ON THE TOWN:

The Women’s Committee of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra Assn. presented its 46th annual Meet the Musicians Concert and Reception at Brand Library Recital Hall on Friday. During the free event, 10 scholarship winners (with one absent) were honored.

Each got the opportunity to perform in front of a standing-room-only audience.

Eighteen-year-old mezzo soprano Julia Heron Metzler, who has been a musician since she was 4 years old, performed three numbers, including Schumann’s “Widmung.” Metzler received the Nellie M. Terry and Francis P. Morris scholarship.

The other scholarship winners were pianists Gloria Yen, Paul Yim, Priscella Chan and Evangeline Jo. Violinists were Austin Hansen, Armen Derkevorkian and Sofia Kim. Vocalist Savannah Greene was unable to attend.

Scholarship Committee Program Chairwoman Valerie Howard introduced the judges who had selected the scholarship winners.

Judges were Women’s Committee past presidents Mary Margaret Smith, Ruth Charles, Rita Burns, Beverly Morrow and Adeline Green. More judges were Shirley Darling, Glendale Symphony Board member, and Olivia Tsui, conductor of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra and a concert violinist.

More Symphony Board members present were Mary Ann Plumley and Thomas Metzler.

More Scholarship Committee and Reception Committee members were Louise Foote, Lucille Mellon, Mary Miller, Dorothy Powell, Jennifer Horine, Cindy Dailey and Paul and Mary Wight.

The Glendale Symphony Orchestra will soon begin its 85th season.

The Daughters of the British Empire, Caernarvon Chapter, had its annual (since 1988) Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon at the First Congregational Church of Glendale on Saturday.

The recipient of the fundraiser is the Sierra Madre retirement facility, The British Home, founded in 1931. British Home resident Beryl Burridge, 86, sold raffle tickets with gusto.

Burridge was happy her eight-year stay at the home involves no housework, since she dislikes housekeeping. “You can grow potatoes in my dust,” she said in her delightful British accent.

Glendale resident Marlena Smith, president of The British Home, stressed that the facility was open to all, not merely British citizens.

Smith, also a member of the Daughters of the British Empire, was invested as an MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2005. Her designation represents many years of service to the elderly.

More than 66 members and guests from Glendale included Daughters Vice Regent Patti Blissett, Linda Beran, Mary Grizzle, Marjorie Wilson, Rhona Clarke, Grace Wuest, Virginia Flores and Betty Fogt. Daughters secretary Janet Hughes is from Burbank.

Daughters of the British Empire members modeled fashions from Holiday Hats & Gowns in Montrose. Models included Jill Leewellyn, Norma Wright and Sandra Ozolins. Also modeling were Jill Levredge, who works at The British Home, and Sharon Goggins, whose mother works at the home.

Daughters at the door were Lynn Boozer and Maureen Trzepacz.

Event proceeds for The British Home will total more than $2,000. The remaining Daughters fundraiser for the year is their Christmas Tea.

Glendale Community College students were well represented at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA on Saturday. The entire class of English 104, taught by yours truly, turned out to meet hundreds of authors and visit hundreds of exhibitors, panels, readings and book signings.

Glendale residents/students included Alberto Armas, Arsen Babajanyan, Juliet Baghoomian, Ian Cervantes, Diane Cruz, Phyllis Gillon, John Gonzalez, Armine Iskandaryan, Sam Khachikyan, Carrie McKinsey, Ani Patatanyan, Karen Safrazbekian, Laura Torres, Roderick Varoujanian and Silva Vartanians.

Author April Dammann (sister of yours truly) of Hollywood stopped by the booth of Angel City Press, which will be publishing her first book, a biography of her husband’s grandfather,

Earle Stendahl, a pioneer art dealer in Los Angeles for more than 40 years, during the 1920s through the ’60s.

 RUTH SOWBY may be reached at ruthsowby@msn.com.