In the spring of 2021, I was commissioned to record a program of pieces by composers with connections to the Nobel Prize winning novelist, Thomas Mann at the Thomas Mann House. It was through this search for my new program that I learned, for the first time, about Ernst Toch: a Jewish \u00e9migr\u00e9 composer who ended up in LA, escaping the Nazis. The internet also led me to the composer’s grandson, the award winning author Lawrence Weschler whose name I had known. When I emailed him, expressing my interest in learning more about his grandfather, Mr. Weschler, or Ren, said that although he was based in NY, he was anticipating a trip to LA in a few weeks. So we met, and became friends. A year later, we were on the stage together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is a 6+ minutes of highlight from our concert presented by the Colburn School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n