Alyssa Park has been appointed Stuart Canin Concertmaster of the LA Opera Orchestra, the company announced on March 10. The violinist will begin her tenure with performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff, which opens on April 18 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The appointment follows an international search after the death of Roberto Cani, who served as concertmaster of the orchestra from 2011 until his passing last year.
LA Opera Music Director James Conlon welcomed the announcement, saying the company had conducted “a highly competitive audition for a successor.” He added that the organization had found in Park “an extraordinary violinist and musician for the future.” Conlon also noted that the appointment comes as he prepares to step down after 20 years as music director, expressing confidence in the orchestra’s future under his successor Domingo Hindoyan.
In a statement shared by LA Opera and on social media, Park described the appointment as the beginning of a new artistic chapter.
“Opera’s power lies in its ability to transform music and drama into living storytelling, revealing the depth and complexity of the human experience,” she said, adding that she looks forward to collaborating with Conlon, Hindoyan, and her colleagues in the orchestra.
Park becomes the second holder of the Stuart Canin Concertmaster chair, established by the Dunard Fund USA to honour the tenure of Stuart Canin, who served as concertmaster of LA Opera from 2001 to 2010.
She previously appeared with the company as guest concertmaster for the 2010 world premiere of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino.
Alyssa Park first gained international attention at the age of 16 as the youngest prizewinner in the history of the International Tchaikovsky Competition. She has since appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic, among many others.
An active chamber musician, Park is also a founding member of the Los Angeles–based Lyris Quartet, which curates the Hear Now Festival, devoted to works by living Southern California composers.
The LA Opera Orchestra, which has a core roster of 61 players, performs regularly in productions at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and is augmented according to the requirements of each opera.
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