Heiichiro Ohyama joins three other musicians to perform works by Dvořák and Fauré
Heiichiro Ohyama, who led the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra for 35 years, will perform Tuesday for the first time since 2020 on the Lobero Theatre stage.
Heiichiro Ohyama, the longtime leader of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, is back.
After a nearly three-year hiatus, the Kyoto, Japan, native, who lives today in Tokyo, has returned to Santa Barbara to play the viola with violinist Benjamin Beilman, pianist Lucille Chung and cellist Edward Arron.
The quartet will perform a Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the theater, 33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara.
The ensemble will play Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor (“Dumky”), Opus 90, and Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 15.
“Benjamin wanted to do the Dvořák, and I wanted to do the Fauré,” Maestro Ohyama, the artistic and music director of the Lobero Music Chamber Project, told the News-Press. He added that in both cases, the quartet is playing compositions that are rarely played.
Maestro Ohyama led the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra for 35 years, right up to its final concert in 2017. But he stayed involved in the local musical community and performed during the first Lobero Theater Chamber Music Project concert in early 2020.
“The last time I performed at the Lobero was three years and eight months ago. I couldn’t come here to do anything since then (because of the pandemic),” Maestro Ohyama told the News-Press.
“However, after I got here, about four days ago (Oct. 7), seeing all my friends, it was as if I just saw them two weeks ago,” he said on Tuesday. “I guess I have to breathe the air of Santa Barbara!”
The Oct. 18 Lobero concert is a result of his continued friendship with local musicians.
“We are all very romantic, passionate players,” Maestro Ohyama said, referring to the quartet and the concert’s musical selections.
Mr. Beilman, who is the chamber music project’s musical adviser, has played regularly at major concert halls, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Louvre in Paris. Ms. Chung has produced 15 albums and played with more than 70 leading orchestras around the world. Mr. Arron, a Juilliard School graduate, has played at Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel halls and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and Avery Fisher halls.
Maestro Ohyama, who studied at Toho Music High School and College and graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1970, became the principal violist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1979. And he became the music director and conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra in 1983 — five years after it was founded. He went on to become the principal chief conductor of both the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra (1999-2004) in Fukuoka, Japan, and the Osaka Symphony Orchestra (2004 to 2008). He served as the music director of the Nagasaki Music Festival from 2007-2009.
Maestro Ohyama said that during recent years, he has freelanced as a conductor in Japan. “I also have an organization called Music Dialogue. This gives opportunities to young, talented, top-notch players and encourages the audience to deepen their knowledge of what music is all about through chamber music.”
Maestro Ohyama emphasized the importance of chamber music, which is known for its depth of emotion and well-defined melodies.
“Before composers write a big symphony, they try all their ideas in chamber music,” he said. “Chamber music is the core. It’s the bread and butter of musicians. It just so happens I’ve been lucky all my life to play with great performers, who want to deepen their understanding of music through chamber music.”
David Asbell, executive director of the Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project, noted the endeavor continues a tradition of camaraderie and excellence that started in the late 1970s. “Many in the community enjoyed and supported these high-quality chamber music concerts for decades. We look forward to welcoming them back for this exciting renewed experience.”
After the Oct. 18 concert, The Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project is scheduled to return with the same musicians and additional performers for a full weekend of chamber music in May 2023.
“I don’t think at this point that we have a plan to revive the chamber orchestra,” Maestro Ohyama told the News-Press. “But maybe in a few years, it would be nice to gather all the members of the chamber orchestra (for one concert).”
email: dmason@newspress.com
FYI
The Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project will present a quartet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
Tickets cost $55 for general admission, $20 for students and $106 for VIP tickets, which includes premier seating and a pre-show reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The cost for groups of six or more is $30 per person. To purchase, go to lobero.org or call the Lobero box office at 805-963-0761.
