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 Burbank community this week mourned the loss of Dick Clark, the host of “American Bandstand” and New Year's Eve countdown fixture, who died of a heart attack Wednesday at 82. Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center remembered Clark, who was treated at the hospital in 2004 after suffering a stroke, as dedicated supporter. Patricia Modrzejewski, president of the Providence Health & Services Foundation, said in a statement that the hospital “lost a wonderful friend today.

My wife and I run Pedersen's Band & Orchestra. We are school music retailers and we have been servicing the Burbank school music programs since 1971. We had something happen yesterday that I would like Burbank to know about. Around 5 p.m. we were a little busy at our store. I was dealing with a violin rental and had a few people coming in to buy music-related Christmas gifts. A well-dressed woman came in the store and put what looked like a Christmas card on the counter.

The eighth annual Taste of Downtown Burbank takes place Thursday evening on San Fernando Road. More than 40 restaurants are slated to take part in the event, which is scheduled from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. between Magnolia Boulevard and Olive Avenue. Motorists, however, should note that street closures on San Fernando begin at 6:30 a.m. Thursday from Magnolia to Palm Avenue, said Gail Stewart, business district manager for the city's redevelopment department. Palm to Orange Grove will close at 10 a.m. The street closures will remain in effect until about midnight, she said.

In the back corner of the John Burroughs High School courtyard, about as far as you can get from the stage and still keep an ear on the action, Connie Trimble packed up the last of her cooking utensils. On that stage all Saturday morning, the varied and dynamic singing groups of the school's Vocal Music Assn. took the community through a musical odyssey, from warm-ups all the way through a complex harmonized classical piece. Through it all, Trimble kept the crowd well-fed with a signature pancake recipe from her family's restaurant, Barron's.

Roughly 200 positions are expected to be eliminated by the Walt Disney Co., most to be absorbed by the company’s Burbank headquarters, in a round of layoffs next week, according to a company source. Some of the positions to be eliminated currently are vacant, the source added. The company’s massive, growing “Grand Central Creative Campus” in Glendale — where workers develop theme-park rides, games and new commercial uses of familiar Disney characters — will not be affected.

The musical legacy of late Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads is the focus of a celebration this weekend at D'Argenzio Winery. Proprietor Kathy Rhoads D'Argenzio will honor what would have been the musician's 54th birthday by providing free food, wine tastings and a display of items related to Rhoads' career from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the D'Argenzio Tasting Room, 1204 W. Burbank Blvd. For more information, call (818) 846-8466, or visit http://www.

The teenagers who inspired the hit Fox series "Glee" had another winning performance last weekend, bringing two shows to a packed auditorium at Burroughs High School. It was the fifth annual "Burroughs on Broadway" extravaganza, and despite some technical glitches, the performances went off without a hitch. The program began with a sexy number from the hit Broadway musical "Nine", "Be Italian", with a sultry solo delivered by Amanda Alvarez, and backed up by her group, "Sound Sensations," proving that if you have the talent you can deliver a truly top-of-the-line number after only a few weeks of preparation.

Dance is all about fun for choreographer Sophie Olson. And that's why she named her dance company Sophie Olson Dance Explosion. "I always get very excited about stuff," says the bubbly 32-year-old. "I wanted a fun name and that's what it is. Dance doesn't have to be serious all the time. So the name of the company defines who I am as a choreographer. I don't take myself too seriously. " When she's not teaching at Garri Dance Studio in Burbank, Olson is a choreographer for music videos.

Instead of watching ?Lord of the Rings,? ?Chicago? or ?Gladiator,? Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra will re-create the films? music with an 84-member orchestra. The orchestra?s spring concert ?Lights! Camera! Music!? will be Sunday in Sexson Auditorium at Pasadena City College. The performance will feature music from film genres including action, historical adventures, space odysseys, comedies and musicals. The orchestra has a more than 50-year tradition for students in 10th grade through college.

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.