THE LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA SOCIETY INC
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Mission Statement
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through intimate and transformative musical experiences which exemplify and foster artistic excellence, education and innovation.
About This Cause
From its inaugural performances in 1969 led by Sir Neville Marriner, LACO has become known as a first-rate interpreter of Baroque and Classical repertoire and a champion of contemporary composers. Proclaimed “America’s finest chamber orchestra” by Public Radio International, LACO remains among the world’s top musical ensembles. The Orchestra has made 32 recordings and garnered eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. The Orchestra’s founder, cellist James Arkatov, envisioned an ensemble that would allow these conservatory-trained players to balance studio work with pure artistic collaboration at the highest level. In 2018, LACO celebrated the announcement of its new music director, renowned conductor Jaime Martín, and also the milestone of its 50th anniversary. In the course of 35-40 appearances each year, LACO reaches a total live audience of approximately 25,000, with upwards of a million more hearing performances on radio broadcasts nationwide (and streaming worldwide). The Orchestra pursues its mission, “to enrich and connect our community through intimate and transformative musical experiences which exemplify and foster artistic excellence, education and innovation,” through a blend of traditional and innovative programming. LACO’s season line-up encompasses symphonic mainstage concerts that mix historical masterworks with the music of our own time, as well as interactive signature series that invite listeners to explore the genesis of orchestral music and music’s relationship to other human endeavors. Starting over 27 years ago, schoolchildren in Los Angeles have been enabled, with your help, to learn about and experience live classical music, which we know is an enriching experience they will carry forward. This year, we have embarked on a new iteration of Meet the Music (MTM), that now includes Composer Teaching Artist Fellows and performances right in the neighborhood schools! LACO’s strategic imperatives include serving as a vital community resource and offering programming that diversifies and expands our community connections. These ideals are served by free and low-cost outreach programs for all ages, supported by our Foundation partners. In addition to Meet the Music, LACO provides complimentary concert tickets and transportation to educational and social service organizations through the Community Partners program, and offers a low-cost all-access pass to college students, granting them admission to concerts throughout the season. Another program in service to our mission comprises artist residencies, and one overlay that applies to all LACO programming is a dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion, including equity regarding gender and gender expression. LACO’s CEIA (Cultural Equity, Inclusivity and Accessibility) Policy and Plan was approved by the board three years ago; it continues to guide our efforts to engage a broader swath of the community in arts education and outreach. MTM is a signature LACO program, historically serving over 1,500 students a year. Its aim is to widen the possibility of a world of music many children have never experienced. Participating schools are determined in the summer; typically we engage 30-35 classrooms that sign up groups of 35-60 3rd-6th grade students. MTM provides: free orchestral concerts for schoolchildren (now in their schools, or alternatively at a special centralized performance venue); curricula for classrooms, and guest educator/artists (along with bus transportation to the concerts if that option is chosen). We are planning to build on the lessons learned this past year as we bring a fully configured MTM back into place in 23-24. We have also inaugurated well-received “Family Day: sessions at the Wallis in Beverly Hills, to which students and families from traditionally under-resourced schools are invited. See the latest “Family Day” version of MTM at: https://tinyurl.com/MTMfamily. LACO strongly believes that the arts play a vital role in grounding education and developing well-rounded, creative human beings. Research has shown that exposure to the arts in schools at the youngest ages boosts school performance, particularly in the case of otherwise underserved children. As part of our continuing Composer Teaching Artist Fellows program, each Fellow works with 2-3 schools to serve as a teaching artist and helps the students compose a short passage to be played at the MTM concert. The fellows are students at local colleges such as Cal Arts, UCLA and USC (see: https://tinyurl.com/2022MTM for a sample of a recorded session for students). Over 90% of the schools LACO typically serves through MTM are Title I public schools where, even with recent commitments to reinvesting in the arts, the teaching of music is severely under-resourced. The recently announced commitments from governmental bodies are likely to take several years until fruition, yet in the meantime middle school students more than ever need access to these life-affirming artistic experiences. A majority of students served by MTM are Latinx, and almost three-fourths come from households whose income is less than 80% of the County median. Arts immersion is transformative, as documented by studies of the importance of the arts in young students’ education. This past year, we have begun producing curriculum materials in Spanish. Besides MTM, LACO continues its educational mission with the continuation and revamping of our fellowship program with partner ICYOLA (Inner-City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles). LACO joined with ICYOLA and USC six years ago to form the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship—at the time, the first of its kind on the west coast—in which four students chosen through a rigorous national audition process apprenticed with and were mentored by the professional musicians of our organizations. To give young, promising musicians from underserved backgrounds this kind of opportunity is a vital component of enacting our mission and it will provide these young people with the rare chance to begin a professional career in music, an opportunity not easily found for musicians from underrepresented populations.