Green Umbrella New Music Series

Overseen by LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams, the Green Umbrella series consists of five concerts during the 2015/16 season performed by the LA Phil New Music Group and guest ensembles and presents eight new commissions, seven world premieres, three U.S. premieres, and five West Coast premieres.

The series opening concert on December 8 showcases a trio of Los Angeles-based quartets in a program of classics and premieres for string quartet. Spearheaded by the Calder Quartet, who invited the Formalist and Lyris Quartets, the evening includes the LA Phil-commissioned world premieres of John Luther Adams’ Canticles of the Sky for string quartet, performed by the Calders, and Tristan Perich’s Triple Quartet with all three quartets.

For his piece, Perich combines his signature 1-bit electronics with the talents of the triple quartet. The program also features John Cage’s Music for Marcel Duchamp performed by the Formalist Quartet, Christian Wolff’s Edges, featuring the Calder Quartet, Ben Johnston’s wide-ranging Amazing Grace with the Lyris Quartet, and all three quartets performing Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet and George Brecht’s String Quartet, the latter using the composer’s renowned Event Score.

The next Green Umbrella performance, January 19, presents the LA Phil New Music Group’s program of contemporary Polish music, led by conductor Lukasz Borowicz. On February 2, the grandeur of the American southwest which served as the inspiration for Messiaen’s 12-movement masterwork Des canyons aux étoiles…, and will be simultaneously experienced through a visual production created by artist Deborah O’Grady, envelops the stage of Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The series continues March 1, with the LA Phil New Music Group conducted by LA Phil Assistant Conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, leading her first Green Umbrella concert. The finale Green Umbrella series performance of the 2015/16 season on April 19, brings Creative Chair John Adams to the podium for an ambitious evening of cutting-edge composers and multimedia artists.