Grammy-Nominated Countertenor Mobley to Headline Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Baroque Program

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will present an ambitious Baroque program featuring Grammy-nominated countertenor Reginald Mobley, who recently performed at King Charles III’s coronation. The performances will take place at two prestigious venues: the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on January 11 and The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.

Led by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Concertmaster and Director of Chamber Music Margaret Batjer, the program showcases Vivaldi’s interpretation of Stabat Mater, a 13th-century meditation on sorrow, forgiveness, and the divine.

The repertoire expands beyond Vivaldi to include works by Purcell, Dowland, and Handel’s “Eternal Source of Light Divine,” originally composed for Queen Anne’s birthday in 1713.

The program also features a significant premiere, with Principal Trumpet David Washburn and Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal solo trumpeter Paul Merkelo performing Jeff Beal’s Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra-commissioned “End of Empire,” a concerto for two trumpets. Merkelo, who has served as solo trumpeter with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal since 1995, joins the ensemble for selections of regal Baroque trumpet pieces by Handel and Tartini.

An ensemble of distinguished musicians will support the performance, including violinists Misha Vayman, Jacqueline Brand, Josefina Vergara, Jason Issokson, and Tamara Hatway.

The orchestra also features violists Jonathan Moerschel and Colleen Sugata, cellists Andrew Shulman and Trevor Handy, bassist David Grossman, oboists Claire Brazeau and Adrienne Malley, bassoonist Jonathan Stehney, keyboardist Patricia Mabee, and lutist Kevin Cooper.

The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall is at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108. Tickets range from $47 to $84 and can be purchased through www.laco.org or by calling (213) 221-3920.