Category Archives: Southwest Chamber Music

2015 Los Angeles International New Music Festival at REDCAT in Walt Disney Concert Hall, July 7-15

02 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by in Composers, Contemporary Music, Elliott Carter, Gabriela Ortiz, Japan, LA International New Music Festival, Latin Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, Mexico, Music, REDCAT, Southwest Chamber Music, Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, Travel, Vietnam, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Woman in Gold

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REDCAT in Walt Disney Concert Hall is the new home of the LA International New Music Festival.

REDCAT in Walt Disney Concert Hall is the new home of the Los Angeles International New Music Festival.

I am happy to announce the 2015 Los Angeles International New Music Festival will take place at the REDCAT Theater in Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Make your plans now to attend!

Between July 7th and 15th we’re offering five programs contributing to the hard to deny fact that Los Angeles is a leading force moving the classical music world forward in the 21st century, and doing it at top speed. And here’s hoping that many of the 8,000 devoted readers of my blog in over 115 countries might use our festival as a catalyst to visit southern California!

Read on for my July 2015 LA International New Music overview!

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Sound Dreams of Mexico City

24 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Carlos Chavez, Composers, Contemporary Music, LA International New Music Festival, Latin Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, Mexico, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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The alebrijes workshop of Jacopo Angeles in Oaxaca.

The magical alebrijes workshop of Jacopo Angeles in Oaxaca.

“Jeff, have you read this book The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross that everyone says is so important? Do you know my reaction being from Mexico? Not ONE single composer from all of Latin America is even mentioned. Not one. So I guess we just don’t even EXIST for this powerful gringo critic?”

My friend composer Gabriela Ortiz wasn’t making a point, she was issuing an indictment about a blind and ruthless expression of cultural superiority, her declaration worthy of the El Grito of Padre Hidalgo. But my answer would throw another log on the fire. I delivered my response nonchalantly as we ordered another drink. “That’s not all – no composer from Asia has a defining role in that book either. It’s all about Europe and America, and it’s all about men leading the charge.”

“Exactamente, amigo,” lamented Gabriela into her tequila. Ouch, Mr. Ross.

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Orchard St. Memories, Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters & a Visit to The Russian Tea Room

17 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Elliott Carter, Food, Hollywood, LA International New Music Festival, Music, New York City, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park in the snow.

Central Park in the snow.

Woody Allen might be right, that cities look best in a rainstorm. But for me, a fresh blanket of snow frames the layers of memory New York City contains for my wife Jan’s family better than an umbrella. Leaving the Ukraine because of the deadly pogroms of Tsarist Russia (what else is new?) they arrived, liked so many other immigrants, at Ellis Island and eventually settled in New York City in the 1890s.

Fast forward to 2015. Today, almost at the very spot where Jan shopped as a young girl for new clothes before the Jewish High Holidays, is a great museum of the American Story. You can hear many old voices there and learn about immigration in real terms on the Lower Eastside of New York City. Adding Jan’s family’s history and her own memories of Orchard Street to the Tenement Museum story stitches one more seam into the American quilt.

And as for dealing with cold, icebox temperatures, let’s just admit that it’s somewhere in Jan’s Russian Jewish DNA.

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San Sebastián, Pintxos & Parsifal

20 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in Contemporary Music, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel

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The magical streets of San Sebastian.

The magical streets of San Sebastián in the Basque Country.

I’ve been encouraged by a tremendous response to my last blog (about Biarritz, France) that another Basque Country story might be interesting and enjoyed around the globe. From Angola, India, Ireland, Algeria, France, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Japan, China, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Germany and the U.S. my following in the Biarritz  footsteps of Igor Stravinsky and Ho Chi Minh made that post my third most popular. So I thought I’d go in a different direction, locating the tracks of legends, mythical or gastronomic, from our base for Biarritz, which was in San Sebastián. Or was it Donostia?

Parsifal?  San Sebastián? Gipzukoa?

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Finding Stravinksy, Ho Chi Minh and Rue Victor Hugo in Biarritz

11 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Composers, Contemporary Music, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Los Angeles, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam

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Igor Stravinsky.

Igor Stravinsky, who shaped many of my teachers in Los Angeles.

I’ve always thought that to understand history, you need to experience the locations that can bring a story to life. Being born in Los Angeles, my life as a musician is anchored by Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky, both living for many years off of Sunset Boulevard. These two hometown heroes, current academic giant killing be damned, were formative influences on many of the teachers and musicians who shaped my thoughts and ideas. That’s a genuine tradition in my book. Looking back, I realize what a wonderful crucible for music they created in the City of Angels.

Jan and I spent a delightful time in San Sebastian, in Spanish Basque Country, this October, celebrating her 60th birthday. She’d always wanted to experience the legendary pintxos eating and experience first hand what all the gastronomic fuss was about. It didn’t disappoint.

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A Hollywood Tour: Laurel & Hardy, Into The Woods & A Golden Goose

30 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by in Composers, Contemporary Music, Food, Hollywood, LA International New Music Festival, Los Angeles, Music, Silverlake, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel

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The magic of Silent Era Hollywood.

You can still find the magic of Silent Era Hollywood.

Happy Holidays! I hope all my readers in 101 countries around the world are having a wonderful year end break as New Year’s Day approaches – and welcome to my new readers in Paraguay. Going into Capricorn always changes the tempo at this time of year, and hopefully you have enjoyed  some time for family and friends after coping all year with life’s persistent obligations.

This is a time to recharge, reflect and relax. And for me that means visiting some Old Hollywood haunts.

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Lucky Sundays in Los Angeles

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Composers, Contemporary Music, Elliott Carter, Evan Hughes, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Los Angeles, Mexico, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Vietnam

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Nu Pham Son and Jan at Venice Beach on Lucky Sunday.

Nhu Pham Son and Jan at Venice Beach on Lucky Sunday.

Everyone needs a Lucky Sunday.

Though I still have a few months to go before announcing my 2015 Los Angeles International New Music Festival, there have been a lot of behind the scenes developments that are beginning to shape next steps. It’s a process of reconnecting with old friends, bumping into to new ones (from Hanoi of all places), and planning for important trips to New York City, Carnegie Hall, Mexico City and the Festival de Mexico in the New Year.

Living in Los Angeles grounds my love for seeing, hearing and tasting the world. And my friends in Los Angeles ground my vision for next steps. We’ve reconnected with two of the inspirations of our life, composer William Kraft and author/broadcaster Martin Perlich, caught up with bass-baritone Evan Hughes at Walt Disney Concert Hall, had a visit from Virgil Blackwell (Elliott Carter’s assistant for over 20 years), and by chance bumped into new friends from Hanoi, Thuy Thu Thuy and her daughter, Nhu Pham.

Everyone needs a Lucky Sunday.

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A Barcelona Diary

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Arnold Schoenberg, Barcelona, Benet Casablancas, Catalonia, Composers, Contemporary Music, Education, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Los Angeles, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized, Vienna

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A majestic sky over Barcelona.

A majestic sky over Barcelona.

Dreams often get tucked away – but hopefully not forgotten.

From a youthful spark of excitement their inspiration often takes years to become reality. And after visiting Barcelona, I know that dreams in my family now have a new home in a Catalan city we intend to visit as often as possible.

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A Short Fermata

05 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by in Food, LA International New Music Festival, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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Sometimes the road takes a turn.

Sometimes the road takes a turn.

I have wanted to update you on what needs to be a short fermata in my blog posts. New readers have joined from Uruguay, Kenya and Iraq bringing my stories to over 90 countries. I know you enjoy these posts and gratified beyond belief.

Don’t worry, there are many more stories on the way this Autumn.

But if you remember, Jan and I returned to the Berkshires this summer for a family wedding.

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Happy Anniversary!

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in California wine, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Latin Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, Luang Prabang, Mexico, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam

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Thanks to our readers!

Thanks to my global readers!

Today is the first anniversary of my LA International New Music Festival blog. What a rewarding journey thus far – I’m making a great meal tonight to celebrate, as your encouraging readership is the best surprise imaginable!

88 countries around the globe. 5300 readers for 49 posts. 20 countries from Asia, 16 from the Americas (North, Central and South), 31 from Europe, 8 from Africa, and 5 from the Middle East. But let’s not stop there. God bless the island countries of Planet Earth for adding 8 more locations from Mayotte to Jamaica, Cape Verde to Mauritius. I should have started this sooner!

A big THANK YOU to all my readers!

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