By Nestor CASTIGLIONE The days grow shorter, the air (at least at night) turns crisp, and the stacks of CDs in my listening room grow taller. Winter is nearly here, its augurings pulling down the curtain on the year that is about to be closed definitively. What the next year will bring can only be […]
Joffrey Ballet principal dancers Jeraldine Mendoza (Sugar Plum Fairy) and Dylan Gutierrez (Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier) are preparing for three performances of the Los Angeles Youth Ballet world premiere of “The Nutcracker.” Tickets are on sale now for the Friday, Dec. 22 performance at 7 p.m., and for the Saturday, Dec. 23 performances at 2 […]
Here are the new shows opening in our theatres this month: “A Christmas Carol” a masterpiece about the redemptive and transformative power of love. It allows families to take a supremely theatrical journey and celebrate the transformative power of forgiveness during the holidays. Ebenezer Scrooge’s rebirth from miserly curmudgeon to the epitome of love […]
A little more than one year after receiving the holy blessing of Pope Francis in the Vatican City, the highly anticipated pre-apocalyptic drama “The Second Coming of Christ” is landing in Los Angeles theaters. The film follows the gripping yet inspirational journey of an atheist female scientist in a struggle with good and evil, who, […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE “The Jewel in the Lotus” was jazz multireedist Bennie Maupin’s first album as leader, having established himself as a sideman to Herbie Hancock. It quickly became regarded as a classic and one of the linchpins of the ECM Records catalog. Eclectic and dazzling, the album took the influences from Hancock’s Mwandishi and […]
By Charly SHELTON With Halloween behind us, one may think that the time for witches, ghosts and dark, foreboding castles is also behind us. But in the Wizarding World, they are present every day. And as Christmas draws near, the witches are donning scarves and the house ghosts are dancing at the Yule ball in […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE It may be difficult to think of another musician who matches the crossover appeal as mandolinist Evan Marshall. Certainly none outstrip him in that regard. Over the course of his career he has earned the admiration of classical musicians. But music-makers who worked in other genres have also recognized his talent. “Evan […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE Milton Babbitt possibly may not have cared if you listened, but Derek Stein does – a lot. The Kansas-born cellist has distinguished himself in Southern California and across the nation not only as an instrumentalist of superlative artistry, but also as a committed champion of new music. Through his work as a […]
By Charly SHELTON Thanksgiving is a national holiday, speaking to everyone in America as a founding piece of their national heritage, like the Fourth of July. This is a day that celebrates being together, sharing and being thankful. The story told in elementary school is that the Pilgrims had a good harvest and invited […]
By Charly SHELTON For tourists around the world, Disneyland is a major destination that draws in millions of visitors each year. Families come from everywhere to visit “the happiest place on Earth.” But for locals, the summer and spring break crowds are daunting. Many children in the LA area grew up with the annual family […]