Guitarist Helps Ring Out the Old Soviet Union

The clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve in Moscow, and it was goodby Soviet Union, hello Russia.

On hand to perform at a gala celebration of the event in the Kremlin was Canadian classical guitarist Liona Boyd, now a resident of Beverly Hills.

About 700 VIP guests attended the evening of dining, dancing and entertainment at the Palace of Congresses. The Red Army Choir and members of the Bolshoi Ballet also performed.

Boyd says she was the first Canadian musician to perform inside the Kremlin walls. She was there at the invitation of Moscow Mayor Gavrill Popov, whom she met last fall while traveling with her fiance, John Simon.

“I played two Spanish selections during the last hours of the Soviet Union’s existence, which was really special,” said Boyd, who has performed all over the world but was doing so for the first time in the Soviet Union. “I am looking forward to going back and giving some concerts in the future.”

Born in London, she went at the age of 6 to Canada, where she gave her first concert on the treble recorder. At the age of 14, she asked her parents for a guitar as a Christmas present. After hearing the great English guitarist Julian Bream, she was determined to master the instrument and began taking lessons. She went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in music performance at the University of Toronto, where she graduated with honors and won first prize in the Canadian National Music Competition.

She has played in private concerts for world leaders, including Fidel Castro, the British royal family, and the prime ministers of Canada and Britain.

“I had no idea playing the guitar would become a career,” she said. “It’s has been a wonderful passport to see the world.”

Milton Tyre, a member of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s board of directors and executive committee, has received the California Assn. of Hospitals and Health Systems Award of Merit.

The award recognizes an outstanding contribution to hospital care in California and service to the industry. Tyre is chairman of the association’s governance forum and serves on the group’s board of

trustees.

The Rabbinical Council of California honored Rabbi Moises Benzaquen and Rabbi Shalom Tendler at its awards dinner Jan. 15 at the Radisson Bel-Air Summit Hotel.

Rabbi Benzaquen, who serves as president of the council, received the Rabbinic Leadership Award. Rabbi Tendler was honored with the Torah Education Award for his dedication and service to the Jewish community.

Frank Perna Jr. has been elected to the board of directors of City of Hope National Medical Center.

Perna also received City of Hope’s “Spirit of Life” in recognition of his support of the community and the medical center. He is president and chief executive officer of MagneTek in West Los Angeles.

Herbert Carter has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the United Way of the greater Los Angeles area.

Carter previously served two terms as chairman of the organization’s board of directors. He is also founder and first chairman of United Way’s Black Partnership Development Council.

Lawrence Cardoza was appointed to the Design Review Board for the San Vicente Scenic Corridor Specific Plan by Councilman Marvin Braude.

Cardoza, an architect and developer, is a board member of the Brentwood Homeowners Assn. and a resident of Brentwood. His term on the board runs until 1994.

The board reviews plans for all commercial land-use changes on San Vicente Boulevard.