“The orchestra,” declares Mason Bates, “is one of mankind’s greatest creations.” Spoken, you might say, like a true composer of symphonies and operas — a Grammy-winning composer at that. But for Bates, creator of “Philharmonia Fantastique” which will be...
At age 6, Enluis Montes Olivar attended his first concert in his native Venezuela and was immediately enthralled, particularly by the percussion instruments — tympani, cymbals, all of it. But when he was asked, “What instrument would you like to play?”, Enluis...
She exited her teen years only last August, but in a very short time Ifetayo Ali-Landing has established herself as one of America’s finest young cellists and, at age 20, a veteran performer with symphony orchestras all over the United States. “And it is still fun,”...
Written by Mike Nelson: As one who holds a Master’s in Music from Westminster Choir College, one of the nation’s leading choral institutions, it stands to reason that Dr. Ryan Board — at some point in his career as an internationally acclaimed conductor and...
Written by Mike Nelson: To conclude its Oct. 21, 1994 opening night concert, the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza presented the rousing finale to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, featuring the Conejo Valley Symphony and local choirs conducted by Elmer Ramsey. Among those...
The years around 1850 that brought California into the Union were also a time of burgeoning American musical identity. The “melting pot effect” that permeated most aspects of American life had an equally powerful impact on the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic qualities...
