LA Opera Talk: Verdi’s Falstaff

Sunday, October 20, 2:00 p.m.

In honor of Verdi’s 200th birthday, LA Opera will present the crowning glory of the composer’s magnificent career, his comic masterpiece Falstaff. James Conlon, praised for his mastery of Verdi, conducts an unabashed celebration of Merrie Olde England’s lusty days and bawdy nights at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. When Shakespeare’s portly knight of Windsor hatches a plot to improve his love life by courting two different married women, he launches a flood of comic chaos and romantic misadventure. The libretto is by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. The world premiere was in 1893 at Teatro alla Scala, Milan. This opera will be performed in Italian with English supertitles at the Dorothy Chandler.

At Crowell Library, on Sunday, October 20th, an LA Opera Community Educator ED LIEB will present the background and important facts as well as the great moments about this classic opera. There will be a slide presentation with music, and a very funny DVD. Falstaff was Verdi’s last opera, following a life of amazing output.
Opera is not just magnificent music, dance and theater with astounding sets on a beautiful stage; opera can sweep you away to foreign lands, take you back in time, dazzle you with pageantry and bring history to life. It is literature, social studies, cultural diversity, multiple languages and most of all, it is exciting! Come explore the world of opera which has something for everyone.

This introduction to opera is absolutely free. Mark this date on the social calendar as Crowell Library welcomes LA Opera’s 2013/2014 season on a high note. Light refreshments will be served.

One World Music Concert

Sunday, October 13, 3:00 p.m.

Hear the music and learn about the cultures of China, Japan, the Middle East, Mexico and India when Crowell Library presents the first of what hopefully will be many One World Music concerts on Sunday, October 13th at 3:00 p.m. You will experience traditional music from China, Japan, India, and Mexico in addition to world fusion that melds music from a variety of genres. This versatile ensemble will also discuss the instruments to help the audience understand and appreciate the different cultures of origin.

Playing the pipa since she was five, JIE MA (Chinese Pipa and Ruan) received her Bachelor of Music degree from Tianjin Conservatory of Music and has performed numerous classical works for pipa and western orchestras, ensembles, and choirs. Jie has worked extensively with jazz, rock, bluegrass, and world musicians on experimental and improvisational projects. YUNHE LIANG (Chinese Erhu) began his erhu training at the age of eight. He graduated from Hebei Teachers College and Central Conservatory of Music. He has made several recordings for movies and music CDs, and has performed in venues such as the Los Angeles Music Center, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the Hollywood Bowl.

CHRISTOPHER GARCIA (Indian percussion) has made a career performing and composing for the drum set, percussion of India and percussion of ancient Mexico in a variety of musical settings with artists from jazz, rock, indigenous, classical and world music settings, throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Striving to encourage the appreciation of North Indian Classical music, JOHN STEPHENS (Indian Sitar) has performed across the United States and in India. He holds a degree in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music and a MFA in sitar performance from CalArts. SABA ALIZADEH (Persian Kamancheh) has an extensive record of discography mainly in film music. He has toured Europe and North America with various ensembles playing in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Royce Hall with the Hamavayan ensemble .

The goal of the One World Music is to enrich the community through intercultural communication, awareness and understanding. Don’t miss this stimulating afternoon of free world music in the Barth Community Room at Crowell Public Library.

Contributions Made to Astronomy by San Marino Resident, Edwin Hubble

Monday, September 23, 7:00 p.m.

The San Marino Historical Society kicks off its fall programming with a talk on Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer who played a crucial role in establishing the field of extragalactic astronomy. He is generally regarded as one of the most important observational cosmologists of the 20th century. Hubble is known for showing that the recessional velocity of a galaxy increases with its distance from the earth, implying the universe is expanding. He lived in San Marino from 1925 until he died in 1953, and the house remained in the Hubble family until approximately 1973. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and is the only house in San Marino so designated.

DR. JUNA KOLLMEIER is currently an Astronomer at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Pasadena. Her personal focus is theoretical astrophysics concerning the growth of cosmic structure on all scales. She received a B.S. (physics), 2000, from California Institute of Technology; and a Ph.D (astronomy), 2006, from The Ohio State University. She is both a Carnegie-Princeton Fellow and Hubble Fellow.

This program is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Library’s Barth Community Room. Seating is limited and attendance to these monthly programs has been to capacity so arrive early. At 6:00 pm San Marino Centennial books will available for purchase.

Classical Guitar Duets

Thursday, September 26, 7:00 p.m.

Two outstanding guitarists will present a fine evening of classical music featuring such composers as Bach, Mozart and Stravinsky on Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room. This special performance kicks off the Library’s new series of free quarterly concerts, featuring a range of musical styles and instruments, brought to you by the Friends of the Crowell Public Library and the San Marino Music Center. This guitar duo will be comprised of John Axume and Patrick Shiroishi.

John studied classical guitar under the direction of Peter Yates at Cal Poly Pomona. While there, John helped found a guitar trio known as the Classical Guitar Project which performed extensively throughout Los Angeles, making appearances at USC, UCLA, Cal State San Bernardino, Guittara California at Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo), as well as for the LA Philharmonic Society. John then turned his attention to jazz and studied under the late, great LA guitarist Ronald Muldrow. John went onto perform as a jazz guitarist at such venues as Steamers in Fullerton, The Hip Kitty in Claremont, and as a featured artist for KJazz Summer Concert Series at Century City Plaza. Last year, John opened the San Marino Music Center where he teaches guitar full time. Patrick Shiroishi earned a Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance under the instruction of Jeff Cogan at the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at Chapman University. While at Chapman, he actively performed in the Conservatory Guitar Quartet and Duo, which in 2008 took first place in a nationwide competition in Brownsville, Texas. He was also given the Guitarist of the Year Award in 2009. Patrick currently teaches guitar and saxophone at San Marino Music Center.

You won’t want to miss this blissful evening of free classical music at Crowell Library. Light refreshments will be served. For more information on the San Marino Music Center, visit: http://www.sanmarinomusiccenter.com/index.html.

History of Southern California and Los Angeles, 1880-1932

The USC Emeriti Center College in collaboration with the San Marino Historical Society, cordially invites you to participate in this six-session class, Health, Wealth and Intellect: John Randolph Haynes, USC and the Making of Los Angeles, 1880-1932 which will be taught by DR. JOHN G. (TOM) TOMLINSON. Dr. Tomlinson is the former Associate Dean of the Gould School of Law and has served as an administrator, instructor, and researcher of USC and southern California history for the past 32 years. The class will take place in the Library’s Barth Community on the following six Thursdays from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon: September 26, October 3, October 10, October 31, and November 7 and November 14.

Using the life of John R. Haynes (1853-1937) L.A. physician-millionaire-philanthropist and the development of USC, these lectures track the growth of Los Angeles from a dusty town of 12,000 in 1880 to an international metropolis approaching 2,000,000 in 1932 when the city hosted the Olympic Games. Participants will explore Los Angeles as a place of tuberculosis sanatoria, citrus orchards, oil fields, aqueducts, film sets, airports, with a diverse and international peoples. An avid student of Los Angeles history, Dr. Tomlinson will present cameos of the people who built this great city. He will share original publications that contain their visions of the future for the vast southern California region. He also will share an extensive collection of photographs and postcards.

The fee for the class is $60. Reservations are required, so please contact: ecrsvp@usc.edu or call (213) 740-7122. Mail your check payable to USC Emeriti Center College, and mail to 3715 McClintock Ave., 220, L.A., CA 90089-0191. For further Information, contact: Jerome B. Walker, Ph.D., Director, jbwalker@usc.edu or Judith C. Diaz, Assistant Director, judydiaz@usc.eduUSC Emeriti Center College, emeriticollege.usc.edu, (213) 740-8841.

TWO FREE TECHNOLOGY CLASSES

Tuesday, September 24 - 7:00 pm
& Sunday, October 20 - 3:30 p.m.

What good is that electronic gadget you’re carrying around if you can’t make it work? Do you own an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or android device that baffles and aggravates you? Help is on the way at Crowell Library! An eager group of tech-savvy students from San Marino High School has volunteered to meet with people to try to help them figure these gadgets out. The sessions are unstructured and the students will try to democratically divide their time in helping attendees overcome obstacles with these devices. Time may be limited on your particular question, depending on the number of people who attend.

The class is well suited for seniors or anyone who needs help. Be sure to bring your device and go to the Thornton Conference Room upstairs at the Library.

Brain Aerobics Returns to Crowell Library -- Lip Reading Made Fun with Francine Katz

Mondays & Tuesdays starting September 23

Challenge your memory, improve your language skills, and ease the burden of hearing loss by learning to lip read. In these fun and stimulating classes, students will enhance their verbal skills by analyzing how language looks and sounds. Instructor FRANCINE KATZ challenges the class to memorize sentences, play word games and focus on lip-reading skills. She has taught this class at various locations for over 45 years and students rave how their mental agility has improved after participating.

Francine Katz, MA, SLP, CCC, is a graduate of Northwestern University and a licensed speech-language pathologist and lip reading specialist. Mrs. Katz was with Pasadena City College for over twelve years. She was “Teacher of the Year” at PCC in 2005. She was also listed in “Who’s Who in America,” Western Section.

Get your brain in shape with a free weekly two-hour workout in the Barth Community Room at Crowell Library in a relaxed atmosphere with rewarding results. Choose either Mondays from 12:30p or Tuesday mornings at 9:30a. No obligation visits are also welcome.

Boosting your brain power can only help you age with grace!