The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra kicked off is sixth annual “LACO à la carte” fundraising series Thursday night at the official residence of the Consul General of Finland in Bel Air.
The Honorable Juha Markkanen and his wife Tuula hosted several dozen attendees at their residence with Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen the featured guest artist who offered an intimate recital of sublime solo piano works.
It’s not too late to secure tickets to the remaining four evenings at other Consul General residences spotted across the Westside.
A handful of tickets are still available for the intimate evenings that pair exclusive musical performances with delectable international cuisine in the private homes of the Consul General of Australia (Brentwood – Sept. 27), Consul General of France (Beverly Hills – Oct. 9), Consul General of Germany (Hancock Park – Oct. 25), and Consul General of Austria (Brentwood – Nov. 7).
Each unique evening features a salon performance spotlighting LACO musicians and guest artists with proceeds helping support the education outreach programs of LACO.
LACO executive director Rachel Fine said she had been thrilled to see the series blossom during the past few years.
“The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra has always been very international in scope and ambition and we felt it was important to have a connection to the Consul Generals and their respective cultures in the city through the music that we present,” Fine said.
Fine said each of the evenings that start at 7 pm average between 40 and 70 guests so the setting is kept intimate.
“It’s a great musical evening, but it’s also a great cultural evening,” she said. “As far as I know, I don’t know if any other organization does a series like this, so it’s very distinctive. I think there’s a series in Washington, D.C. that presents musical evenings at the homes of the ambassadors, but that’s the only one that I know of.”
Fine said LACO presents chamber music, which is often meant to be heard in a salon setting like a living room or some kind of a parlor.
“We really try to create that type of experience; hearing the music in the way it was originally meant to be heard,” she said. “Also, our musicians aren’t just performing at the evenings. They are engaging with and dining with everyone who’s there, so it’s also about getting to know our artists and the people that we present on the stage and that makes it very special.”
“LACO à la carte” tickets for Sept. 27 and Oct. 9 are $275 per person. Tickets for the premium “Germany à la carte” and “Austria à la carte” are $300 per person. Multiple-event packages include Chef’s Table Trio tickets at $750 per person for any three events.
“LACO à la carte” events may be purchased by calling 213.622.7001 ext. 3.
For more information, visit www.laco.org/events.
