Symphony

'Symphony' by Steven Stucky Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall, downtown L.A. When: 8 p.m, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $54.50 to $189 Information: (323) 850-2000 or http://www.laphil.com

Chi Cheng Deftones bassist injured in car crash Chi Cheng, 42, the bassist for the Grammy-winning rock band the Deftones, died Saturday at a Sacramento hospital from injuries he suffered in an automobile crash more than four years ago. His mother, Jeanne Marie Cheng, announced his death on the website One Love for Chi that had been set up to support him. In 2001, Cheng and his bandmates received a Grammy Award for best metal...

Regarding your article about the toy piano ["Plaything for the Serious Player," by Rick Schultz, Nov. 9], I recall during a visit to the original Motown studio-museum in Detroit years ago that among the battered equipment was a toy piano. The lady who ran the place, Esther Gordy Edwards, proudly pointed out that in 1965, writer-producer Brian Holland had played it on a No. 1 record, the Supremes' "I Hear a Symphony." You can play your old single and hear for yourself. Jim Dawson Hollywood

Times have certainly changed in Brooklyn. Streets unsafe last decade now bustle invitingly. Composers born in the borough last century couldn't get away fast enough. Composers from all over now can't move there fast enough. Thursday night at Walt Disney Concert Hall the Los Angeles Philharmonic continued its Brooklyn Festival with three recent or new orchestra pieces by young Brooklyn residents all born in the early 1980s elsewhere. The fourth and final work on the program was by a 24-year-old just returned from studying in Paris and happily ensconced on the Upper West Side, intentionally putting as much New York City distance between himself and his native Brooklyn as was reasonable.

Iam frankly shocked reading your lengthy article under the heading of "Symphony's Local Talent Finds Itself Out of Tune." It is inevitable that in a time of attempted cultural development, the old adage holds true that the better is the enemy of the good. If one wants to improve an orchestra, no other way can be found than to replace good players with better players. Frank Salazar is a thorough musician whose aim it is to bring to the public good music and who has worked diligently in this endeavor.

It's only a matter of time before John O'Keefe finds the wide audience he deserves. Amid the general sitcomland of current local theater, the work of this Bay Area performance artist, marked by an uncommon regard for language and an unsparing yet ultimately compassionate view of the human condition, offers an adult alternative. If his followers can be said to constitute a cult, it is most certainly that of literacy.

This digitally remastered Compact Disc brings back a fluent performance of a lyrical, symphonic serenade in full and balanced sound.

In its 27-week, 1989-90 season in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will be led by 14 conductors. Prominent among the podium leaders are former Philharmonic music director Andre Previn (seven weeks) and East German conductor Kurt Sanderling (five weeks). Otherwise, each of the guests--also including Philharmonic assistant conductors David Alan Miller and Heiichiro Ohyama--will lead the orchestra for one- or two-week periods. Dates and programs: Oct. 5, 6, 8: Andre Previn, conductor.

L.A. Doctors Symphony Orchestra: A listing in Sunday's Arts & Books for a performance at Plummer Park Auditorium in West Hollywood by the L.A. Doctors Symphony Orchestra incorrectly gave the date for the show as this Sunday. The performance will be Saturday. The phone number was also incorrect. The number is (323) 848-6535.

Re Cleveland Orchestra in Orange County: How embarrassing! Someone should announce to our country cousins in Orange County before every concert: "Please, we do not applaud between movements of the symphony!" HANNAH CRUMP Redlands

Kent Nagano's tenure at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra appears uncertain following reports that the American conductor will depart the orchestra when his current contract as music director expires in 2016. But the orchestra's management has vigorously denied the reports. A report this month from Montreal's La Presse stated that Nagano's contract with the orchestra won't be renewed beyond 2016. The report, written by Claude Gingras, cites sources saying that Zarin Mehta is helping the orchestra find Nagano's successor.

Striking San Francisco Symphony musicians have reached a tentative agreement with the orchestra's management that would end their 18-day walkout. The orchestra said in a news release Sunday that the agreement is for a new 26-month contract. If ratified, it would pave the way for the orchestra to resume performances as early as Tuesday. The strike began earlier this month when musicians and management failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. Musicians reportedly were upset over terms of the proposed deal in light of the orchestra's strong finances.

The morning commute was like any other - almost. As cars flew by on the northbound 710, I hit "play" on my iPod and a melody swept over me. Rush hour melted away. "Ah-vey, ah-vey, veh-room corrrr-pooose," the choir began. The Latin words open "Ave Verum Corpus" (Hail true body), a choral composition that has captivated listeners for more than two centuries. I sang along, and I wasn't doing it alone. At that moment, two friends in New Jersey and Georgia were singing the words as well.

Country music great George Jones earned the dubious nickname “No Show Jones” because he was often otherwise engaged when it was time to go on stage. His way of apologizing,  sort of, was to write a song that humorously admitted he wasn't the most reliable of music professionals: “My whereabouts are unknown, they call me 'No Show Jones.'” This is not how they handle things in the world of classical music. Witness the open letter Friday from striking musicians of the San Francisco Symphony to three jilted east coast venues and their audiences, where the orchestra had been booked on a now-cancelled tour starting this week.

The spirit of the St. Louis Symphony, until now, hasn't seemed quite able to handle head winds. The orchestra, which was transformed under music director David Robertson from the dull and dispirited ensemble he took over in 2005 into one of America's most imaginative, travels often enough to New York (and has toured Europe) with exciting, quirky programs. Meanwhile, Robertson, a Malibu native, spends quality time on the West Coast as an enthusiastically intrepid regular guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (where he returns next month)

The San Francisco Symphony said on Sunday that it has canceled its upcoming East Coast tour as its musicians continue to strike over compensation. The orchestra's tour was scheduled to kick off Wednesday at Carnegie Hall in New York, with two concerts. Carnegie Hall said that the concerts will not be rescheduled. Other scheduled stops included Newark, N.J. and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Orchestra management said in a statement that musicians rejected a "cooling off" period that would have allowed concerts to resume.

The Oakland Symphony, silenced for the last five weeks by a musicians' strike, has canceled its 1985-86 season. The 86-member orchestra went on strike for more money and scheduling concessions Oct. 3, five days before the seven-month season was to begin. Symphony spokesman Herbert Scholder said the board of directors had previously voted to cancel the season if an agreement was not reached with the musicians by Nov. 15.

T here is some choice, but not much, in what violinists are asked to play on their audition tapes and at the ensuing live audition for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In both cases, applicants get to play a portion--either all or part of the first movement--from any of the following concerti: Mendelssohn Beethoven Brahms Prokofiev No. 2 Bartok No. 2 Sibelius Tchaikovsky The rest of the format is set in stone. Each violinist must play the following music : ON TAPE: Brahms' Symphony No. 4, second movement: Play from measure 88 to 102 Schumann's Symphony No. 2, Scherzo: Play from the beginning to measure 50 Strauss' "Don Juan," play from the beginning to the 14th measure after letter C LIVE: The first and second movements of Mozart's Concerto No. 3 in G major, No. 4 in D major, or No. 5 in A major.

The San Francisco Symphony's musicians are on strike, leading to the cancellation of Thursday's scheduled performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony and the first in a series of rehearsals for a three-city East Coast tour scheduled to begin March 20 at New York City's Carnegie Hall. The tour, which features soloist Yuja Wang on piano and also includes performances in Newark, N.J., and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., is in jeopardy, as are three additional Mahler performances this weekend at the orchestra's own Davies Symphony Hall.

The Pasadena Symphony said Friday that it has named the British-born conductor David Lockington as its new music director. Lockington, the music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan, will start his new job next season. This will be Pasadena Symphony's first music director since the abrupt departure in 2010 of Jorge Mester, who led the group for nearly 25 years. In the interim, the orchestra has relied on guest conductors. The symphony also is naming Nicholas McGegan, a Baroque specialist who is also from Britain, as the principal guest conductor of the orchestra.