Ventura County culture

Trumpeting a musical cause

It is rare enough that trumpeters are brought to the front of the symphonic stage as soloists, rather than being behind pianists and violinists who routinely take the solo spot.

What concert-goers will hear at this weekend’s New West Symphony program is rarer still: a concert featuring three pieces from different eras and cultures on three instruments from guest soloist and trumpeter Jens Lindemann.

Lindemann is one of those high-profile trumpeters who gives his ancient but still under-spotlighted instrument a good and more public name.

The lead trumpeter for Canadian Brass for the past five years, he is also a Grammy Award nominee who studied at New York City’s Juilliard School and also plays pop and jazz.

Lindemann currently is a professor at UCLA, a job he keeps along with his performance schedule..

For his debut with the New West, diversity is the operative word.

Lindemann will be featured playing the fluegelhorn on Richard Peaslee’s “Nightsongs,” a 1973 piece with a jazz flavor, then on the compact piccolo trumpet for 18th century composer Johann Wilhelm Hertel’s Trumpet Concerto No. 1 in E-flat for Piccolo Trumpet and Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto. Framing Lindemann’s portion of the program are Mozart’s Serenade No. 6 in D, K. 239, and Stravinsky’s agreeable Modernist masterpiece “Petroushka.”

*

Beckett bonus

Suddenly, Samuel Beckett has roosted in Ojai, in the modest but idealistic Theater 150, to be exact.

This weekend’s fare will be the harrowing humor of the playwright’s minimalist play “Waiting for Godot,” which is being taken on by Nordhoff High School students Dan Baker, Frederico Equez, Byron Campbell and Athena Murphy.

For three weekends, starting on Nov. 22, the action turns to “Happy Days,” Beckett’s dark comedy in which the central character retains her sunny outlook despite being buried up to her waist. The virtual monologue will be performed by Leslie Paxton, as Winnie, with John Diehl, who also directs, occasionally showing up as her husband.

-- Josef Woodard

*

Event details

New West Symphony: Trumpeter Jens Lindemann will perform with the symphony Friday at Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, and Saturday at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Kavli Theatre, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Both concerts, 8 p.m. $8 to $67, with student rush seats $10 starting half an hour before each concert. (805) 497-5880 or (800) NEW-WEST.

Buckets of Beckett: “Waiting for Godot,” Friday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m. $10 (two-for-one seats, Sunday). “Happy Days” will open Nov. 22 and play Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 8. $15 (two-for-one seats, Sundays). Theater 150, 918 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. (805) 646-4300.