Coronavirus hits noted conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla - Los Angeles Times
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L.A. Phil’s former associate conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla tests positive for the coronavirus

Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, formerly associate conductor at the L.A. Phil, photographed in Walt Disney Concert Hall.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, the beloved former associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has tested positive for the novel corinavirus.

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, where Grazinyte-Tyla was appointed music director in 2016, said the conductor was recovering at home. All 10 concerts on the British orchestra’s European tour have been canceled.

On Feb. 28, Grazinyte-Tyla announced she was pregnant with her second child and due in August.

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At the L.A. Phil, Grazinyte-Tyla was assistant conductor for the 2014-2016 seasons and promoted to associate conductor for 2016-17 before landing the Birmingham post, seen as a key appointment for rising talent. Among those who have been music director at Birmingham is Simon Rattle, now music director of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Last year, Times critic Mark Swed called Grazinyte-Tyla’s recording of two symphonies by Mieczyslaw Weinberg an instant classic. “Grazinyte-Tyla has taken the city of Birmingham and its orchestra by storm, and the playing is gorgeous,†Swed wrote.

Less than a day after announcing they’re still open for business, some major Los Angeles arts companies are closing because of the coronavirus.

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