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Nixon in China: The Opera
John Adams’ Nixon in China has attained the status of modern classic since its premiere in 1987, but the opera is not performed frequently and is still unfamiliar to many audiences. Nonetheless there is great curiosity about the piece, as I discovered when I began work on the Spotlight program; I think I’ve gotten more […]
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La Jolla Symphony and Chorus Brings the Magic of Classical Music to a Young Audience
“One of the things I love most about music is how it helps us remember our lives.” – Conductor, Steven Schick So begins the second annual Young People’s Concert as Schick guides an audience of children and their families through a presentation of selections from Gustav Mahler’s celebrated Fifth Symphony. “Gustav Mahler’s symphony number five […]
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Confessions of a Motion Addict – Stephen Petronio
Like a written story that starts one word at a time and builds, Stephen Petronio choreographs a story that begins one step at a time, set in motion until a dance appears. He understands that to some, modern dance is a beautiful interpretation of thoughts set to music. To others, it is an enigma, requiring […]
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A Good Tune – SummerFest 2014
In past seasons the SummerFest programs aired on UCSD-TV tended to the eclectic, mixing different styles, eras and composers broadly representative of the chamber music genre. This year, we’re focusing on four great masters of the Classical style: Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, and Johannes Brahms. Some definitions are useful here. We […]
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Jazz Camp 2014 – Finale Concert Highlights
What is jazz? The late great Stan Getz described jazz thusly: “It’s like a language. You learn the alphabet, which are the scales. You learn sentences, which are the chords. And then you talk extemporaneously with the horn. It’s a wonderful thing to speak extemporaneously, which is something I’ve never gotten the hang of. But […]
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Script to Screen Welcomes Oscar-Nominated Screenwriters, Bob Nelson and John Ridley
The Script to Screen series was granted an amazing opportunity to connect recent Oscar nominees with UCSB students, the Santa Barbara community, and Los Angeles based Academy members through a live stream. Paramount Pictures graciously provided a screening of Nebraska followed by Q&A with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bob Nelson. “The ending of this movie is really […]
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Malcom McDowell — An Actor’s perspective on “A Clockwork Orange”
It’s been more than forty years since Stanley Kubrick released “A Clockwork Orange,” the dystopian satire that introduced many people to its star Malcolm McDowell. McDowell has a rather diverse resume – “Caligula,” “O Lucky Man,” two “Halloween” films and “Star Trek: Generations” along with appearances in television programs and recently commercials. But it is […]