NEXT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18: FREE CONCERT OF MUSIC BY RAYNER BROWN
Music of Rayner Brown will be performed on Sunday, February 18
at 4:00 p.m. at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd. at
Madison Ave., Pasadena, in a free concert honoring the Los Angeles
composer who died in 1999 at the age of 87.
A distinguished composer, performer and teacher, and a champion
of new music, Brown was professor of music at Biola University in La
Mirada for 30 years, and organist at Wilshire Presbyterian Church in Los
Angeles for 55 years. His more than 200 compositions include six
symphonies and 20 concertos, large ensemble and chamber works, choral
music, and works for piano, harpsichord and organ, many of which have
been performed and recorded throughout the world. He was the recipient
of numerous commissions and grants, and was honored with 35 annual
awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
for his "outstanding contributions to American music."
The program, drawn from Brown’s works for small ensembles and
soloists, will consist of Partita "Wicked Polly" for Flute, Oboe,
Clarinet, Bassoon and Harp; Sonata for Violin and Harp; "Papillons" for
Organ; Ballade for Trumpet and Piano; "Jesus to His Disciples" for
Baritone and Organ; and Sonata for Alto Saxophone, Percussion and Organ
Duet. Performers will be Cherry Rhodes, Ladd Thomas, and Edward Murray,
organ; Eli Villanueva, baritone; Theresa Dimond, percussion; James
Rotter, saxophone; Heather Clark, flute; Kimaree Gilad, oboe; Georg
Klaas, clarinet; Judy Farmer, bassoon; Marcia Dickstein, harp;
Elizabeth Pitcairn, violin; David Washburn, trumpet; and Bernadene
Blaha, piano.
The concert is cosponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter, American
Guild of Organists, the Ruth and Clarence Mader Memorial Scholarship
Fund, and Friends of Music at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, and is open
to the public without charge. Information: (626)793-2191.
