BRAVO CALIFORNIA!

California Contemporary Ballet premieres a new work for summer on Saturday June 29 & Sunday June 30

admin — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:01:30 +0000

Daniel Kepl talks with California Contemporary Ballet’s Artistic Director and Choreographer Aerin Holt, and composer Dwight Bernard Mikkelsen on their collaboration for the Los Angeles-based company’s new summer ballet built on Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina which premieres June 29 and 30 in Glendale.

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Barbara Bocher speaks out at last, about her short-lived career as the youngest protégé of choreographer George Balanchine at the New York City Ballet during the company’s formative years (1949-1954) and the psychologically abusive behavior of Jerome Robbins, ignored by Balanchine, that ended her promising career prematurely: a cautionary tale about verbal and psychological child abuse

admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:19:54 +0000

Daniel Kepl interviews Barbara Bocher, who has lived quietly for over 60 years in Santa Barbara, but in the late 40s and early 50s, was the youngest member of the New York City Ballet. Her story is about the indifference of NYC Ballet founder George Balanchine to her plight, as she was systematically exploited and verbally abused by Jerome Robbins, America’s famous and closeted Broadway choreographer. We know better now about child abuse and its many manifestions, but Barbara Bocher’s story reminds us how far we have yet to travel in vigilantly combating a resurgence of that shamefully oppressive, Joseph McCarthy-poisoned period in American history. This is a long interview, but an important one, about the beginnings of professional dance in America.

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Following Beethoven — an interview with film writer/director Kerry Candaele on his powerful new documentary “Following The Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony.”

admin — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 23:59:46 +0000

Daniel Kepl interviews film writer/director Kerry Candaele on the eve of the premier of his new documentary Following The Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony, which explores the global impact of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony through the eyes of ordinary people and activists who shaped history, from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, to the torture prisons of Santiago, Chile and beyond.

A special screening at the Marjorie Luke Theatre in Santa Barbara on June 4^th at 7:00 pm will be followed by a post screening Q&A with Director Kerry Candaele and Susan Anderson from the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Tickets: www.followingtheninth.com or http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/374410

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An interview with Metropolitan Opera lyric soprano Jennifer Black on the eve of her first Mahler performance: the Second Symphony (Resurrection) with the Santa Barbara Symphony, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, Santa Barbara Choral Society & Quire of Voyces — May 18, 19 in Santa Barbara

admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:27:12 +0000

Daniel Kepl interviews Metropolitan Opera soprano Jennifer Black as she prepares, together with mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, to sing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) with the Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Choral Society, and Quire of Voyces conducted by Nir Kabaretti, this Saturday and Sunday, May 18/19 in the Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara.

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An interview with Ojai-based plein air landscape artist Jeff Sojka on the eve of his Excellent Adventure this summer tracing the European journey of another American landscape painter, Edgar Alwin Payne (1883-1947)

admin — Sat, 11 May 2013 23:55:03 +0000

Daniel Kepl interviews Ojai-based plein air landscape artist Jeff Sojka (pronounced Soyka) whose work is on permanent display at Ojai’s Trowbridge Gallery, on the eve of his Excellent Adventure to trace the European painting journey of American landscape master Edgar Alwin Payne (1883-1947). Later this summer, and in the company of his seven year-old daughter, Jeff plans to re-visit the locales of Payne’s European painting adventures in the 1920s and re-paint some of Payne’s greatest scenes. Want to help? Go to www.indiegogo.com and type in Sojka. If the video above is not showing, click the words “JEFF SOJKA” at the top of this post.

A sampling of Jeff’s work:

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Pianist Alessio Bax speaks about his upcoming concert in Santa Barbara on Tuesday May 14 playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra

admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:12:19 +0000

Daniel Kepl interviews pianist Alessio Bax as his fourth appearance with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Heiichiro Ohyama conducting, approaches. We discuss his relationship with Ohyama and the orchestra over these several years, and the majesty of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor which he will play on TUESDAY, MAY 14TH at the historic Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara. Also on the program: Rossini’s Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers and the Symphony No. 5 of Schubert.

If the video above is not showing, click the words “ALESSIO BAX” at the top of this post.

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A CHAT WITH SANTA BARBARA PLAYWRIGHT ROD LATHIM ABOUT HIS NEW PLAY “UNFINISHED BUSINESS” WHICH OPENS THURSDAY, MAY 9TH

admin — Sat, 04 May 2013 03:32:31 +0000

Daniel Kepl chats with playwright Rod Lathim about his most recent play Unfinished Business which premiered in Santa Barbara a year ago, and will have a second run from May 9-12 in the historic Lobero Theatre.

If the video above is not showing, click the words “ROD LATHIM” at the top of this post.

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A chat with New York City-based choreographer Peter Pucci on the world premiere of his new ballet “Dream On By,” set to the music of American icon Paul Simon, April 27th in Santa Barbara’s historic Lobero Theatre

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:47:04 +0000

Daniel Kepl chats with New York City-based choreographer Peter Pucci about his new ballet Dream On By set to the iconic music of Paul Simon, which will be premiered by Santa Barbara’s State Street Ballet on Saturday, April 27th at the historic Lobero Theatre.

If the video above is not showing, click the words “Peter Pucci” at the top of this post.

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An interview with Chicago-based conductor Francesco Milioto, who will be conducting Opera Santa Barbara’s production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale on Friday, April 26th and Sunday, April 28th.

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:46:00 +0000

Daniel Kepl chats with conductor Francesco Milioto between rehearsals for Opera Santa Barbara’s production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale on Friday, April 26th at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 28th at 2:30pm in the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara.

If the video above is not showing, click the words “Francesco Milioto” at the top of this post.

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“In advertising, not to be different is virtual suicide.”

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REVIEW: Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra on Tuesday, April 16, 2013

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:48:32 +0000

Daniel Kepl reviews the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra‘s performance Tuesday evening, April 16, 2013 in the historic Lobero Theatre. Heiichiro Ohyama conducted a program of German romantic music: Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 “Scottish” and the Violin Concerto of Brahms, with violin soloist Kyoko Takezawa.

If the video above is not showing, click the words “Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra” at the top of this post.

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“In advertising, not to be different is virtual suicide.”

— Thornton Wilder