Arts Briefs: New ‘Evidence’ to be brought to Alex Theatre
The world premiere of a musical piece called “Evidence” will be performed by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, May 14, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Conducting will be its composer/conductor, Matthew Aucoin, currently the Metropolitan Opera’s youngest-ever assistant conductor.
Aucoin studied composition at the Juilliard School and is a recent graduate of Harvard. His opera, “Crossing,” debuted at the American Repertory Theater in 2015 and his “Second Nature” debuted at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was recently named L.A. Opera’s Artist-in-Residence. “Evidence” was commissioned by the L.A. Chamber Orchestra as part of its “Sound Investment” program.
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In a statement, Aucoin said: “A piece of music is a world that the composer dreamed up ... The image that kept returning to me as I worked on ‘Evidence’ was that of a journey from shore to shore in some challenging element, maybe a sea journey, or a journey through space. Whatever the element is, I wanted to see if I could get from one shore to the other.”
The remainder of the night’s program will be conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, including a showcase of pianist Marc-André Hamelin, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major and other pieces. (The concert is also performed Sunday at UCLA’s Royce Hall.)
The Alex Theatre is at 216 North Brand Blvd. in Glendale. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $27. More information at (213) 622-7001 and www.laco.org.
Concert of Stars
The Pasadena Symphony and Pops will perform a free concert of show tunes and other American classics on Saturday, May 14, at Pasadena City Hall.
The “Music Under the Stars” concert will include songs from the Broadway musicals “West Side Story,” “Anything Goes” and “Phantom of the Opera,” along with such popular songs as “Happy Days Are Here Again” and “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and Cole Porter’s “Anything You Can Do” and “Let’s Misbehave.”
Conducting will be Larry Blank, who will be joined by the JPL Chorus and a trio of vocal soloists: Katherine Strohmaier, Dale Kristien (“Phantom of the Opera”) and Ovation Award nominee Norman Large, who has performed in productions of “Les Misérables,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats” and “La Cage Aux Folles.”
Gates open at 6 p.m. with a variety of preconcert activities, picnicking and food trucks. An instrument “petting zoo” will allow kids to try out orchestra instruments. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Pasadena City Hall is at 100 Garfield Ave. More information at (626) 793-7172 and www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org.
Native History
Author and UCLA Professor Benjamin Madley will discuss the struggle and tragedy of Native Americans in the Golden State on Saturday, May 21, at the Autry in Griffith Park. He will sign copies of his book, “An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe,” following the talk.
The book explores the slaughter of Native Americans in California, where the Indian population dropped from 150,000 to 30,000 between the years 1846 and 1873. Madley will discuss the motives behind the killing, the resistance and the involvement of state and federal officials.
The talk begins at 11 a.m. The lecture is free with museum admission. Reservations recommended. More information at (323) 667-2000 and theautry.org.
Marquee staff