UCLA Faculty Women's Club MUSIC SECTION 2016-2017

UCLA's FWC Music Section started a celebration of the Holiday Season with a festive new tradition: we widened the Music Section membership by inviting members from book and play reading sections, we welcomed husbands, and for the first time, welcomed other FWC members to join in. Jarka and Tom Wilcox hosted the party, and Zorana Ercegovac, Chair of the Music Section, programmed the event. All music section members offered delicious food, refreshments, and beverage. The event was a great success and a wonderful way to start our FWC Centennial Celebration in 2017-2018. 

Shirley Ho, Music Section vocalist, performed carols in English and Chinese

Zorana Ercegovac accompanied our performers

Zorana and Debby Kennel are joined by the Swansons (from play reading)

Andrea Nolan, The FWC new member joins in, WELCOME Andrea!!

Zorana and Simone King, our Music Section member

Jarka Wilcox, our hostess, with many attendees listen the performance by Shirley Ho

Zorana and Milos Ercegovac

Debby Kennel presented Vivaldi at her Brentwood residence
from left: Jo Knopoff, guest, Mireya, Helen, Jarka, Simone, Debby (hostess),
and Zorana (chair of the Music Section)

Welcome to the Music Section of the Faculty Women's Club 2016-2017!

We had a wonderful inaugural music session on October 19th at my home

Lots of preparatory work goes into each and every music session

Our program is Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (1830) and here's a portrait of the artist, Hector Berlioz, 1803-1869. We will briefly discuss the Romanticism as a broader context of the stylistic period, and then dig deeper in his work, and why his Fantastic Symphony is still vibrant, well performed, and modern.

Hector Berlioz

Beethoven's performance of EROICA in 1828 in Paris, as well as multiple appearances of the Shakesperian actress Harriet Smithson were important immediate inspirations for his seminal symphonic work which premiered in 1830 in Paris. Smithson (1800-1851) became his idee fixe which was used to symbolize his passionate love for the beloved.

Idée Fixe in Berlioz Fantastic Symphony, 1830

The Enlightenment period which rationalized human thought (I think, therefore I am), is now expressed in the new motto of the Romanticism: I feel, therefore I am. Indeed, Berlioz expressed his emotions and feelings for the actress using his own powerful innovative orchestral language.

The early 19th century is the cultural movement where Franz Schubert, the Schumanns, Chopin, Berlioz, and Mendelssohn created their landmark musical works. It is the period in which Delacroix, Turner, Hugo, Keats, and Dumas were particularly productive.

Eugene Delacroix: LIBERTY Leading the People, 1830

SAVE THE DATE: third Wednesday at 12:30 PM

• November 16th 2016 -- Antonio Vivaldi at Debby's house
• December 21st 2016 -- Holiday Sing Along at Jarka's house
• January 18th 2017 -- we will be starting our FWC pre-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION with talented pianist Victor Shlyakhtenko an accomplished student at The Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. 
• This is our next Music Section event, please RSVP as soon as you can

Victor Shlyakhtenko

• May 17th 2017 -- Vocal performance at Shirley's new residence
• volunteers needed for winter/spring months of 2017

The following events & programs are considered throughout the 2016-2017 year:

• The Broad Stage in Santa Monica 1310 11th st., -- Sundays at 11 AM November 20, Jan 8 (2017), March 5 for the Beethoven, Bagels & Banter (tickets are at $45, call 310-434-3200).
• The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) at MacGowan Hall at UCLA: Dec 5-6 at 7:30 PM at Theater Lab, Melnitz Hall, "Sunday in the Park with George," music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

• Sunday February 19 and 26, 2017 at 2 PM: Opera CENDRILLON, a version of Cinderella at Freud Playhouse, UCLA.

• UCLA The 30th Annual Jazz Reggae Fest: MUSIC and ART and FOOD, 12 noon - 6 PM. Tickets are available at 310-825-2101.
• December 3rd 2016 is Kenny Burrell's 85th birthday celebration at Royce Hall (825-4761)
• CENTER FOR THE ART OF PERFORMANCE, CAP, at UCLA features excellent selection of programs in diverse genres of music: classical, folk, regional music traditions, and more. 

UCLA Philharmonia is the flagship orchestra of the UCLA Hern Alpert School of Music. Please check their homepage for the forthcoming programs and concerts.

• There are many more excellent venues such as HEAR NOW Music Festival, April 28-30th 2017.

• Le Salon De Musiques October through June music calendar on the Fifth Floor of the Dorothy Chandler at 4 PM.

• Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Broad, the LACMA, HAMMER, and other LA venues.

Jazz Made in LA and performed Every Thursday at Hammer

While you are enjoying the cool August breezes, I want to invite you all to JazzPOP live and free concerts at Hammer Museum 2016. Every Thursday evening in the month of August, we will gather in the Hammer atrium to meet and greet, starting with Happy Hour at 6:30 PM, and to listen to concerts by Los Angeles jazz ensembles:

August 4 at 8 PM: Cathlene Pineda Quartet

Last night was a great success for the JazzPOP ensemble, packed atrium at Hammer's

Our MUSIC SECTION friends: Tom Wilcox, Milos Ercegovac, Kenji, Zorana, Jarka Wilcox, and our newest friend whose work is displayed at the MADE IN L.A. 2016
KENZI SHIOKAWA

The Cathlene Pineda Quartet, August 4, 2016 at HAMMER

Milos, Jarka, Zorana, Tom : UCLA FWC Music Section, August 4, 2016
Toasting to the Faculty Women's Club pre-CENTENNIAL Fiesta (1918-2018)

August 11 at 8 PM: Michael Vlatkovich Septet
--->OUR NEXT GET TOGETHER:
August 18 at 8 PM: Sheldon Brown Ensemble
August 25 at 7:30 PM: Hammer Conversations THE STREISAND EFFECT

Will post more photos from the tomorrow's event.

Stay tuned, and let's plan to meet at 6:30 at the Hammer Atrium.

Rebeca Morris (b. 1969) from the HAMMER's
MADE IN L.A. 2016

Rebecca morris (from Hammer Museum: MADE IN L.A. 2016)

NEW in OLD Westwood Village:
Profetta espresso is the place between UCLA and Hammer: 1129 Glendon Avenue
in The Village with great coffee, WiFi, and a "leafy patio" -- always busy

Tender Greens opens at 1109 Glendon Avenue
(used to be a great Mexican restaurant, don't remember the name, anyone?)

In the SPOTLIGHT 2015-2016

Our Annual Spring Luncheon was celebratory in so many ways. We started with a program by Distinguished Professor Philip W. Rundel who presented "Our California Flora in a Global Context." Another highlight of the Spring luncheon 2016 was the FWC Outstanding Member Award 2016, presented to Jo Knopoff.

Joanne Knopoff with her daughter 

Past Presidents Panel Co-Chair Zorana Ercegovac briefly spoke about Jo's substantial contributions to FWC. She has been with the FWC since the 60s, President in 1973-74, and a very productive member of the organization ever since.

Zorana introducing "Jo" as the 2016 recipient of the
Outstanding FWC Member Award

The Emeriti Arts and Crafts Exhibit was another success, showcasing 26 artists and their works in photography, watercolors, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, and more.

Barbara Lippe's photography featured "women in the murals of East LA..."

I almost bought one of her photographs "Tree of Knowledge" for our Book Club.

CELEBRATING SPRING and SUMMER 2016 with Music Section Friends at UCLA's Royce Hall and Schoenberg Hall, Disney Hall, and more

Happy Spring 2016 !!

Spring blooms

UCLA's Faculty Women's Club has been busy attending music performances and other cultural programs, working for the next 2016-2017 Music Section Season, participating in planning of the FWC Centennial 2017-2018, and celebrating various members' achievements. Some of these highlight are captured in a few annotated photos below.

Our last 2015-2016 Music Section Season was on June 2 at the Macgowan Little Theater on the beautiful UCLA campus. UCLA Department of Music and School of Theater, Film and Television presented The Tragedy of Carmen

This opera is a 20th adaptation of Georges Bizet's 19th century classic opera by Marius Constant, Jean-Claude Carriere, and Peter Brook. We enjoyed an excellent cast of four opera singers and two actors. The principal singers on June 2nd were:

       Joanna Lynn-Jacobs as CARMEN
           Thomas Thompson as DON JOSE
                Ian P. Walker as ESCAMILLO
                     Emily Scott as MICAELA

Main opera singers were: Micaela, Don Jose, Carmen, Escamillo
with two actors on each side

Debby, Mireya, Jarka, Tom, Milos
Photo credits: Zorana

This was our first opera event; based on the amazing performance and the production, we decided to incorporate at least one opera in the following year. We will be back at TFT.

Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac

Cave temples of Dunhuang -- Buddhist art on China's silk road, displays great murals, now reproduced at The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, May 7 through September 4, 2016. Here are just two fragments with China's musicians and musical instruments.

Aspara playing music (Dunhuang) from the 780s

Aspara playing an old Chinese lute

Our recital on May 18th at Shirley's residence in Brentwood is captured in a few annotated photos below.

From left: Helen, Amelita, Mireya, Roma, Zorana, Simone, Joy

Jarka and Debby with our hostess and vocalist Shirley in the center

May 12th marked a special treat for all of us who attended the UCLA Philharmonia All-Star Concert with Neal Stulberg, conducting the flagship orchestra of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music is featuring its Ethnomusicology Department music performances, so check their daily event programs for specific regions, including musics of the Balkans, India, Bali, Africa, JAZZ, and more !!

Several friends were introduced to several rarely performed pieces: Martinu's (1890-1959) Cello Concerto No. 1 (1955) performed by Sol Gabetta (b. 1981). Her encore piece was Petris Vaska (b. 1946) a Latvian composer. Hear her play "Dolcissimo"

A few of us attended UCLA's Hear Now Festival by contemporary Los Angeles composers at Schoenberg Hall (April 22). Prior to the concert, we chatted about super rich cultural programs in LA, had fun, and planned the next season.

Zorana, Mireya, Debby, Simone, and Helen (photo credits: Milos)

The program included four LA-based composers: Ben Phelps, Bill Kraft, Cieri Torjussen, and Dan Kessner; each of them was in the audience, happy to chat with us and answer questions. Justine Aronson, soprano, was featured in Kraft's Settings from Pierrot Lunaire (1994).

Justine Aronson, soprano

William Kraft, composer (b. 1924 )

Works by John Adams (b. 1947), Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), and Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1849) were on the program at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Behzod Abduraimov, a 26 year old amazing pianist performed the piano concerto (No. 2 in g minor Op. 22). As Washington Post notes, we will "keep our ear on this one."

WDCH (just before the Adams/Saint-Saens/Mendelssohn concert)

Morning walk in Santa Monica Beach

If you are lucky, you can begin your morning with a walk along the beach, a visit to a gallery, and then start off the day with your essential daily commitments.

Start a walk in Santa Monica

Noguchi (bronze) at Getty Museum

UCLA Faculty Women's Club Music Section friends celebrated Spring 2016 by attending a special performance at the Royce Hall. We met at the foyer to enjoy a moment, to sip, chat, and photograph. More friends were scattered throughout the historic building, but here is the dedicated small but important group who attended last night's concert: G. Wolfgang and Wolfgang A. Mozart (two Austrian composers 200 years apart from one another).

From left: Ross, Zorana, Joy, Rochelle, Gerry, Mireya

Pre-concert happy and relaxed moment: Ross, Mireya, and Rochelle

Pre-concert moments: Joy with Gerry and Milos

Joy with Gerry and Zorana

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra 5 Program was conducted by Kahane, Music Director of LACO.

Clarinet Concerto in A major featured Jashua Ranz, LACO's principal clarinetist. Has anyone noticed that the soloist played a basset clarinet, longer and heavier than a standard A clarinet?

Except at the last night's performance, the same program was held at the
UCLA's Royce Hall, March 20th at 7 PM

Gernot Wolfgang's http://www.laco.org/blog/?c=12 Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds featured David Shostac (flute), Allan Vogel (oboe), Kenneth Munday (bassoon), and Richard Todd (horn).

Great performance review is in Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-laco-review-20160323-story.html