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Lorin Levee, principal clarinetist with L.A. Phil, dies at 61

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Lorin Levee, the principal clarinetist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has died at age 61, the orchestra announced Thursday. He died Wednesday following a long battle with a blood disorder, said a Philharmonic spokeswoman.

Levee did not join the L.A. Phil on its recent trip to Venezuela. His last concert was on Jan. 8 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, a program of Dvorak, Liszt and Saint-Saens that was led by guest conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

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Levee, who was born in Chicago, has played with the L.A. orchestra since 1976, first as a bass clarinetist before becoming principal clarinetist at the start of the 1981-82 season.

A concert on Thursday at Walt Disney Concert Hall will be dedicated to Levee. The orchestra has added an extra piece to the program -- Ravel’s ‘Le Jardin Féerique’ (The Enchanted Garden) -- in honor of the musician. In addition, Deborah Borda, president of the L.A. Philharmonic, is scheduled to speak.

Prior to coming to Los Angeles, Levee played with Chicago’s Grant Park Symphony, the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra.

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The L.A. Philharmonic said Levee, who lived in downtown L.A., is survived by his mother Mildred, brother Phil, son David, daughter Marissa Martinez and granddaughters Maya and Gwen Levee. His funeral will take place in Chicago.

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-- David Ng

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