University of Southern California 
Thornton School of Music
Robert Cutietta, Dean

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Artistic Director

PIATIGORSKY INTERNATIONAL CELLO FESTIVAL
Ralph Kirshbaum, Artistic Director

Friday, May 13 - Sunday, May 22, 2016
Los Angeles, California

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Festival Tickets On Sale Through the USC Ticket Office

For Immediate Release - September 15, 2015

Ticket packages are now on sale for the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival through the University of Southern California Ticket Office or by calling 213-740-4672. Individual tickets will go on sale in early 2016. Tickets to festival events with the LA Phil may be purchased separately through the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office.

In honor of the legendary cellist, Gregor Piatigorsky, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, presented by the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and the LA Phil in partnership with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, brings together masters of the cello and young cellists from around the world for an unparalleled celebration of the cello, its music and its musicians. The Festival takes place in Los Angeles, California from May 13-22, 2016 showcasing 26 international artists representing 15 countries and 4 continents, and unveiling several premieres during the course of this outstanding 10-day event. The Festival's roster includes some of the world’s most celebrated cellists – Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Truls Mørk, Jean-Guihen Queyras, David Geringas, Frans Helmerson, Colin Carr, Sol Gabetta, Giovanni Sollima, Raphael Wallfisch and Artistic Director Ralph Kirshbaum,  among others - some of whom directly studied under Gregor Piatigorsky.

Bringing together three prestigious Los Angeles musical organizations—USC Thornton School of Music, the LA Phil and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra—the 2016 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival aims to highlight the cello against the backdrop of one of the most culturally innovative metropolitan areas in the United States.

For more information about the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, go topiatigorskyfestival.usc.edu

Cellists
Zuill Bailey · Colin Carr · Robert deMaine · Thomas Demenga · Sol Gabetta · David Geringas · Matt Haimovitz · Narek Hakhnazaryan · Frans Helmerson · Ralph Kirshbaum · Ronald Leonard · Laurence Lesser · Antonio Lysy · Yo-Yo Ma · Jens Peter Maintz · Mischa Maisky · Truls Mørk · Amit Peled · Li-Wei Qin · Jean-Guihen Queyras · Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt · Andrew Shulman · Giovanni Sollima · Jeffrey Solow · Raphael Wallfisch · Wendy Warner

Conductors
Matthew Aucoin · Uriel Segal · Leonard Slatkin

Ensembles
Attacca Quartet · Calder Quartet · Emerson Quartet · Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra · LA Phil· SAKURA Cello Ensemble · USC Thornton Chamber Singers · USC Thornton Wind Ensemble

Collaborative Pianists
Ayke Agus · Bernadene Blaha · Rina Dokshitsky · Kevin Fitz-Gerald · Jeffrey Kahane · Lily Maisky · Christopher O’Riley · Noreen Polera · Kathryn Stott · Robert Thies

Saturday, May 14, 2016
LA Phil Concert
8:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Truls Mørk

Rossini: William Tell Overture
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Sunday, May 15, 2016
LA Phil Concert
2:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Sol Gabetta 

Rossini: William Tell Overture
Martinů: Cello Concerto No. 1 (1955 version)
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Gala Opening Concert - University of Southern California
4:30 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Jens Peter Maintz
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt
Giovanni Sollima
Antonio Lysy/Attacca Quartet/Tango Dancers

Haydn: Duo (Maintz and Schmidt)
Servais: Caprice sur des motifs de l'opéra Le Comte Ory, Op. 3 (Maintz and Schmidt)
Paganini: Moses Variations (Maintz and Schmidt)
Sollima: Improvisation (Sollima)
and: Te Amo, Argentina (Lysy and Attacca Quartet)

Colburn Celebrity Recital
7:30 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Yo-Yo Ma, with Kathryn Stott, piano

Programming to be announced

Monday, May 16, 2016
Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Robert deMaine

Hindemith: Solo Sonata, Op. 25, No. 3
Cassadó: Suite
deMaine: Etudes-Caprices

Master Class with Raphael Wallfisch
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Internationally lauded English cellist Raphael Wallfisch presents a master class.

Quintet+ Concert
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
SAKURA Cello Ensemble
Ronald Leonard, with Bernadene Blaha, piano
Calder Quartet/Giovanni Sollima

Fauré: L'horizon chimérique (arr. Peter Myers) (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Boccherini: Adagio and Allegro (Leonard) 
Barber: Sonata for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 6 (Leonard)
Boccherini: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 28, No. 4 (Calder Quartet and Sollima)

Evening Recital
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Frans Helmerson, with Kevin Fitz-Gerald, piano
Truls Mørk, with Bernadene Blaha, piano

Debussy: Sonate (Helmerson)
Rachmaninoff: Sonata (Helmerson)
Grieg: Intermezzo in A Minor(Mørk)
Sibelius: Romance, Op. 78, No. 2 (Mørk)
Sibelius: Religioso, Op. 78, No. 3 (Mørk)
Grieg: Sonata in A Minor (Mørk)

Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Master Class with Jens Peter Maintz
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Jens Peter Maintz, renowned German cellist, leads a master class.

Master Class with Truls Mørk
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Distinguished Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk, awarded the 2010 Sibelius Prize, leads a master class.

Colburn Celebrity Recital
8:00 PM | Walt Disney Concert Hall
Emerson Quartet/Ralph Kirshbaum
SAKURA Cello Ensemble and Guests 
Mass Cello Ensemble/Matthew Aucoin, conductor

Schubert: String Quintet in C Major (Emerson Quartet and Kirshbaum)
Brett Dean: Twelve Angry Men (SAKURA Cello Ensemble and Guests)
Anna Clyne: new work TBA (Mass Cello Ensemble) (LA Phil Commission)
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1 (Mass Cello Ensemble)

Lunch Series Concert 
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, with Robert Thies, piano

Schumann: Fantasiestücke
Shostakovich: Sonata
Debussy: Beau Soir
Debussy-Becker: Minstrels 

Master Class with Mischa Maisky
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
The celebrated Latvian-born Israeli cellist Mischa Maisky, who studied under Piatigorsky, leads a master class.

Quintet+ Concert
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
SAKURA Cello Ensemble
Laurence Lesser
Calder Quartet/Antonio Lysy

Dowland: M. George Whitehead his Almand (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Farmer: Fair Phyllis (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Gesualdo: Moro, Lasso (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Dowland: The Earl of Essex Galiard (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Bach: Suite No. 5 for Solo Cello, lute version (Lesser) 
Onslow: String Quintet in C Minor, Op. 38, The Bullet (Calder Quartet and Lysy) 

Evening Recital
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Sol Gabetta, with Kevin Fitz-Gerald, piano
David Geringas, with Rina Dokshitsky, piano
Calder Quartet

Chopin: Sonata, Op. 65 (Gabetta)
Chopin: Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 16a (Gabetta)
Schnittke: Sonata No. 1 (Geringas)
Vasks: The Book (Geringas)
Šenderovas: David's Song (Geringas and Calder Quartet) (West Coast Premiere)
Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile (Geringas and Calder Quartet) 

Thursday, May 19, 2016
Master Class with Laurence Lesser
10:00AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
The distinguished American cellist, former student and teaching assistant to Piatigorsky, leads a master class.

Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Zuill Bailey, with Bernadene Blaha, piano

Boccherini: Sonata in C Major
Stravinsky: Suite Italienne
Piatigorsky: Paganini Variations
Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp Minor
Foss: Capriccio

Master Class with Thomas Demenga
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Swiss cellist Thomas Demenga, an internationally renowned soloist, composer and teacher, leads a master class.

Improvisation Workshop with Giovanni Sollima
5:30 PM |Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall (USC)
Italian composer and cellist Giovanni Sollima communicates music full of Mediterranean rhythms, with a melodic vein typically Italian in nature. He writes mainly for the cello and contributes significantly to the creation of new repertoire for the instrument. Sollima leads a workshop in improvisation geared towards helping cellists express themselves more fluently through their instruments.

Evening Concerto Concert
8:00 PM |Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Uriel Segal, conductor
David Geringas
Li-Wei Qin
Raphael Wallfisch
USC Thornton Chamber Singers
USC Thornton Wind Ensemble

Ibert: Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments (Wallfisch)
Gulda: Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra (Qin)
Gubaidulina: Canticle of the Sun for Cello, Chamber Choir and Percussion (Geringas)

Friday, May 20, 2016
Master Class with Colin Carr
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Celebrated British cellist Colin Carr, who appears throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and teacher, shares his insights in a master class.

Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Wendy Warner, with Rina Dokshitsky, piano

Brahms: Scherzo from F-A-E Sonata
Brahms: Sonata in E Minor, Op. 38
Popper: Im Walde Suite, Op. 50

Master Class with Jean-Guihen Queyras
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Internationally acclaimed French-Canadian cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras leads a master class.

Quintet+ Concert
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
SAKURA Cello Ensemble
Jeffrey Solow, with Ayke Agus, piano
Calder Quartet/Frans Helmerson

Anne Wilson: Lament, In Memory of Matthew Sheperd (SAKURA Cello Ensemble)
Haydn-Piatigorsky: Divertimento in D (Solow)
Schubert-Piatigorsky: Introduction, Theme and Variations, Op. 82, No. 2 (Solow)
Weber-Piatigorsky: Sonata in A (Solow)
Tanayev: String Quintet in G Major, Op. 14 (Calder Quartet and Helmerson)

Evening Recital
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Matt Haimovitz, with Christopher O'Riley, piano
Mischa Maisky, with Lily Maisky, piano

Prokofiev: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 119 (Haimovitz)
Webern: Two Pieces for Cello and Piano (Maisky)
Webern: Three Little Pieces, Op. 11 (Maisky)
Messiaen: Louange à l'Eternité de Jésus (Maisky)
Messiaen: Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus (Maisky)
Britten: Sonata in C, Op. 65 (Maisky)

Saturday, May 21, 2016
Master Class with Ralph Kirshbaum
10:00 AM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Piatigorsky International Cello Festival artistic director Ralph Kirshbaum leads students in a master class.

Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Amit Peled, with Noreen Polera, piano

Handel: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor
Kopytmann: Kaddish for Cello and Piano
Tsintzadze: Five Folk Pieces for Cello and Piano
Auerbach: new work (West Coast Premiere)

Master Class with David Geringas 
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
One of the most versatile performers and respected teachers in the world today, Lithuanian cellist David Geringas leads a master class.

Remembering Piatigorsky
6:30 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Four of Piatigorsky's outstanding former students - Laurence Lesser, Mischa Maisky, Jeffrey Solow, and Raphael Wallfisch - celebrate the career of their great teacher through film and panel discussion.

Evening Concert - Baroque Conversations
8:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Colin Carr
Thomas Demenga
Jean-Guihen Queyras
Giovanni Sollima

Platti: Cello Concerto in D Minor, D-WD 657 (Queyras)
Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in C Minor, RV 401(Carr)
Boccherini: Cello Concerto in G Major, G. 480 (Demenga)
Leo: Cello Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, L. 60 (Sollima)
CPE Bach: Cello Concerto in A Major, H. 439 (Queyras)

Sunday, May 22, 2016
Young Cellists Workshop/Forum on Fine Instruments
9:00 AM | Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall (USC)
Internationally recognized artist Antonio Lysy leads a workshop for young, emerging cellists. The Young Cellists will complete the workshop with a performance, which will be followed at 11:00am by a forum on finding, choosing, and purchasing a fine instrument. This forum includes Jason Price, Director of Tarisio and Bruno Price, Partner in Rare Violins of New York.

Lunch Series Concert
1:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
Narek Hakhnazaryan, with Noreen Polera, piano

Schumann: Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70
Brahms: Sonata in F Major, Op. 99
Ligeti: Sonata for Solo Cello
Khachaturian: Lullaby
Paganini: Variations on 1 String on a Theme by Rossini, "Moses"

Master Class with Frans Helmerson
3:00 PM | Alfred Newman Recital Hall (USC)
The highly esteemed Swedish cellist and pedagogue, Frans Helmerson, leads a master class.

Lecture: Don't be an Urtext Victim 
6:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Jeffrey Solow
In this featured lecture, Jeffrey Solow challenges some of the assumptions that musicians make when relying on urtext editions to dig deeper into the composer’s work. Instead, he argues, musicians can reach a more informed place of performance through research, logic, and intuition.

Piatigorsky International Cello Festival: Closing Gala
Beethoven Sonatas and Variations for Cello
7:00 PM | Bovard Auditorium (USC)
Colin Carr, Thomas Demenga, Matt Haimovitz, Ronald Leonard,
Laurence Lesser, Mischa Maisky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Andrew Shulman, with pianists Bernadene Blaha, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Jeffrey Kahane, Lily Maisky, and Christopher O'Riley
The closing concert of the Festival presents the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven, each performed by a different renowned cellist.

Beethoven: Sonata in F Major, Op. 5, No. 1 (Leonard)
Beethoven: Variations in E flat Major (Lesser)
Beethoven: Sonata in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1 (Demenga)
Beethoven: Sonata in A Major, Op. 69 (Carr)
Beethoven: Variations in F Major (Haimovitz)
Beethoven: Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5, No. 2 (Maisky)
Beethoven: Variations in G Major (Shulman)
Beethoven: Sonata in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2 (Queyras)