LASchola Latin Vigil Mass TOMORROW!

"Let's Talk About"

On 17 May, the "Let's Talk About Series" continues. This month's subject "Anglican Hymns: Traditions and Backgrounds of our Music" will be led by Organist Choirmaster Jeffrey Parola following the High Mass. 

Jeffrey Parola is an American composer of numerous orchestral, chamber, and choral/vocal works. His music is varied and eclectic, reflecting a wide range of musical influences. Jeffrey's recent major professional commissions include Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra, written for clarinetist Paul Green and the Atlantic Classical Orchestra and conductor Stewart Robertson, which premiered to critical acclaim in Florida in March 2014. this view of life, a piece for chorus and string quartet, was written for Choral Chameleon, directed by Vince Peterson, which premiered in New York City in May 2013. Commissioned by the Los Angeles-based Pacific Serenades, Three Divertimenti for bassoon and string quartet received its premiere performances on 21 & 25 June 2014. Upcoming commissions include a piece for 2 pianos for Hocket in 2015, and a piece for the BluePrint New Music Ensemble, to be premiered in Spring 2016 with Nicole Paiement conducting.

Jeffrey is the recipient of numerous notable honors. In 2009, he was awarded the Jim Highsmith Orchestral Composition Prize for his large orchestral work, The Long Valley, which led to a public performance of the piece by the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, led by Maestro Andrew Mogrelia. Jeffrey received an honorable mention for the 2009 European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) Prize for his work, Sempiterna, a 25-minute pseudo-requiem for a cappella chorus, and three years later, Jeffrey was awarded the 2012 EAMA Prize for The Long Valley. In 2013, Jeffrey was selected by a committee of philanthropists and musicians to receive the Rappaport Prize for Music Composition, which culminated in a commission to write his Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra for the Atlantic Classical Orchestra. In 2014, his 5 Short Pieces for solo piano was awarded the Peter David Faith Endowed Memorial Award in Composition at the University of Southern California. Also in 2014, Jeffrey was chosen to be the recipient of the 2016 Hoefer Prize, the highest award granted to distinguished alumni composers from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The Prize involves the commissioning of a new work and a week-long residency at the Conservatory in the spring of 2016, which includes lectures and student mentorship.

A committed educator, Jeffrey serves as an instructor on the faculty at the University of Southern California, where he teaches Aural Skills and Theory. He is a recurring composition faculty member for the Choral Chameleon Summer Institute, which is a New York City-based summer program for composers and conductors, designed to immerse composers and conductors of choral music in real-world, practical learning experiences.

Also an active performer, Jeffrey is an organist, conductor, and vocalist. He is presently the organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Hollywood, and he has sung professionally with several highly acclaimed ensembles, including the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Schola Cantorum San Francisco.

Jeffrey is currently finishing doctoral studies in composition at the University of Southern California, where he studied composition with Frank Ticheli and Donald Crockett and orchestration with Stephen Hartke. He earned his master's degree in 2005 from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with David Conte. Jeffrey earned his bachelor's degree from UCLA in 2002 after studying with Mark Carlson, David Lefkowitz, and Ian Krouse.

The Guibord Center Presents

"Sangita Yoga: Sacred Chants of India"

St. John's Cathedral

514 West Adams Blvd.

 Saturday, 25 April 2015

Naren K. Schreiner founded Sangita Yoga in 2012, after many years spent experiencing India's sacred music and the direct effect that music has on the mind and emotions. He also studied the profound influence of sacred music on meditation. Over the years Naren began to understand the true meaning of sacred music and how it enhances one's yoga practice. Sangita Yoga is not its own path or a new teaching, nor is it a brand or style of yoga. The goal is to introduce this loving tradition to all and to support and preserve its authentic roots, various branches, and newest blossoms.

CLICK HERE to register!

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