Hear & Now Live

     Prior to each Masterpiece Series performance, ticket holders for that performance can enhance their musical experience by attending Hear & Now Live, the lively and scintillating discussions about the evening's music and guest artist. These programs are led by noted musicians and musicologist and include members of the New West Symphony. The free, thirty-minute discussions take place in the concert halls one hour prior to the performances.

     Composer, conductor, and performer Russell Steinberg received a Ph.D. in Music from Harvard University, an M.M. from the New England Conservatory, and a B.A. from UCLA. He studied composition most notably with Leon Kirchner, Arthur Berger, Elaine Barkin, and Kenneth Klauss. Recent awards and commissions include the Sonora Chamber Ensemble, a Gold Medal Jury’s Choice at the Park City Film Music Festival, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT), the Jewish Center for Culture and Creativity, the Music Conservatory of Westchester, NY, and the Daniel Pearl Foundation. The Daniel Pearl Foundation commission, Stories From My Favorite Planet, was recently featured on “Global Village,” the KPFK radio program hosted by John Schneider and KCSN “Arts and Roots Forum” hosted by Martin Perlich.
      The Westchester Symphony in New York and the Hopkins Symphony in Baltimore jointly commissioned his first symphony CityStrains. Steinberg’s music has been performed in the United States and abroad, including concerts in Los Angeles, Park City, Aspen, Colorado Springs, Boston, New York, Baltimore, San Francisco, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, Germany, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel.
     His awards include ASCAP PLUS, ASCAP Young Composers Grant, Composers Inc. and NACUSA prizes, MacDowell and Aspen Fellowships, and First Prize in the New World String Quartet competition. Notable film scores include the award-winning dramatic short film Something True directed by Thor Gold, the feature length drama Sweet Love and Deadley directed by Paul Clinco, and the documentary The Last Window directed by John Bishop.
     Steinberg is Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, a group that includes students from over 60 schools in the LA area. He has been a Lecturer on the UCLA Faculty in music theory and is a popular speaker for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Upbeat Live pre-concert events. He is the creator of AudioMaps®, an innovative approach to music listening. His books, AudioMaps® To The Beethoven Symphonies, vol. 1 and 2, were published in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
      Available recordings of Steinberg’s music include Stories From My Favorite Planet, produced by the Daniel Pearl Foundation (available at www.danielpearl.org), Flute Sonata recorded by Michelle Stanley and produced by Centaur Records, and Desert Stars, a recording of Steinberg’s music for piano and classical guitar. Information about Steinberg’s current performances and lectures is available at www.russellsteinberg.com.