Violinist Alyssa Park will serve as the Stuart Canin Concertmaster of the LA Opera Orchestra. (photo courtesy of LA Opera)
LA Opera has appointed violinist Alyssa Park as the Stuart Canin Concertmaster of the LA Opera Orchestra. Park will have her first performances in the role with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Falstaff,” opening on April 18 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
“Following the untimely and tragic passing of Roberto Cani, who served as concertmaster for 14 seasons and played in top form up until the final month of his life, we have searched and held a highly competitive audition for a successor,” Music Director James Conlon said. “I am more than delighted that in Alyssa Park we are confident we have found an extraordinary violinist and musician for the future. As I leave LA Opera after 20 wonderful years as music director, I am happy that the post of concertmaster has been filled so well. We all welcome her to the company, and I wish her and all of our colleagues and friends in the LA Opera Orchestra, as well as my own successor Domingo Hindoyan, a fruitful and long working relationship well into the future.”
“After many years on the concert stage, I am deeply honored to begin this new chapter as concertmaster of LA Opera,” Park added. “Opera’s power lies in its ability to transform music and drama into living storytelling, revealing the depth and complexity of the human experience and strengthening the cultural fabric of the community. I look forward to collaborating closely with Maestro James Conlon and Maestro Domingo Hindoyan, and with my colleagues in the orchestra, to shape performances that are vibrant, collaborative and rooted in musical integrity. To serve Los Angeles – a city that has been central to my artistic life – in this role is an extraordinary privilege.”
Park becomes the second person to hold the position of Stuart Canin Concertmaster, a chair established in perpetuity by Dunard Fund USA to honor the distinguished tenure of Stuart Canin, who served as LA Opera’s concertmaster from 2001-10. She succeeds the late Cani, who served as concertmaster from 2011 until his untimely death on April 9, 2025. Park first performed with LA Opera as guest concertmaster for the 2010 world premiere of Daniel Catán’s “Il Postino.”
The concertmaster serves at the center of orchestral life, bringing together leadership, musical insight and coordination in a single role. The position requires authority, tact and an extensive command of the repertoire. The concertmaster is indispensable to the orchestra’s artistic cohesion and day-to-day functioning.
For information, visit laopera.org.