Todd Mason in his composing studio. His world premiere of Magical will take place January 24.
If a resident has never attended a Chamber Music Palisades concert, the program at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 24, at St. Matthew’s Parish, 1031 Bienveneda Avenue promises to be exceptional. The program will also include the world premiere of a new piece by composer Todd Mason.
Mason will present commentary on Magical his Palisades commissioned piece for flute, viola, and harp. Alan Chapman, KUSC host and long-time Chamber Music Palisades associate, will provide his informative in-person program notes.
The program will not only feature extraordinary performers but also exhilarating musical selections with works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, Johann Sebastian Bach and Miguel del Aguila.
Cristina Montes Mateo
Performers include world-renowned harpist Cristina Montes Mateo, who was the unanimous 1st Prize winner at the “Torneo Internazionale di Musica” (Rome) and the International Harp Competition. She is recognized as one of the leading harpists of her generation. She was selected by Lorin Maazel as Principal Harp of the Valencia Opera House Orchestra (Spain), and usually plays with the Munich Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Staatsoper Berlin and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Maya Magub is a British violinist who has performed in the world’s greatest concert halls and played on numerous movies and records. She has given solo performances for King Charles III and for Professor Stephen Hawking, and was invited to Buckingham Palace where she met Queen Elizabeth II.
Rob Brophy is violist with the New Hollywood String quartet and member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He is also actively involved in the L.A. Motion Picture Recording Industry performing in many movie soundtracks, video games and records. He was featured with Nigel Kennedy in a quartet on Kennedy’s release Greatest Hits on the EMI label. When not making music, he enjoys running, and also driving his 1965 Corvette.
Susan Greenberg, long-time flutist at Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and principal flute at Santa Monica Symphony, is the President and Artistic Director of Chamber Music Palisades, which is now celebrating its 27th season. The Los Angeles Times has described her playing as “brilliant,” “elegant” and “supple,” and has lauded her “panache” and “musical projection.” Greenberg has recorded for more than 500 motion pictures and television shows.
Susan Greenberg
A Los Angeles native, Todd Mason received his master’s degree in composition from The Juilliard School where he received the Rodgers & Hammerstein Juilliard Scholarship.
His compositions have become increasingly popular with chamber ensembles. His Variations for Solo Cello was premiered in New York City in 2022 by New York cellist Laura Metcalf, and his Duo for Violin and Viola (2023) was admitted into the prestigious Primrose International Archive’s permanent collection.
Mason’s Violin Concerto was recorded in Budapest with Dutch virtuoso, Tosca Opdam, and the Breeze Woodwind Quintet premiered Mason’s Aurora Borealis for solo clarinet in September 2023, at the Beethovenfest in Bonn, Germany.
On his website https://toddmasoncomposer.com/bio.html, he writes “I feel like an explorer when I’m composing and when I discover a new place – a place that’s mysterious and unexpected – my first reaction is amazement. What is this? Where did it come from? My second reaction is that I want to share this with others as soon as possible.”
Single admission tickets are $35. Students with a current ID are free and tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Anyone wishing to purchase tickets by check should indicate “ticket payment” in the memo and mail payment to: Chamber Music Palisades, 1043 Villa Grove Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
Rehearsal of Mason’s Brass Quintet at Mount Wilson.
Photo: Todd Mason Website