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...
While much of traditional Mexican music draws influences from Europe and Africa, there is no question that this bright, joyful music — with multiple sub-genres, from Son Jarocho to Musica Norteña — is, ultimately, the creation of Mexico’s indigenous...
Big, bulky and, well, challenging to carry much less play, the double bass is considered by some to be less glamorous than other instruments, adding harmony and texture but rarely capturing the spotlight of playing the melody. Xavier Foley is turning that rather...
