Grace Park, violin (Photo – Courtesy of Artist)
The internationally acclaimed chamber ensemble Camerata Pacifica will conclude its 36th season with a striking and seldom-heard work, culminating in a highly anticipated performance in San Marino on May 19, 2026.
By Melanie Hooks
The program’s centerpiece is the California premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15, Op. 144, presented in an intimate and innovative arrangement for piano trio and percussion by Viktor Derevyanko.
The San Marino concert, held at Rothenberg Hall, marks the final stop of a four-city tour across Southern California. While performances in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Thousand Oaks set the stage, it is this closing night that is expected to draw particular attention, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience a work performed only a handful of times in the Western Hemisphere.
Originally premiered in Moscow in 1972 and personally approved by Shostakovich, Derevyanko’s 47-minute chamber arrangement reimagines the composer’s final symphony with striking clarity and intimacy. The piece is widely regarded as a distilled reflection of Shostakovich’s late style, balancing gravity and wit, introspection and youthful vitality. Critics, including The Wall Street Journal, have described the symphony as blending “a hard-earned gravity with the buoyant spirit of youth.”
The San Marino performance will feature an accomplished roster of artists: violinist Grace Park, cellist Ani Aznavoorian, pianist Gilles Vonsattel, and percussionists Ji Hye Jung, Ayano Kataoka, Svet Stoyanov, and Jason Treuting. Together, they bring to life a program that bridges classical tradition and contemporary innovation.
In addition to the Shostakovich premiere, the San Marino audience will hear Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2, performed by Vonsattel as part of Camerata Pacifica’s ambitious “Beethoven 32” cycle. The multi-year project explores all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, underscoring the composer’s enduring influence.
Contemporary works round out the evening with a playful and inventive edge. Thierry De Mey’s Musique de Table transforms everyday surfaces into instruments, while Kenji Bunch’s Transcontinental pairs violin and percussion in a rhythmically dynamic collaboration.
Though the tour spans four venues—including Zipper Hall, Music Academy of the West, and Janet and Ray Scherr Forum—the San Marino concert stands out as the culminating event, bringing the season to a close in the elegant surroundings of The Huntington.
Tickets for the San Marino performance range from $35 to $75, with further information available through Camerata Pacifica’s official website.
As the final notes of Shostakovich’s last symphony resonate through Rothenberg Hall, the evening promises not only a rare musical experience but a fitting finale to a season defined by artistic ambition and exploration.
When and Where
- Thursday, May 14, 2026, 8:00 pm
Zipper Hall, The Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 - Friday, May 15, 2026, 7:00 pm
Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93108 - Sunday, May 17, 2026, 3:00 pm
Thousand Oaks’ Janet and Ray Scherr Forum, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 - Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 7:30 pm
The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, CA 91108
Camerata Pacifica Season Finale: Shostakovich's 15th Symphony May 14-17, 2026 Locations Listed Above $35/$75 at The Huntington, Music Academy and Zipper Hall $48.25/$94.40 (including fees) at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Purchase all tickets at: www.cameratapacifica.org.
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