Join the Downey Symphony Orchestra for “The Stars Align” on October 22, 2016 at 8:00pm. This will be a thrilling program featuring the powerful and expressive work by Gustav Holst, The Planets. In keeping with the symphony’s tradition of commissioning new pieces, the concert also includes the world premiere of a composition by long-time Downey resident and well-established composer, Lars Clutterham.
Read about the concert, the composer, and Downey Arts Coalition’s Cosmic art show at the links below:
On October 2nd, 2016, the Downey Arts Coalition and the City of Downey present a celebration of Art, Film, Space and Downey’s 60th Anniversary. “Stardust Art Festival” takes place 12PM to 6PM at the Downey Civic Theatre, with free movies provided by GlennFest Film Festival including Ice Age: Collision Course, the astronaut documentary The Last Man on the Moon, and the anime concert film Joe Hisaishi in Budokan: Studio Ghibli 25 Years. The Aerospace Legacy Foundation presents a panel discussion about Downey’s role in aerospace history, “Journey to the Stars and Beyond.” There will be artist booths on the plaza, live music, food trucks, and “Cosmic,” a special curated art exhibit in the theatre lobby.
Downey Arts Coalition in partnership with the Downey Symphonic Society, Aerospace Legacy Foundation, Glennfest Film Festival, and the City of Downey present:
“Stardust Art Festival”
Sunday, October 2
Downey Theatre and Ken Miller Plaza
Art Walk noon to 6:00 p.m.
vendors, music, food trucks, refreshments for sale
Opening of Art Exhibit “Cosmic” in Theatre Lobby
12:30 p.m. film Ice Age: Collision Course in the Downey Civic Theatre
2:30 p.m. panel presentation: “Journey to the Stars and Beyond” by Aerospace Legacy Foundation
4:00 p.m. film Last Man on the Moon(documentary on Gene Cernan and Apollo Program)
6:00 p.m. film Joe Hisaishi in Budokan: Studio Ghibli 25 Years(concert film by the composer for anime master Hayao Miyazaki)
introduced by Sharon Lavery, Music Director, Downey Symphony Orchestra
Artists
We’re proud to host a number of artists from Downey and beyond:
The Last Man on the Moon (4PM) is an impressively crafted, affectionate portrait of astronaut Gene Cernan and, by extension, the program that concluded with Cernan’s 1972 Apollo 17 landing. Conveyed in first person through the razor-sharp recollections of the now 81-year-old Texas rancher, the film traces Cernan’s career trajectory, going back to his days in San Diego as a hot-shot naval aviator, blending terrific archival footage with contemporary perspectives to quietly poetic effect. More information and trailers at www.thelastmanonthemoon.com.
Ice Age: Collision Course (12:30PM – PG) is the fifth movie in the popular series from Blue Sky Studios. Manny the mammoth starts to worry when his daughter Peaches announces her engagement. Still unlucky in love, Sid the sloth volunteers to plan the couple’s wedding. To Manny’s dismay, nothing can stop the upcoming nuptials, except maybe the end of the world. When Scrat accidentally launches himself into outer space, he sets off a chain reaction that sends an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. Now, the entire herd must leave home to explore new lands and save itself from Scrat’s cosmic blunder. Website.
Joe Hisaishi in Bodukon: Studio Ghibli 25 Years (6PM) Joe Hisaishi, one of the greatest composers of Japanese film music to date, conducts the New Japan Philharmonic (World Dream) Orchestra among a host of other musicians, including marching bands and choirs, numbering over a thousand musicians on stage, performing in the Nippon Budokan venue in Japan. This concert celebrates 25 years of collaboration between Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki and is a jubilee of the music that Hisaishi has composed for an assortment of the Miyazaki films, some of them re-arranged here and there for concert performance. Selections from the films are projected onto the enormous screen that looms over the orchestra to go along with the music. The selections are from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”, “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” “Porco Rosso”, “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away,” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” (Review source: Yu-Ten Lee via Amazon.com)
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This event is FREE and open to the public. Handicap accessible. For more information contact Downey Arts Coalition at contact@www.downeyarts.org or call (562) 419-ARTS (2787)
The opening reception for a special poetry and art exhibit “Life in Print” will be held Saturday September 24th, 5 to 8PM at the Norwalk Cultural Art Center, Mary Paxon Gallery (3200 Clarkdale Ave, Norwalk, California 90650).
Hannah Matus and Alyssa Wynne will host their first group exhibit at the Mary Paxon Art Gallery from Tuesday, September 13, to Saturday, October 1. All are welcome to the reception, which will feature live music and merchandise available for purchase (cash only, please).
Hannah and Alyssa are collaborating to bring the world a show that is way past due. They aim to give a voice to those who have been hushed all their lives through Matus’s art and Wynne’s poetry. Together the duo will display approximately 50 screen printed pieces that will shine light on the dark moments in American history and culture, such as the social perspective on mental health/disability, white privilege/modeled minorities, women’s suffrage, and police brutality. “Life in Print” is best described by their official artist statement:
We are icebergs waiting to
pierce an approaching ship.
Our words and appearance
compile the 10 percent at
the surface–but the mass
that matters, the bulk of our
being, is hidden underwater.
This exhibition is the 90
percent. It’s a voice for the
unspoken words. It’s an
image for the unseen
details. We are icebergs,
and we have pierced the
approaching ship.
Call to Artists! Join us in our next group art exhibition: Cosmic coming to the Downey Civic Theatre October 2nd to the 25th. Downey Arts Coalition presents the show in collaboration with the Downey Symphony Orchestra’s fall concert.
The theme is, “The universe, sun, moon, outer space, celestial bodies, space travel, terrestrial landscapes and space exploration.” Downey has a special connection to space, as the home of the Apollo, creators of the Apollo capsules, and the place where the Space Shuttle was designed and many of the parts built.
All medias, mixed media, all sizes, self-contained. No fee to submit, each selected piece is subject to a participation fee of $5. Deadline is Monday, September 19th.
Take us on a journey into the stars and the vast reaches of space to worlds outside our understanding. Mankind’s imagination was realized as we went beyond our fears with space exploration, gazing upon the wonder beyond our home into the celestial beauty of the cosmos.
Selected artists will be featured in the Symphony concert program and be publicly recognized from the stage, as well as have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to the evening’s performance.
For consideration, email andrewh@www.downeyarts.org, Jpeg images of the artwork, and list the title, size, medium and a sentence about the relation to the theme.
Roy Anthony Shabla will exhibit his new solo show Water Music / Fire Dance at the Mary Paxon Art Gallery from Tuesday, May 10, to Saturday, May 28. If you would like to meet the artist, ask questions about pricing or the artwork, or simply enjoy a night among art and artists, please attend their reception on Friday, May 13, 7-9 p.m.
Roy Anthony Shabla is a painter and poet living in the Los Angeles area. His large scale work, Water Music: Blue and Gray 2015, was exhibited onstage opening night of the Downey Symphony Orchestra, October 2015. That 36-foot painting is included in this show with new work from the same series. Shabla is the Director of Collections for the Downey Museum of Art and hosts a monthly salon in his home with live music, poetry readings, and featured artists. All are welcome.
The Mary Paxon Gallery is located at the Norwalk Cultural Arts Center, adjacent to the Norwalk Arts & Sports Complex at Norwalk park. The address is 13200 Clarkdale Ave, Norwalk, CA 90650.
Another successful art show, “Classical Elements,” on April 9th presented two dozen local artists’ work along with the Downey Symphony concert, “A European Exhibition.” The concert featured a new work from composer Oscar Navarro, who also wrote the Downey Overture, a whimsical orchestral piece dedicated to our city. Clarinetist Kelli O’Connor was the featured performer for Navarro’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2.
Special thanks to all the artists who participated, as well as the concert production team, curator Eloise Ball, producer Pat Gil and coordinator Andrew Hernandez. The Downey Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Music director Sharon Lavery, and supported by the Downey Symphonic Society, president Larry Lewis and a board of dedicated individuals who keep this important cultural institution alive.
We are also grateful to the City of Downey and Mayor Alex Saab for presenting a city proclamation to the Downey Symphony Orchestra and a certificate of recognition to composer Oscar Navarro and, acknowledging his outstanding contributions to our city.
Consider supporting the Downey Symphony Orchestra through your donations and participating in fundraising events. This will help continue their legacy of impactful music and cultural experiences in our community.
Director Sharon Lavery and the Downey Symphony Orchestra
“Waves In Motion,” glass sculpture by Michael Robinson, will be one of several art pieces on display at the Downey Theatre in conjunction with the Downey Symphony performance on April 9.
DOWNEY – The Downey Symphonic Society, once again in collaboration with the Downey Arts Coalition, concludes the 2015– 16 Concert Series of the Downey Symphony Orchestra at the Downey Theatre by presenting an evening filled with classical music and and art exhibit with the theme “The Classical Elements – Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.”
Music Director Sharon Lavery describes another delightful evening of music planned to conclude the 58th season of the Downey Symphony Orchestra, “This concert is entitled “A European Exhibition” and we will have two works by one of our favorite composers, Oscar Navarro. There is no better way to start off this great program than to perform Oscar’s piece specifically written for and dedicated to the Downey Symphony Orchestra, “Downey Overture.”
Also on the program is Navarro’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2, performed by nationally recognized clarinetist, Kelli O’Connor. The masterful “Pictures at an Exhibiition” by Modest Mussorgsky will conclude the program, topping off what promises to be an inspiring evening of music.”
Opening the concert will be Catherine Peterson, winner of the “Baton Auction” fundraiser in April of 2015. The musical selection she will be conducting is “to be announced” at the time of this article’s writing.
Once again, after intermission at this concert, there will be the 2016 “Baton Auction” held to raise funds to support the Downey Symphony Orchestra and also give the lucky winner the opportunity to lead the stage full of professional musicians in April of 2017.
All of the above activity will take place within the auditorium of the Downey Theatre beginning at 8:00 p.m. However, the doors to the Downey Theatre lobby will open at 6:30 p.m. for the “Opening Night” of an art exhibit entitled “The Classical Elements – Earth, Water, Air, and Fire” curated by Pat Gil and Eloisa Ball, members of the Downey Arts Coalition. The theme was chosen in connection with Earth Day which is on April 22.
In the “Call To Artists” looking for artwork to feature in the exhibit, the parameters were set for the work to be from any medium or mixed media, any size, and self-contained. Of course, the artwork must be within the theme set for the exhibit.
Guidelines included the suggestions that the artists “embark on a journey exploring the classical elements or the temperaments of people, places or things. Unearth them individually or combine them all to create an explosion of new matter.”
Pat Gil explained, “I am pleased to have the following wonderful artists returning: Carolina Del Toro, our local abstract nature photographer who is one of the favorites that is always asked about; Lindsay Yost, a local mosaic artist whose wonderful imagination and craftsmanship is always a crowd pleaser, and has the audience coming back for more; Susy Arteaga , another local artist who often sells her works at these exhibits, is gifted with a wonderful use of color and seems to be getting more talented with every exhibit; and Kristine Augustyn who uses wonderful colors that remind people of Monet.”
Eloisa “EJ” Ball added, “I’m very pleased to see artists from different cities wishing to participate in our art exhibitions. We have an artist, Geoffrey E. Levitt, coming from Lancaster, CA to exhibit his watercolor on paper, Old Point Loma Lighthouse. We are also excited to introduce a 2016 Award Winning Artist from Orange County, Michael Robinson. Michael works in glass and we are thrilled to exhibit his amazing surfing wave sculptures.
His sixteen years of experience in sculpting glass have brought him to the point of capturing life and movement in his glass pieces. His “Waves in Motion” sculpture consists of three waves and it is incredible! We are very humbled to see our local artists supporting the Downey Symphony Orchestra concerts and very honored that many new artists from different cities are delighted to be exhibiting in our art exhibitions and supporting our orchestra as well.”
Additionally, Pat Gil noted, “Trista Dominqu is the featured poet and has written a poem specifically for the concert that goes with the art show. The name of the poem is “Born From Water” and it will be read on stage right after Sharon’s pre-concert lecture is over.”
On the day of the concert and art exhibit, Saturday, April 9, the Downey Chamber of Commerce’s Street Faire will be going on until 7 p.m. Brookshire Avenue will be closed from Firestone Boulevard to 5th Street. Theatre performers and patrons should allow extra time to find parking – not necessarily in the immediate vicinity of the Downey Theatre.
To restate the facts: The art exhibit “The Classical Elements – Earth, Water, Air, and Fire” and the Downey Symphony Orchestra concert “A European Exhibition” take place at the Downey Theatre on Saturday, April 9.
The lobby doors open at 6:30 p.m.. A lecture about the music being performed is given from the stage by Music Director/Conductor Sharon Lavery at 7:15 p.m. The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Tickets are still available at the Downey Theatre Box Office, 8435 Firestone Blvd., open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and one hour before the concert. You may order tickets by telephone at (562) 861-8211 or online at downeysymphony.org.
Sponsor: Downey Arts Coalition and Downey Symphony
Where: Downey Civic Theater, 8435 Firestone Blvd., Downey, CA 90241
When: Saturday, April 9, 2016 – 6:30 p.m.
Duration: Thru May 4, 2016
Theme: The Classical Elements
Parameters: All Medias, Mixed Medias, All Sizes, Self- Contained.
Fee: $5 per selected art piece
Deadline: Sunday March 27, 2016, Midnight
The Classical Elements, together with the Downey Symphony Concert, A European Exhibition will be Saturday, April 9, 2016. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
Embark on a journey exploring the classical elements or the temperaments of people, places or things. Unearth them individually or combine them all to create an explosion of new matter.
Artwork must be regarding theme. Selected artists will be featured in the Symphony concert program, with your contact information, will be publicly recognized from the stage, and will have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to the evening’s performance.
For consideration, please submit images, with a one sentence description of your artwork, via email to Eloisa Ball at ej@www.downeyarts.org.
Those selected will be sent an artist’s information packet re details about delivery and retrieval.
The Downey Arts Coalition was proud to present the group art show, themed “Tempest” about the storms of life and art, January 23rd at the Downey Civic Theatre, along side the Downey Symphony Orchestra concert “Strings Stravaganza.” EJ Ball curated the works, from local artists throughout Southern California.
It was also the world premiere of a new work for multimedia and orchestra “To Dust,” composed by Bryan Curt Kostors and conducted by DSO Music Director Sharon Lavery.
You can read more about the event in an article at The Downey Patriot:
