Community: Maestro builds orchestra for the future
Glendale music lovers are banding together to create a new orchestra that will play at venues throughout Southern California and perform genres from rock to Rachmaninoff.
Former Glendale Symphony conductor Norman Mamey is leading the charge to promote the Los Angeles Premiere Orchestra and its “Christmas Musical Spectacular” planned for Dec. 13 at the Alex Theatre. The debut concert will be on Aug. 21 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Guiding the effort is a 35-member board of governors with La Cañada businessman Sonny Sardo as president.
The holiday performance will showcase seasoned as well as young, up-and-coming musicians. Proceeds will benefit the new orchestra and youth programs offered by the Salvation Army Glendale Corps.
More of a variety show, there will be music, comedy and dance. Guest stars will entertain backed by a 30-piece studio orchestra and a 30-voice chorus.
Syndicated radio talk show host Dennis Prager will be master of ceremonies. Guest stars include singer/songwriter Mike Posner, Brazilian singer Bianca Rossini, along with the Colburn School of Music Children’s Choir and the Salvation Army Zone Kids.
Actor/singer Jude Ciccolella, from TV’s “24” and “NCIS”, is also on the program, and his band is a regular at Burbank’s Viva Cantina. Also making special appearances will be Ed Asner from “Up” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Cindy Williams from “Laverne and Shirley.”
Mamey was recently voted president of the Salvation Army’s board of directors and before that, he had made the commitment to donate a portion of the proceeds from the holiday performance to the Salvation Army, Mamey said.
“I would like to make this concert an annual event with a portion of the proceeds going to the Salvation Army, so that’s what we want to set up for now and into the future,” he said.
To raise money to produce the holiday performance, there will be a fundraising event titled “A Prelude to Christmas” on Nov. 1 at Lakeside Golf Club.
Mamey has selected several young entertainers to perform at both the prelude and holiday concerts.
“The purpose of this orchestra is to bring young people into the concert hall,” he said, adding that today’s technology — the Internet and the digital age — is changing the way young people listen to music — iTunes is replacing CDs.
“We are seeing a lot of young people walking around with earbuds in their ears destroying their eardrums and never getting into a concert hall,” Mamey said.
As orchestras across the country are facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, very few people would try to start a new orchestra, but Mamey believes offering entertainment that appeals to all ages is the key to ensuring concert halls don’t go by the wayside.
President Sardo weighed in that all the elements of the concert have youth in mind.
“With the Premiere Orchestra, we will be featuring young composers and new works as well as traditional classics and so, with the youth of the Salvation Army that speaks to what’s in our DNA — looking toward tomorrow,” he said. “When you help young people, you are looking toward tomorrow because young people are our tomorrow. Those are our musicians and our leaders and everything else.”
Sardo believes the orchestra — with strong leadership from a large board of directors, and a “wonderful” maestro — will fill the void left by orchestras that no longer exist in SoCal.
“I think it’s going to catch fire! It’s going to be great!” he said.
The new orchestra has a lot of Glendale roots, especially with the first performance at the Alex Theatre and a lot of supporters of the former Glendale Symphony. However, its aim is to reach Southern California audiences, Sardo said.
“I think we have the audience in Southern California and that is our goal,” he said. “We are premiering new works. We are featuring younger composers, but yet we are staying true to our classical roots, but we are not afraid to reach out and do some pops, rock and Rachmaninoff and we’re going to have some fun.”
While its holiday concert will remain over the years at the Alex Theatre, orchestra officials said other venues they are considering include the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Royce Hall and Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Greek Theatre officials provide meeting space for the board and want the new entity as its primary orchestra, Mamey said.
Tickets for the holiday concert range from $30 to $250 per person and can be reserved by calling the Alex Theatre at (818) 243-7700, Ext. 216. For more information, call (310) 567-9542.
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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be contacted at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.