Music

College View School Principal Jay Schwartz was having trouble containing her excitement for a visiting marimba troupe, so it was no surprise that smiles were ubiquitous among her students, some of whom shook rattles and tambourines from wheelchairs. The ensemble, Masanga Marimba, brought the lively sounds of West Africa and Latin America to the school, which serves students with severe mental and developmental disabilities. With the music echoing throughout the school compound, students pounded drums and mimicked the rhythm of the troupe with precision, Schwartz said.

One of my favorite things about summer is the free outdoor concerts that can be found throughout our surrounding cities. Not only are they really fun, they’re also family-friendly, which is right up our alley now that we have a baby. Our activities have been pretty limited since our little one was born, and we’re always on the lookout for things we can do with a baby in tow. So, on Thursday night, my husband and I decided to go see the Glendale Pops perform at The Americana on Brand.

The creative aspect of being a live performer and composer for TV shows and film is what La Crescenta musician David Siebels loves most about his profession. He will be recognized for that creativity by his alma mater, Cal State University Fullerton, when he receives the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award on April 30 during a ceremony hosted by Visions & Visionaries at the Anaheim Marriott. After graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in music and emphasis in music education, Siebels went on to arrange and produce 27 albums, score 35 films and nine television series, conduct 65 musical variety television shows and compose and arrange two musical variety television specials.

Producers forecast a frosting of renewed energy in dance and music for California Contemporary Ballet?s 12th annual performance of ?The Snow Queen? next weekend. Based on the classic by Hans Christian Andersen, the story is about a little girl named Gerda who saves her friend Kai from an evil spell. Emma Mesrobian of Glendale returns this year to dance the role of the Gypsy Woman, and she infuses the character with a lot of passion, said Erin Holt, artistic director of the professional nonprofit company.

Everyone deals with the clatter of everyday life, but Burbank resident Diego Stocco makes music out of it. His video piece, “Music From a Dry Cleaner,” shows Stocco capturing the sounds of Aviva Cleaners on Magnolia Boulevard. Using improvisation and technology, Stocco transforms them into a catchy electronic groove with a funky beat and expands the idea of where music can come from. For Stocco, whose prior work includes the piece “Music From a Tree,” these projects are an outgrowth of his natural musical curiosity.

Andy Markarian didn't shy away from being the only trombone player in the 2002 Elementary Honors Music Festival Wednesday night. Markarian, 11, a sixth-grader at Dunsmore, was among the 190 fifth- and sixth-grade students from Glendale's 20 elementary schools that played in Wednesday's show in Glendale High School's auditorium. The "Joy of Music" performance showcased the city's top elementary school players, featuring a wind and percussion ensemble and a string orchestra.

Rima Shah Music streamed softly from the Alex Theatre's forecourt Thursday, bringing in curious pedestrians walking outside during their lunch hour. Inside, the audience sat basking in the sun, reading books, eating, chatting softly or just listening to the melodious sounds of Paul Livingstone and his Arohi Ensemble. The music was an attempt to bring art closer to the people, break barriers and ascend in music toward God, Livingstone said. Paul Livingstone and his Arohi Ensemble, along with the spiritual music group Aradhna played from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Alex Theatre forecourt.

The Glendale News-Press recently visited Edison Elementary School and asked students: "What do you enjoy about playing an instrument?" "It's just nice to play an instrument." LAURA NAVAJA, 11 Glendale "When I have a party at my house, I can play for the guests." RENAROSE SARMIENTO, 10 Glendale "It's fun to hear the music and it's cool to be able to play the violin." ELIZA TURDZHYAN, 10 Glendale "It's fun because I get to listen to classical music and enjoy it. At the end we have a concert.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Fred Packard had a passion for various styles of music, from big band to opera, but he did more than just listen. For 35 years, he was an active supporter of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra, working with the group's association, which helps with everything from fund-raising to event production. A retired accountant, Packard was also the volunteer treasurer of the Glendale Community Concert Assn. "Music was his love," said Audrey, his wife of 42 years.

Rima Shah Lunch hour on Thursday at the Alex Theatre is going to sound melodious. Paul Livingstone and Arohi Ensemble, which plays creative world music blending the traditions of India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Spain, Brazil and jazz, will perform in the theater's forecourt. The city's Arts and Culture Commission received a grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission to bring art to the public, said Eve Rappoport, community services supervisor for the Arts and Culture Commission.

DreamWorks Animation is turning to the Australian outback for inspiration for its first full-on animated musical. The Glendale-based studio said it had tapped award-winning composer, actor and writer Tim Minchin to help create a musical project called "Larrikins," which is Australian slang for mischievous youth. The all-animal comedy, based on an original idea written by Harry Cripps ("Supernova") and produced by Christina Steinberg ( "Rise of the Guardians," "National Treasure")

These days Broadway, film and TV star Mandy Patinkin may be best known for his role as CIA Division chief Saul Berenson in the hit show "Homeland," but his first love is singing on stage. "There is nothing better or more fun. It's the love of my life," says the ebullient performer on the phone from Charlotte, North Carolina, where he has just started filming the third season of "Homeland. " On June 9, Patinkin will be in Los Angeles for a one-night benefit show at the Ford Theatre performing in front of the renowned Pasadena Pops Orchestra.

New 10-minute plays performed in Studio Theatre The Glendale Community College Theatre Arts Department presents "Present Life: An Evening of 10-Minute Plays," as part of the college's 85th anniversary celebration, opening Wednesday, May 8 in the GCC Auditorium Studio Theatre. Additional shows are May 9, 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. "Present Life" is an eclectic mix of new 10-minute plays from notable playwrights with the theme of birthdays and anniversaries. Seating in the Studio Theatre is limited and there is no late seating.

A quick show of hands here: How many SoCal cities have a resident Cuban restaurant? Not many, eh? Well, Glendale stands tall in this regard. Mambo's Café, at the corner of Victory Boulevard and Western Avenue, serves lunch and dinner, with live music two nights a week. Even the Versailles chain, the standard for Cuban cuisine among Los Angeles residents, can't boast a music schedule. Pull into the parking area that buffers the one-story building from the street traffic and you get the idea that Mambo's is a one-of-a-kind operation.

A teacher who taught vocal music lessons at Glendale Adventist Academy was sentenced Wednesday to a year in county jail for allegedly engaging in lewd acts with a male high school student, officials said. Valerie Jane Gonzales, 29, of El Monte, was also ordered to serve five years of formal probation and must register as a sex offender for life, according to Jane Robison, spokeswoman of the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Gonzales must also complete a year of sex abuse counseling.

In a small studio on the far edge of Glendale, a worldwide flow of music is in a moment of transition. On the turntable is a 45rpm disc of spectral, hypnotic sounds from 1980, as radio DJ Lee Joseph begins winding down his two-hour show on LuxuriaMusic.com . The record is “I'm Sorry,” a vinyl artifact of outsider music by the all-female art-punk band the Inflatable Boy Clams, a quartet as obscure as the music is exotic. Standing just outside the doorway is Kat Griffin, whose “Madly Cocktail” show is up next.

Glendale Pops subscribers probably don't know the name or music of 30-year-old Miles Mosley, a bassist and composer who headlines Saturday with the Glendale Pops Orchestra at the Alex Theatre. The pairing is a departure for a series more likely to feature artists with identifiable histories that make for a pleasant date night. “I've always been a proponent of showcasing new talent,” says Glendale Pops director Matt Catingub of the booking. “It's part of my mission to include this type of a showcase along with the things we did in our first season.

If you leave a phone message for guitarist/composer/arranger Greg Porée on a Monday or Tuesday, don't be surprised if you have to wait for a return call. Those days are taken up with providing the musical direction to a little enterprise called “Dancing with the Stars.” The hours are long and stressful, and when they're over, he needs time to himself. Drop into Andre Vener's welcoming Redwhite+Bluezz at 70 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena on a Wednesday night, though, and you'll find Porée and bassist Keith Jones providing engaging guitar-and-bass duets for the diners at that fine restaurant.

Carmine Sardo leads a double life much akin to that of a comic book superhero. By day, he's a mild-mannered merchant, tending to his La Crescenta auto and boat upholstery business. After dark, Sardo is transmogrified into a musical crusader, a player of audacious proficiency whose blend of California country music sensibility and hot, groove-oozing blues combine into a style that's as singular as it is arresting. The 68-year-old guitarist, who has been a resident of the Tujunga-Sunland-La Crescenta delta for over five decades, serves as anchor for the equally capable local combo the Shuffle Brothers and whenever the quartet sets up, whether it's Sundays at Glendale's Big Fish or Wednesdays at North Hollywoods' Michael's Pub, it's guaranteed they'll supply a drastically satisfying earful.

One of Glendale's major thoroughfares will be transformed into an international street fair aimed at celebrating the city's cultural diversity this Saturday. The annual Unity Fest will take over Brand Boulevard between Wilson and California avenues from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday for the 11th year and include international foods, children's games and activities, arts and crafts, and a variety of live dance and musical performances, including bands from local high schools. “The goal is to bring the community together and celebrate the diversity in Glendale,” said Patty Betancourt, a member of the Unity Fest's planning committee.