Performances Magazine: February 2023 @ The Wallis

At The Wallis, access to valuable arts learning is integral to all that we do. We’re committed to connecting audiences with the very best in the performing arts; cultivating the power of the arts to build community and address pressing social issues; and responding to critical needs in the greater community through arts leadership, collaboration and partnership. Our GRoW programs, which I am tremendously proud to present as The Wallis’ new Director of Education, serve youth, serious emerging young artists, and older adults online, in our classrooms, in their communities and in our theaters.

We invite you to an evening of chamber music on February 4 with our inaugural Grauman Fellow, Artem Diaz Kolesov Fominyx, and guest pianist, Evelyn Lee, featuring Brahms' three violin sonatas. The two parts, violin and piano, beautifully imitate, echo and intertwine forming chamber unity with boundless lyricism and virtuosity for both players - an occasion that can’t be missed. On the same day, the new application for our Grauman Fellowship, which provides an annual award of $15,000 to advance the career of an exceptionally talented emerging classical pianist or strings musician based in Los Angeles, opens to the public.

Our signature matinees and in-school residencies continue to connect students from all over LA County. We’re thrilled that student matinee performances resume on Friday, February 17 with a special performance by LA-based contemporary dance company, Luminario Ballet, for a full house of local high school students. Our in-school residency program will serve 4 schools and over 950 students with weekly instruction in 4 arts disciplines in their classrooms.

We are also proud to host our first Family Day in partnership with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on February 26. We invite families with little ones to explore

classical music through free interactive activities including an instrument petting zoo, demonstrations, games and short Baroque concerts in our Lovelace Studio Theatre.

Our Creative Aging program Winter slate of classes, which offers courses for older adults designed to stimulate creativity, connect to others, and share personal stories, comes to a close the week of February 20 with online and in-person culminations in our Education courtyard.

Last, but certainly not least, we are opening enrollment for our first Summer Multidisciplinary Performing Arts Intensive. The program is designed to hone students’ creativity and intelligence and foster collaboration and compassion as they build an artistic community. Students will engage in daily dance, music and theater classes while rehearsing for a culminating performance. Every week, performers, designers, technicians and theater professionals will provide master classes in addition to their performing arts curriculum to enrich their summer experience at The Wallis. This opportunity is open for student ages 8 to 16 and very limited enrollment is available.

We look forward to the myriad of opportunities for curious people of all ages who wish to engage in the arts and encourage you to peruse our website to find what artistic possibilities are in store for you. It is because of supporters like you that we’re able to deliver innovative learning experiences with incredible teaching artists to our community. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming GRoW @ The Wallis education event.

Manny Prieto DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

THE WALLIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022/2023

Michael Nemeroff

CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David C. Bohnett

CHAIRMAN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Arnold S. Rosenstein

EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIR & ASSISTANT TREASURER

Honorable Vicki Reynolds

VICE CHAIR, DEVELOPMENT

Ronald D. Rosen

VICE CHAIR, OPERATIONS & SECRETARY

Susan Strauss

VICE CHAIR, PLANNING & ASSISTANT SECRETARY

Jonathan A. Victor TREASURER

Arnon Adar Ahsan Aijaz Debbie Allen Wallis Annenberg

Pamela Beck John Bendheim

Thomas J. Blumenthal

MeraLee Goldman

Bruce Goldsmith

Carol Goldsmith

Halle Hammond Chad Hummel

Cinny Kennard

Donald P. Kivowitz

Agnes Lew Mark Louchheim

Sandra Barros Lowy Nigel Lythgoe OBE

Linda May Daphna Nazarian

Gretchen Pace

Arline Pepp

Ron Simms

Stephanie Vahn Gregory Annenberg Weingarten

Grant Withers

Richard S. Ziman

FOUNDING CHAIRMAN

Bram Goldsmith*

FOUNDING PRESIDENT Paul Selwyn*

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS Jerry Magnin

PRESIDENT EMERITUS Richard Rosenzweig*

LIFETIME TRUSTEES

Les Bider | Eunice David Max Salter* | Luanne Wells*

*IN MEMORIAM

Beyond a doubt, performing arts education and engagement improves our quality of life.

A SPACE FOR ARTS EDUCATION

PRESENTS

INAUGURAL GRAUMAN FELLOW ARTEM DIAZ KOLESOV FOMINYX

VIOLIN

Artem Diaz Kolesov Fominyx

PIANO Evelyn Lee

Kolesov, described by the Chicago Tribune as “a violinist of fine promise,” was born in Maloyaroslavetz, Russia, won international competitions in Tallin, Estonia, and Freiburg, Germany, among others, and performed with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic at age fifteen. Welcome to an evening of chamber music featuring Brahms' three violin sonatas. The two parts, violin and piano, beautifully imitate, echo and intertwine, forming chamber unity with plenty of lyricism and virtuosity for both players.

PROGRAM

BRAHMS

Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78, “Regensonate” I. Vivace ma non troppo II. Adagio – Più andante – Adagio III. Allegro molto moderato

BRAHMS

Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 “Meistersinger” I. Allegro amabile II. Andante tranquillo III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andante)

Intermission

BRAHMS

Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108 I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Un poco presto e con sentimento IV. Presto agitato

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: One hour and 40 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

ARTEM DIAZ KOLESOV FOMINYX

(Violinist, Grauman Fellow) is a performing artist from Maloyaroslavetz, Russia. Artem is the first person in his entire family’s history to become a musician and perform professionally.

At 8 years old he began to win local competitions and help improve his family’s financial situation by winning awards such as monthly stipends for young artists. Throughout his childhood Artem and his 5 brothers performed folk and Western European classical music in concerts across Russia and Ukraine. After the rapid privatization of education in early 2000’s Russia, his music lessons became incredibly expensive and often had to be paid through savings from his previous winnings as well as the money the family would make by selling his grandparents’ honey on the streets as well as by collecting and donating glass bottles and tin cans that he and his brothers would find on the streets. After winning the International Young Artist violin competition in Tallinn, Estonia, he went on to place 1st and be awarded a Gran Prix at the Freiburg International competition in Germany. Upon winning these contests Artem was invited to perform with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic at 15 years old, which led to a full scholarship to study with Philippe Djokic at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada. While in Canada, Artem won the Canadian National Festival in both solo violin and chamber group categories and soloed with orchestras across the country. An avid chamber musician, Artem has worked with the Ying, Pacifica, Juilliard and Tokai string quartets, and was a guest artist at the St. Cecilia and the Music Room concert series for three seasons, where he performed chamber works alongside professional artists from around the world. While living in Halifax, he continued to volunteer at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and offer free translation services at non-profit refugee centers. After moving to Chicago to study with Almita Vamos, Artem won the CCPA Competition and performed the Brahms Violin Concerto in the Chicago Symphony Hall. Despite not being allowed to work as an international student and struggling finding housing, he was able to continue performing as a soloist and a chamber player. During this period, as a former member of the Yas Quartet he became a prize winner at the Schoenfeld International Competition in 2016 and a guest artist at Colorado College Music Festival. Currently Artem is working on his Doctorate of Musical Arts under the tutelage of Bing Wang at University of Southern California. A passionate advocate for the arts and education, Artem and his incredible team at the Wallis are developing an artistic project in collaboration with the participants from the neighborhood of West Adams. In the meantime, he also teaches a private piano and violin studio at Yamaha in Torrance, California. Artem believes that every human should have access to free education that does not only provide the necessary tools to individuals of any age and ability, but also empowers them to express themselves confidently as they join billions of humans that came before them on a journey of art-making that spans over a million years.

EVELYN LEE (Pianist) is a pianist, collaborative artist, and music educator based in the Greater Los Angeles area. As a collaborator and soloist, she performed at various venues throughout the United States and Europe, and she is an active member of the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) and the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC). She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California, where she also completed minor fields in music theory, choral conducting, and collaborative piano. She is now a Collaborative Pianist at Riverside City College and holds a private studio in Riverside, California.

ABOUT THE GRAUMAN FELLOWSHIP

The Walter and Peggy Grauman Fellowship in Classical Music is made possible by the generosity of performing arts philanthropist and Wallis Ambassador Peggy Parker Grauman and her late husband, Walter Grauman. The Grauman Fellowship in Classical Music, the firstever fellowship program at The Wallis and the first of its type in Los Angeles County, will provide an annual Fellowship Award of $15,000 to advance the career of an exceptionally talented emerging classical pianist or strings musician based in Los Angeles. The program is intended to support the Fellow during the transition from formal education and training to the professional music world. The Fellow will have an inside look at how classical music is programmed, how artists are selected, how shows are marketed, and the essential role of philanthropic support. In addition to receiving a $15,000 Fellowship award, the Grauman Fellow will receive mentorship from The Wallis, including live performance opportunities, guidance related to successful auditioning, and the chance to meet with and learn from leading artists. The Fellow will also be asked to plan and implement a community-based outreach project designed to promote awareness and appreciation of classical music in Los Angeles County. The Wallis will announce the selection of a Grauman Fellow annually.

ABOUT GRoW @ THE WALLIS

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts believes everyone deserves to learn and grow through the arts. Thanks to a generous gift from Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family, our campus includes GRoW @ The Wallis, a wing dedicated to sharing the arts with learners of all ages. Arts learning is integral to all that we do at The Wallis: connecting audiences with the very best in the performing arts; using the power of the arts to build community and address pressing social issues; and responding to critical needs in the greater community through arts leadership, collaboration, and partnership. Our GRoW programs serve youth, serious young artists, and older adults online, in our classrooms, and in our theaters.

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR

WALTER & PEGGY GRAUMAN FELLOWSHIP IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

The Grauman Fellowship in Classical Music, the first-ever fellowship program at The Wallis and the first of its type in Los Angeles County, will provide an annual Fellowship Award of $15,000 to advance the career of an exceptionally talented emerging classical pianist or strings musician based in Los Angeles. The Fellow will also be asked to plan and implement a community-based outreach project designed to promote awareness and appreciation of classical music in Los Angeles County.

The Walter and Peggy Grauman Fellowship in Classical Music is made possible by the generosity of performing arts philanthropist and Wallis Ambassador Peggy Parker Grauman and her late husband, Walter Grauman

INAUGURAL GRAUMAN FELLOW ARTEM DIAZ KOLESOV FOMINYX

LEARN MORE AND APPLY AT TheWallis.org/Grauman

PRESENTS

BY DAHLAK

BRATHWAITE

CAST

Dahlak Brathwaite, Jasmine T.R. Gatewood, Freddy Ramsey, Jr., Dante Rossi, Max Udell WITH SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMANCE BY Isaiah Lucas

LIGHTING DESIGN Brianna Pattillo

Dana Rebecca Woods COMPOSITION Dahlak Brathwaite & Teak Underdue

COSTUME DESIGN

DRAMATURGY

Brittany White

Roberta Uno STAGE MANAGER

CHOREOGRAPHY BY Toran X. Moore

DIRECTED BY Roberta Uno

FEBRUARY 2 - 5, 2023

Lovelace Studio Theater

Running Time: 80 minutes, no intermission.

WARNING: This show uses strong language and references struggles with addiction.

American Sign Language Interpretation will be offered at the Sunday, February 5, 2:30 PM performance.

MEDIA SPONSOR

For Booking and Touring: The Living Word Project | Joan Osato, Producing Director joan.osato@gmail.com | 415-710-7427

Originally developed, commissioned, and made possible by CalArts Center for New Performance.

TRY/STEP/TRIP is a spoken word, multi-character musical performed in the body through the language of step dance. The story follows the journey of an anonymous narrator as he re-imagines his experience in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program. Inspired by Brathwaite’s own history, Try/Step/Trip layers characters, poetic verse, and dialogue over music to create a theatrical piece that blurs the lines between hip-hop and dramatic performance. Try/ Step/Trip emerges from the belief that the subjugation of Black people is an American ritual; that the criminal justice system now functions as a normalized rite of passage for too many young Black males. Try/Step/Trip offers an alternative ritual; a rite of passage orchestrated to save one of the justice system’s newest inductees from the ultimate plight of criminalization: to be remade in the image of its judgment. World views are delivered within musical numbers, ancestors are conjured through step, and archetypes are sampled from pop culture and folklore, all to guide a familiar young Black man in his unique search for redemption and self-definition.

ADDITIONAL STAFF

ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER

Freddy

Ramsey, Jr.

ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY

Delina Patrice Brooks

ADDITIONAL DRAMATURGY

Skyler Gray

SPECIAL THANKS

VOCAL COACH

Jasmine T.R. Gatewood

Our gratitude goes to our family of cast and crew members Preston Butler, TaiReikca Glover, Venice Yang, Ceton Tate, Sophia Sanchez, Morgan Camper and Derek Jackson; the ArtChangeUS team: Elizabeth Webb, Genevieve Fowler, Kassandra Khalil, Daniela Alvarez, Michele Kumi Baer, and Kapena Alapai; and our gracious hosts Camille Jenkins and Coy Middlebrook, and the entire Marketing and Production Staff.

Originally developed, commissioned and made possible by CalArts Center for New Performance California Institute for the Arts. Critical support for the work has been supported through residencies at CalArts Center for New Performance. Try/Step/Trip is a National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network (NPN/VAN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Youth Speaks, Inc. in partnership with The Living Word Project, a fiscally sponsored project of Intersection for the Arts, CalArts Center for New Performance, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Miami Light Project and NPN/VAN. For more information: www.npnweb.org. Try/Step/Trip was made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project, with lead funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional Support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and had its Bay Area premiere at Dance Mission Theater in February of 2020 Additional support for the work has been contributed by residencies at Hi-Arts, Harlem NY, Ko Festival, Amherst MA, Montalvo Art Center, Saratoga CA, Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Los Angeles, CA, WACO Theater Center, Los Angeles CA, Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, IL and ACT Artshare, San Francisco, CA. The company wishes to thank Travis Preston, Artistic Director of the CalArts Center for New Performance and Dean of the CalArts School of Theater and the great champions of this work over the years including Alison De La Cruz and Gilberto 'Mago' Morales, Chay Yew and Skyler Grey, Shay Wafer, Yolanda Cesta Cursach, Tara Willis, Candace Feldman, Clyde Valentin, Raymond Codrington, Aaron L. McKinney, Sabrina Hamilton, Len Berkman, and Beth Boone.

DAHLAK BRATHWAITE is an awardwinning playwright, composer, and performer. His work has been presented at The Smithsonian, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, REDCAT, MCA Chicago, Ars Nova, The Public Theater, SXSW, by Creative Time, and on HBO’s last two seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. Dahlak’s trilogy of works - Spiritrials (solo play), Try/Step/Trip (musical), Adapting History (documentary film) - take a personal look into the criminal justice system and the relationship between Black American music and Black American subjugation. Development of the work has been supported by CalArts, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Victory Gardens, and Montalvo Arts Center. Dahlak has received awards and support from NEFA, the Doris Duke Foundation, The U.S. State Department, NYU Tisch, and MAP Fund. He is a graduate of NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, where he was awarded the Dean’s Full-Tuition Fellowship, and currently serves as the Assistant Director for the national tour of the Tony-winning revival of Oklahoma!

ROBERTA UNO is a theater director and dramaturg. She founded and was Artistic Director of New WORLD Theater 1979-2002 in Amherst, MA. Her numerous directing credits include The Dance and the Railroad by David Henry Hwang, Clothes by Chitra Divakaruni, Unmerciful Good Fortune by Edwin Sanchez, Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage, Stop Kiss by Diana Son, Sneaky by William Yellow Robe, Sheila’s Day by Duma Ndlovu, I Land by Keo Woolford, the bodies between us by thuy le, and the musical theater concert Bone Hill, co-written with and composed by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby. She was the last theater director to work directly with James Baldwin; directing Blues for Mr. Charlie and as a dramaturg she has spanned generations working with Pearl Primus, Alice Childress, Sekou Sundiata, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Crystal Truscott, Dionna Daniel and others. She directed a large-scale devised theater work, We the Peoples Before at the Kennedy Center July 2022, a multi-year commission celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the First Peoples Fund. Much gratitude for this creative journey with Dahlak Bathwaite, Toran Moore, and the talented cast and crew of Try/Step/Trip

TORAN XAVIER MOORE is a creative professional hailing from Montgomery, AL currently residing in Los Angeles. Depending on the moment, he can be found as an Arts Administrator, Stage Manager, Producer, and excitedly here tonight as Lead Choreographer for Try/Step/Trip. As a dance artist, Moore has had the opportunity to perform with the Eclectic Dance Company of Alabama State University, share his step tradition with youth in Oahu at the Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust’s ʻŌlino Arts Program, and

stepping in brotherhood with his beloved fraternity of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As Producer and Creative Manager, Moore has worked in and with theaters across the country including The Joyce Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Calarts Center for New Performance, The Kennedy Center, and many others he’s grateful to have shared space in. Moore’s most recent honor was serving as Production Manager for the premiere of We The Peoples Before. When not making art, Toran is a devoted Fiancé to Aliyah Davis and dog dad to Bella Rose. Moore holds degrees from California Insitute of the Arts (M.F.A) and Alabama State University (B.A.)

TEAK UNDERDUE Hallway Productionz is a 3x Grammy Nominated, Dove Awardwinning music production duo made up of producer/mixer/engineer/multiinstrumentalist Teak & Dee Underdue. The pair reside in Stockton, California. Teak and Dee’s production is most notably featured on Ice Cube, WC, T-Bone, Angie Stone, Dave Hollister, Mindless Behavior & Blackalicious records.

JASMINE T.R. GATEWOOD graduated with her B.A. in Theatre Arts-Performance from Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, and her Master’s in Acting from California Institute of the Arts School of Theatre, Santa Clarita, CA. Jasmine’s voice-over work and singing is featured on seven seasons of Dreamworks’ “Madagascar: A Little Wild.” Her credits also include Nickelodeon’s “Cousins For Life,” TNT’s “Animal Kingdom,” and the “Fallout” video game franchise. She loves what she does living true to Philippians 4: 13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” “I get an overjoyed sensation that races through my veins when I am able to break down and build up self to create new characters. It is so amazing to me to witness the power of storytelling when it manifests itself throughout an audience because someone can always relate and even if only one person is touched my job is done.”

ISAIAH LUCAS a native of Las Vegas, NV graduated from Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts as a theater major. After graduating high school at age 16, Isaiah moved to Los Angeles and started to train at Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Dustin Felder acting studio, and many other workshops and classes in Los Angeles, CA. Some credits include Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), All Shook up (3D Theatrical), Victorious (Nickelodeon), Pepsi, and Nike. In his free time, Isaiah enjoys writing, music, and hanging out by the ocean. Isaiah also enjoys spending time with family/friends, playing basketball, and staying active in his community through mentorship and activism. Isaiah is grateful to perform in Try/Step/Trip as “Anonymous”!

FREDDY RAMSEY JR. is an American actor, writer, and director. He can be seen on hit shows such as This Is Us (NBC), Family Reunion (Netflix), and A La Carte (AllBLK). As a recent MFA grad and former collegiate athlete, Freddy brings his persistence and dedication in practice to the craft of acting. Freddy received his MFA from The California Institute of the Arts and is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. His favorite quote is as follows: “Every person has a purpose and every purpose has a process, the question is; Will you persevere?”

MAX UDELL grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, before moving to California in 2014 to attend The California Institute of the Arts. While there, he was fortunate enough to be cast in Try/ Step/Trip, and has enjoyed the privilege of getting to perform with it ever since. He has received numerous rave reviews throughout his lifetime, such as “he’s a really good kid” - his Mother, and “You just wanna squeeze that little punum for days” - Grandmother. He is beyond excited to be back with the show, and can’t wait to perform live theater after the last few years. He deeply appreciates you all coming, and hopes you enjoy the show!

DANTE ROSSI is extremely excited to return to the role of Pastor in Try/Step/Trip. He was recently Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Dante received his BFA at California Institute of the Arts. He is grateful to be working with such a talented and loving cast!

BRIANA PATTILLO is an international theater artist and maker, working primarily as a Lighting Designer for themed entertainment and performance. Bri designed Fatwa! The Musical, starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, for HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” She has designed for Padua Playwrights, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Prospect House Entertainment, and more. Bri has assisted award-winning Lighting Designers Anne Militello, James F. Ingalls, and Ken Booth. For the past five years she has been an Associate Lighting Designer for Six Flags Magic Mountain’s “Fright Fest” and “Holiday in the Park” events. She currently teaches theater at Los Angeles Mission College.

DANA REBECCA WOODS is happy to be collaborating with Roberta Uno; Dahlak Brathwaite and the wonderful cast and production team assembled for Try/Step/Trip. Her design work includes Pipeline at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival; The Color

Purple directed by Jeffrey Polk at the Greenway Court Theater; Sheldon Epps’ Blues in the Night at San Francisco’s Post Street Theater; Laguna Playhouse and The Lovelace Studio Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts; In the Red and Brown Water at UC Santa Barbara; Shout Sister Shout, Stop Kiss, Above the Fold, Fences, and others for The Pasadena Playhouse; Jitney and Fences at South Coast Repertory. Her film and television designs include Go For Sisters, written and directed by John Sayles; and Watch Over Me, a telenovela aired on My Network TV. Dana was an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida and is a member of USA Local 829; Costume Designers Guild Local 892; and Motion Picture Costumers Local 705. She is a Labor Organizer for the Costume Designers Guild and an IATSE Delegate to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. When not designing productions or involved with labor activities, Dana creates teaching artist curriculum for afterschool programs.

DELINA PATRICE BROOKS has toured the U.S. and Western Europe as a performer with The Living Word Project, and choreographed / danced for Nas & Damian Marley, Kanye West’s Sunday Service at Coachella and Chance the Rapper on Saturday Night Live! among others. And, a member of several Bay Area theater and dance companies, Delina was the Movement Director for Casa de Spirits, a play written & directed by veteran actor Roger Guenveur Smith. In 2018, Delina transitioned into the TV/Film industry and has been a Director’s Assistant and Showrunner’s Assistant for shows on HBO, Fox, Hulu, Disney/Freeform, ABC and NBC.

BRITTANY WHITE Stays behind the scenes. Technical theater background, mainly as a Prop Artisan but will cover most roles. Member of SF based theater group, Campo Santo. Happy to be alive and doing theater nationally and internationally for 10+ years. Yee!

THE LIVING WORD PROJECT is a theater commissioning, developing and producing company, whose work crosses disciplines integrating photography, film, visual arts and new media into its creations. As a collective of designers, performers, directors and technicians, our work endeavors to break open new modes of narrative, employing emerging aesthetics and techniques that push the possibilities of storytelling and theatre. We commission, develope, premiere and tour our Repertory works such as The Break/s, Word Becomes Flesh, Scourge, red, black and GREEN; a blues, Nogales, /peh-LO-tah/, Moving & Passing, Chasing Mehserle and Translating Selena by Richard Montoya. Upcoming work includes Rashomon by Sean San Jose, directed by Mina Morita, Last Days a Pu’unene Mill with Tanya Orellana, and Prieto by Yosimar Reyes, Kat Evasco and Jose Antonio-Vargas.

New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander brings two of his beloved children’s books, Acoustic Rooster and Indigo Blume, to the stage in a world premiere Kennedy Center commission. Alexander teams up with his writing partner Mary Rand Hess and long-time musical collaborator Randy Preston to tell a story about being scared, being brave, and believing in yourself. With special guests like Duck Ellington and Ms. Dairy Parton –plus Preston appearing as Acoustic Rooster – this musical adaptation will have children (and families) dancing in their seats. Recommended for ages 5+.

PRESENTS

LUMINARIO BALLET OF LOS ANGELES

HEROES, SHEROES, AND EROS

MANAGING AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TECHNICAL

AERIAL RIGGER

PERFORMERS

FEBRUARY 17 - 18, 2023 AT 7:30 PM Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

AUDIENCE Q&A

Stay after the Friday evening performance for a talk-back with the artists.

Dance @ The Wallis is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Judith FLEX Helle

DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER Allen Walls

Kevin Scott Cannon COSTUMES

Terril Teran Miré

Sadie Black, Emma DeStasio, Raymond Ejiofor, Wil Geary, Stephanie Hall, Adrian Hoffman, Grasan Kingsberry, Antonio Martinez, Vanessa Nichole, Marlon Pelayo, Bianca Sapetto-Finck, Jamal Story, Dreya Weber

ACT I

HARD AS A ROCK

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle 2021

MUSIC 2Cellos Vivaldi “Summer Storm” John Williams “Mombasa”

VIDEO Judith FLEX Helle

DANCERS Sadie Black, Stephanie Hall, Wil Geary, Ray Ejiofor, Adrian Hoffman (UNDERSTUDY)

AERIALISTS

Antonio Martinez, Vanessa Nichole

TEND

CHOREOGRAPHY Adrian Hoffman 2022

MUSIC Joe Berry

DANCERS Adrian Hoffman, Raymond Ejiofor, Wil Geary

WRYD TANGO

CHOREOGRAPHY

Bianca Sapetto-Finck 2022

MUSIC COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY Morgan Sorne

ARTISTIC CONCEPT BY Bianca Sapetto-Finck

AERIALIST AND DANCER Bianca Sapetto-Finck

DANCER Marlon Pelayo

FILM, FILM DRAWINGS, ANIMATIONS, AND EDITING Morgan Sorne

FILM CONCEPT BY Morgan Sorne and Bianca Sapetto-Finck

FILM CHOREOGRAPHY Bianca Sapetto-Finck

VIDEOGRAPHY Robin Finck

COSTUMES Bianca Sapetto-Finck, Morgan Sorne, Marlon Pelayo RIGGING CONCEPT Bianca Sapetto-Finck

TOSH THOUGHTS…BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE

(WORK IN PROGRESS)

CHOREOGRAPHY Jamal Story 2022

MUSIC Peter Tosh sung and spoken word by Grasan Kingsberry

VIDEO Judith FLEX Helle

MEDLEY BY Judith FLEX Helle, produced by Lonny Johnson

DANCERS Raymond Ejiofor, Emma DeStasio, Jamal Story

HEXENSTUCKE

CHOREOGRAPHY Dreya Weber

MUSIC “Human” by Sevdaliza

AERIALIST Dreya Weber DANCERS Adrian Hoffman Sadie Black

L’INVALIDE (THE INVALID)

A DANCE FILM DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY Judith FLEX Helle 2021

MUSIC: Prince Fatty and Shniece “Black Rabbit”, G.O.L. “Angelica in Delerium”, David Lang “I Lie”

DANCERS Sadie Black, Jasmine Perry, Shannon Beach, Alexander Stabler, Miguel Reyes

MEDIA ART Lauren Banuvar EDITING Judith FLEX Helle, Allen Walls, Zak Byrd

IF THE WALLS COULD SCREAM

CHOREOGRAPHY Jamal Story 2009-2010

MUSIC Photek, Phillip Glass, Mumadji VIDEO Judith FLEX Helle

COSTUMES

Adele Sartori, Judith FLEX Helle DANCERS: Sadie Black, Wil Geary, Stephanie Hall, Ray Ejiofor, Emma DeStasio, Adrian Hoffman

Intermission

ACT II

THE LAST SUPPER Premiered Easter/Coachella weekend, 2017 CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle and Jamal Story

Judith poses the thought: “What if Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene were just three fun Jewish club kids who went to the Coachella Music Festival?”

Jamal poses the question: “Why could I portray Jesus?” Answered by his mother and aunt: “Why not you?”

JESUS ARRIVES ON THE SCENE

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle MUSIC Right Said Fred “I’m Too Sexy” VIDEO Kailee Gaylord

DANCERS Ensemble: Jamal Story (JESUS), Vanessa Nichole (MARY), Wil Geary (JOHN), Raymond Ejiofor (PAUL), Stephanie Hall (SALOME), Emma DeStasio (JUNIA), Sadie Back (PHOEBE), Maya Kramer (UNDERSTUDY, MARY)

SINNERS

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle

MUSIC Nirvana “Lake of Fire”

VIDEO Kailee Gaylord DANCERS Ensemble

PASSOVER

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle

MUSIC Nirvana “Marigold”

VIDEO Kailee Gaylord DANCERS Ensemble

JESUS AND MARY

AERIAL DUET HAMMOCK SINGLE POINT

CHOREOGRAPHY Jamal Story and Sheila Joy Burford

MUSIC Garbage “#1 Crush”

VIDEO Kailee Gaylord

AERIALISTS Jamal Story, Vanessa Nichole, Maya Kramer (UNDERSTUDY)

THE ALTAR OF SALOME

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle

MUSIC PJ Harvey “Down By The Water”

VIDEO Kailee Gaylord

DANCERS Sadie Black, Stephanie Hall, Emma DeStasio, Stephanie Hall, Vanessa Nichole, Maya Kramer (UNDERSTUDY)

JUDAS’ BETRAYAL

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle

MUSIC The Violent Femmes “Kiss Off” VIDEO Judith FLEX Helle

DANCERS Jamal Story, Adrian Hoffman, Wil Geary, Raymond Ejiofor

COACHELLA

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle

MUSIC Weezer “The Sweater Song” VIDEO Kailee Gaylord DANCERS Ensemble

AERIALIST Jamal Story

JUDAS’ REGRET

CHOREOGRAPHY Judith FLEX Helle

MUSIC Radiohead “Creep”

VIDEO Kailee Gaylord DANCER Adrian Hoffman

AERIALIST Vanessa Nichole, Maya Kramer (UNDERSTUDY)

REDEMPTION!

CHOREOGRAPHY Jamal Story

MUSIC The Talking Heads “Take Me to the River”

VIDEO Judith FLEX Helle DANCERS Ensemble

JUDITH FLEX HELLE (Artistic Director), recipient of the 2022 President’s Lifetime Achievement in Service Award and the United Nations Humanitarian Award, began her professional career dancing at the Deutsche Opera Berlin, Germany, performing all over Europe on stage, film, TV, music videos and, with her FLEX Dance Company. Judith founded Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles in Dec 2008 with the Charles Evans Foundation, NY. Since then, Luminario Ballet has performed annual shows for the general public; toured nationally; performed Judith’s choreography with 5 symphonies including the LA Philharmonic; and provided ballet/ aerial dance for movies, TV, music videos, and special events for over 75,000 audience members. Via the LA County Arts and Culture, Judith won a US CARES ACT grant for Luminario Ballet which literally rescued the company from the brink of economic collapse due to covid canceling Luminario Ballet’s 2020-2021 tour season. With this rescue grant, Judith directed and choreographed her first dance film, L’Invalide, a psychedelic fantasy of her sickly childhood in New England. Judith is known for her beautiful contemporary ballet/aerial dance works; story ballets such as Schubert’s Winterreise a love triangle gone wrong; and The Last Supper when Jesus, Judas, and Mary went to Coachella. Her best known work is LedZAerial, to the music of Led Zeppelin, attended by Led Zeppelin’s singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page in 2006. Her work-in-progress Tosh Thoughts, to the music of Reggae legend Peter Tosh of the Wailers, was presented at festivals in Mumbai and Goa, India, by the U.S. Department of State, in February 2020, just prior to Covid lockdown. Judith was named to Dance Magazine’s Top 5 Women Leaders in SoCal Dance, nominated for a World Choreography Award, and is a judge for the World Choreography Awards since 2013. Judith wrote a memoir during covid lockdown- her first book, Wild Animals I Have Known. Read fascinating, tantalizing tidbits from the book on Judith’s website: www.judithflexhelle.com

JAMAL STORY (Company Member/ Choreographer) trained at the Lula Washington Dance Theatre in Los Angeles and holds degrees in Dance Performance and TV/ Radio Communications from Southern Methodist University. He has performed with Complexions, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, Donald Byrd/theGroup, Madonna’s 2001 Drowned World Tour, and Cher’s Living Proof: The Farewell Tour and is currently the dance and aerial supervisor for her Here We Go Again tour. He continues arts advocacy as the chair of the National Dance Committee for SAG-AFTRA, and has written two books, 12:34 and Toss in the Ether, both available on his website: jamalstory.com/online-book-store.

DREYA WEBER (Aerialist/Choreographer)

This past year Dreya collaborated with Opera Zuid in Holland twice, appearing as Puck in BriBen’s Midsummer Nights Dream, and creating aerial choreography for award winning Lady in the Dark. She directed & wrote Luminaire, the premiere production for Chicago’s Cabaret Zazou. She directed the film & stage versions of Frank Ferrante‘s Groucho, currently seen nation wide on PBS. Dreya’s work as designer & aerial choreographer is featured in Magic Mike Live Las Vegas, London & the North American tour. She is featured in HBO Max Finding Magic Mike. Dreya conceived and choreographed P!NK’s GRAMMY Award performance of Glitter In The Air, and her 2021 Billboard Awards aerial duet with daughter Willow. Her work with Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, P!NK, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Madonna, Cher, Michael Jackson, & Christina Aguilera have been featured on film, television, & on arena stages globally. She produced & starred in The Aerialist, A Marine Story, and The Gymnast, winner of 48 festival awards including seven “Best Actress” nods. Dreya is currently presenting her solo show, Hexen, an ancestral exploration of witch archetypes told with story, song, audience interaction, and aerial transformation. @dreya_weber

ADRIAN HOFFMAN (Company Member/ Choreographer) (they/them), was born and raised in Cambridge, MA and went on to graduate from The Ailey School/Fordham University with a BFA in Dance and double minor in Philosophy and Math while also pioneering a study abroad exchange with Israel’s Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. Adrian is the Artistic Facilitator and founder of Cantankerous Creatures, a Boston based dance project seeking to strengthen the dance community with kindness and active audience engagement. They currently live in Los Angeles working as a dancer and choreographer. Previously they have been a company member of Whim W’Him, a guest dancer with Alvin Ailey and BODYTRAFFIC, danced in music videos for Katy Perry and Justin Beiber among others, freelanced on stage, TV and film and appeared as a featured dancer in Greta Gerwig’s recent remake of Little Women. Adrian’s new piece Tend presented in this program, is his first choreography for Luminario Ballet.

SADIE BLACK (Principal ballerina, Rehearsal Director) joined Luminario Ballet in 2010, and is a freelance artist from and based in Los Angeles. She dances currently with Luminario Ballet, Clairobscur Dance, Barak Ballet, and Raiford Rogers Modern Ballet. She trained with Riverside Ballet Arts, Houston

Ballet Academy, and the School of American Ballet. She has been a company dancer with Texas Ballet Theater, Columbia City Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet. Sadie is also a choreographer and yoga/ fitness teacher along with coaching ballet students competing at Youth America Grand Prix.

EMMA DESTASIO (Company Member) was born in Hudson Valley, New York and began her dance training at the age of eight with Gina Chiavelli at the Pinewood School of Dance, also in Hudson Valley. Ms. DeStasio continued her studies at age 14 with Maria Calegari, Daniel Ulbricht, and Wendy Whelan. At 16 she trained with Willy Burmann, Nancy Bielski, Espen Giljane and Elena Kunikova at the esteemed Steps on Broadway in Manhattan. The following year Ms. DeStasio finished her training at Manhattan Youth Ballet. She worked with Deborah Wingert, Amar Ramasar, Tiler Peck, and Marina Stavitskaya. After attending Los Angeles Ballet’s 2019 Summer Course, Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen invited her to join the company as a trainee. Ms. DeStasio stayed with Los Angeles Ballet up until June of 2022. This summer Ms. DeStasio worked with Jill Johnson, Natiya Kezevadze, and Clifford Williams at Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Her favorite work to perform have been Balanchine’s Rubies, Forsythe’s In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, and Peck’s The Times are Racing.

GRASAN KINGSBERRY (Guest Actor/ Singer: TOSH) is a TOSH dance musical and actor consultant, a Juilliard graduate and Daytime EMMY Award recipient. Featured in the 2018 Tony Award best revival Once On This Island. Grasan also reprised his role in the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award revival of The Color Purple. 11 Broadway Productions including Motown, Catch Me If You Can, Aida. Regional: Annie, One Night In Miami, Dreamgirls. TV: “Mozart in the Jungle,” Film: “Aerialist” (2019), “I Am Legend” (2007)

ANTONIO MARTINEZ (Aerialist) is a Los Angeles based professional dancer, actor, aerial performer and choreographer who has worked all over the world. With a dance and acting degree from Oklahoma City University, aerial training from Toronto School of Circus Arts, and continued training in LA, Antonio has worked on TV, film, music videos, stage, tours, industrials, and commercials. His recent TV credits include “Monarch,” “Penny Dreadful: City of Angeles,” “The Masked Singer,” CMT Awards, Billboard Music Awards, “New Girl,” “America’s Got Talent,” “The Ellen Show,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Speechless,” and “Dancing with The Stars.” Some recent stage credits include Carrie Underwood’s REFLECTION residency in Las Vegas, La La Land Live at the

Hollywood Bowl, and the international tour of West Side Story Antonio prides himself on being a versatile performer and creator. His favorite quote is “Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Antonio has performed with Luminario Ballet since 2022.

RAYMOND EJIOFOR (Company Member) A Gates Millennium Fellow, earned a Masters of Public Health Policy from USC and his B.S. in Decision Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Ejiofor has danced and created works with Daniel Ezralow, Ryan Heffington, Aszure Barton, Lula Washington, Bryan Arias, Danielle Agami, Sidra Bell, Kyle Abraham and Robert Battle. Ejiofor currently collaborates with various companies including Ezralow Dance, Heidi Duckler Dance, Post:Ballet and David Roussève/REALITY. Some of his credits include the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, MTV VMAs, American Music Awards, Audi, Hermès, Samsung, Apple, Netflix, Hulu, Nickelodeon, Beijing Dance Festival and Lincoln Center: David H. Koch Theater. He has performed with artists such as Sia, Katy Perry, Pharrell, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Daft Punk. Choreography commissions include Heidi Ducker Dance, August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble, and Berkeley Ballet Theater. He has choreographed projects for artists including Little Boots, Robot Koch, Girl v.Boy, and Oddnesse.

STEPHANIE HALL (Company Member), originally from Atlanta, is a ballet/ contemporary dancer who trained with the Atlanta Ballet. She attended Point Park University on scholarship and started her professional career with the Nashville Ballet. She performed many roles, her favorite being the evil queen in Snow White and principal role in John McFalls Three. Stephanie is currently dancing professionally with multiple companies in Los Angeles, teaching, and choreographing on her students. Performing alongside the band Kansas to in a duet was her favorite professional highlight. She has a true passion for health and fitness. In her side time she enjoys hiking, traveling, and rock climbing. This is her first year with Luminario Ballet.

VANESSA NICHOLE (Dancer, Aerialist) Is a freelance dancer and aerialist whose performance work ranges from contemporary to jazz to acrobatics to aerial dance. Some credits include: “TED 2”, The Oscars, Katy Perry (The Met Gala, The Grammy’s, Wango Tango), company dancer at Lincoln Center for Daniel Ezralow’s Pearl the Show, dancer/actor for Aladdin and His Winter Wish (Lythgoe Family Productions), and dance/aerial captain and rehearsal director for Celebrity Cruises. This is her first performance with Luminario Ballet.

WIL GEARY (Company Member) is excited to be joining Luminario Ballet in his first season! Wil grew up in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and began training at Faubourg School of Ballet. He furthered his training at Miami City Ballet School on full scholarship, and as a trainee performing with The Joffrey Ballet. His highlights include dancing the lead role in the European tour of Best of: Rock the Ballet and as a soloist in Rock the Ballet X with Sweetbird Productions. Additionally, Wil is a part of Actors’ Equity and has performed at The Old Globe Theatre and North Shore Music Theatre. Wil also performed in Cirque du Soleil’s VOLTA as the character, “Waz,” and “Paramour” in Hamburg, Germany under the direction of Tony Award-winning choreographer, Sergio Trujillo. TV credits include “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “‘McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade;” and “Germany’s Next Top Model.”

MARLON PELAYO (Dancer) Performing credits include: Cher, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, SIA, Adonis Remos, Jolin Tsai, Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Years and Years, Netta, Carly Rae Jepson, The Weekend, Paula Abdul, Michael Bolton, Queen Latifah, Becky G, Gloria Trevi, Lele Pons, Jane Lynch, NIIA and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Television credits include “Dear White People’’, “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Euphoria.” His Film Credits include Mary Poppins Returns and Birds of Prey. You can catch him in the upcoming TV shows, “The Idol,” “Welcome to Chippendales” and the highly anticipated feature film Babylon starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. As Marlon ventures into the world of choreography, he has been honored to work with masters of their craft, Rob Marshall, Ryan Heffington, Doriana Sanchez, Bubba Carr, Tyce Diorio, Nina McNeely, Denna Thomsen, Daniel Ezralow, Kitty McNamee, Sam Levinson, and Spike Jones. Training never stops for Marlon as he explores the world of Tango, Tantra and Poi. He’s very excited to be joining this stellar cast and hope you enjoy all the hard work we’ve put into making something really delicious for the eyes to lay upon.

BIANCA SAPETTO-FINCK (Company Member), choreographer, director, teacher, aerialist, and dancer, began her career as a rhythmic gymnast, claiming five U.S. National Championships titles and an alternate position on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team. Bianca studied comparative religion at Amherst College before “running away” to join the circus with Cirque du Soleil. She has performed, choreographed, and directed for Disney, Cirque du Soleil, Warner Brothers, Paramount films, the GRAMMY Awards, “The Tonight Show,” “Good Morning

America,” American Music Awards, Jackie Chan’s Stunt Team, Michigan Opera, Teatro Zinzanni, Astor Piazzola Tango Foundation, the Olympic Gymnastics Tours, Burning Man, and at the Summit of the Americas for all the North and South American presidents and prime ministers. She has lead classes and workshops at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Esalen Institute, USC, UCLA, National Young Arts Foundation, Joffrey Ballet, PEN USA, and yoga, acting, dance, and circus schools across the country. Bianca is a founding member of Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles, performing and choreographing with the company since 2009. Bianca lives in Los Angeles with her husband, children, and cat.

LUMINARIO BALLET OF LOS ANGELES is a repertory ballet, aerial, and modern dance company founded in 2009 by artistic director Judith FLEX Helle and the Charles Evans Foundation NY. In addition to artistic director Judith FLEX Helle’s neoclassical ballet, dance theater, and aerial dance choreographies, Luminario presents a wide range of contemporary / ballet /aerial dance choreographers such as Jamal Story (Complexions), Michael Smuin (San Francisco Ballet), Francisco Gella, Dreya Weber (CHER, PINK), Bianca Sapetto (Teatro ZinZanni), modern dance legend Bella Lewitzky; and Debra Lynne Brown, head choreographer of Cirque du Soleil shows worldwide. Luminario Ballet has performed commissioned work with the LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall (Copeland, Ginestera), Le Salon de Music (Shubert), music videos (Coldplay), TV, films, Virtual Reality Nutcracker and Luminario repertory for Xbox subscribers, site specific dances (Casa Romantica), toured with repertory nationally (NY/TX/FLA) and internationally (Mumbai and Goa India on behalf of the US Department of State). Luminario ballet is currently poised to launch dance NFTs in the Metaverse in 2023.

PRESENTS

THE PACIFICA QUARTET ANTHONY MCGILL CLARINET

PACIFICA QUARTET

VIOLIN

Simin Ganatra

VIOLIN

Austin Hartman

VIOLA Mark Holloway

PROGRAM

ANTONÍN DVOR ˇ ÁK (1841-1904)

String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American” Allegro ma non troppo Lento Molto vivace Finale: vivace ma non troppo

BEN SHIRLEY

High Sierra Sonata Buttermilk Morning Angry Secrets Reflections on a Day Intermission

JOHANNES BRAHMS

(1887-1953)

Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 Allegro Adagio

Andantino – Presto non assai, ma con sentimento Con moto – Un poco meno mosso

FEBRUARY 23, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

CELLO Brandon Vamos

PRELUDES @ THE WALLIS

Join us at 6:30 PM for a conversationpre-concert with the artists moderated by ClassicalKUSC'sCalifornia Lauritzen.Brian

Running Time: One hour and 40 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

The Pacifica Quartet and Anthony McGill are represented by MKI Artists.

Pacifica Quartet Recordings: Cedille Records, Naxos Records, and Hyperion Records

Anthony McGill Records: Cedille Records, Dacapo Records, BCMF Records, and GPR Records www.pacificaquartet.com | www.anthonymcgill.com

QUARTET IN F MAJOR, OP. 96, “AMERICAN” Antonín

Dvorˇák

When Dvorˇák arrived in New York from Prague on September 17, 1892, he immediately took up his duties as director of the National Conservatory but also continued to compose and fulfill his many obligations as a visiting celebrity. By the end of the taxing season, he was delighted to accept an invitation to spend the summer visiting the tiny (population: 300) farming community of Spillville, Iowa, made up of Czech immigrants who preserved the language, culture, and customs of their native land. Dvorˇák arrived in Spillville on June 5 with his wife, six children, sister, maid, and secretary. Three days later he was already at work on a new string quartet. Although he usually composed quite slowly, he finished the sketches by June 11, writing at the end, “Thanks be to the Lord God. I am satisfied. It went quickly.” As soon as the finally score was ready, on June 23, Dvorˇák, playing violin, along with three students, read it through. The “official” premiere was given in Boston by the Kneisel Quartet on January 1, 1894.

Written just after the “New World” Symphony, his most famous symphony, this quartet became Dvorˇák’s best-known chamber music composition and acquired a similar nickname, the “American” Quartet. Many hear in the quartet strains of black spirituals and plantation songs, as well as elements of American Indian music. Others doubt that the quartet grew from the sounds Dvorˇák heard in America and hold rather that it is based on certain melodic and rhythmic similarities shared by both American ethnic music and the Bohemian-Slavic folk tradition. This difference of opinion really matters little in light of the “American” Quartet’s enormous popularity and universal appeal.

Against a shimmering background that resembles the start of Smetana’s E minor quartet (1876), the viola sings out the first jaunty tune. After the confident swagger of the viola melody, the second theme, played by the first violin, seems tentative and restrained. Both themes are based on the five-tone pentatonic scale (the black keys of a piano), a common feature of folk songs around the world. The following development is devoted to the first theme until a fugato based on the second subject acts as a transition to the restatement of both themes.

The Lento, widely considered the crowning movement of the quartet, is like a lovely emotional aria with the first violin and viola sustaining a busy, flowing accompaniment. The movement’s construction is arch-shaped, starting quietly and building gradually to an impassioned climax before fading to a subdued close, as the cello nostalgically goes through the melody for the last time, accompanied by alternate bowed and plucked notes.

Although cast in A-B-A-B-A form, the third movement is essentially monothematic, since B is little more than a slower version of the A tune. The middle part of the A section is based on the song of the scarlet tanager, which Dvorˇák heard and notated on his walks around Spillville.

The Finale immediately establishes a rhythmic pattern that may be an adaptation of native Indian drumming. The first violin dances its joyful tune with and around the continuing beat. Other melodies follow, all with the same high-spirited good humor. In the middle of the movement, the tempo slows, and Dvorˇák introduces a chorale, probably derived from one of the hymns that he enjoyed playing on the organ for services at Saint Wenceslas church in Spillville. Following the chorale is a shortened restatement of what came before, leading to a resolutely happy ending.

— Program note from Melvin Berger ‘s Guide to Chamber Music ©1985

HIGH SIERRA SONATA | Ben Shirley

In the summer of 2019, I was invited by a friend, Ryan Navales, to join him in serving as a volunteer at an aid station on the course of the Bishop High Sierra Ultras ultra marathon. It marked my second trip to the Owens Valley, to visit my friend, who I’d met while we were both beginning the process of recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, while living at a homeless shelter in Los Angeles’ notorious Skid Row.

Way up in the Eastern Sierras, I soon learned that the weather, much like life, can change on a dime. As the mountains wake up, it is clear, cool, and sparkling with life. But within minutes, it is sleeting, freezing, howling, and ultimately covered in snow. The sun returns, and the rain returns, and on it went, before relative calm set in at the end of our 12-hour shift. Every season came and went through the course of a single day, which couldn’t help but remind me of the seasons of life, and in some cases the seasons of emotions we all go through, in a day, a week, a month, or a year.

But regardless of the circumstances beyond my control there in the Eastern Sierras, the majestic beauty, the camaraderie amongst volunteers, the perseverance of the runners, and a decade-long friendship rooted in a shared experience remained as rock solid as the mountains we stood on.

—Program note by Ben Shirley ©2022

CLARINET QUINTET IN B MINOR, OP. 115

Johannes Brahms

In December 1890 Brahms resolved to cease composing. “I have worked enough,” he told a friend, “now let the young take over.” He sent the completed score of his Viola Quintet, Op. 111 to his publisher with a note saying, “You may bid farewell to my music.” In March 1891, however, he heard a performance by the great clarinet virtuoso Richard Mühlfeld and decided his ‘farewell to music’ was premature. Inspired by Mühlfeld, Brahms began at once to compose for him and completed the Clarinet Trio, Op. 114 and the Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115 that same year.

Brahms considered himself a preserver of the classical music tradition, and Op. 115 mirrors the movement sequence of Mozart’s glorious Clarinet Quintet. K. 581. But Brahms gave Op. 115 an organic unity that was forward-looking for its time. Musical motifs from early movements are explored in later ones; harmonies shift restlessly between major and minor keys in all movements; and the palette of tone colors Brahms uses is consistently autumnal. The revolutionary modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg later praised Brahms as a “progressive” for his exploration of unifying thematic elements across an entire composition.

Op. 115 begins with an unassuming melody in the strings that is taken up by the solo voice of the clarinet. The movement’s first few measures contain musical fragments that Brahms uses again in various forms in all four movements. The opening measures also set the Quintet’s ongoing pattern of shifting harmonies.

Three wistful notes in the clarinet over muted strings begin the second movement. Mozart biographer Maynard Solomon observes that Mozart’s clarinet quintet begins with these same three note intervals and that here Brahms pays homage to his illustrious predecessor. The movement’s melancholy nocturne is interrupted by a dramatic Hungarian gypsy lament as the clarinet rises and falls above agitated string tremolos.

The third movement performs the traditional role of scherzo and trio, although with an unusual structure. The brief opening section is more song than scherzo and serves principally to introduce a much longer scherzo-like section that runs to the end of the movement. Rather than repeat the opening introduction, Brahms artfully slips only its last few measures into the movement just before it ends.

The last movement is a theme and five variations. The theme strongly recalls the melody of the second movement’s introductory section. Four of the variations explore different aspects of the theme, but the fifth returns to the lyrical melody that opens the first movement. As a final link across the composition, Brahms brings the Quintet to a close with almost exactly the same music that ended the first movement.

—Program note by Robert Strong © 2015

PACIFICA QUARTET With a career spanning nearly three decades, the multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. The Quartet is known for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices. Having served as quartet-in-residence at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music for the past decade, the Quartet also leads the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and was previously the quartet-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2021, the Pacifica Quartet received a second Grammy Award for Contemporary Voices, an exploration of music by three Pulitzer Prize-winning composers: Shulamit Ran, Jennifer Higdon, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.

Formed in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet quickly won chamber music’s top competitions, including the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. In 2002 the ensemble was honored with Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award and the appointment to Lincoln Center’s The Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two), and in 2006 was awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. With its powerful energy and captivating, cohesive sound, the Pacifica has established itself as the embodiment of the senior American quartet sound.

Following the pandemic period, in addition to continuing to perform extensively from the quartet repertoire, the Pacifica Quartet is prioritizing collaboration with its esteemed group of friends and collaborators. Upcoming performances and recordings include projects with clarinetist Anthony McGill, guitarist Sharon Isbin, and pianist Marc-André Hamelin. In addition, the Quartet will collaborate with soprano Karen Slack for a performance at Carnegie Hall in a program featuring the world premiere of a new work by James Lee III.

The members of the Pacifica Quartet live in Bloomington, IN, where they serve as quartet-in-residence and full-time faculty members at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Prior to their appointment, the Quartet was on the faculty of the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana from 2003 to 2012, and also served as resident performing artist at the University of Chicago for seventeen years.

For more information on the Quartet, please visit www.pacificaquartet.com. Scan the QR code to join the Quartet’s mailing list.

ANTHONY MCGILL Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill enjoys a dynamic international solo and chamber music career and is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic — the first African-American principal player in the organization’s history. He is the recipient of the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize, one of classical music’s most significant awards.

McGill appears as a soloist with top orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras. He performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams. As a chamber musician, McGill is a collaborator of the Brentano, Daedalus, Guarneri, JACK, Miró, Pacifica, Shanghai, Takács, and Tokyo Quartets, and performs with leading artists including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Gloria Chien, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang.

He serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School and is the Artistic Director for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. He holds the William R. and Hyunah Yu Brody Distinguished Chair at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 2020, McGill’s #TakeTwoKnees campaign protesting the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice went viral. Anthonymcgill.com

A NEW MUSICAL IN CONCERT SONGS OF SHANGHAI SONATAS

Ming-Kai Tao, a Chinese violinist in his 90s, visits the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum to see the violin he donated. When he picks up the instrument that accompanied him throughout his life and plays, we are magically transported back to Shanghai of the 1930s and ‘40s, where Ming-Kai confronts his rebellious teenage self in this city where East and West clash in surprising ways. We meet the local Chinese during war time and many Jewish refugee

musicians fleeing the Nazis who would train many of the first generation of Chinese classical musicians in the Shanghai Jewish Ghetto. The unifying power of music brings these two cultures together as they help each other survive the war, setting ripples in motion that carry through to this day, 90 years later. Recommended for ages 8+.

SANTA CECILIA ORCHESTRA

PROGRAM

FEBRUARY 25, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

VARIATIONS ON A SHAKER MELODY; HOEDOWN Aaron Copland

(b. November 14, 1900, Brooklyn, New YorkDecember 2, 1990, Sleepy Hollow, New York)

Aaron Copland’s standing as one of America’s most significant composers rests on those of his works that capture something essential, even mythic, about our country. Chief among these is his most famous composition, Appalachian Spring.

Appalachian Spring developed out of a collaboration with the esteemed choreographer and modern dancer Martha Graham. In 1943, Graham approached Copland about providing music for a new ballet. The scenario she devised was unpretentious: a young pioneer couple, beginning life together in rural Pennsylvania, celebrates the building of a new farm house. Joining them are their neighbors and a revivalist preacher.

Modest as this seems, no subject could have better suited Copland at the time. Like many artists, and more than most, he had been strongly affected by the wave of populist sentiment that swept the country during the Depression. As a result, the composer sought in the mid-1930s to make his style more distinctively American and more accessible.

To this end, he turned to American folk music as a source of thematic material. Copland’s use of traditional dance tunes and song melodies was highly personal, however. Instead of quoting them literally, he usually transfigured his folkloric sources in subtle yet telling ways. Nevertheless, they imbued his work with a distinctly national flavor. Tonight, we hear a set of variations on the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts,” which Copland made famous through his ballet score.

“Hoe Down,” is the widely recognized final dance from Dance Episodes from “Rodeo” It has long been the most popular portion of the “Rodeo” Suite.

“DANZA

DEL TRIGO” FROM DANCES FROM ESTANCIA

Alberto Ginastera (b. 1916, Buenos Aires - 1983, Geneva)

“Estancia” is an Argentinean word for “ranch,” and just as “ranch” stirs up images of the Wild West and the sorts of sounds Aaron Copland wrote for Rodeo, Alberto Ginastera imagined the legendary gauchos of the pampas and a frontier made for dancing. Alberto Ginastera is Argentina’s other outstanding composer of the last century. Unlike Astor Piazzolla, he stamped a national character on his work not through use of tango rhythms but with the melodic and rhythmic inflections of Argentine folk music.

Composed in 1941, the ballet Estancia crystalized Ginastera’s folkloric style. The work’s story tells of a city-dweller who comes to a ranch on the Argentine pampas. There he meets an attractive country girl. She shuns him at first, but he finally wins her heart after proving that he can perform the roughest ranch work.

Ginastera created a concert suite by extracting four dances from his full ballet score for Estancia. Tonight, we hear the second movement from this suite, “Dance of the Wheat.” In sharp distinction to the other parts of the suite, its music provides a pastoral interlude, with the violins featured in an exceptionally lush melody in the middle of the movement.

LIBERTANGO

Astor Piazzolla (b. 1921, Mar del Plata, Argentina - 1992, Buenos Aires)

Astor Piazzolla initially looked to Europe for musical guidance but found his true compositional voice in the popular music of his native Argentina. Piazzolla studied piano during his youth, learning to “love Bach,” as he later recalled. But the great enthusiasm of his early years was tango music, a deeply sensual, poetic, and singularly Argentine musical genre. During the late 1930s and early ‘40s, Piazzolla played bandoneón, an accordion-like instrument, in tango orchestras in Buenos Aires. Soon, however, he became determined to become a “serious” composer, and to that end he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, a famous composition teacher. Boulanger respected Piazzolla’s modernist compositions. But when she heard a tango he had written back in Buenos Aires, she famously advised him not to abandon the music that so clearly was part of him. Piazzolla returned to and set about combining the rhythms of tango with the rich harmonic and formal vocabulary of jazz and “classical” contemporary music.

The result was a sophisticated style that Piazzolla called Nuevo Tango. In Argentina, his innovations initially were resisted by other tango musicians, but by the mid-1980s he had won over all but the most die-hard traditionalists. Small wonder, for in Piazzolla’s work Nuevo Tango proved not only fresh and exciting but a vehicle for skilled and imaginative composition.

Perhaps no piece captures Piazzolla’s Nuevo Tango style as clearly and succinctly as the composition Libertango written in 1974, describing it as a “sort of song to liberty.” With a melody that unfurls languorously over an energetic accompaniment, the piece has an abundance of both sensuality and momentum, the essential features of all good tango music. Tonight, we hear a string arrangement that begins with an improvisation on guitar and violin.

DANZON NO. 2 Arturo Márquez (b. 1950, Álamos, Mexico)

We turn next to music by a Mexican composer of our own time. Arturo Márquez studied music in his native country, in the United States (at CalArts), and in Paris. Through those studies, Márquez became wellversed in the sounds and techniques of advanced contemporary composition, but his musical roots lie in Mexico’s popular melodies and rhythms.

His father was a mariachi player, and Márquez grew up hearing a wide range of folkloric songs and dances. Creating a common ground for these two idioms - those of contemporary composition and of Mexican popular music has been an important goal of his work.

In the early 1990s Márquez began composing a series of Danzones, which now numbers at least eight pieces for different ensembles. Of these works, the most successful - and, indeed, the most celebrated of all Márquez’s compositions - is Danzon No. 2, written in 1994. Márquez explains the background of this composition as follows:

“The danzon is a Cuban dance that became very popular in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century, especially in the state of Veracruz and Mexico City. Because it was developed in a very special way in our country, many of us Mexicans consider it our own national music. ... Danzon No. 2, rather than dealing directly with the form and harmony of the classical danzon, pays tribute to the tradition and its people.”

SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN E MINOR, OP. 95

(FROM THE NEW WORLD)

Antonín Dvorˇák (b. September 8, 1841, Nelahozeves, Bohemia (now Czech Republic) - May 1, 1904, Prague, Czechoslovakia)

“Through the ship’s windows could be seen all the Battery end of New York and the first vague visions of sky-scrapers. Then ... we were descending by lifts and by gangways from the high upper decks of the ship down onto the rocky ground of the United States. I don’t think that any American ever set foot in Europe with a more profound and delicious thrill than that which affected me at that instant. I was there!”

So wrote Arnold Bennett, an English traveler, of his arrival on American soil, in 1912. His excitement at first gazing upon the New World, of at last being able to say “I was there!” after a long trans-Atlantic voyage, has been shared by countless others, visitors and immigrants alike. Bennett went on to describe the vivid impressions made upon him by New York, Boston, the nation’s capital and other cities, as well as by the landscape he saw; and in this, too, he joined the ranks of many who came before and after him. The new-comer to America might or might not approve or disparage, enjoy or detest, love or loathe what is to be found here. Few, if any, feel indifferent.

Among the countless persons who have made their way to our nation’s shores are more than a few composers. During the 1930s and early ‘40s, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartok, Hindemith and others found refuge here from the calamities befalling Europe. Well before them, however, came such major figures as Tchaikovsky, Dvorˇák, Mahler, Bloch, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Ravel and Varese.

Antonin Dvorˇák spent much of 1892 through 1895 in the United States - mostly in New York, where he served as director of a short-lived music conservatory, but also in Iowa, where he spent a summer living with a community of Czech emigrant farmers. It was during his first year in America that Dvorak

composed his Symphony No. 9, which bears the subtitle “From the New World.” Dvorak declared that he intended the subtitle to mean “Impressions and greetings from the New World.” This is hardly the musical panorama of America and American life that some commentators have heard in the piece. Still, Dvorˇák stated that the music’s American provenance should be evident, and he told a correspondent: “I do know that I would never have written [it] ‘just so’ had I never seen America.”

The “New World” Symphony uses the classic fourmovement design in which Dvorˇák cast all his major symphonies. Also following a well-established tradition is the introduction in slow tempo that prefaces the first movement. The meditative atmosphere of this passage finally is shattered by an ominous figure rising up from the low strings and brass. A timpani roll and suspenseful tremolo note high in the violins then herald the principal theme of the movement proper, a theme given out by the horns and woodwinds. Dvorˇák develops this idea in highly dramatic fashion and balances it with two less weighty melodies, the first introduced by the woodwinds, the other presented in the low register of the flute.

After this strong opening movement comes one of the composer’s most famous creations, a Largo featuring a deeply poignant melody sung by English horn. But the beauty of that theme should not distract us from the strange power of the brass chords that frame the movement, nor to the melting poignancy of the second subject. That theme presents melancholy phrases in the woodwinds against tremolo figures in the strings that sound like wind rustling through tree branches against a bleak autumn sky.

The Scherzo that follows balances fierce energy with a relaxed and folkloric central episode. Both the second and third movements also include recollections of themes from the opening, and Dvorˇák extends this idea to the finale. Here recollections from each of the preceding movements provide, in the symphony’s final minutes, a comprehensive and exciting conclusion.

(Conductor) Mexican-American noted symphony and opera conductor has achieved distinction as a creative and consummate musician, as a woman in a groundbreaking career role, and as a leading influence in the growing Latino culture in the United States. Her musical talents have inspired a large following in Southern California through live orchestral presentations, as well as an international audience through televised performances in the United States, Latin America and Europe. She was the first woman in history to receive a Vatican invitation to conduct a symphony orchestra at a Papal Mass.

De Leon de Vega is most closely associated with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra. She was also the Producer and Music Director for the annual Opera Under the Stars concert in Los Angeles, a venue credited with launching the careers of many young operatic vocalists. And she is celebrated in educational circles for creating the dynamic Discovering Music program that takes orchestra members into elementary schools to introduce children to classical music and the instruments of the orchestra.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, De Leon de Vega is the daughter of actress/producer Sonia De Leon and singer/guitarist Reynaldo Sanchez. At the age of four De Leon de Vega moved to Los Angeles, California, where she was raised and began her musical training becoming an accomplished pianist and organist. While always distinguishing herself academically her graduate studies led her to love and specialize in conducting studies with Dr. David

Buck. She also trained at the Herbert Blomstedt International Institute for Instrumental Conductors and at various American Symphony Orchestra League workshops with Otto Werner Mueller, Maurice Abravanel, Pierre Boulez, Andre Previn, Zubin Mehta and Ricardo Muti. De Leon de Vega has been a guest conductor for many orchestras and opera companies and has developed concerts and children’s music workshops for the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times has described her performances as “conducting with sweep and energy” and the Beverly Hills Outlook noted that she “is a thunderbolt and a force to be reckoned with on the musical scene.”

Hispanic Business Magazine voted her one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States and named her in their “80 Elite Women” list. She was named “Business Woman Of The Year in Arts And Entertainment” and was awarded the “Local Hero” award by KCET. De Leon de Vega is the first conductor to be featured internationally on Univision’s “Orgullo Hispano.” She was featured on Nightly News with Brian Williams, had profile on CNN and was on the cover of Latina Style Magazine. De Leon de Vega’s accomplishments have been recognized in a variety of media venues, including La Opinion, the Los Angeles Times, Vista Magazine, Latina Style, People Magazine, Hispanic Magazine, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, Latina Magazine and “Good Morning America” / “Despierta America”. Ms. De Leon de Vega is profiled in the book “Latina Power” by author Ana Nogales. The book was released by New York publisher Simon and Schuster. She is also a sought-after keynote and motivational speaker. She resides with her husband and son in Los Angeles.

SONIA MARIE DE LEÓN DE VEGA

ANDRES VADIN (Guitar) was born in Habana, Cuba in 1976. A guitarist, composer, arranger, session, tour musician, and guitar teacher. He is a graduate of the Guillermo Tomas and Amadeo Roldan Conservatory of Music in Habana. He began studying music at the age of 10 and won first place in the Amadeo Roldan classic guitar competition at the age of 12 held in Habana, Cuba. From an early age Andres showed great passion for different music styles, resulting in being a versatile musician. His talent allowed him to play the most traditional flamenco music, as well as playing with artists of different musical styles such as Aceituna Sin Hueso (with whom he collaborated on the album “Cuba le canta a Serrat,” nominated for the Latin Grammy in 2005 in the category “Contemporary Tropical Album”) Asere and Billy Cobhan, El Chato, Jose Mendez, Sabrina Romero, Jorge Pardo, Saul Quiros, Pele (Navajita Platea), Antonio Carmona (Ketama), Marcus Nand, Michel Labaki, Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot), Adrian Martin, Natalia Jimenez, Oskar Cartaya (Vadin collaborate in his album “Bajo Mundo,” nominated for the Latin Grammy in 2017 in the category “Best Latin Jazz Album”), Josemi Carmona (Ketama), Wadih Al Safi, Faramarz Aslani, Mamak Khadem, Aref, Yuval Ron, Concha Buika, Yasmin Levy, Terry Ilous (XYZ, Great White), Jose Antonio Rodriguez Trio, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Carl Verheyen, and many others. He has toured throughout Wales, England, Holland, Belgium, Scotland, Ukraine, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Puerto Rico, Germany, Canada, France, and in some Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Dubai. He has played at many well-known music festivals like Womad from Peter Gabriel, Glastonbury, Musicport World Music Festival, Montreal International Jazz Music Festival, and many others.

One of his great passions is teaching. He collaborated with Barrio Music, an organization that provides music education to neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, CA. Vadin also performs with his project, the Andres Vadin Project, playing his original compositions infused with Cuban, Arabic, and Jazz influences. They have been performing at the Flamenco Arts Festival (FAF), a worldclass flamenco music festival held in California, SBAcoustic, Lluvia Flamenca Festival in Phoenix, and many others Vadin is endorsed by Godin Guitars, Fishman Amplifiers and Bartolex guitars.

SANTA CECILIA ORCHESTRA Through live performances and stimulating music education programs, our mission is to share the beauty and inspiration of classical music with Southern California audiences, giving special focus to Latino communities that are underserved and underrepresented by the arts. Over the last three decades, Santa Cecilia Orchestra has grown to become a cultural force in Los Angeles. This year the orchestra is celebrating their 30th anniversary. Our great accomplishment is not only to make magnificent music but also to make that music accessible to nontraditional audiences. The orchestra’s educational program, Discovering Music, has reached more than 300,000 students in over 80 schools in Los Angeles communities.

Santa Cecilia Orchestra’s commitment to a mission that combines music and access has created a leadership role in the cultural life of Los Angeles. Conductor Sonia Marie De León de Vega founded the orchestra in 1992, naming it after the patron saint of music, Saint Cecilia.

MORE AT scorchestra.org

SONIA MARIE DE LÉON DE VEGA CONDUCTOR

FIRST VIOLINS

Yi-Huan Zhao CONCERTMASTER

Mishkar Nunez-Mejia

Alex Kalman

Dynell Weber

Dimitry Olevsky

Lilliana Filopovic

Irina Boutyrskaya

Daphne Tsao

Hripsime Yepremyan

Elizabeth Dickenson

Sahak Karapetyan

Adrianna Zoppo

Erlinda Romero-Anassian

SECOND VIOLINS

Shelly Ren Anna Papikian Nan Ying Yin Jiang Ruth Siegel

Phillip Vaiman Samantha Lee Michelina Wright Anna Mocek

VIOLAS

Karen Elaine Alison Perrine

Laura Jesson

Matt Nabours

Brianna Bandy

Herman Markosian

Natalie Brechja

Matt Witmer

Patrick Marsh

CELLOS

Catherine Biagini Maksim Velichkin

Circe Diaz – Gamero Garik Terzian Simone Vittucci Bang-Eunn Lee Diego Miralles Pola Benke

BASSES

Barry Newton Thomas Harte Karl Vincent Jay Rubottom

FLUTES AND PICCOLO

Salpy Kerkonian Karin Hoesli

OBOE AND ENGLISH HORN Jonathan Davis Victoria Sabonjohn

CLARINETS Michael Arnold Brian Walsh

BASSOONS

Johnathan Stehney Theresa Treuenfels

FRENCH HORNS

Rachel Berry

Melisa Hendrickson

Yvonne Suzette Moriarty Kristin Morrison

TRUMPETS

Darren Mulder

Angela Romero

TROMBONES

Brad Close Noah Gladstone David Goya

TUBA William Roper

TIMPANI Aaron Smith

PERCUSSION

Alan Peck Scott Higgins Scott Babcock

PIANO Bryan Pezzone

LEARN

The Wallis @ a Glance

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

Monday–Friday 10am–6pm @ 310.246.3800 9390 N. Santa Monica Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90210 TheWallis.org

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For the wallis’ current Health & Safety protocols visit TheWallis.org/Safety ACCESS

The Wallis is committed to accommodating and ensuring a pleasant experience for all of our patrons with special needs or disabilities. Please contact Ticket Services, our House Manager or an usher to discuss your needs.

LATE SEATING

Should you arrive late for any performance or need to leave your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate moment or pause. To minimize any disturbance to other patrons, you may be seated in the first available locations by our staff even if different than your assigned seat locations. Please also be advised that some performances or circumstances may not allow for late seating or return seating.

LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS

The Front of House Staff is happy to provide programs with larger print to patrons upon request.

In The Bram Goldsmith Theater

TELECOIL INDUCTION SYSTEM FOR HEARING ASSISTANCE

A state of the art “hearing loop”—a thin copper wire—has been installed beneath the floor of the orchestra seating in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. For guests wearing a hearing aid with a copper telecoil wire or who have a cochlear implant, the system captures electromagnetic waves and broadcasts signals directly to your hearing aid device. For assistance, please inquire with Patron Services.

Gifted by Virginia and Frank Maas.

QUIET ROOM

The Lynn and Les Bider Family Foundation Quiet Room is available during the performance for patrons who wish or need to step away for a moment. You can still see and hear the performance in progress, but we can’t hear you.



PLATINUM CIRCLE

Annenberg Foundation/ Wallis Annenberg & Kris Levine

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

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Anonymous

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 DIRECTORS CIRCLE

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 ARTISTS CIRCLE

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Consulate General of Israel

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Honorable Donna Ellman Garber Mimi Alpert Feldman

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Robert and Jeanie Anderson

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Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP

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Marc Zachary

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Walter Zifkin

Les Bider CO-CHAIR

Marc Zachary CO-CHAIR

Betty Hayman HONORARY CO-CHAIR

Ronald D. Rosen BOARD LIAISON TO THE AMBASSADORS

Camille Adar

Laura Alpert

Judy Beckmen

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Carol Goldsmith

Laurie Gordon

Peggy Grauman

Evelyn Heyward

Laurie Konheim

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Susan and Rick Kurtzman

Deborah Laub

Judi Lawenda

Ambassadors

Marlene Leitner

Kathy Liberman

Karen and Walter Loewenstern

Marlene Louchheim

Barbara Marcus

Joanne Mogy

Diane Morton Ilene Nathan Harriet Nichols

Suzanne Papaian Arline and Buddy Pepp

Sandra Karole Peters

Gail D. Peterson

Jane Rascoff

Laurie Rodsky

Barbara Ruben

Wendy and Ken Ruby

Joan Selwyn

Marc Selwyn

Lee Silver

Lisa Sockolov

I. H. Sutnick

Karen Sulzberger and Eric Lax

Andrea Van de Kamp

Stephanie Vahn

Rayni Williams

May Ziman

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WALLIS AMBASSADORS

TheWallis.org/Ambassadors

OFFICIAL HOTEL SPONSOR OF THE WALLIS

THE WALLIS IS THE PROUD RECIPIENT OF GENEROUS SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION FROM

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Kurt J. Swanson

ACTING CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Christine Bernardi Weil

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Joel Hile

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Erin Mahan

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Coy Middlebrook

ACTING CHIEF ARTISTIC OFFICER

Manuel Prieto

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Christopher Reardon

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

David Truly

DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS

Michelle Wiesel GENERAL MANAGER

Thomas Yamamoto CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

ARTISTIC

Camille Jenkins PROGRAMMING MANAGER

Meghan Ripchik ARTISTIC COORDINATOR

DEVELOPMENT

Summer Grubaugh DONOR EVENTS MANAGER

Loren Hayes

INSTITUTIONAL GIVING COORDINATOR

Debra Steckler

DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Lisa Cowell Shams

SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN

EDUCATION / GROW @ THE WALLIS

Debra Pasquerette DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE AGING PROGRAMS

Rachel Kilroy EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER

Pat Taylor

EDUCATION PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Victoria Kemsley

TEACHING ARTIST, CREATIVE AGING PROGRAM

Michelle Rearick GRAUMAN FELLOWSHIP ADVISOR

Annalise Englert

EDUCATION INTERN

MARKETING

Chandra Jackson

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Hannah Burnett DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

Libby Huebner

Laura Stegman PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANTS

PRODUCTION

Samantha Else PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ojin Kwon TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Lauren Wemischner* LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

Sean Kozma* AUDIO VIDEO SUPERVISOR

Joseph Skowronski* LIGHTING COORDINATOR

Joyce Maddox

PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATOR

Bryant Heatherly

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Vanessa Mejia

PAYROLL & ACCOUNTS PAYABLE MANAGER

Emily Bisno

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO

FACILITIES

Roland Henriquez

FACILITIES MANAGER

TICKET SERVICES

Jacob Houser

ASSISTANT TICKET SERVICES MANAGER

Tori Long

TICKET OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

Eric Latham

Bradley Roa

SENIOR TICKET SERVICES ASSOCIATES

FRONT OF HOUSE

Bryan Puckett

AUDIENCE SERVICES MANAGER

Nick Johnson

Piatrice Shekerjian HOUSE MANAGERS

Laura Long

Ann McDowell

Timm Carney GRAND HALL GREETERS

USHERS

Ruby Arreguin

Diana Borja

Annabel Chick

Jacqui Creekmore

Judith Halle

Ruby Layne

Adam Linde

Itzhak Matos

Rachael Neinast

Charlie Pinel

James Poulin

Liv Robertson

WARNING: The photographic or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographic or sound recording inside the theater, without the written permission of the management, is prohibited by law. Violators may be punishable by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for money damages.

The City of Beverly Hills collects both waste refuse and recyclables in the same container.

* The noted staff employed by The Wallis are members of the IATSE union.