At the tender age of 11, while most girls her age were tucked soundly in bed, Midori Goto made her concert debut at the New York Philharmonic’s traditional New Year’s Eve concert. The tiny Osaka, Japan-born wunderkind’s performance received a standing ovation, heralding the arrival of a major figure in classical music. More than three decades later, that young girl, now known simply as Midori, is a passionate arts advocate (for which U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, named Midori a “Messenger of Peace” in 2007), a published author, a prolific recording artist with more than a dozen albums to her name, chairwoman of the strings department of the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and, to the joy of concertgoers worldwide, still a commanding force on stage, performing more than 100 concerts annually. Experience the virtuosa’s expressive and technical finesse when the Walt Disney Concert Hall presents Midori in Recital on April 23, with accompaniment by Turkish-American pianist Özgür Aydin. Beethoven’s masterpiece Violin Sonata No. 10 in G, Op. 96 anchors the evening’s wide-ranging program, which also includes compositions by Debussy, Shostakovich and Schubert (photo by Greenfield-Sanders).
111 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000. LAPhil.com