LA Opera Talk: Jules Massenet’s Thaïs

Sunday, May 4, 2:00 p.m.

Religion, ecstasy, lust… these are the fundamental motivations of the opera Thaïs by Jules Massenet. With a libretto by Louis Gallet based on a novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Anatole France, the opera tells of the conflict between the love of human pleasures and a devotion to God that ultimately consumes the lives of the two principal characters — the monk Athanaël and the courtesan Thaïs.

Using video clips from DVDs of three different productions of the opera, Community Educator RON STREICHER will present an uncensored exposé of the fate of this classic "fallen woman." (Because of the provocative sexual references and nudity, this presentation is rated "R" - not recommended for children.) Like Manon, which was written only a few years earlier, Thaïs was composed at the height of La Belle Epoque in Paris and is one of the most well-known of Massenet's more than two dozen operas.

Ron Streicher began his career in music as a pianist, percussionist, and choral conductor. His interest migrated to audio production while a volunteer for the music department of a public radio station in LA. That avocation subsequently evolved into a career that now spans nearly five decades as an independent audio consultant and recording engineer specializing in live performances.

Ron’s love for opera was kindled while playing tympani in the pit orchestra of the UCLA Opera Theatre and rapidly grew to an overwhelming passion. His career as an audio engineer has afforded him the opportunity to work with the touring companies of the New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera, and during his eighteen summers with the Aspen Music Festival and School, he served as the recording engineer and sound designer for more than fifty opera productions. His book, The New Stereo Soundbook is now in its third edition and has gained worldwide recognition as a standard reference on the subject of stereophonic perception, recording, and reproduction techniques.
Mark this date on the social calendar as Crowell Library celebrates LA Opera’s 2013/2014 season. Light refreshments will be served.

Movietown Baby Grows Up

Thursday April 24: 7:00 p.m.

Movietown Baby Grows Up is a blithe reminiscence of Hollywood in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and the life of one family as seen through the eyes of the youngest child. It is the story of William A. Seiter, director of 131 films, his wife Marian Nixon, actress in 73 films, how they made their way to fame, and yet lead a normal family life in spite of governesses, glamorous parties, and famous friends. Movietown Baby Grows Up is a vivid scrapbook with pictures interspersed through the rambling adventures of daughter Jessica Seiter Niblo’s not-so-ordinary memories.

William A. Seiter started working in Hollywood in 1915 as a stunt double and bit player and quickly graduated to directing comedy shorts. He moved up to features in the 1920s, directing such comedy legends as Laurel & Hardy (“Sons of the Desert”), Abbott and Costello (“Little Giant”), the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields. He directed Shirley Temple in four features and Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in “Roberta,” and “You Were Never Lovelier” with Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire. He helmed scores of television productions and was one of the founding members of the Directors Guild of America. Marian Nixon, aka “the nicest girl in Hollywood,” began her movie career in 1923 with “Cupid's Fireman” when she was nineteen. She was one of those fortunate actresses who made the successful transition to the "talkie" era. Her final film was “Tango” in 1936.

Daughter, Jessica Seiter Niblo, who will speak at Crowell Library on Thursday, April 24, worked at MGM for nine years as a production coordinator and secretary to television executive David Gerber. In addition to being an author, Jessica is a generous fundraiser, providing educational opportunities and scholarships that have profoundly improved the lives of many young people. Don’t miss this special evening on the golden age of Hollywood!

The Science of Learning: Unlocking Human Potential

On Monday, April 14th at 7:00 p.m., Dr. Yu-Wen Taylor will present today’s best thinking on how learning works, based on a convergence of evidence from cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and neuroscience. “The Science of Learning: Unlocking Human Potential” will reveal why some people are more effective learners than others and debunk common misconceptions about learning which hinder effort and motivation. Participants will understand high-leverage points for improving learning outcomes and gain the skills to cultivate mindsets conducive to learning. Strategies for improving meta-cognition and self-regulation will also be discussed. This workshop will be a must for parents, educators or any lifelong learner. Participants will have the opportunity to assess their learning quotient (LQ) – a more potent indicator of a person’s potential for success than the intelligence quotient (IQ).

YU-WEN TAYLOR is an educator whose mission is to help people become passionate and effective lifelong learners. She earned a Doctorate in Education from USC, an M.A. in Education from Stanford, and a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. She has taught at various grade levels for over eleven years and has coached and developed teachers. As the Learning Director of an entrepreneurial company in Silicon Valley, she fostered collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve the learning outcomes of K through 12 students. As an Education Consultant, Dr. Taylor advised the Ministry of Education in China on curricular and instructional issues relating to international and second language programs. She is currently conducting research on learning in the twenty-first century and the globalization of education to help policymakers, leaders, and stakeholders understand the complexity of learning in today’s world. She is a resident of San Marino and a Recreation Commissioner for the City.

Dr. Taylor believes that in this multifaceted and rapidly changing society, to master learning is to master life. If you are curious about how to unlock human potential, you won’t want to miss this special program at Crowell Public Library.

Preparing Your Heirs

Wednesday March 19: 7:00 p.m.

According to Roy Williams and Vic Preisser in their book, Preparing Heirs: Five Steps to a Successful Transition of Family Wealth and Values, studies show that 70% of heirs lose control of their inheritance within one generation and 93% within three generations. The loss of wealth is also often combined with a loss of pride, self-esteem, family harmony and productivity. In extreme cases, many wealth heirs turn to destructive behaviors such as substance abuse, loss of motivation and a culture of entitlement. Preparing Your Heirs will inform and educate parents on how to empower their children to lead independent, meaningful and purposeful lives. The program will present practical tools parents can deploy every day on how best to have those challenging conversations with family members and open up safe and productive channels of communication from one generation to the next.

AMIR MOSSANEN is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor for Wells Fargo Private Bank and is responsible for understanding and managing the financial situations for high net worth clients. He specializes in multi-generational planning, family education and succession planning. He has authored papers on the multi-generational wealth transfer and developed family dynamics workshops to enhance harmony and effectiveness across generations. He is also the author of “The Giving Dilemma,” “Beating the Midas Curse,” and “Coping with Sudden Wealth Syndrome.” Prior to his career in wealth management, Amir was a management consultant working with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies on strategy creation and implementation. He earned a Masters in Business Administration with a specialization on Customer Focused Strategy and his MBA thesis on fixed income arbitrage was awarded a distinction for its unique insights.

Come to Crowell Library for an informative evening on the exceptional risks that children of affluence face and how best to mitigate those risks.

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta and its Importance to California in the Past and in the Future

Monday, February 24, 7:00 p.m.

This week in Sacramento a drought bill known as H.R. 3964 is up for a vote. “The Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act” is authored by Representative David Valadao of Hanford (R-CA21), and seeks to loosen some restrictions and provide more water to farmers in the Central Valley, some say at the expense of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. In the midst of an historic drought, and what Governor Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency, Californians more than ever need to understand all aspects our most precious resource and where we get it. The San Marino Historical Society and Crowell Public Library invite one and all to hear Debra Man address this topic in depth at the Library, Monday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m.

Debra Man is the Chief Operating Officer of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and a San Marino resident. She will explain the history of the Delta, how it impacted California during the Gold Rush, what has happened to it since, and what is needed to keep it as an asset for California’s future as the state struggles with the least amount of rainfall in its 163-year history. Resolving the existing conflicts in the Delta between water supply and environmental needs will significantly improve the water supply reliability for all water users that rely on water from the Delta which includes San Marino.

This program is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Library’s Barth Community Room.

Two books, San Marino: A Centennial History by Elizabeth Pomeroy and The Story of Michael White, a California Rebel Pioneer by Dorothy Jenkins Ross will be available for purchase from the Historical Society.

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CROWELL PUBLIC LIBRARY 1890 Huntington Drive, San Marino, California 91108

LA Opera Talk: Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor (“Love is a Madness”)

Sunday, February 16, 2:00 p.m.

If you can’t make it to the Music Center or you’d like to broaden your understanding of Donizetti and his music, come to Crowell Library on February 16 at 2:00 p.m. for this special LA Opera Talk. Community Educator LARRY VERDUGO, who presented the Library’s LA Opera Program on Britten’s Turn of the Screw in 2011 and Billy Budd last month, will reveal some fascinating facts in a multi-media presentation in the Library’s Barth Community Room. The program is free and open to all opera aficionados and first timers.

Lucia Di Lammermoor is a romantic tale of family honor, betrayal and madness that takes place in Scotland and is one of Donizetti's most popular works. Larry Verdugo will describe Donizetti’s life, the music and the story depicted in the opera: forced by her family to marry against her will, Lucia descends into madness. Her chilling, blood-spattered reappearance at the wedding reception has become one of the most iconic scenes in all opera. A tour-de-force of Italian Romantic opera at its most powerful and dramatic, Lucia di Lammermoor is the gleaming jewel in opera’s bel canto crown.
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.
Mark this date on the social calendar as Crowell Library celebrates LA Opera’s 2013/2014 season. Light refreshments will be served.

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Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror

Thursday, February 20, 7:00 p.m.

The bombing of the Los Angeles Times on October 1, 1910 remains one of the deadliest crimes ever to go to trial in California. At least 20 workers at the Times died in the explosion and the fire that followed. More than 100 others were injured. On Thursday, February 20th in the Library’s Barth Community, learn all about it from author and journalist Lew Irwin, when he presents this fascinating look into Los Angeles history at 7:00 p.m.

The story of the bombing, the manhunt for the perpetrators, and the aftermath that would wreck the career of America's most famous attorney and set back the American labor movement by a generation, makes for fascinating reading, particularly at a time when terrorism again threatens American society. The magnificent cast of characters includes: General Harrison Gray Otis, owner of the Los Angeles Times, whose determined effort to keep Los Angeles non-union led to its being singled out as a bombing target; William J. Burns, who tracked down the bombers and became the first director of the FBI and founder of what remains the largest private security organization in the world; Earl Rogers, the brilliant criminal attorney, who became Erle Stanley Gardner's model for Perry Mason; the legendary attorney Clarence Darrow, who defended the bombers but who in desperation attempted to bribe two jurors; the muckraking journalist Lincoln Steffens, who had hoped to persuade the bombers to confess to him, thereby giving him the scoop of a lifetime.
Author Lew Irwin has had a hand in nearly every facet of news and information broadcasting. His career in journalism began in high school at the Los Angeles Times where he researched a sports trivia column. While still an undergraduate at USC, he was hired to host News Today, a nationally syndicated radio program whose regular contributors included Eleanor Roosevelt and legendary commentator H. V. Kaltenborn. For the next 15 years, Irwin's was a familiar face and voice in Southern California as he anchored television news programs or directed the news operations of leading radio stations, always adding a flair for humor and for pointing out the extraordinary. In 1968, he produced and hosted The Credibility Gap on KRLA Los Angeles, which integrated topical satire and music with the news. Time and Newsweek wrote full-page articles about it, and it was featured in a long segment on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. He currently is the publisher/editor of Studio Briefing, a daily digest of entertainment industry news. (http://www.studiobriefing.net)

On Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror by Lew Irwin:
Harry Chandler has called it, "a most fascinating and can't-put-down story."
"A gripping must-read tale of turbulent times." -- Dr. John Horgan, director, International Center for the Study of Terrorism, Penn State University

"Irwin, a veteran television journalist, is an artist in prose." -- Anthony Mostrom, L.A. Weekly

"Masterfully" written. -- Publishers Weekly