MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
Volume 11 Issue 262
Santa Monica Daily Press
RECORD BREAKER SEE PAGE 3
We have you covered
THE COOLING DOWN ISSUE
Thousands of volunteers clean up beaches ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO The California Coastal Commission estimates volunteers across the state collected at least 320 tons of debris from the state’s beaches, lakes, rivers and SEE CLEANUP PAGE 9
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
GOING DEEP: Divers enter the water to spend up to 45 minutes each collecting trash under and around the Santa Monica Pier during the annual Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday morning. Volunteers from all over Los Angeles gathered to clean the beach of discarded debris.
BLOOMFIELD
An Independent streak to the core Bloomfield promises to bridge he Democrat, Republican divide BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN Bill Bloomfield has a big job ahead of him. Between now and Nov. 6, he has to convince Westside and South Bay voters why they should choose him, a retired businessman, over 38-year veteran Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Santa Monica) for the 33rd Congressional seat. In Bloomfield’s eyes, the choice is simple — the partisan politics that has resulted in only gridlock or him, an Independent with a vision to fundamentally change how Washington, D.C. does business. The choice to run boiled down to a fairly SEE BLOOMFIELD PAGE 11
New orchestra forms to perform community concerts BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief
DOWNTOWN Orchestral music groupies who were disappointed by the decision in August by the Santa Monica Symphony Association to suspend the 2012-13 season of free concerts because of a lack of money now have something to applaud. Maestro Allen Robert Gross, who led the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra before the suspension, has been charged with directing a new group of professional, amateur and volunteer musicians under the banner of Orchestra Santa Monica. This new venture, funded by donors and musicians who are committed to providing affordable concerts for the community, plans to offer three performances in its inaugural season, the first scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Barnum Hall on the campus of Santa Monica High School, according to a press
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release issued by Orchestra Santa Monica last week. A family concert is also planned as part of Santa Monica’s Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend celebration. The next task will be raising enough funds through grants, ticket sales and donations to fund the third concert of the season, Gross said. “We have a significant commitment to the community and Santa Monica is a city that is very proud of the level of cultural participation we have,” Gross said, explaining why he felt it was critical to resurrect orchestral music in the city by the sea following the Santa Monica Symphony’s suspension. “As we get going we hope to raise our profile and get significant support, both from personal donors, corporate support and grants to be able to continue this. We have a sustainable vision. We will be thriving.” Gross was clear that Orchestra Santa Monica is not a “stop-gap” measure until
the symphony resurfaces. Officials with the symphony said they hoped to reorganize and provide free concerts sometime in 2013. “We intend to be a permanent, viable organization that represents the best of what Santa Monica has to offer,” Gross said. Accomplishing that could prove to be difficult. Community orchestras across the country have found financial difficulty because of the struggling economy leading to a drop in donations. An aging fan base has also been cited as a factor for orchestras filing for bankruptcy. Some suggestions that have been made to help these organizations survive include having fewer concerts, changing how musicians are paid to a per-concert model, creating more cutting-edge programming to attract a wider audience and appoint professionals in the field to the boards of directors. SEE ORCHESTRA PAGE 9
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