Santa Cecilia Orchestra Performin at Thorne Hall!

The Santa Cecilia Orchestra is coming to Occidental College to perform "Baroque Meets Brazil" On Sunday, February 21st at 4pm.



The Santa Cecilia Orchestra is conducted by Sonia Marie De Leon de Vega. She was the first woman in history to receive a Vatican invitation to conduct a symphony orchestra at a Papal Mass. Univision, Mervyns, and Target named her Outstanding Latina of the Year in 2000. Hispanic Business Magazine voted her one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States in 2001 and 2005. In April 2005 Hispanic Business Magazine named her in their “80 Elite Women” list. In 2005 she was named “Business Woman Of The Year in Arts And Entertainment” by Senator Jack Scott and Assemblywoman Carol Liu. In September 2006 she was awarded the “Local Hero” award by KCET. Vega is also celebrated in educational circles for creating the dynamic Discovering Music program that takes orchestra members into elementary schools in underserved Latino neighborhoods to introduce children to classical music and the instruments of the orchestra. This program also includes a choral component with weekly choral rehearsals with three community children choirs and two yearly presentations in venues like ours here at Oxy!

Keeping Time: The Life, Music, and Photographs of Milt Hinton

This week, as part of the two week Celebration of Jazz, the Brand Library will hold a film screening of "Keeping Time the Life, Music, and Photographs of Milt Hinton. " This free event takes place this Wednesday, February 10th at 7:00 pm. Written and Directed by David G. Berger, Holly Maxson and Kate Hirson. Narrated by Jeffrey Wright. Combining rare pictures, footage and interviews with legendary musicians, this is an insider’s portrait of jazz history.

[From PBS.org] During his seven-decade-long career, legendary bassist Milt Hinton performed with nearly every major jazz artist alive, touring with Cab Calloway and performing with Aretha Franklin. KEEPING TIME: The Life, Music and Photographs of Milt Hinton is a loving portrait of this remarkably creative and generous man, who not only made beautiful music, but also took some of the most unforgettable photographs of 20th-century American life. Snapping more than 60,000 pictures over the years, Hinton provided an insider's look at the world of American music, as well as American history, from touring the South in the 1930s to his death in 2000.

Piano Spheres

On Tuesday, the Ninth, Piano Spheres will be hosting a concert at the Zipper Hall of the Colburn School. Piano Spheres is an LA based organization of pianists that actively supports the composition and performance of new major piano works.

From http://www.pianospheres.org/:
Our sixteenth season continues February 9, 2010 with PS founding member, Susan Svrcek in a program spanning very early Schoenberg’s Drei Klavierstücke to Xenakis’ Mists. The music travels through varying stages of tonality – and lack of tonality –with a wide range of color. Pieces by Messiaen and Douglas, inspired by birdsong and the poetry of Rilke, complete the program

February 9, 2010

Susan Svrcek

William Douglas: "Celebration"
Olivier Messiaen: "Petites Esquisses d'Oiseaux"
Arnold Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstücke
Wolfgang Rihm: Ländler
Iannis Xenakis: Mists

The Yuval Ron Ensemble

Last week on January 31st, the Yuval Ron Ensemble performed at Pasadena's own All Saints Church. Their biography:

"Formed in 1999, The Yuval Ron Ensemble endeavors to alleviate national, racial, religious and cultural divides by uniting the music and dance of the opposing people of the Middle East into a unique mystical, spiritual and inspiring musical celebration. The Ensemble includes Jewish, Arabic and Christian artists who have been actively involved in creating musical bridges between people of various faiths and ethnic groups worldwide. Led by Oscar winning composer Yuval Ron (music for “West Bank Story”) the Ensemble has enjoyed overwhelming community support and was chosen to be featured in PBS “Holiday Celebration” TV specials and was honored with the Los Angeles Treasures Award."

Further information on the group, their albums, and their tour plans can be found on their website.

Their next concert in the Los Angeles area will be on March 7:

"Sound Meditation
as a
Way for Knowing Peace

Meditations to live music from the mystics of the Abrahamic faiths
A Workshop
with
Yuval Ron

Understand the intimacy of Sound…….
Experience the expansion of the mind to embrace all Sound …..
Experience the way and nature of Peace by surrendering to Sound.

Location:
The enchanting beautiful space, Out of Asia
3249 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016"

Can Playing A Musical Instrument Actually Make You Smarter?

Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience, discusses just how beneficial playing a musical instrument can be...

Scientists have uncovered the first concrete evidence that playing music can significantly enhance the brain and sharpen hearing for all kinds of sounds, including speech.

Also check out this great lecture from Glenn Wilson at Gresham College on "The Mozart Effect"

Renowned Opera Artist Fredrica von Stade at OXY!

"World-renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade will perform at Occidental College -- her only Los Angeles appearance as part of her international farewell tour -- at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, in the College’s Thorne Hall.

Described by the New York Times as 'one of America’s finest artists and singers,' von Stade has sung with every leading American opera company and at top European opera houses such as La Scala, the Paris Opera, and the Vienna State Opera. She also has appeared in concert with the world’s celebrated orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. Her recital at Occidental, where she will be joined on stage with pianist and composer Jake Heggie, will be her only Los Angeles appearance this season." -oxy.edu

Huun Huur Tu, FREE at Amoeba this Sunday!

This Sunday, Feb 7, see Huun Huur Tu for free at Amoeba records in Hollywood. Huun Huur Tu are masters of the throat singing style of xoomei from the Siberian region of Tuva, in which a vocalist produces two or three notes simultaneously. They collaborate with the electronic artist Carmen Rizzo on their latest release, Eternal (out now).