Symphony of a Great City » Nestor CASTIGLIONE

The shadows of war loomed large in the programs presented this past weekend by the Lark Musical Society and Le Salon de Musiques. In one it was a cry of outrage, a plea for peace that was heard; in the other it was the lyrical creation of a man whose career and life were displaced […]

Baby Bongo Born at LA Zoo

Baby Bongo Born at LA Zoo

By Charly SHELTON For the first time in over 20 years, a new baby bongo is frolicking and hooping around the LA Zoo. A male calf was born to 5-year-old first-time mother Rizzo and 7-year-old father, Asa, on Jan. 20. These large African antelope have always been exhibited at the LA Zoo, but breeding them […]

Intriguing Music Found this Weekend

By Nestor CASTIGLIONE Not a weekend passes by in Southern California when there isn’t some kind of intriguing classical music concert or other that well rewards the listener for their search. This weekend – with beloved Baroque classics, 20th century masterpieces, and somehow overlooked gems of Late Romantic chamber music among the options – promises […]

‘War Requiem’ by Lark Musical Society

By Nestor CASTIGLIONE “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Dr. Martin Luther King once said. It’s a sentiment that carries over into other spheres, sometimes unexpectedly. War, for example. For English composer Benjamin Britten, who was a dogged and lifelong pacifist, the fact that war, especially in the 20th century, made victims […]

Matt Damon Builds Bridges on China’s ‘Great Wall’

Matt Damon Builds Bridges on China’s ‘Great Wall’

By Susan JAMES Somewhere in the smoky backrooms of studio politics, producers from the U.S.-China joint venture production company Legendary East and from Le Vision Pictures, one of the largest production companies in China, met to come up with a concept for a blockbuster motion picture. One bright sprig had a brilliant idea. “What if […]

Disney ‘Aladdin’ Production Extended

Disney ‘Aladdin’ Production Extended

Casa 0101 Theater and TNH Productions in association with Councilmember Gilbert A. Cedillo announced the extension of the critically acclaimed hit musical, Disney’s “Aladdin, Dual Language Edition, Edición De Lenguaje Dual” at CASA 0101 Theater. Emmanuel Deleage, executive director of CASA 0101 Theater and a producer of the show, said, “I am happy to announce […]

Symphony of a Great City » Nestor CASTIGLIONE

About 20 years ago the late Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara professed himself delighted to be able to compose music in this era. No longer were composers bound to this or that predominating style. Rather, in an era where the consensus on what direction modern music was moving had been shattered into thousands of arrow points, […]

‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls…’

‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls…’

By Charly SHELTON “Disneyland proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination, in thousands of sparkling lights and electro-syntha-magnetic musical sounds … The Main Street Electrical Parade!” That intro has not been heard echoing across Main Street, USA since Nov. 25, 1996. Not, at least, until now. Guests from around the country […]

Loving the Vintage Valentine

Loving the Vintage Valentine

By Charly SHELTON Last weekend, Valentine’s Day events were all the rage, from special dinners to swingin’ dance nights to old movie screenings. But at The Rialto in South Pasadena, guests got the benefit of all three at once, while helping the theatre restoration effort and our own local restoration project – Rockhaven. Vintage Valentine […]

Cookie Con this Weekend

Hey, cookie fans! This is your final warning – LA Cookie Con is this weekend, Feb 18-19 at the LA Convention Center. The con sold out last year, so make sure not to miss out on a weekend full of cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, jams, jellies, macaroons, macarons, jerkies and more. This is a super […]