Beach Cities

Symphony

NEWSLETTER

Barry Brisk, Music Director

VOLUME VII, NUMBER 3, APRIL 2000

 In one of them, the Marimba-Xylophone, he said: "Standard compositions of the masters, old and new, lend themselves to a faithful interpretation (on the marimba). Chopin’s works are suited to this instrument. Modern composers are beginning to be alerted to the individual tone color of this new instrument." He added that Charles Martin Loeffler’s Evocation, performed in that period by the Cleveland Orchestra, has both the marimba and vibraharp featured prominently, and said that the pioneer orchestra in using a marimba was that of the University of Illinois at Urbana. Mr. Musser deplored the former lack of seriousness with which the marimba was regarded, and made a career of successfully elevating it to the plane of recognition. He spent many years in research on the marimba himself. The firm he started is now the Musser-Kitching division of the Ludwig Drum Company.

 Under the auspices of the J. C. Deagan Company, in 1930, Mr. Musser organized the first of the marimba orchestras, comprising fifteen members. In August 1933, one hundred marimbists played together at the Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. In 1935, he founded the International Marimba Symphony Orchestra, also of one hundred players. They performed with great success in Europe, and at Carnegie Hall.

 Clair Musser lived in Reseda, California, and died at the age of 97 in 1998.

Next Concert April 14, 2000, 8:15 p.m.

 Beach Cities Symphony timpanist Ken Park was born in Murphysboro, Illinois, and started performing professionally at the age of thirteen. He was a member of the 5th Army Band from age 18 to 21, and graduated from Southern Illinois University. In the Midwest, he was a member of the Waukegan Symphony and the Vanguard Symphony.

 Ken moved to Southern California in 1973, and scored recording credits with singer Peggy Lee and with trumpeter Doc Severinson. His television music recording credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Phyllis, Tenspeed and Brownshoe, and Major Dad. In addition to studio work and teaching privately, Ken recently recorded and toured with Donna Summer, Barry Manilow, Tammy Wynette, and Kitaro. Ken will be performing four-mallet marimba playing in the Scherzo Caprice by Clair Musser at our April Concert.

 Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Maria Demina has won several prizes in national and international competitions and has performed professionally for twelve years, after winning the top prize in the Russian National Piano Competition. Miss Demina began her piano studies at the age of six with renowned pedagogue Vera Solovieva and gave her first public recital at age eight in the Small Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Two years later, at age ten, she played the premiere of Vladimir Rivkin’s Piano Concerto. In 1985 she continued her studies with Professor Vladimir Shakin at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory and graduated summa cum laude in 1994. She has performed extensively throughout Russia and Eastern Europe and has recorded on numerous occasions for Russian Public Radio.

 In 1991 she was invited to compete in the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition and shortly after made her American debut recital in Greenville, South Carolina for which she received a unanimous standing ovation. She has since played concerts in the US and Europe, and has been heard and interviewed on radio.

 Since 1992, Maria Demina has resided in Los Angeles and has already established herself as one of the leading musicians in the city. She has performed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Veteran’s Wadsworth Theater, Santa Monica College, and has been heard on KUSC-FM radio. In addition to an active performing career, Miss Demina enjoys an equally active teaching career. Her piano students have won awards in virtually every Los Angeles piano competition, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Bronislaw Kaper awards, the Brentwood, Torrance, Marina Del Rey, and Beach Cities Symphony competitions, the Young Musicians Foundation scholarships, and others. Miss Demina will perform the World Premiere of the Nica Piano Concerto at our April 14th concert.

 Grigore Nica plays violin in the Beach Cities Symphony and is also an active composer and music teacher. Mr. Nica was born in Ploesti, Romania in 1936 and received his Masters in Composition, Conducting and Teaching from the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest, Romania. He also worked as a music editor for the Romanian Radio Station from Bucharest, and he came to the US in 1990 as a political refugee from Romania.

 Mr. Nica is a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), and MTAC (Music Teachers Association of California). He has received many awards for his compositions, which have been performed in Romania, Germany, France, Holland, and the United States. The Beach Cities Symphony recently performed his Five Movements for Symphony Orchestra and some of his other works since he joined the Symphony. Mr. Nica lives in Torrance, where he teaches violin, viola, piano, and composition.

Upcoming Concerts

All concerts take place on Friday evenings at 8:15. Pre-concert lecture starts at 7:30

Maria Demina, Soloist

Kenneth Park, Marimba Soloist

Julie Kwak, Soloist

Fidelina Atsuko Yamaoka, Soloist

Megumi Harata, Soloist

C. L. & Judy Prow Walter W. Voss Jim Sweet

On December 7, 1999, fifteen volunteers from the Beach Cities Symphony Association gathered at Target’s Torrance store to participate in a heartwarming yearly tradition. As part of the corporation’s national community outreach policy, which in recent years has included a generous annual donation to our orchestra, Target in Torrance opens its doors for two hours each holiday season to seniors and those of all ages with special needs. During that time, customers receive whatever extra help they require from store personnel, a discount on all purchases, free refreshments, and free gift wrapping.

 Symphony volunteers who helped wrap presents this year were Norma Gass, Genevieve Kiser, Ellen Lapedes, Margaret McWilliams, Margaret Otell, AdaBelle Peterson, Erika Robinson, Ruth MacFarlane, Taryn MacFarlane, and Toni Empringham. Christmas music was provided by the Freeman Valley Woodwind Quintet, consisting of Bill Malcolm on flute, Bob Peterson on French Horn, Sam Capaldi on oboe, Bob Margolies on clarinet, and Hal Bowers on bassoon. All who showed up that day to offer their services received a long-lasting injection of good will in exchange for their time. "It certainly puts the holidays in perspective," commented Genevieve, voicing the feelings of everyone there.

Please forward newsletter inquiries to:

Beach Cities Symphony Association

PO Box 248

Redondo Beach, CA 90277-0248

Concert/Member Information Line: (310) 379-9725

Internet Site: http://www.netword.com/*bcso landecker@cyberdude.com

 Text: John Wisniewski

Editor/Advisors: Margaret McWilliams

Toni Empringham