Stabat Mater with Sacramento Choral Society and Messiah with the Baltimore Symphony. He also sang Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Handel's Messiah with the San Antonio Symphony, Haydn's Creation in Sarasota, and Mozart's Requiem with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Previously he appeared with Handel's Messiah at Carnegie Hall, Haydn's Creation at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Bach’s Magnificat with the Toronto Symphony; Carmen with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and an evening of Bach Cantatas at Disney Hall with Helmut Rilling conducting the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Michael Dean is currently a member of the Voice Faculty of UCLA.

Downloadable

Print Files:

Elissa Johnston_biop1.pdf

Robert MacNeil_biop1.pdf

Janelle DeStefano_bio.pdf

Michael Dean_bio.pdf

Location

Walt Disney Concert Hall,

111 S Grand Ave,

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tickets

Tickets: $30 - $140

available through Ticketmaster (online and phone)

and Disney Hall Box Office (in person)

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Donations

The U.S.- Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund is the non profit organization that will process donations and insure that 100% of funds goes directly to those in critical need.

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