PLEASE JOIN US FOR the FOLLOWING MUSIC PROGRAMS

DON'T MISS UNIQUE EVENTS: October ~ December 2024 

John Williams Spotlight + Dudamel 

PST ART Art & Science Collide at Getty

Did you know that MUSIC was a part of FWC Programs as early as 1922?

WORTH NOTING: The FWC Program (1922) included music -- before Sections had been introduced

From: Personal Reminiscences of the First Twenty Five Presidents of the
Faculty Women's Club, University of California, Los Angeles 1918-1946

                      100 years later, we are still opening our 2024-2025 Season with Music

Ginger Rose & Jennifer Jo, October 16, 2024 at 12 noon

Our October 16th live music recital was wonderful, magical, healing, as Melissa Ward, one among our member attendees, described. The talented harp-flute duo Ginger Rose & Jennifer Jo presented a well balanced program. We were delighted to have them present their collaborative art.

Ginger Rose, harp, a recipient of the FWC Scholarship 2024, + Jennifer, flute
with Zorana (Chair of the Music Section) -- after the Music Recital
October 16th 2024 at the Faculty Club Library

Ginger Rose Brucker, harp and Jennifer Jo, flute

October 16th 2024 at 12 noon, Faculty Club LIBRARY 

                                                             On the PROGRAM

                                                Bernard Andres (1941 -), Algues

                                                P. I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), The Swan Lake

                                                J. Massenet (1842-1912), Thais Meditation

                                                J. S. Bach--C. Gounod, Ave Maria

                                                G. Faure (1845-1924), Pavane

                                                L. Tedeschi (1867-1944), Serenade  

                                     & encore pieces:  Colors of the Wind,   Send in the Clowns

A subset of attendees from FWC and ERRC with performers Ginger Rose and Jennifer
Photo credit: Zorana

Please calendar the following music events, tributes, concerts, and more for the following months:

LACO Nov 3, 2024 at 4 PM "ARTISANS " on the stage with the composer Jeff Beal, Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin, with Jaime Martin, Music Director of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

November 3, 2024: LACO with Beal, Martin and Hall-Tompkins

Just BEFORE THE ELECTION 2024, on November 5, once again we are reminded by Beethoven's EGMONT Overture, composed 214 years ago (1809-10), about the triumph of freedom and democracy.

                                  We enjoyed LACO's guest bassbaritone DASHON BURTON

Dashon Burton in Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer (Lieder eines Fahrenden)
Photo credit: Zorana Ercegovac

November 20th 12:00 PM Luncheon at The VIOLET, in Westwood.

IDEAS: Please bring your fresh practical ideas for our Music in Cultural Contexts sessions.

Just back from La Jolla where Le SALON de MUSIQUES has relocated (from DTLA, after 12 yrs). If we do not visit them in La Jolla, we can learn a few things from them. All their chamber concerts are at 4 PM, and include: ACT 1: concert ACT 2: conversation, champagne, cuisine, all very French, perfect, informal.

Our good friend and Music Section member Melissa Ward has suggested a wonderful CAMERATA PACIFICA, a classical music chamber ensemble with their office & venue in Thousand Oaks: 805.884.8410. Check out their calendar for the 2024-2025 season. 

SECRETLA Secret Los Angeles: Sip on craft cocktails and get lost in a hauntingly beautiful world.

                                                   ~~         HAPPY THANKSGIVING      ~~

December 18, 2024 -- 12:30 PM. We travel to SICILY with Marianne Afifi and Zorana Ercegovac.

                                               RSVP to reserve your seat for this presentation

From the Roman Villa of Casale: A mosaic of female athletes in bikinis
Villa dated between the 4th and 5th century AD
Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac

                                             CALENDAR FOR January and February 2025

                                                      January 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM (via zoom) 

                     We will be reading and discussing a book by Cate Haste: "Passionate Spirit."

The title page on the hard cover of the book, which may also be
read and discussed by the Reading group Section

Special collection resources are available to you at UCLA's Special Collections Library. It is part of a larger umbrella set of collections known as ONLINE ARCHIVE of CALIFORNIA. Our FWC archival materials are organized in UCLA's Special Collections Library located in the Young Research Library. 

Of SPECIAL INTEREST: One-hour workshop will be given on February 19th 2025 (part of the Music Section programming). The purpose is to learn about our own personal and family primary sources and archival materials. In addition, the presenter, Andrea Hoff, will show us how to preserve, organize, and curate our own family archival documents (e.g., photos, letters, correspondence, and other documents).

                          Andrea Hoff, UCLA's University Archivist, will be our special GUEST.

From early technologies of a printing press and card catalogs
to digital media
(In the reception area of the Special Collection Library, UCLA)

Special Collection Library -- archival collections

The Los Angeles Normal School was to be converted into a four-year degree-giving university, and one of our iconic buildings, The Royce Hall was finished in 1928 (Latin numerals MCMXXVIII are inscribed above the main portal to the building):

ROYCE HALL, 1928

Recently we have seen some historical texts inscribed on plaques
related to the UCLA Centennial celebration 1919-2019
Detailed sources are also found in the UCLA's Special Collection Library

Finding a space was always on the agenda of FWC board meetings. It took another 30 years that the UCLA Faculty Center opened its doors in 1954, as a separate entity from the UCLA Faculty Men's Club, UCLA Faculty Women's Club, and Association of Academic Women.

A PERFECT DAY: Starting off with a morning gym; meeting with a dear colleague for an extended coffee break at our beloved Faculty Club (earlier Faculty Center; the photo of the Playa lounge below):

Wonderful space at the Faculty Club where one reads, discusses, meets
with colleagues, sips coffee/tea, reads, and meditates

Moving on to HAMMER Museum for the exhibition and the preview of tonight's jazzPOP 2024 concert https://hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2024/jazzpop-2024 Details are here for the tonight's show.

Just around the corner from the HAMMER'S is one the favorite most charming French bistro Violet.

And here we are (Daniele, Melissa, Dorota, Zorana) enjoying delicious Salad Nicoise, and suggesting to revive "let's do lunch" as part of our MUSIC IN CULTURAL CONTEXTS Section. 

MUSIC was on FWC Programs from the very beginning. See Program notes earlier on this page.

Zorana, Dorota, Melissa, Daniele

At the same time, you can be viewing a retrospective of the late artists DAVID MEDALLA. A few of his works are captured here for you as a temptation to personally visit the exhibit. The Gallery closes at 6 pm.

David Medalla, 1938-2020, Self Portrait

Cloud Canyons at Signals London 1964
"bubble machines" consisting of soft columns of soap foam oozing
from clear tubes and wooden bases 

FWC MUSIC SECTION 2024 Celebrates LIFE with great MUSIC, FELLOWSHIP, KINDNESS, and LOVE

 

The last in the Series of

THE H. J. BRUMAN Summer Chamber Music Festival (August 8th 2024)

ensemble132 brought us wonderful music offerings in terms of the program and performance

Violinist Maria Ioudenitch, Zachary Mowitz, cello, and Zhanbo Zheng, violinist

The Program included works by Hungarian composers E. Dohnanyi (1877-1960), and Z. Kodaly (1882-1967). The second part included a rarely heard piece by a French composer Jean Cras (1879-1932). Here are the snippets from the performance. Such a treat to listen to all four recitals, BRAVO!!

Serenade for Strings by Erno Dohnanyi

String Trio by Jean Cras

Special THANK YOU note goes to our FWC Music Section Members 

who attended many of the BRUMAN concerts

CELLO and PIANO RECITAL was the third recital in 

The Henry J. BRUMAN Summer Chamber Music Festival

The Program included well known composers and often performed pieces on various Los Angeles concert stages. However, like always in the BRUMAN series of chamber music, some of the pieces by Haydn (1732-1809) or Beethoven (1770-18270 are not well known to the general music audiences. 

Today's concert, August 6th, featured two outstanding chamber music artists, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel and pianist Robert Koenig. Here are several snippets of their performance: 

 Joseph Haydn Divertimento in D (arranged by Piatigorsky for Cello & Piano).

Ms. Kloetzel, a graduate of the Juilliard School and Fulbright Scholar, is known for her elegant playing and vibrant tone. She gave informative introductions to each of the composers on the Program.

Who has not heard various renditions of Hungarian rhapsodies, based on well known Hungarian folk tunes and polyrhythmic structures? Yes, we remember some of Liszt's and pieces by Brahms. Another Hungarian composer, David Popper (1843-1913) did his own renditions. 

See you at the upcoming concert

Thursday, August 8, 2024, with the ENSEMBLE132

August 1st has a wonderful program for us with great artists:

August 1st, at 12 noon to 1:00 p.m., Lani Hall UCLA

The program includes two sonatas without intermission. 

Do spend some time with the artists who will be available for QA after the Program:

A QUESTION FOR THE SUMMER 2024: 

Who is the composer, a musician, as illustrated below?

The correct answer will bring you nice present

WELCOME TO OUR SECOND DECADE, since 2013: Celebration of LIFE with MUSIC, FELLOWSHIP, KINDNESS, and HOPE

Here is what we have for you starting as I write this BLOG post, all FREE OF CHARGE, one of the perks this Music Section gives to FWC member. 

WISHING A HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all of your
Summer Special Days

We will start off with The Henry J. BRUMAN SUMMER Chamber Music Festival at Lani Hall, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, this coming Tuesday, July 30th, at Noon - 1:00 p.m. 

We plan to socialize, optional, right after each of the concerts with delicious light and healthy lunch meals at the Faculty Club (just across the street from the Herb Alpert School of Music).

                                                        The PROGRAM for July 30th

Andrew McIntosh, violinist, violist, composer and
Steven Vanhauwaert, pianist, at this time introducing
Paul Hindemith, 1895-1963,
prolific music productivity

Note: Extensive program notes are published at each of the recitals (July 30, August 1, 6, 8), each starting at the same place and time, Noon to 1:00 p.m. There is an easy access to the Lani Hall !

At the July 30th concert, you will find program notes for the rest of The BRUMAN Summer Festival. 

SPECIAL BONUS: Each of the performers is outstanding artist, devoted teacher, lecturer, and leader in the art of chamber performance and (music) education. We can learn a lot from these outstanding artists, and I encourage you to greet them and chat with them after their programs.

And here is a subset of our Music Section:

So great to spend the time together at the concert:
PRE-Concert, at the performance, and especially at the POST-Concert with a delicious lunch

CDs published by the artists
I borrowed from Daniele who purchased the CDs 
and kindly lent me to listen

Here is a brief program for the AUGUST 1st, again with the same setting for the venue, time, and an optional lunch at the Faculty Club.

Some of the same artists are active in the Mammoth Lakes area. I had a privilege of attending some of their concerts under the name CHAMBER MUSIC UNBOUND all held at Cerro Coso College in Mammoth Lake. 

COFFEE TIME, or any substitutes for "coffee" is always welcome: a cup of tea, a glass of wine, my favorite is the coffee at the sunrise at the elevation of about 8,000 ft in the high Sierras. Here it is !

Hope to see you all July 30th and at the subsequent recitals throughout the BRUMAN Music Festival.

Let us connect, actively participate, hear one another, and listen to good music: you can find all that right here, at our events and programs.

CELEBRATING OUR FIRST DECADE 2013-2024 OF MUSIC TOGETHER

                                             HAPPY HOLIDAYS   HAPPY SPRING

It is difficult to express in words our gratitude to Wei Chen for the ART on an ancient Chinese instrument, GuZheng, she had shared with us yesterday at the Music in Cultural Contexts Section, on April 17th 2024.

The recital was well attended by several FWC sections, mostly from the Music Section and Hiking. In addition to the two beautiful pieces, Meditation on Love, and Mongolian Dance, there was a lively discussion on a variety of topics, including the instrument, and ways to playing Guzheng. We ponder the question, Simone had asked, WHAT IS MUSIC.

Everyone enjoyed the gathering and refreshments, brought by the participants. The gathering was hosted by Jarka and Tom Wilcox.

WHAT'S UP

Our next meeting is May 15 at 11:30 AM at the Faculty Club. We will have time to socialize and plan our exciting 2024-2025 Music Section Season.   

Please calendar the OJAI MUSIC FESTIVAL, June 6-9, 2024 in beautiful Ojai just an hour from LA. 

LACO Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, with Jaime Martin at the helm, has moved its home headquarters from Royce Hall (UCLA) to The Wallis Center for Performing Arts, Beverly Hills. Please consider subscribing to their Sunday at 4 PM Orchestral Series featuring women composers.  Plenty of places to sip and meet, and celebrate the New Season and the New Beginning! Many other venues are being suggested and added to our list, such as Santa Monica College Broad Stage, The William Turner Gallery (Bergamot Station), LACMA, UCLA's Hammer, The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum (in Topanga), UCLA's Nimoy Theater, Make Music Topanga (Topanga Canyon), and more. HAMMER Museum has its own Summer jazzPOP 2024 series of concerts on Thursdays starting at 8 PM. Consider stopping by for unforgettable vibes, bites, chats, and drinks. Our jazzPOP aficionado Daniele (see the photo below) recommends The Beth Schenck Quintet on August 8th.

MAY 15th at the UCLA's Faculty Club. 

Here we are, having productive planning of the 2024-2025 Season. 

From left: Daniele, our new member, WELCOME DANIELE!!
Zorana, Chair, Lorraine, Co-Chair,
Rochelle, zoom coordinator and VP Sections
Anne-Marie, President FWC
Wei is our special artist-in-residence

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                           

Beth Schenck, at Hammer, August 8th at 8 p.m.

But we are thrilled to announce rich, engaging, and wonderful programs and events in the Year 2024! 

Our first in-person concert and meeting will be held on April 17th at 12 noon at the home of Jarka & Tom Wilcox. We are honored to have our Music Section member Wei Chen with us who will be performing two pieces, "Meditation on Love," and "Mongolian Dance." The pieces will be played on the GuZheng, a Chinese plucked zither (see photo below). 

GuZheng, a photo credit by Wei Chen

The performer and our featured artist is Wei Chen.

Wei Chen

Our Section, Music in Cultural Contexts, is truly multicultural, diverse, including other sections in the yearly events and programs. In this in mind, the Section will expand the interests to include INTREPID TOURIST experiences by our members. For example, I will be traveling to Sicily, Wei will be on the expedition ship at the Antarctic Peninsula, and Jarka will brief us about her recent journeys to Georgia, Africa, and Indonesia. 

Our first zoom Music Section meeting in 2024 will be February 21st at 12:30 PM. Rochelle Caballero will be our zoom hostess and facilitator. The program will indeed be very special. At the meeting we will be introducing Wei Chen, who at the time, will be on the expedition ship at the Antarctic Peninsula. Will try to briefly connect with her at the time of our meeting. 

The main theme of the February meeting is inspired by a recent William Blake exhibit at the Getty Museum. The title page of the presentation of the meeting is given below: 

                                                          SOUND - IMAGE - POETRY

We will hear Patti Smith and Allen Ginsberg read a few poems by Blake, as well as David Axelrod music.

A special reading will be from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream -- Act II, Scene 1" by Rochelle Caballero, Audrey Jackson, and John Kirkwood (members from the Play-Reading Section). Blake has a beautiful watercolor from the play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, by Shakespeare:

Oberon, Titania, and Puck, with Fairies Dancing
by William Blake, about 1786

We will all enjoy the 2024 OJAI MUSIC FESTIVAL with music director Mitsuko Uchida, June 6-9.

The Ojai Music Festival, June 6-9, 2024 has been
traditionally held in the Libbey Bowl,
an open-air setting 

Here is the famous Bowl in the park, awaiting for us to experience music program with Mitsuko Uchida as Music Director for the 78th Ojai Music Festival 2024.

Stay with us, visit us as often as possible, let us HEAR YOUR VOICES and SOUNDS, wherever you are!

We heard some incredible sounds and programs hosted at and organized by the UCLA's Clark Memorial Library. This video shows you a bit of the interior of this unique treasure Library.

Here are the details awaiting you when you arrive at the Library.

During the intermissions, take your time and browse
through the collections of the Clark Library

Guess what this artifact is all about? A million dollar question
Please let us know if you have ever used it and your experiences

The Zodiac Trio was featured on January 7th 2024 with a demanding program both for the performers and for the audience, especially in the piece composed by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME in 8 movements. As always, program notes were written by Bruce Whiteman 2023.

Rico Higuma, piano, Vanessa Mold, violin
Wolfram Koessel, cello, and Kliment Krylovskiy, clarinet

OUR NEXT MUSIC SECTION SESSION WILL be FEBRUARY 21st via zoom, and here's it is:

SOUND    IMAGE   POETRY

Hope to see you all in February, until then STAY HEALTHY, HAPPY, ENGAGED, CURIOUS!!

The 2023 FWC Music Season has been a year to remember, and to be grateful for so many things.

Wishing for another heathy, happy, more peaceful, and productive music-year filled with wonderful and surprising events, brilliant programs, and invited guests.

"Silent night," first performed in Oberndorf, Austria in 1818,
has been one among our Christmas favorites, and we traditionally sing 
at our own SING-A-LONG Holiday Fiesta
This time it was on November 15th, 2023 (see group photos below)

                                                                  AT-A-GLANCE

This is the time when we start planning our next Season. YOU are the essential part of the planning, so do email me your ideas for programs, favorite themes, performances you have attended on your trips, locally and abroad. While we await for the printed publication of our newsletter UPDATE (January through March 2024), I am updating you with details, photos, and links. I hope this is fun to look at and be reminded of hundreds of hours we have spent together.

JANUARY 2024

January 7 at 2 PM at the Clark Memorial Library. For details, visit their web page. The venue is exquisite, and so are the programs. Their music hall seats up to 60 people. General admission, at $40 per person, includes open seating, program notes, a post-concert reception with delicious appetizers and wine, and an informal meeting with the artists.  Next PROGRAM: Zodiac Trio with Cellist Wolfram Koessel.

The interior of the W. A. CLARK Memorial Library
(btw, concerts are not held in the Library)

January 21 at 2 PM. Gustavo Dudamel leads Richard Wagner's (1813-1883) Das Rheingold Project, celebrating Frank Gehry and 20 years at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. We are attending the concert on Sunday January 21 at 2 PM.

LA Phil's Gustavo Dudamel leads the Rheingold Project
Walt Disney Concert Hall

February 21, 12:30-2:30 pm will be our own designed program via zoom, hosted by Rochelle Caballero.

The program has been inspired by the exhibit currently on display at the Getty Museum. William Blake (1757-1827) was a true visionary, engraver, poet, printer-maker, painter, and thinker. Tentatively, I call this program S I P for Sound + Imagery + Poetry because Blake encapsulates all this, as we will see from his "Songs of Innocence and of Experience," and his other extensive works.

Oberon, Titania, and Puck, with Fairies Dancing
About 1786
Blake took the subject of this watercolor from A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Shakespeare: "Hand in hand, with fairy grace,/
Will we sing, and bless this place

The Laughing Song
from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience

As a group, we will be reading Blake's songs, looking at some of his illustrations, and listen to related music excerpts. More details will be added soon. Finally, ....., the tree in the image below is in ______

Plan to be here in June 2024
Can you guess the PLACE???

As we bid farewell to an outstanding 2023 Season, we all were beyond grateful to welcome the forthcoming HOLIDAYS: 2023 Thanksgiving, High Holidays, and the New Year (2024).

Our exceptional group of members with invited guests of the Music in Cultural Contexts, celebrated our friendship, love for and dedication to the ARTS, and doing the right thing. We do that through the music Sing-a-Long program, Potluck feast, photoshoots, wonderful conversations, and so much more.

The ladies in front: Amelita (Chair Readers; Zorana (Chair & Founder Music Section); Jarka (the Hostess)
From left: Monique, Mary Ann, Melissa, Dorota, Wei, John, Jon, Simone, Glorya
Margaret, Marion, Marianne, Bernie
Photo credit: Milos
Not in the photo: Tom (co-host), Michele, Roger (Glorya's husband)

Our signature event goes back to 2016 when we started the tradition of Sing-a-Long gatherings. It has been so popular that we decided to include husbands/partners, sister sections, and birthday attendees. 

The welcoming feast is now served on two tables, and includes
international dishes, several cakes, some of them birthday cakes, and healthy veggies

Everyone gathers around the piano -- we sing traditional holiday carols
so much FUN, and we look forward & cheer to the 2024!!

Milos and Marianne in conversations at the Nov 15 gathering

Museum visit inspire me to design programming around some of the exhibits I have recently attended:

Hokusai (1760-1849) at the Santa Ana Bowers Museum

William Blake (1757-1827) at the Getty Museum

MADE IN L.A. at the UCLA Hammer's Museum

Hello Everyone, especially to our own group of members of the FWC Music in Cultural Contexts! 

This event and program has certainly been a wonderful gathering to kickoff our 2023-2024 Music Season.

Thank you all for attending, hosting, bringing refreshments, and kudos must go to our featured guest cellist Janice Foy!

Here are a few photos of that event, October 18, 2023 at Jarka and Tom's residence.

From left: Jaime, our birthday guest, Gerry, Joy, Tom, Amelita, Milos, June, Zorana (chair)
Janice (the cellist), Mike, Simone, Andrea, Glorya, Louise, Melissa, Roger, Asya, Lorraine

Jarka and Milos chatting during the pre- concert  interludes

Lots of going on during the gathering, including chess, snacking, and more

As a part of FWC General Meetings, Section chairs showcase their programs. Here is one of these tables were Music in Cultural Contexts Section and The Book Section shared their programs.

Zorana Ercegovac, Chair of the Music in Cultural Contexts shares
a tale with Amelita Dolorico, Chair of the Book Section