Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra: Ruo, Bates, Noone, Schoenberg

French conductor Ludovic Morlot leads an evening of music that spans continents, cultures, and personal histories.

French conductor Ludovic Morlot leads an evening of music that spans continents, cultures, and personal histories. The program opens with Huang Ruo’s Folksongs for Orchestra, refracting the melodic richness of Chinese folk tradition into kaleidoscopic orchestral color. It continues with the world premiere of Mason Bates' Pipa Concerto, a daring collision of ancient Chinese lute and modern orchestra, performed by virtuoso Wu Man. The second half features the world premiere of Eímear Noone’s autobiographical Flute Concerto, performed by LACO Principal Flute Benjamin Smolen, which traces her path as a composer forging a career in the male-dominated world of film music. The evening concludes wit