SOME GRACE NOTES

Laura Kukkonen

“When I walked off the stage, I thought it was a dream . ... I wasn’t nervous, but I was very, very excited . ... My mom was more nervous, definitely. She says she was shaking . ... When I saw ... everyone clapping, that was amazing. I can’t describe the feeling. I saw some rows up front, and everything else was jet black. ... It’s so different being a soloist. I think it’s really rewarding to see the people looking at you. Yeah, probably I do want to do it again.”

Kukkonen, 18, to Catherine Womack on playing a borrowed $2-million violin at the Hollywood Bowl with headliner Ray Chen as the prize for winning the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Play With Ray amateur violin competition. Kukkonen is from Helsinki, Finland. Daily Calendar, Aug. 10

Benjamin Millepied

“I’d love to have another studio and more time and space, funds, and more residencies, because that’s what the artists need . ... It’s not about the results now; it will take years and years . ... The idea is that it’s a slow burn . ... It will grow to be a company of this city that stays.”

Millepied to Makeda Easter on growing L.A. Dance Project, which he co-founded with Charles Fabius. Sunday Calendar, Sept. 22

Laura Karpman

“I don’t want to call it a conspiracy, because I don’t think it’s done on purpose, but there is this falling away of women artists and artists of color that needs to stop and be corrected . ... I always try to write something that has some reflection of social justice or some reflection on how I’m feeling about patriotism at any given moment.”

Karpman to Catherine Womack on writing “All American,” which was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. Daily Calendar, Aug. 21

Alexandre Desplat

“I never wanted to write an opera. I didn’t think I was ready for that, or even tempted .... But when I read this little story, I thought there was something ... a very beautiful short story about the impossibility of being a writer again, and the questioning of that. How do you get away with not being able to be an artist anymore?”

Desplat to Tim Greiving on writing his first opera, “Silence,” based on a short story by the late Yasunari Kawabata about an aged writer who can no longer communicate because of a stroke. Sunday Calendar, Feb. 24

Myung J. Chun Los Angeles Times LAURA KUKKONEN, winner of the L.A. Philharmonic’s Play With Ray, performed Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins with star Ray Chen at the Hollywood Bowl.

Carolyn Cole Los Angeles Times BENJAMIN MILLEPIED, former New York City Ballet principal dancer, resigned from the Paris Opera Ballet when he got pushback at the idea that not everyone in the company should look the same. His focus now is on the L.A. Dance Project.

Jay L. Clendenin Los Angeles Times LAURA KARPMAN at her Los Angeles home before the debut of her piece “All American” by the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. The score incorporates themes from past female composers, who have been marginalized historically.