By Ted AYALA Glendale counts a number of musical organizations that would be the envy of many a city in Southern California and even from those afar. The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Glendale Philharmonic, and the bi-monthly Glendale Noon Concerts series are just a few of the cultural oases that music lovers can partake […]
By Ted AYALA Local music lovers will be finding themselves this weekend choosing between whether to venture to Italy or Russia – or both. The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) will return to the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Saturday, May 16 at 8 p.m. for a program of Mendelssohn and Mozart, with the world […]
By Ted AYALA The name alone causes the casual listener to dismiss its possibilities: toy piano. In fact, for decades it was just that – a children’s toy that, at most, was sometimes employed in the “toy symphonies” often devised as household entertainments by 19th century composers. But it took composers like John Cage in […]
By Ted AYALA The Glendale City Council unanimously voted to step up its advocacy efforts against the proposed 710 tunnel last Tuesday night, allocating a total amount of $56,000 toward the move. In what Glendale City Manager Scott Ochoa described as the “first phase” of its advocacy, the city would pay $10,000 toward the retention […]
By Ted AYALA David Lockington has plenty reason to smile these days. The English-born conductor has nearly wrapped up his first season at the helm of the Pasadena Symphony (he also currently holds the music directorship at the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan). By all accounts it has been an audience and critical success. “It’s […]
By Ted AYALA An enthusiastic audience hailed the world premiere of Ian Krouse’s “Armenian Requiem” last Wednesday night, taking place at a UCLA Royce Hall that was well-nigh packed to the rafters. The 15-movement work is massive not only in its length, which weighs in around the 90-minute mark, but also because of the forces […]
By Ted AYALA They shared a similar musical aesthetic, lived in the same city for over a decade, mingled in the same circles, and their births were separated by a mere 17 months. But cruel destiny nonetheless shaped and ultimately diverged the respective paths of Francis Poulenc and his Dutch contemporary Leo Smit. For while […]
By Ted AYALA The final results are in, but the results are largely unchanged. The Glendale City Clerk’s Office announced the final tally from the April 15 election yesterday afternoon. The count was held in the community room of Glendale Police Dept. headquarters (GPD). Over 14,600 absentee votes had yet to be counted before Wednesday […]
By Ted AYALA For any composer, the imminent world premiere of one of their works is an occasion that always brings with it feelings of excited, joyous anticipation for the new sounds about to be unleashed before their audience. But for Ian Krouse the coming premiere of his latest work is an altogether more serious […]
By Ted AYALA In 1922 Dutch composer Leo Smit composed his breakthrough work “Silhouettes,” which earned him raves from Dutch critics over his skillful incorporation of Jazz Age sonorities in a symphonic work. A bright talent had dawned over Holland and with it an even brighter future seemed to augur for him. Instead, just over […]