Music

Producers forecast a frosting of renewed energy in dance and music for California Contemporary Ballet?s 12th annual performance of ?The Snow Queen? next weekend. Based on the classic by Hans Christian Andersen, the story is about a little girl named Gerda who saves her friend Kai from an evil spell. Emma Mesrobian of Glendale returns this year to dance the role of the Gypsy Woman, and she infuses the character with a lot of passion, said Erin Holt, artistic director of the professional nonprofit company.

Jackson Bell If anyone can vouch for the meaning of "the better half," that age-old euphemism husbands use to describe their wives, it would be John Petersen. The reason? He has owned and operated the musical instrument retail and repair store Petersen's Band & Orchestra for more than 30 years. Three years ago, his wife, Nedre, became his business partner and took charge of marketing -- increasing clientele astronomically and doubling sales.

When he is not busy teaching, Justin Riner spends his time pursuing his passion for music — a passion he pursues not only on stage, but with the students in his classroom. The 25--year-old eighth-grade English teacher at John Muir Middle School has been playing with his band, Loverlee, an indie pop band, for nearly a year. What sets Riner's band apart is the untraditional sounds the group uses during performances, he said. "We use diverse instruments," he said. "The music is upbeat and fun and the instruments keep the sound fresh."

Gary Moskowitz MAGNOLIA PARK -- Bryce Alley hopped off the Space Mountain roller coaster ride at Disneyland once and asked his mother if she had heard the background music. His mother, Cheri Alley, hadn't. She, like many others around her, simply jumped into the roller coaster, screamed and enjoyed the ride. To Bryce, the music was the best part. "I just make up songs in my mind," said the 11-year-old fifth-grade student at Roosevelt Elementary School, who performed his original composition "Give It Up" at a piano recital in Burbank last weekend.

Laura Sturza Film and television composer Deon Vozov's work takes her to places that not every songwriter visits. Underground salt caverns in Poland, a fantasy sky world where people move in vehicles or free-float, a desert with visiting aliens and a salon with belly dancers in 1920s Morocco -- all have been subjects of motion pictures she has scored. Having first tried her hand as a singer and songwriter during the 1980s, producers couldn't quite categorize her sound.

MAGNOLIA PARK -- "A Winter's Tale,' a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," will be presented at 7:30 tonight and 8 p.m. Thursday at the SpiritWorks Center for Spiritual Living. First premiered in December 1984 at the Burbank Theatre Guild, the libretto, music and most of the lyrics of "A Winter's Tale" were created by David James, with additional lyrics by Douglas James and Kelli James-Chase. The SpiritWorks presentation, directed and staged by Edgar J. Wood, will be at 260 N. Pass Ave. and is free, although offerings will be accepted.

Rosette Gonzales When Angela Balogh Calin designs costumes for a play, it's not just about having a keen fashion sense. It's an artistic process that involves literature, music and collaborative research. And she goes through the same process when she designs stage sets. Calin, a Burbank resident, has worked on dozens of plays, sometimes designing sets and costumes in the same production at A Noise Within in Glendale and South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa.

DOWNTOWN BURBANK ? The tantalizing aroma of a feast served up for hungry crowds will waft through the streets on Thursday as a Taste of Downtown Burbank returns for its third year. With more than 30 restaurants slated to participate and a third musical act added to the entertainment venue, organizers are expecting large crowds. Last year attendance doubled from the first year, rocketing from approximately 600 to 1,200 attendees, said Gail Stewart, manager of the Downtown Burbank Partnership, Inc. "We are looking forward to this event," she said.

Singers in a local church choir have shared their uplifting music with audiences ranging from Cardinal Roger Mahony to inmates at juvenile detention centers, and while doing it, they say have grown closer than family. Members of Cornerstone, the contemporary choir at St. Francis Xavier Church, have been together for about 30 years, said Barbara Cimini, one of the two sopranos. "It got its name about 15 years ago, but the same basic four or five people have been together singing at the contemporary Mass at the church for 30 years," she said.

“You Can’t Go Home Again” is a great book by Thomas Wolfe, and it’s all about how impossible it is to go back to your family, or back to your childhood, or back to the dreams you once had. Dozens of John Burroughs High School grads proved that adage wrong when they returned to their alma mater’s auditorium Saturday night to perform in Alumni Pop Show II “Legacy.” They showed their loyalty to all that they gained in the vocal music program in dance and song.

The soulful 1960's Chicano rock 'n' roll sound that put East Los Angeles on the musical map was one of Southern California's most distinctly urban, joyful styles. Yet one of the movement's earliest, most influential and successful groups, the Premiers, first came to life in a small-town San Gabriel backyard over 50 years ago. Within 24 months, the casual, mostly instrumental outdoor rehearsals started by Lawrence and John Perez had transformed the siblings into leaders of a nationally known act, one with a devastatingly catchy Top 20 hit, "Farmer John".

Mark Sellers describes the music his band Wildhorse plays as southern country rock with a soulful rhythm-and-blues feel. “I always add southern to it because I grew up in the South and that is really where country rock came from - you have the Eagles and the Allman Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival - so we play '70s classic rock,” Sellers said. But they shake things up with Motown hits like “Heard It Through the Grapevine” and R&B tunes such as “Soul Man” - music that inspires people to dance.

It's been more than 20 years since the Burbank Unified School District dropped instrumental music programs in its elementary schools in order to deal with budget cuts. But parents and educators have rallied the past several years to bring instrumental music back to the classroom. Their efforts got a boost in recent months as the 2013 Leadership Burbank class raised thousands of dollars for new instruments. Since January, the 25 class members who are honing their leadership skills and learning about the inner workings of the local community also set out to raise $14,000 to purchase 31 violins and 40 music stands for students at Roosevelt and Providencia elementary schools.

The Colony Theatre in Burbank continues its fight for survival due to serious financial shortfalls, but you'd never know it from the venerable mid-sized venue's fine season-ender, "Falling for Make Believe. " This world premiere musical by Mark Saltzman, developed by the Colony, delves into the troubled life of lyricist Lorenz Hart through actual events, deft fictional constructs and a feast of glorious Rodgers and Hart songs. The musical opens in 1943, on the day of Hart's New York funeral.

Look no further than John Burroughs High School to find the national grand champions of all high school choirs in the United States. After months - and for some students, years - of work, two choir teams at John Burroughs High School secured the greatest prizes in the high school show choir world when they performed before 4,800 people and several judges at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago on April 27. When the Powerhouse team of 52 students took...

The 2013 Leadership Burbank Class laughed while they raised funds for this year's community project “31 Violins” to support music education in the local elementary schools, said class member Amy Albano. More than 100 guests packed the Flappers Comedy Club in Downtown Burbank for the event on March 28. “Specifically, we are hoping to buy 31 violins and music stands for Providencia and Roosevelt elementary schools, and any extra money we have will go in general to support the program,” Albano said.

Dick Dodd is one of the most persuasive and recognizable voices in the classic American rock 'n' roll pantheon. Lead singer and drummer of mid-'60s Hollywood rockers the Standells, his declarative, sneering vocals on big-beat staples “Dirty Water,” “Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White” and “Riot on the Sunset Strip” established an electrifying new type of hard modern rock. When Dodd takes the stage at Burbank's Joe's Great American Bar on Sunday night, he'll not only bring all of that momentous rebel spirit, but also an impressive trove of show business experience that he'd accrued even before joining the Standells at age 18. The lifelong Redondo Beach resident was a child prodigy whose talents as a dancer and singer landed him in Burbank in mid-1955 as one of the original Mickey Mouse Club's Mouseketeers.

About 30,000 people are expected to flock to Olive Avenue on Saturday for the 32nd annual Burbank on Parade, with this year's theme “Let's Go to the Movies!” Dancers, clowns, floats, marching bands and equestrian entries, along with popular characters Bob's Big Boy and Ronald McDonald, are slated to walk, glide and trot down Olive from Keystone to Lomita streets starting at 11 a.m. “So many citizens wait all year long to share this special day with us, and we hope to live up to those expectations with this year's production,” said Joanne Miller, parade chairwoman, in a statement.

The 2013 Leadership Burbank Class is planning a comedy night to raise funds for its community project, “31 Violins”, a program to expand instrumental music instruction to Burbank's elementary schools. The event, “Laughs for Leadership Burbank,” will take place on March 28 at Flappers Comedy Club and Restaurant, 102 E. Magnolia Blvd. Doors open at 6 p.m. Show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling (818) 845-9721 or visiting www.flapperscomedy.com . Leadership Burbank offers leaders and emerging leaders the opportunity to enhance their personal and professional skills, gain a deeper understanding of community dynamics, and cultivate civic involvement.