| Hidden Gem |
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 If composers were crops...
The arts, like farmers, are more and more focused on local sustainability nowadays, and the results show similarities beyond rhetoric: smaller entities are flourishing and offering innovative products, and the trend toward nurturing nearby artisans brings good things for all involved.
This weekend's new music offering in Long Beach is a prime example of what artistic collaboration can create from individual endeavors, and the many local connections are an added bonus. ' Sing a New Song' is a concert of contemporary works for voice and piano, featuring pieces by five composers, most with links to the shore: Carlos Carlos, Alicia Byer, Curtis Heard, Tu Nguyen; and Nicholas White. Each has singular qualities that make this a diverse and fascinating program, and two (Carlos and Heard) will also perform. Additional performers include Daniel Charleston, Samuel Grodin and Sinae Kang. This is an unticketed event, reminding us that the best things in life are free.
Sing a New Song:
A Concert of New Music for Voice & Piano
Saturday, November 12, 8pm
First Congregational Church of Long Beach
241 Cedar Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90802
Free admission
Small reception follows -- bring your
favorite bottle of wine if you wish!
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| A Requiem of Peace by Andrew Wright |
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 Grand space.
Great new work.
So many new choral works shine briefly and then flicker, fading into oblivion. Hear this one on Sunday, and you'll see why it's sure to endure. Premiered in 2008 but almost unknown in the US, this challenging work is full of deceptively simple, infectious melodies and undulating choral harmonies that surprise and delight.
A special event from the
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
For event details, click here.
(Full disclosure: Lauri is performing at this event and on staff at the Cathedral. But don't let that scare you away!)
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Vocal Focus from CCMN
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Southern California Vocal Events
LAURI D GOLDENHERSH's Weekly Highlights
This is one of those weekends that gets packed because it's in-between. Two weeks after Halloween, two weeks before Thanksgiving, this is the perfect weekend for a concert outing, and fall programming abounds. Let's start with some opera:
John Adams' instant-classic 'A Flowering Tree' may only be a few years old, but it's already a hit, with performances all over the country. It now comes to the Inland Empire in a much-anticipated production from RIVERSIDE LYRIC OPERA. Presented in the lovely Culver Center for the Arts, pre-sales have been straong: tickets are only available for the Friday night performance as of press time. But if you can make it, don't miss this opportunity to see an unusual contemporary opera that's unlikely to come back to Southern California terribly soon. For details, click here.
This weekend and next, CELESTIAL OPERA COMPANY creates a chamber opera twofer with drama and verve: Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' meets Mozart's 'The Impresario'. Come early for a pre-show talk by musicologist (and marvelous mezzo) Marcela Pan, commencing one hour before each show time. For the event listing, click here.
More opera flourishes across the counties this weekend, as DIANA BRISCOE appears at the new Harlequin Room space on Saturday; powerful tenor STEVE GRABE gives a recital at the Nixon Library on Sunday; the OPERA BUFFS take a 'Romantic Journey' for their fall showcase, and the celebrated CASA ITALIANA opera company fetes its 40th birthday.
Contemporary music also has a strong foothold this week, with offerings from the DOMINANT CLUB; the new-music ensemble CONUNDRUM; an independent program entitled 'Sing a New Song' in Long Beach; two performances by the TRILLIUM ENSEMBLE, featuring the works of Richard Pearson Thomas; and the newly expanded 'Little Match Girl Passion' from composer David Lang, premiered by the LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE at Disney Hall.
For glorious new choral music, you won't want to miss Sunday's Concert for All Souls' at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA. The event starts with a short Evening Prayer service, then features Andrew Wright's intriguing and surprising 'Requiem for Peace', followed by a cappella works sung in the white-marble acoustics of the mausoleum downstairs. The contemporary requiem is quite a find, and this performance features soprano SUZANNE WATERS (currently taking LA by storm) and tenor favorite CHARLES LANE. The CATHEDRAL CHOIR is led by music director FRANK BROWNSTEAD and SAMUEL SORIA will be at the spectacular Cathedral organ. Full disclosure requires that I admit to singing on this concert, but this inspiring event speaks for itself. For details, click here.
The bottom line: Don't stay home. Find something you'll remember and gear up with great music before the stores start piping in their Christmas ditties. Although we're not quite there yet, let's start our peace and love now. Have a happy week, and thank you for supporting live singing! Lauri D. Goldenhersh lauri@laurislist.com There's never enough room here, and we're always adding more there -- For details about these and many other vocal events, see the Calendar at LaurisList.com, now the largest centralized resource for vocal events in the area. Visit the calendar by clicking http://bit.ly/ListerCalendar and send a message to the email address above to learn how to register with us, so you can add your vocal events! Want weekly updates? Subscribe to 'Next 7', the free newsletter from LaurisList.com, to keep up with vocal-related events like these are more. All are welcome! Click here to sign up: http://tinyurl.com/ListerNews or click here to see the latest issue: http://www.laurislist.com/Next7 |
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