{"id":78995,"date":"2026-02-04T20:51:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T04:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=78995"},"modified":"2026-02-04T20:51:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T04:51:40","slug":"grammy-award-winning-pianist-michelle-cann-makes-pasadena-debut-with-mozart-piano-concerto-no-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=78995","title":{"rendered":"Grammy Award-Winning Pianist Michelle Cann Makes Pasadena Debut with Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The orchestra shines on Tchaikovsky\u2019s Symphony No. 6, \u201cPath\u00e9tique\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Pasadena, CA \u2013\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><strong>Music Director Brett Mitchell<\/strong>\u00a0and the<strong>\u00a0Pasadena Symphony<\/strong>\u00a0present\u00a0<strong>Tchaikovsky Path\u00e9tique<\/strong>\u00a0on<strong>\u00a0Saturday, February 21, 2026<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0<strong>Ambassador Auditorium\u00a0<\/strong>with performances at<strong>\u00a02:00pm<\/strong>\u00a0and<strong>\u00a08:00pm<\/strong>. The orchestra will perform the Ambassador debut of\u00a0<strong>Tchaikovsky\u2019s sixth and final symphony,<\/strong>\u00a0the haunting\u00a0<strong>\u201cPath\u00e9tique<\/strong>,\u201d taking the audience on an exhilarating journey through love, despair and fate. To top off the program,\u00a0<strong>multiple award-winning pianist Michelle Cann<\/strong>\u00a0will give a shimmering performance of\u00a0<strong>Mozart\u2019s 23rd Piano Concerto.<\/p>\n<p>Two-time Gramm<\/strong>y\u00a0<strong>Award-winner Michele Cann\u00a0<\/strong>is also a recipient of the\u00a0<strong>Sphinx Medal of Excellence<\/strong>\u00a0and the<strong>\u00a0Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award.<\/strong>\u00a0Recognized as a leading interpreter of the piano music of Florence Price, Cann won a 2023 Grammy Award for her recording of Price\u2019s\u00a0<em>Piano Concerto in One Movement<\/em>\u00a0and won a second Grammy in 2025 for\u00a0<em>Beyond the Years<\/em>: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price. Lauded as\u00a0<strong>\u201ca pianist of sterling artistry\u201d by Gramophone<\/strong>, Cann is one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation and the orchestra is honored to host her Pasadena debut performing one of Mozart\u2019s most radiant concerti.<\/p>\n<p>The Pasadena Symphony provides a vibrant experience specially designed for the music lover, the social butterfly or a date night out. Arrive early for the pre-concert discussion<strong>\u00a0Insights\u00a0<\/strong>with\u00a0<strong>KUSC host Brian Lauritzen<\/strong>,<strong>\u00a0Music Director Brett Mitchell<\/strong>, and composer\u00a0<strong>Jeffrey Nytch<\/strong>, whose work\u00a0<strong>Beacon<\/strong>\u00a0will open the program. Nearby Old Town Pasadena provides a host of revered dining options or enjoy a bite or a glass along Ambassador Auditorium&#8217;s veranda, which offers two full-service beverage centers serving fine wines, spirits and coffee, plus snacks, charcuterie and dessert before the concert and during intermission.<\/p>\n<p>All concerts are held at\u00a0<strong>Ambassador Auditorium, 131 South St. John Ave, Pasadena, CA<\/strong>\u00a0at 2pm and 8pm. Subscriptions and<strong>\u00a0single tickets start at $55\u00a0<\/strong>and may be purchased online at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1770346439198000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1lBzI5Zx21MCB09B72xyBV\">www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org<\/a>\u00a0or by calling (626) 793-7172.<\/p>\n<p><strong>IF YOU GO:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What:\u00a0<\/strong>The Pasadena Symphony presents\u00a0<strong>Tchaikovsky Path<\/strong><strong>\u00e9tique<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Brett Mitchell<\/strong>, conductor<br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Michelle Cann<\/strong>,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>piano<br \/>\n<strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jeffrey Nytch\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Beacon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Mozart<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Piano Concerto No. 23<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Tchaikovsky<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Symphony No. 6 &#8220;Path\u00e9tique&#8221;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>When:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday, February 21, 2026\u00a0at 2:00pm and 8:00pm<\/li>\n<li><strong>Where:\u00a0<\/strong>Ambassador Auditorium | 131 South St. John Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost:\u00a0<\/strong>Tickets start at $55.00<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parking:\u00a0<\/strong>Valet parking is available on St. John Ave for $30. General parking is available in two locations: next to Ambassador Auditorium (entrance on St. John Ave) at the covered parking structure, and directly across Green St. at the Wells Fargo parking structure (entrance on Terrace at Green). ADA parking is located at the above-ground parking lot adjacent to the Auditorium (entrance on St. John). Parking may be pre-purchased for $15 in advance or $20 onsite. Parking purchased onsite is cash only.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>ABOUT THE ARTISTS<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Brett Mitchell<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Conductor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hailed for the breadth of his work on the podium and at the piano, Brett Mitchell has carved a<br \/>\nunique path for himself in the world of contemporary American classical music. Mitchell began<br \/>\na five-year term as Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony\u2014an orchestra composed of the<br \/>\ngreatest studio musicians in Hollywood\u2014in 2024, and has served as Artistic Director &amp;<br \/>\nConductor of Oregon&#8217;s Sunriver Music Festival since 2022.<\/p>\n<p>In May 2025, with less than 24 hours&#8217; notice, Mitchell stepped in for his subscription debut with<br \/>\nthe New York Philharmonic, leading three performances of Kevin Puts&#8217;s The Brightness of Light<br \/>\nfeaturing soprano Ren\u00e9e Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry, followed by the complete score of<br \/>\nRavel&#8217;s Daphnis et Chlo\u00e9 featuring the New York Philharmonic Chorus.<\/p>\n<p>Working widely as a guest conductor, Mitchell&#8217;s other recent engagements have included<br \/>\nappearances with the Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis,<br \/>\nMilwaukee, National, North Carolina, Oregon, San Antonio, San Francisco, Tulsa, and Vancouver<br \/>\nsymphonies; the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; the Cleveland and<br \/>\nMinnesota orchestras; the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; the River Oaks and Saint Paul<br \/>\nchamber orchestras; the Grant Park Festival Orchestra; and a two-week tour with the New<br \/>\nZealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also guest conducted the Grant Park Festival Orchestra,<br \/>\nand led a two-week tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Mitchell regularly<br \/>\ncollaborates with the world&#8217;s leading soloists, including Ren\u00e9e Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak<br \/>\nPerlman, Kirill Gerstein, Conrad Tao, Rudolf Buchbinder, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, Leila<br \/>\nJosefowicz, and Alisa Weilerstein.<\/p>\n<p>From 2017 to 2021, Mitchell served as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony in Denver,<br \/>\nfollowing a term as Music Director Designate during the 2016\u201317 season. During his tenure, he<br \/>\nled the organization through a period of significant artistic growth, helped position the<br \/>\norchestra as a central cultural voice in the region, strengthened community ties via strategic<br \/>\ncollaborations, and broadened the orchestra&#8217;s commitment to American music with new<br \/>\ncommissions, premieres, and recordings.<\/p>\n<p>From 2013 to 2017, Mitchell served on the conducting staff of The Cleveland Orchestra, joining<br \/>\nas Assistant Conductor in 2013, and receiving a promotion to Associate Conductor in 2015.<br \/>\nMore than a decade later, he continues to return as a frequent guest conductor, having led<br \/>\nmore than 150 performances with the orchestra over the past twelve years.<br \/>\nFrom 2007 to 2011, Mitchell led over one hundred performances as Assistant Conductor of the<br \/>\nHouston Symphony, to which he also continues to return regularly as a guest conductor. He held<br \/>\nAssistant Conductor posts with the Orchestre National de France, where he worked under Kurt<br \/>\nMasur from 2006 to 2009, and the Castleton Festival, where he worked under Lorin Maazel in<br \/>\n2009 and 2010. In 2015, Mitchell completed a highly successful five-year appointment as Music<br \/>\nDirector of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, where an increased focus on locally relevant<br \/>\nprogramming and community collaborations resulted in record attendance throughout his<br \/>\ntenure.<\/p>\n<p>Equally at home in the pit, Mitchell has served as music director of nearly a dozen opera<br \/>\nproductions spanning the core works of Mozart, Verdi, and Stravinsky to contemporary works by<br \/>\nMark Adamo, Robert Aldridge, Daniel Cat\u00e1n, and Daron Hagen. As a ballet conductor, Mitchell<br \/>\nmost recently led seven performances of The Nutcracker with the Pennsylvania Ballet in<br \/>\ncollaboration with The Cleveland Orchestra.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his work with professional orchestras, Mitchell is widely recognized for his<br \/>\ncommitment to mentoring young musicians. During his highly regarded tenure as Music<br \/>\nDirector of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (2013\u201317), he led a much-lauded four-city<br \/>\ntour of China in 2015. At home, he has worked extensively with students at this country&#8217;s<br \/>\nleading training programs, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, Interlochen Center for the<br \/>\nArts, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Music Festival, and Texas Music Festival. He has<br \/>\nalso held faculty appointments at Northern Illinois University (2005\u201307), the University of<br \/>\nHouston (2012\u201313), and the University of Denver (2019\u201320, 2022\u201323).<\/p>\n<p>Also an accomplished pianist, Mitchell has a devoted fanbase of his work at the keyboard,<br \/>\nincluding a widely praised YouTube channel featuring his original transcriptions of iconic cues<br \/>\nfrom film history. He also concertizes regularly at the piano, often performing in recital with<br \/>\nmusicians from his orchestras. In recognition of his work at the keyboard, Mitchell was named a<br \/>\nSteinway Artist by Steinway &amp; Sons in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Seattle in 1979, Mitchell holds degrees in conducting from the University of Texas at<br \/>\nAustin and composition from Western Washington University, which selected him as its Young<br \/>\nAlumnus of the Year in 2014. He studied with Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting<br \/>\nInstitute in 2005, and was selected by Kurt Masur as a recipient of the inaugural American<br \/>\nFriends of the Mendelssohn Foundation Scholarship in 2008. Mitchell also one of five recipients<br \/>\nof the League of American Orchestras&#8217; American Conducting Fellowship from 2007 to 2010.<br \/>\nFor more information, please visit\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/brettmitchellconductor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/brettmitchellconductor.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1770346439198000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZHQWEXz0kgsOWqXd7vFzr\">brettmitchellconductor.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Michelle Cann<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Piano<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lauded as \u201cexquisite\u201d by\u00a0<em>The Philadelphia Inquirer\u00a0<\/em>and \u201ca pianist of sterling artistry\u201d by\u00a0<em>Gramophone<\/em>, GRAMMY Award winning pianist Michelle\u00a0Cann\u00a0is one of the most sought-after artists of her generation. Recent engagements include appearances with\u00a0the Chicago\u00a0Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and Orquestra\u00a0Sinf\u00f4nica\u00a0Municipal de S\u00e3o Paulo. She is a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, and she served as the inaugural Christel DeHaan Artistic Partner of the American Piano Awards.<\/p>\n<p>Highlights of\u00a0Cann\u2019s\u00a02025-26 season include appearances with the Colorado Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Ireland\u2019s National Symphony Orchestra. She also performs the world premiere of a new piano concerto by Valerie Coleman with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. Her recital appearances include Stanford Live, Music Toronto, Chamber Music Detroit, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Spivey Hall, and a recital tour in China.<\/p>\n<p>Recognized as a leading interpreter of the piano music of Florence Price,\u00a0Cann\u00a0performed the New York City premiere of Price\u2019s\u00a0<em>Piano Concerto in One Movement<\/em>\u00a0with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin in February 2021. Her recording of the concerto with the New York Youth Symphony won a GRAMMY Award in 2023 for Best Orchestral Performance. She won a GRAMMY Award in 2025 for\u00a0<em>Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price<\/em>, recorded with soprano Karen Slack, which features 19 unpublished songs composed by Price. Her acclaimed debut solo album\u00a0<em>Revival<\/em>, featuring music by Price and Margaret Bonds, was released in May 2023 on the Curtis Studio label. She has also recorded two Price piano quintets with the Catalyst Quartet as a part of the quartet\u2019s UNCOVERED series. A champion of emerging\u00a0talent,\u00a0Cann\u00a0and cellist Tommy Mesa recorded\u00a0<em>Our Stories<\/em>, an album of new works by five living composers of color, which was released in November 2023.<\/p>\n<p>A celebrated chamber musician,\u00a0Cann\u00a0has collaborated with leading artists including the Catalyst, Dover, and Juilliard string quartets, Imani Winds, violinists Timothy and Nikki Chooi, soprano Karen Slack, and mezzo-soprano J\u2019Nai Bridges. She regularly performs duo piano repertoire with her sister, pianist Kimberly\u00a0Cann, as the\u00a0Cann\u00a0Duo. She has appeared as co\u200b-\u200bhost and collaborative pianist with NPR\u2019s\u202f<em>From\u00a0The\u00a0Top<\/em>, collaborating with actor\/conductor Damon Gupton, violinist Leila Josefowicz, and violinist and MacArthur Fellow Vijay Gupta.\u00a0Cann\u2019s\u00a0numerous\u00a0media appearances include\u00a0<em>Performance Today<\/em>, PBS Great Performances\u2019\u00a0<em>Now Hear This<\/em>, and\u00a0<em>Living the Classical Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Embracing a dual role as performer and pedagogue,\u00a0Cann\u00a0is\u00a0frequently\u00a0<wbr \/>invited to teach master classes, give\u00a0lecture-demonstrations, and lead teaching residencies. Recent residencies include the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and the National Conference of the Music Teachers National Association. She has recorded lessons for\u200b\u00a0tonebase,\u200b\u00a0the popular piano lesson platform. She has also served on the juries of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, the Kauffman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition, and the piano competition of the Music Academy of the West.<\/p>\n<p>Cann\u00a0holds bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Paul\u00a0Schenly\u00a0and Dr. Daniel\u202fShapiro, and an Artist\u2019s Diploma\u202ffrom Curtis Institute of\u202fMusic, where she studied with Robert McDonald. She joined the Curtis piano faculty in 2020 as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies. She is also\u00a0on\u00a0the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The orchestra shines on Tchaikovsky\u2019s Symphony&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78996,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78995\/revisions\/78996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}