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The GRAMMY Salute To Classical Music honored Sir Neville Marriner and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra with Music Director Jeffrey Kahane. Starting his career as a violinist, Marriner founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 1958 and has worked with orchestras throughout the world. He became the first Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in 1969 where he developed new works for the orchestra and performed numerous world premieres. Currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, led by Kahane, performs a diverse repertoire ranging from baroque to new works, and focuses on cultivating the careers of emerging artists. Committed to bringing classical music to everyone, they have created programs such as Meet the Music, which reaches thousands of elementary students throughout the year.

This event took place at the renowned Walt Disney Concert Hall on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, from 7 10 p.m. with a reception, special presentation and performances by the honorees. The President's Merit Award for outstanding achievement was presented to these prolific musicians for their significant contributions to classical music and the community at large.

Performance clip is from Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15