Concert

Erin Park MAGNOLIA PARK -- The Reason We Sing!, a benefit concert for the American Lutheran Church music ministry will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the church, 755 N. Whitnall Highway. The concert will feature Joyful Noise, the church's pop-Christian group. Soloists are also scheduled to perform. The event will be a mix of pop and inspirational music, organizers said. Proceeds from the benefit will go to new sound equipment and instruments for musical outreach and performances in the community.

Molly Shore HILLSIDE -- "God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, The better the world will be." The words were written by Confederate Army chaplain Edwin McKendree Bounds (1835-1913) after his hometown of Franklin, Tenn., was decimated on Nov. 30, 1864, in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Now, more than a century later, the chaplain's words will be remembered at a community-wide Concert of Prayer set for 6 p.m. Sunday at Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church of Burbank.

Joyce Rudolph Officials believe they made more than $20,000 at Saturday's concert starring Josh Kelley at the Starlight Bowl and say they already have other fundraisers in the works. There were 2,300 tickets sold, and between 1,500 and 2,000 people attended, said Michael Hastings, chairman of the Burbank Priority In Education Foundation. "We know we will probably net, all funds going directly to the schools, north of $20,000 after bills are paid," he said.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Burbank Temple Emanu El and Sinai Seniors/Temple Sinai of Glendale will host a cantorial concert at 3 p.m. Sunday. The two-hour concert will include Broadway tunes, opera repertoire and cantorial selections -- music chanted at Jewish religious services. Barbara Ebert, musical director of Opera Pasadena, will accompany the program. Bradley Hyman of Temple Sinai, Judith Sofer of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, Hazzan Bernard Savitz of Burbank Temple Emanu El, Mark Goodman of Valley Beth Israel, Ilana Hyman of Temple Sinai and Teri Stansfield of Burbank Temple Emanu El will sing in the program.

JOYCE RUDOLPH A sparkling celebration is planned for the city of Burbank's annual Independence Day extravaganza, the kick-off for the summer concert series at the Starlight Bowl. Music by the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra and the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West will be followed by the always fabulous fireworks display during this "Star Spangled Salute to the 4th of July." While the Elliott orchestra has performed for this event several times, this is the first year the Air Force band is appearing, said Garth Nelson, deputy director, recreation services for the city of Burbank.

48 HOURS Cary Belling has put to music the story of the birth of the universe based on scientists' theories in "Ripples in the Fabric of Space-Time." One of his goals in creating the piece, he said, was to have listeners get out of their own little space and look out into the heavens and realize how beautiful, inspiring and how vast the universe is. "If you realize how vast the universe is and that our planet is one small part of that universe, that changes our perspective," he said.

JOYCE RUDOLPH Conductor Jeffrey Kahane and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra present the Southern California orchestral debut of 24-year-old Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski at the orchestra's season finale at 8 tonight at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Trpceski was the favorite of the audience and critics at the 2000 World Piano Competition in London, although he was awarded second place by the judges. Since then, he has received great reviews and standing ovations around the world.

JOYCE RUDOLPH Along with an uplifting of the spirit, listeners are promised a program rich in the history of black vocal music when the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles casts its "Spotlight on Los Angeles" in a concert this weekend at the Alex Theatre. Artistic director Bruce Mayhall conducts the 300 voices in this concert that honors the city of the chorus' birth and the diverse ethnic makeup of it. One of the guest performance groups is the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, which took its first European tour 36 years ago. Since then, they have performed 18 sold-out European tours, as well as completing 12 tours of the United States and Canada, and tours of the Middle and Far East, Africa and South America.

Musician Tom Boyd wants to provide the missing link between up-and-coming composers and film executives looking for new talent. Boyd has been blessed with much success in the entertainment industry, and it’s time for him to help others get their chance, he said. The former Burbank resident will perform at 7 tonight with composer and concert pianist Marcelo Cesena featuring well-known movie themes, original compositions and music from other major motion picture composers.

Organizers of an inaugural free chamber music concert of works by Mozart played by professional musicians hope it will generate enough listeners to become a series. The concert, today at the First German United Methodist Church, honors the composer’s birthday Sunday, said church Pastor Thomas Hildebrandt. By featuring this composer, the concert will allow the church to continue the tradition of being related to its German culture. The sermons and worship at the church are in German and the translation of the sermon is projected on a screen simultaneously.

The Chancel Choir of Burbank First United Methodist Church is presenting their holiday season concert “Festival of Lessons & Carols.” The Chancel Choir of BFUMC is comprised of both professional and volunteer singers and is lead by Music Director Roger Lamb, and their performance will be accompanied by a 13 piece chamber orchestra.  There is no admission charge for the concert but a offerings will be accepted to benefit the Friends of...

A long-planned coalition of San Fernando government agencies on Tuesday took the last major important step to becoming a reality. Burbank and Glendale voted unanimously last year to join the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments, a regional planning group for tackling cross-jurisdictional issues and coordinating public infrastructure projects. Los Angeles, Santa Clarita and San Fernando have also endorsed their respective memberships. And on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to join the group — the last vote needed before the group can begin meeting.

It was a cold and windy Thursday at the Americana at Brand for the Glendale Renaissance Orchestra’s inaugural concert of their four-concert series. Still, that didn’t deter an eager, though somewhat thin, crowd from turning out to see the orchestra’s first performance that presented an hour of music with vocal stars soprano Dale Kristien and tenor Joseph Pokorski, all led by its conductor, Steven Goldstein. The chilly temperatures caused instrument pitch and intonation difficulties.

Officials promise a diverse program of vocal and instrumental music punctuated by the highest caliber of talent when the Glendale Renaissance Orchestra makes its debut Thursday night at the Americana at Brand. The orchestra plans to blend light classical and pops repertoire throughout the season of three concerts at the outdoor venue before its season finale holiday concert at the Alex Theatre. The inaugural concert is titled “A Night at the Opera” and features soprano Dale Kristien, known for her portrayal of Christine on Broadway and in the Los Angeles production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” and tenor Joseph Pokorski, who has appeared in several major operas throughout North America and Europe.

For those who have been lucky enough to enjoy a long, illustrious performance career, a turn behind the scenes can offer its own kind of magic. Jamie Nichols found that several decades in the spotlight was enough. The Glendale native relished her 23 years at the helm of Fast Feet dance company, earning numerous accolades in one year, including three prestigious Lester Horton awards, which are presented annually by the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles. But then, said Nichols, at a characteristically vibrant clip, “I just didn’t feel compelled to continue.

Matthew and Gunnar Nelson are packing up their memories and taking them on the road for a concert tour that honors their father, Ricky Nelson. It’s been 25 years since the elder Nelson was killed in a New Year’s Eve plane crash. His identical twin sons have produced a show, “Ricky Nelson Remembered 25th Anniversary Tour,” which begins this week with three dates in Los Angeles. This is the best place to start the tour, they said, because it’s near the family’s backyard.

A change of the guard was the order of the evening for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra?s concert last Saturday at the Alex Theatre. Conductor Jeffrey Kahane stepped aside in order to allow the depth of talent in the principal chairs from the string and woodwind section to take the spotlight. Showing their phenomenal skills were Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, Assistant Concertmaster Tereza Stanislav, principal second violin Josefina Vergara, associate principal second violin Sarah Thornblade, principal cello Andrew Shulman and principal oboe Allan Vogel.

In its season’s first family concert presentation — French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ celebrated “Carnival of the Animals” at the Alex Theatre in Glendale — the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra proved that not only can music soothe the savage beast, it can engage a youngster’s enthusiasm so completely, you wonder why public schools leave it off the curriculum menu in the first place. Part of the orchestra’s regular season, three family concerts are presented each year in an effort, spokeswoman Nicolette Atkins said, to “make music as accessible as possible to children.

Every Tuesday night, a group of 65 people stands in unison with black folders in hand, belting out a set of traditional and contemporary holiday songs at the Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church. The Burbank Chorale, directed by Misha Shtangrud, has been preparing for its winter concert “Celebrate!” in which favorites such as Vivaldi’s “Gloria” are on the program for tonight’s concert. The holiday season isn’t all this community choir is celebrating — 2009 marks its 90th anniversary, making it one of the oldest continuing choirs in California.