LA Phil's West Coast, Left Coast Festival To Feature Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, Matmos And More, Opens 11/21

The distinctive qualities that make California a sympathetic refuge for creative renegades are all explored musically in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's upcoming West Coast, Left Coast festival curated by Creative Chair, John Adams. From the state's unique landscapes that have inspired numerous masterpieces to the juxtaposed attitudes of its northern and southern regions, California is a place of limitless possibilities. Four special events during the West Coast, Left Coast festival offer one-of-a-kind concerts venerating the boundless musical culture of The Golden State.

The opening event of the LA Phil's West Coast, Left Coast festival on November 21, aptly named "Eureka!," is all about the discovery moment. Four diverse artists who developed their respective talents in the distinctive California environment - Terry Riley, ensemble-in-residence Kronos Quartet, Matmos and Michael Einziger - present work separately and collaboratively, drawing inspiration from one another as well as their West Coast roots.

The pieces being performed are interrelated. Electronic outfit Matmos and Kronos Quartet will perform a new version of "For Terry Riley," a piece commissioned in its original form by the Kronos Quartet, and it draws inspiration from Terry Riley's work. Kronos Quartet will perform Thomas Newman's "It Got Dark," which was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet. (The string quartet and orchestra version of the piece will premiere on Dec. 3 & 4, when Kronos performs with the LA Phil under the baton of Leonard Slatkin.) Michael Einziger, best known as the guitarist/co-founder of rock super-group Incubus, premieres "Forced Curvature of Reflective Surfaces," a composition inspired by the form of Walt Disney Concert Hall and Mike's profound personal interest in the connection between music and physics. He is currently attending Harvard University, where he is studying physics, human evolutionary biology, and musical composition. Founding father of minimalism Terry Riley will also be performing solo in Walt Disney Concert Hall's organ loft, or as Riley likes to call it, "Hurricane Mama."

On December 4, Los Angeles hometown heroes, The Airborne Toxic Event take the stage for their Walt Disney Concert Hall debut. The quintet, who exemplify California's anthemic indie-rock sound, are joined by the Calder Quartet and an array of surprise guests and collaborators for this one-of-a-kind evening celebrating the distinct sound of East Los Angeles where "Airborne" was formed and still reside. Since the release of their debut album, The Airborne Toxic Event has garnered a loyal following including the likes of Morrissey and U2's Adam Clayton. Their dramatic single, "Sometime Around Midnight," peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and was named iTunes' No. 1 alternative song of the year on its Best of 2008 list. Inspired by the innovative American visual artist Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet continues to expand the boundaries of chamber music by creating insightful pairings of the traditional and the contemporary.

On December 6, legendary California icon BrIan Wilson performs a special stripped-down set, and Downey's own roots-rock hero, "King of California" Dave Alvin, shares his heart and soul through down-to-earth blues and modern Americana music. Special guests The Living Sisters (Inara George, Becky Stark, and Eleni Mandell, all hailing from L.A.) and burgeoning songwriter Harper Simon (son of Paul Simon) , join these artists as they share their West Coast-inspired sounds in Songs of the Sun, a celebration of California's sun-soaked musical influence.

The poetry of the Beat Generation and the bebop of jazz were indelibly linked by their hip non-conformity and spontaneous creativity. On December 8, LA Phil presents a Jazz series concert, A Night of the Beats, featuring the Charles Lloyd New Quartet, poet performers, Exene Cervenka, Michael McClure and David Meltzer as well as special guests Alan Broadbent, Peter Erskine, Kurt Elling, Joshua Redman, and former LA Phil Creative Chair for Jazz Christian McBride. With some of today's finest artists performing some seminal Beat poems and jazz with a fresh twist, the audience will have an opportunity to relive the heady days of Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. The first half of the performance explores beat generation poetry, read by Cervenka, Elling, McClure and Meltzer, accompanied by a jazz combo led by McBride. The second half of the performance features original beat poetry from McClure, performed with the Charles Lloyd New Quartet.

Complete festival programming available at http://www.laphil.com/tickets/pack-wclc.cfm
For full artist biographies, please visit: http://www.laphil.com

The LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION, under the vibrant leadership of Gustavo Dudamel, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable locations anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational concerts, children's programming and community concerts, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.