Arts Briefs: Abril Bookstore will host screening of Armenian rock opera ‘Taparum’
The film “Taparum” will be screened July 1 at Abril Bookstore by the Armenian Film Society in Glendale. The Armenian rock opera screening will be hosted by cast member Kami Libaridian. The musical is in Armenian with English subtitles.
“Taparum,” directed by Arshaluys Harutyunyan, is described as the story of an Armenian man whose brain is transplanted to another body following a car accident, and soon finds himself facing questions of identity, death and history.
The film (aka “Wandering”) will be screened at 7:30 p.m. at Abril, located at 415 E. Broadway in Glendale. Admission is free. Information at (818) 243-4112 and abrilbooks.com.
American Music
A concert of wide-ranging “Americana” will be performed on Saturday, July 2, as the annual Independence Day show at La Cañada Presbyterian Church. The concert will include songs from the 1969 musical “1776” and other patriotic music.
The free concert will star Tyler Wright as future president John Adams and Rebecca Sjowall will play his wife Abigail Adams in scenes from the Tony-winning play, joined by the church’s Chancel Choir and Orchestra. The musical recreates the arguments at the Continental Congress behind the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
The concert will also be a tribute to American soldiers who died in war, and include the spirituals “Mansions of the Lord” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” plus an “Armed Forces Medley.” Conducting the choir and orchestra will be Jack Lantz, a former Army captain. The musical performances will be accompanied by a multimedia show depicting scenes of Americana and U.S. history.
There will also be music by John Philip Sousa, George M. Cohan and John Williams. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. La Cañada Presbyterian Church is at 626 Foothill Blvd. More information at lacanadapc.org and (818) 790-6708.¿¿
Possums and Players
On Friday, June 24, the Honeysuckle Possums will perform a concert of bluegrass-style mountain music at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena. The all-female string band are based in Santa Barbara and will perform a blend of the new and the old-timey.
The group is led by a trio of singer-songwriters — Nicola Gordon, Susan Marie Reeves and Rebecca Troon — whose songs are brought to life by a full band of fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, strum-stick, bodhran and stand-up bass.
The performance begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18. The Coffee Gallery Backstage is at 2029 N. Lake Ave. in Altadena. More information at (626) 798-6236 and coffeegallery.com.¿
Passion Paintings
Paintings by Bonnie Lambert will be shown in the exhibition “Twilight Passion,” opening July 8 at the Creative Arts Center Gallery in Burbank. The expressionist works depict various neighborhoods and cityscapes in Southern California.
Lambert’s paintings have previously been shown locally at the Pasadena Museum of California History and Forest Lawn Museum. At the Burbank gallery, the opening reception is from 7 to 9 p.m., and the show will stay up through July 28.
The Creative Arts Center Gallery is at 1100 W. Clark Ave., in Burbank. Hours are Mondays to Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information at (818) 238-5397.