2pm -- Pomona
Repertory Opera Company
Cavalleria Rusticana in concert

2pm -- Beverly Hills
Symposium and Concert
Sacred Love: Exploring
the Song of Songs

3pm -- Inglewood
Rachel Rubinstein, mezzo-soprano and James Lent, piano

4pm -- Santa Monica

Cantori Domino 

Transcend boundaries  

 

4pm -- Monrovia

St. Luke's Episcopal Church

 

Fifth Annual Women's Invitational Evensong

 

5:30pm -- Long Beach

Long Beach Camerata Singers & Symphony Orchestra 

GLORIA!  Beauty & the Baroque 

 

6pm -- Mission Hills

Center Stage Opera

Les Amis de la Musique 

 

6pm -- Santa Monica

Jacaranda - music on the edge

Chill Upon the Heat 

 

7pm -- Beverly Hills

Yuval Ron Ensemble and friends

reGeneration Concert for Possibility 

 

8pm -- Orange

Chapman University

Kristina Driskill sings Argento, Schocker and Henderson 

 

 

7:30pm -- South Pasadena 

Horizon Music Group presents
Out of the Depths

 

Singing the Leprechaun

Vox Femina celebrates St. Paddy
with songs spun of gold

Vox Femina Los Angeles is a women's choral organization that is otherwise rather difficult to define. On a mission to sing great choral music and promote their beautifully high ideals ("to create a world that affirms the worth and dignity of every person") in the process, the ensemble treats genre boundaries as if they are mere vaporous wisps, yet their programs and performances signify a shared, deep respect for the creators of their chosen repertoire, and for the traditions behind the songs. 

Much of this duality results, we suspect, from the leadership of founder and artistic director Iris Levine, a hidden gem in her own right. Her local stature and national recognition as a fine choral conductor, although firmly established, do not fully express the respect earned from her colleagues, or the clear-eyed devotion of so many of the amateurs and the professionals who have worked with her.  We've heard "she's the best I've worked with!" and similar comments from our members on a regular basis, and the members of Vox make it clear that "Iris is the glue", inspiring them to work hard and stick to it.

Professor of Music and head of the music department at Cal Poly Pomona, Dr. Levine is also the longtime director of the Sanctuary Choir at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Bel Air, and is regularly involved in diverse projects locally and beyond.  Levine started Vox Femina with Stacey L. Poston in 1997, their first performance a sort of spin-off to the highly touted Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA).  But from the start, it was clear they'd tapped a nerve, and a new and vibrant group was born.  The organization turns 15 this year, and over the years has grown a strong support system through firm commitment from its members and board, grants, an impressive array of guest artists, fostering of new works, creative marketing, and an unusual bond with their fully engaged audience.  Vox Femina has become an innovative model for arts orgs, in an era when struggling is the norm.

This weekend's performance lauds the multicultural nature of the British Isles, including repertoire ranging from Irish folk songs sung in Gaelic, to all-female arrangements of Shakespeare texts and traditional classical works. The concert will feature singer-composer Moira Smiley, quite the genre-bender herself, who has her own avid following as a solo artist and when appearing with her all-girl harmony ensemble, VOCO.   

Wear green. 

 

Vox Femina presents
From Shakespeare to Shamrocks

featuring Moira Smiley  

  

Saturday, March 17, 2pm
Zipper Hall
Colburn School of the Performing Arts
200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles (Downtown) 

 Map & Directions


Tickets $22.50 to $30

Click here to purchase online, or call (805) 493-3306 

  

 Event Listing       About Vox Femina

Tix & Concert details

    

  

Contrary to stereotype, opera may appear in many forms.  For instance, LA OPERA's 'Festival Play of Daniel' comes to the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels this weekend: the opera company transforms the sanctuary with simple sets, colorful costumes (you'll love the lions) and impressive, very surprisingly effective animated projections.  The title role is played by tenor BENJAMIN BLISS, with one of the most even-toned, warm voices I've heard in a young tenor in quite some time.  (Necessary, if annoying, disclaimer:  as a staff singer at the Cathedral, I'm singing in the chorus.  But don't let that scare you away.)  More than 7000 free tickets to the two shows "sold out" online in about two hours, which has become the norm for this astoundingly popular community program.  Check with your opera-loving friends and see if someone has an extra seat.  (OR email me right-quick, and see if we have any left for Friday night!) 
To learn more about the opera, click here.

Although the title 'Cendrillon' may seem familiar, the show presented at AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY this weekend is actually composed not by Massenet, but another contemporary from France:  Pauline Viardot.  This charming work is far less well-known, and Azusa isn't nearly as far away as you might think.  (OK, I'm biased -- I live there.)  Come to our neck of the woods and enjoy this frothy treat, performed on Friday and Saturday.  For details, click here.

If you can, make an effort to catch LONG BEACH OPERA's second and final performance of their surrealist double bill, with Francis Poulenc's 'The Breasts' of Tiresias' and Bohuslav Martinu's 'Tears of a Knife'.  This isn't exactly Cav/Pag: we're unlikely to see this combination again soon, and both pieces are fascinating chamber works that will surely entertain while challenging your perception of opera, storytelling, and perhaps reality itself.  For information and tickets, click here.

Never fear: if opera isn't your thing, we may pity you a bit, but there are plenty more options for the concert lover.  Take at least one special look at this weekend's JACARANDA concerts (Saturday and Sunday), featuring the late addition of our own SUZANNE WATERS as soprano soloist, in her Jacaranda debut.  The program, called 'Chill Upon the Heat' (the perfect description for March in SoCal), includes works by Leon Kirchner, Richard Rodney  Bennett, Christopher Rouse and William Schuman and is a stark study in contrasts.  Also performing are pianist STEVEN VANHAUWWAERT, flutist PAMELA VLIEK-MARTCHEV, the CALDER QUARTET, violist VICTORIA MISKOLCZY and harpist MARIA CASALE.  Details and ticket information can be had by clicking here.

I could wax rhapsodic about the last days of winter, but it seems a little silly when the most perilous conditions we're likely to get this weekend are a little rain.  Grab your galoshes, splash in a puddle on your way into the concert hall, but as always, thank you for supporting live singing!