5-13-25
May Is for Music at the TRK
By Diane Sippl
At least twice a year, in the fall and the spring, the Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz fills its stage with music as Maestro Carlo Ponti conducts his Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra (LAV). The mid-size house (10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 90064) is the perfect venue for an intimate encounter with classics “up-close-and-personal,” and concert-goers there always end up on their feet for standing ovations. And why not? The performance on Friday, May 16th at 8 pm will showcase the young emerging virtuosi Hannah White and Adam Millstein in the evening’s event, “Mozart and Beethoven!”
That said, “emerging” is hardly the word for violinist Hannah White, who began her journey as a soloist for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as a nine-year-old and never stopped, with four continents in tow. In this country alone she has soloed for at least fifteen symphony orchestras. At Carnegie Hall, she soloed twice and performed in a duet to sold-out shows. She has served as concert master and co-artistic director on national and international tours, and she has performed for the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland. Featured on Rachel Barton Pine’s Music by Black Composers CD, she currently plays on an instrument generously loaned by the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.
Hannah White’s collaborations are diverse, with groups ranging from dancers, ice skaters, and children’s choirs to pop artists such as Rihanna, Billie Eilish, John Legend, and many others. Invited to perform at many of the most prestigious venues across the world and with a media presence to match, she has won numerous scholarships and awards that paved her way there, and she has not forgotten the hard work and support it takes to become a world-famous musician. Therefore, she has held residencies on college campuses in various states and taught at high schools as well, while currently teaching at Colburn School’s Jumpstart, Stories and Strings, at the USC/Colburn Programs, Santa Monica Conservatory of Music, and the Montebello Royal Academy. She herself has graduated from the Colburn Conservatory and continues there for graduate work.
The conscious commitment to “give back” to the community, a founding premise held by Carlo Ponti for the mission of the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, is shared by musician, lecturer, and curator Adam Millstein, who is currently pursuing a DMA in violin performance at UCLA.
Millstein is the Program Director of the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn Schoolin order to promote and perform music by composers whose lives and works were suppressed as a result of Nazi policies from 1933-1945. Adam Millstein curated, performed, and organized filmed recordings of Erwin Schulhoff ’s music, which led to the album, Shapeshifter: Music of Erwin Schulhoff on the Delos Label.
Millstein has worked closely with internationally renowned conductor Maestro James Conlon, Music Director of the LA Opera and the Artistic Director of Recovered Voices. He recently appeared as soloist with Maestro Conlon conducting a recording of Mieczysław Weinberg’s Concertino for Violin and Strings and in 2022, Millstein curated, performed, and produced a filmed online concert for the Library of Congress featuring music by Weinberg, Herbert Zipper, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Franz Schreker. In addition to giving lecture recitals and performing as an orchestral musician at numerous venues, Millstein has toured as a soloist in Europe and performed at music festivals in the U.S. He received his Artist Diploma at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and holds his Master’s Degree from Colburn with Bachelor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Michigan.
The night’s program features compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Hannah White will perform in Beethoven’s Romance in G Major for Violin and Orchestra, op. 40, and Adam Millstein will play in Beethoven’s Romance in F Major for Violin and Orchestra, op. 50. Both will culminate the evening with Mozart’s Concertone in C Major for Two Violins and Orchestra, K.190.
Beethoven’s two Romances for violin and orchestra in G major op. 40 and F major op. 50 allow soloists to demonstrate both virtuoso technique and artistic sensitivity. The compositions are simple, offering stately melodies but with subsequent embellishments, so they were popular in Beethoven’s day. Published in 1803 and 1805, they share their pace, singing quality, and rondo structure—a repeated theme with new notes at each iteration. They can be languorous and melancholic—expressive of lost love? Or more generally poetic and contemplative? At the end of the Classical era, the term “romance” was a catch-all for works that were short but longer than the art song or concert aria, just long enough to make a clear impression. More to the point, they held a cantabile (singable) quality with a smooth, flowing line, and they invited virtuosic solos. Beethoven’s noation, “adagio cantabile” indicates the tempo, one that balances nobility and sentiment. Beethoven’s Romances more freedom than the concerto or the sonata in choosing the tempo from an andante, or walking pace, to a more pensive stride. Both romances revolve around melodies that return, and each repetition of the theme adds meaning.
Mozart’s Concertone (an Italian term which meant more than one soloist with an accompanying orchestra) was also popular in his time. Other solos included for the oboe, cello, viola, and double bass. Upon his return from a long trip to Italy, Mozart composed it in 1774 but nor published until 1870. It’s likely that Mozart himself played one of the violin parts, or his employer, Archbishop Colloredo. The first movement is spirited and dynamic; the second is long, lyrical, and polyphonic; and the third, a minuet, fast and happy, encouraging virtuoso performances.
The charming outdoor patio at the TRK opens at 7 pm with a cash bar for wine, champagne, and baguettes. So come early, lift a glass, and celebrate the 10th Anniversary Season Finale of the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra. Tickets at https://theatreraymondkabbaz.ludus.com. Proceeds support music education in the Los Angeles area.