Archive for 2012

Give the gift of music this holiday season with a Pasadena Symphony and POPS Gift Certificate! Call our Box Office at (626) 793-7172 to order today!

Gift certificates are available in any denomination, and may be used for any of their upcoming concerts.

“We’ve found that people really love giving our gift certificates as holiday presents,” explained Paul Jan Zdunek, CEO of the Pasadena Symphony Association. “It’s a thoughtful present that can be used throughout the new year by the ‘person-who-has-everything’ in your life!”

The Pasadena Symphony performs their Singpoli Classics series in the acoustically superb Ambassador Auditorium from October through April. With extensive credits in the film, television, and recording studio, the musicians of the Pasadena Symphony and POPS are the most heard musicians in the world. The next concert in their Singpoli Classics series will be held on January 12, featuring Grammy Award nominated violinist Caroline Goulding performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto with conductor Tito Muñoz. Also on the program is arguably one of the greatest first symphonies ever written – Brahms Symphony No. 1, alongside Composer-In-Residence Peter Boyer’s work “Apollo,” a sparkling feast of sounds.

The Pasadena POPS Sierra Acura Summer Concert Series, held at the lavishly beautiful LA County Arboretum from June through September, are fun, outdoor events with a festive picnic atmosphere. Under the direction of its new Principal Pops Conductor Michael Feinstein, the concerts celebrate America’s favorite popular music, from the Great American Songbook to the definitive orchestral tribute to the Beatles with Classical Mystery Tour, culminating in this season’s special appearance by Broadway legend Bernadette Peters.

The Pasadena Symphony also performs their annual Holiday Candlelight concert to sold-out crowds in Pasadena’s All Saints Church each December.

To order a Pasadena Symphony and POPS gift certificate this holiday season, contact the Box Office at 626.793.7172. Gift certificates may also be purchased in person at any concert or by visiting their administrative offices at 2 North Lake Avenue Suite 1080 in Pasadena.

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File Under: General News

Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory may be best known for its unparalleled scientific endeavors such as landing the Curiosity Rover on the surface of Mars, but on Tuesday, December 18, another side of the organization will be on display. The JPL Chorus, founded earlier this year in a partnership with the Pasadena Symphony Association, presents its first annual Evening of Classic Christmas Music at 7:30pm in Monrovia’s Live Oak Vineyard Church.

“This is a group that is very dedicated and working extremely hard to make beautiful music,” explained Donald Brinegar, Director of Choruses with the Pasadena Symphony Association. “They are absolutely filled with the season’s cheer.”

The chorus is comprised of nearly fifty employees coming from a wide variety of roles within JPL, including scientists, engineers, administrators, software, business people, and more. They rehearse each Wednesday afternoon, trading lab coats for chorus folders. The JPL Chorus debuted in May, and performed over the summer with the Pasadena POPS in their highly-acclaimed summer concert series at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

Sharing the stage with the JPL Chorus will be Pasadena City College’s Donald Brinegar Singers. The Donald Brinegar singers have recorded more than ten CDs and received nominations for seven GRAMMY first-ballot awards.

“As our colleagues at JPL must always be precision perfect as well as super-humanly creative, so are our musicians of the Pasadena Symphony and POPS, which makes for an exciting partnership in this city of Arts & Sciences,” noted Paul Jan Zdunek, Chief Executive Officer of the Pasadena Symphony Association.

The evening’s program includes holiday favorites, such as “Joy to the World,” “Lo How a Rose e’re Blooming,” and “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” among other carols. Two of the pieces were arranged by JPL engineers in the chorus: “What Child is This” by Todd Barber and “Love Be Ours” by William M. Owen. There will also be a sing-along section of the concert for the audience to participate.

“The audience is in for a real treat,” continued Brinegar. “There is so much enthusiasm and joyfulness coming from this group.”

Admission to the JPL Chorus Winter Concert is free and does not require reservations. A freewill offering will be taken with all donations will be given to the Monrovia Unity Center; suggested donation is $10. The concert will be held at Live Oak Vineyard Church in Monrovia on Tuesday, December 18 at 7:30pm. For additional information, contact the Pasadena Symphony Association at 626.793.7172 or online at PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org.

IF YOU GO:

• What: Evening of Classic Christmas Music
• Who: The Pasadena Symphony Association’s JPL Chorus
• When: Tuesday, December 18 at 7:30pm
• Where: Live Oak Vineyard Church | 1307 S Myrtle Ave, Monrovia
• Cost: Free, but a freewill offering will be taken with all donations will be given to the Monrovia Unity Center; suggested donation is $10

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File Under: Community, General News, Special Events

Do you know someone who has not yet experienced the Pasadena Symphony? If they order tickets and mention your name, we will send you a $20 coupon for a future ticket purchase!

Call our Box Office today at (626) 793-7172 today for more details.

This offer valid for any current ticket buyer who refers a new buyer not already in the Pasadena Symphony Association database. New buyers must purchase over the telephone or in-person and mention current ticket buyer’s name during transaction.

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The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 41th season with a free annual Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 4th at 7:00pm in Pasadena High School’s auditorium (2925 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena). The performance features the three educational ensembles of the Pasadena Symphony Association: the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble.

The concert is a culmination of weekly rehearsals for the 160 students involved in the ensembles. Under the direction of Music Director Jack Taylor and Conductors Pin Chen and Gary Yearick, the students have developed their skills by playing alongside a variety of dedicated peers from over 40 schools throughout Los Angeles the and San Gabriel Valley.

The students have also benefited from direct exposure to the professional conductors who work with the Pasadena Symphony. Mei-Ann Chen, director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and Memphis Symphony, Edwin Outwater, Music Director of Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and Grant Cooper, director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, have all spent rehearsals with the students exposing them to professional rehearsal and performance techniques.

Auditions for the ensembles of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra are held each year in May, and are open to students entering grades 6 through 9. The ensembles perform multiple concerts throughout the year and travel for retreats and performance tours.

Entrance to the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 4 at 7:00pm is free. For details and more information, visit www.PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org or call 626.793.7172.

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File Under: General News, Pasadena PYSO