BEVERLY HILLS COURIER | MAY 23, 2014 Page 10
ARTS & E N T E RTA I N M E N T Donation In Memory of Henri Lazarof Allows AYS To Name Music Director Chair The American Youth Symphony (AYS) has received a major gift in memory of composer Henri Lazarof. The donation—the largest contribution in
the organization’s 50-year history—will name the “Henri Lazarof Music Director Chair of the American Youth Symphony” for the next 10 years.
Current Music Director Alexander Treger, AYS veteran of 17 years and retired LA Phil concertmaster, will now assume the “Music Director, Henri Lazarof Chair.” This leadership gift kicks off the 50th anniversary season for AYS, set to launch next year. AYS patrons and audiences will be hearing an orchestral work by Lazarof each season through 2023-24. Lazarof published 126 compositions including seven symphonies, three concertos for orchestra, three violin concertos, three cello concertos, two flute concertos, a viola concerto, a piano concerto and 11 string quartets. In 1991, Lazarof was nominated for two Grammys: “Best Contemporary Composition” and “Best Classical
Henri Lazarof
Performance for Instrumental Soloists(s) with Orchestra.” Lazarof died in December 2013 at 81. Led by Treger, the AYS trains
competitively selected musicians ages 15-27. AYS Fellows receive a full scholarship, perform at Royce Hall and work alongside such guest artists as Daníel Bjarnason, Anna Clyne, Sarah Chang, Johannes Moser, John Williams, David Newman, Alan Silvestri, Charles Fox and Lera Auerbach. Their training includes a wide repertoire and varied styles of music, from classical masterworks to world premieres and film scores. AYS performs 5-7 free concerts each season. “Mr. Lazarof was a longstanding advocate of the exceptional training and performances of AYS,” said Kevin Dretzka, AYS board chair. “Henri Lazarof’s artistic legacy is the perfect complement to the innovative spirit of the American Youth Symphony.”
UCLA’s Longevity Center’s Icon Awards Set For June 5 The UCLA Longevity Center, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and extending prod u c t i v e , healthy lives through research and education, will Eva Marie honor UCLA Saint Chancellor Emeritus/Prof. Albert Carnesale and his wife Robin Carnesale; songwriter Randy Newman; Lockton Insurance Brokers President/CEO Timothy J. Noonan; and film star Eva Marie Saint at its 2014 ICON Awards gala, June 5, at the Montage Beverly Hills.
Comedian Paul Reiser will emcee with jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell to entertain at the event co-chaired by Dr. Randy Newman Louise Horvitz and Patricia Dunn Grey. “The awards were created to recognize individuals who have become legends in their fields and serve as role models for healthy and active living,” said Gary Small, MD, director of UCLA Longevity Center, and renowned memory and Alzheimer’s disease expert.
Founded in 1991 as the UCLA Center on Aging, the UCLA Longevity Center (www.longevity.ucla.edu), now an essential component of the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Individual tickets are $400. For more information, call 323904-4400 or email rebecca@ grantevents.com. Past ICON Award recipients include: Sidney Poitier, Jane Fonda, Larry King, Carl Reiner, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Jane and Terry Semel, Col. Buzz Aldrin, John Wooden, Nanette Fabray, Art Linkletter, Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Connie Stevens, Tony Martin and Cyd Charisse and George C. Page.
Mizell Senior Center Celebrates ‘Stars Among Us’ There has been an abundance of stars in the Desert recently … both celestial and terrestrial. The appropriately-named gala featuring roller-skating car hops darting around the interior of one of the pristine hangers of the Palm Springs Air Museum last month, put the spotlight on the Mizell Senior Center as it rolled back decades of time to
Frances Allen’s Desert Roundup present its 9th annual fundraising gala entitled “Stars Among Us,” an homage to the sights and sounds of American Graffiti. Guests were asked to reach into the rear of their closets and wear the poodle skirts, penny loafers and letterman-jackets of 50 years ago, resulting in a prom-like atmosphere highlighted by a sit-down dinner featuring choices such as chicken TV dinners, fish and chips, and corned beef Reubens with fries. Desert was pure soda fountain fare: malts, root beer floats, banana splits and sundaes. No wonder two sets of cochairs were needed to guide the event. Judge Arthur Block (ret), Kathy Block, Dr. Ronald and Carol Fragen deserve kudos for creating an evening that unfolded flawlessly. As for entertainment, how could you get more ‘60s than
the evening’s emcee Cindy Williams, co-star of American Graffiti, and rock and role headliner, Sha Na Na, whose dynamic performance makes Rock & Roll into a celebration. However, “Stars Among Us” does not only refer to those who have had their names up in lights. The term was reserved as well reserved for the evening’s honorees who were: Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet in recognition for his efforts to revitalize Palm Springs, Harold Clumeck for his voluntary services to the Mizell Senior Center and The Community Foundation, an organization that promotes fundraising in the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Benefiting most from the evening are the frail, homebound and often needy recipients of the number of meals the Mizell Senior Center will serve from Palm Springs to Salton Sea in its Meals on Wheels Program, that personally delivers almost 400 meals every weekday. To support this vital service, call 760-323-5689.