Colburn's Next Up series

Colburn Gives Alumni the Mic in “Next Up” Series

Peter Feher on February 1, 2021
Colburn's Next Up series
Alumni feature in Colburn’s “Next Up” concert series

The Colburn School has been at the center of the streaming action since concerts moved online. The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra started recording programs at the school last summer. LA Opera staged its big virtual production of the fall, Joseph Bologne’s The Anonymous Lover, at Colburn’s Zipper Hall.

This month, the L.A. conservatory is turning the attention to its alumni. “Next Up,” Colburn’s new online concert series, February through May, features graduates with projects and ensembles across the country.

The first performance, Feb. 13, has LA Phil members Ben Ullery and Robert deMaine, along with violinist Grace Park, playing the string trio transcription of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Arrangements are a reigning theme for the series. March 13, trumpet-and-trombone duo The Two Gabagools cover pieces from Piazzolla to Paul Simon, with the help of fellow Colburn alumni and colleagues in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. And May 29, L.A. pianist Maya Paredes enlists music and musicians across genres for a distinctly modern program — original work and arrangements, some recorded solo and some put together remotely.

Two more concerts round out the schedule. April 10, cellist Eric Byers and pianist Kevin Kwan Loucks share selections from their upcoming album, Retrouvé: Rediscovering the Past. And May 8, clarinetist Alicia Lee plays mostly unaccompanied repertoire, save a piece by Kinan Azmeh, with bassist Kris Saebo.

Each “Next Up” concert premieres at 7 p.m. PT and is free, though you need to register first.