L.A. Phil concertmaster to give violin master class at La Sierra

Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour will give a two-hour violin master class on Mon., Oct. 28, imparting his knowledge and skill honed over many years performing with some of the nation's top orchestras. The class will be held at 12 p.m. at La Sierra University's Hole Memorial Auditorium. Admission is free.

“Our students are excited about this rare opportunity to interact with one of the great orchestral leaders of our time,” said La Sierra's Director of String Studies Jason Uyeyama. He is a substitute violinist with the L.A. Phil and a colleague of Chalifour's for several years. “Not only can they expect criticism on solo concerto repertoire, they will seek his expertise in the performance of orchestral excerpts critical to any major audition,” Uyeyama said.

Chalifour began his tenure as principal concertmaster of the L.A. Phil in 1995. In addition to his duties with the philharmonic, he maintains an active solo career and has appeared as soloist with conductors Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Neville Marriner, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Outside the United States, he has soloed with the Auckland Philharmonia, the Montreal Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Taiwan, and the Malaysian Philharmonic, among others.

The recipient of various grants and awards in his native Canada, Chalifour is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He received a Certificate of Honor at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and is also a laureate of the Montreal International Competition.

Chalifour began his orchestral career with the late Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony, playing as associate concertmaster for six years before taking up the same position with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Chalifour is a frequent guest at several summer music festivals, including the Sarasota Festival, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and the Mainly Mozart Festival. He has recorded solo and chamber music for the Telarc, Northstar and Yarlung labels.  His latest album on Yarlung features solo music composed by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Steven Stucky, as well as Mozart and Lutoslawski concertos with the Los Angeles Philharmonic recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Chalifour will again visit La Sierra University when he performs Sat., Nov. 2 in a chamber music recital with Uyeyama, violists Meredith Crawford and Grace Park, and cellist Madeleine Kabat. The concert will be held at 7 p.m. in Hole Memorial Auditorium.

For further information about the violin master class and other music events at La Sierra University email music@lasierra.edu or call 951-785-2036. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside.