Theater | Music | Lectures | Film | Exhibits
Theater

Still Life with Parrot and Monkey
by Paula Cizmar
The senior BFA class of the USC School of Theatre kicks off its season with a new work by Cizmar, adjunct associate professor. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 8-11, Scene Dock Theatre, $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 USC students.

The Scarlet Letter, adapted by Phyllis Nagy
In this distinctly modern, non-naturalistic treatment of Hawthorne’s haunting tale of obsession and revenge, it is young Pearl who recounts the story of Hester Prynne – her adulterous mother who bravely wears a badge of sin “on the breast of her gown, in fine, red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread.” (213-740-2167)
Oct. 11-14, Bing Theater, $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 USC students.

Tis Pity She’s a Whore , by by John Ford
Giovanni loves Annabella, and Annabella loves Giovanni. Now she’s pregnant. John Ford’s 1633 revenge tragedy is the first major English drama to portray fulfilled incest between a brother and sister. (213-740-2167)
Oct. 18-21, Scene Dock Theatre, $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 USC students.

Mansfield Park, adapted by Willis Hall
Poor, modest Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy relatives in this 1994 dramatic adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1814 novel exploring the social and moral values of three families – the Bertrams, the Crawfords and the Prices. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 8-11, Scene Dock Theatre, $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 USC students.

Picnic at Hanging Rock, adapted by Laura Shamas
On a drowsy St. Valentine’s Day in 1900, a party of Australian boarding school girls go on an outing to Hanging Rock. Three girls and one teacher disappear into thin air. One of them resurfaces a week later, remembering almost nothing. Author Joan Lindsay adapted her 1967 novel for the critically acclaimed Peter Weir film, and playwright Laura Shamas has adapted the mystery for the stage. (213-740-2167)
Nov. 15-18, Bing Theater, $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 USC students.

Music

Bang on a Can All-Stars
The unique blend of clarinets, saxophones, electric guitar, cello, bass, keyboards and percussion doesn’t seem to fit into any recognizable category. The New York Times called the All-Stars “a fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble.” Presented by USC Spectrum. (213-740-2167)
Sept. 10, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $18 general, $12 USC faculty/staff and seniors, $5 USC students.

Gwendolyn and Adolph Koldofsky Memorial Benefit Recital
Pianists Alan Smith and Kevin Fitz-Gerald, soprano Elizabeth Hynes and other USC Thornton School of Music faculty members present an evening of chamber music in the school’s annual tribute and benefit to support the Koldofsky Scholarship in Keyboard Collaborative Arts. (213-740-2584)
Sept. 18, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, donations accepted.

Thornton Chamber Orchestra
Artistic director Yehuda Gilad directs the orchestra through a program as adventurous as his triumphant tour of Israel this summer. Works include Ginastera’s Variaciones Concertantes, Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 in D (featuring flutist Elizabeth Detweiler) and Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat. (213-740-2584)
Sept. 28, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $12 general, $5 students and seniors, free with USC ID.

Thornton Wind Ensemble
H. Robert Reynolds, the newly appointed principal conductor of the Thornton Wind Ensemble, is the preeminent conductor and educator in college/conservatory-level wind playing. Directing his debut concert at the USC Thornton School, Reynolds presents works such as Richard Strauss’ Wiener Philharmonic Fanfare, Warren Benson’s The Passing Bell, Don Freund’s “Jug Blues and Fat Pickin’” and USC Thornton School faculty member Frank Ticheli’s Blue Shades. (213-740-2584)
Sept. 30, 4 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, free.

Thornton Symphony
Principal conductor Sergiu Comissiona leads the symphony in an exciting program of new and favorite works, including a world premiere by USC Thornton School faculty member Donald Crockett. Also on the program is Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra, featuring cellist Kamil Musaev, and Richard Strauss’ epic tone poem Ein Heldenleben. (213-740-2584)
Oct. 5, 8 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $12 general, $5 students and seniors, free with USC ID.

Thornton Contemporary Music Ensemble
Donald Crockett directs a program of international scope, including Evan Chambers’ Cold Water, Dry Stone, a piece inspired by a trip to Albania; Poul Ruders’ theatrical piece for solo percussion, Alarm; and Henryk Górecki’s Kleines Requiem für eine Polka. (213-740-2584)
Oct. 9, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

Thornton Early Music Ensemble
Acclaimed lutenist James Tyler leads the ensemble in a program of late Renaissance and early Baroque music. (213-740-2584)
Oct. 12, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

Karnak
This collective from Brazil, dedicated to relentless sonic experimentation, combines regional rhythms with a wide variety of world-music sampling and styles. The brainchild of singer, writer, producer, sound engineer, soundtrack composer, semantics expert and world traveler Andre Abujamra, Karnak has never been a steady group, but rather, in the words of its founder, “a monster, a beautiful beast made up of too many people, plus two actors and a dog.” Presented by USC Spectrum. (213-740-2167)
Oct. 17, 8 p.m., call for location and admission price.

Thornton Symphony
Principal conductor Sergiu Comissiona and the Thornton Symphony offer up a
concerto-rich program featuring soloists on cello, piano and clarinet: Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, with cellist Fang Fang Xu; Beethoven’s Concerto No. 4 in G, with pianist Laurie Kono; and Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, with clarinetist Kazem Abdullah. (213-740-2584)
Oct. 19, 8 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $12 general, $5 students and seniors, free with USC ID.

Fall Festival of Choirs
USC Thornton School of Music choral groups, including the prize-winning Thornton Chamber Choir, present an evening with the programmatic theme “Ode to Music.” Works include Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and both Britten’s and Dello Joio’s Ode to St. Cecilia. (213-740-2584)
Oct. 20, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

Camerata Ireland
Musicians from both Ireland and Northern Ireland joined forces in 1999, under
the direction of internationally renowned pianist Barry Douglas, to create a new chamber orchestra imbued with a Celtic spirit. The Tchaikovsky Competition-winning founder and artistic director “conducts with a communicative urgency that jolts the most concert-weary war horses back to life,” according to the Washington Post. Presented by USC Spectrum. (213-740-2167)
October 21, 3 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $18 general, $12 USC faculty/staff and seniors, $5 USC students.

Thornton Chamber Orchestra
Brahms and Haydn entice Thornton Symphony principal conductor Sergiu Comissiona to take a swing, so to speak, at directing the Thornton Chamber Orchestra. Works include Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 in G (Military) and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn. (213-740-2584)
Oct. 26, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, $12 general, $5 students and seniors, free with USC ID.

Studio Guitar Department Recital
Faculty members of USC’s dynamic Studio Guitar department present a stylistically wide-ranging recital. Performers include Richard Smith, Frank Potenza, Joe Diorio, Steve Travato, Pat Kelly and special guests. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 11, 4 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

Thornton Wind Ensemble
Principal conductor H. Robert Reynolds and resident conductor Sharon Lavery present a wide-ranging evening of wind music, including Leonard Bernstein’s “Profanation” from Symphony No. 1, Dahl’s Sinfonietta and Robert Paterson’s Stomp Igor. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 18, 4 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, free.

University Orchestra
Principal conductor Sharon Lavery leads the University Orchestra, an ensemble of non-professional USC community musicians, in a program that includes Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. (213-740-2584)
Nov. 20, 8 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, free.

Thornton Early Music Ensemble
Director James Tyler leads the ensemble, a consort of up to 21 musicians who perform with period instruments and in the style of the baroque and early classical periods, in a program titled “Masters of the Baroque.” (213-740-2584)
Nov. 30, 8 p.m., Alfred Newman Recital Hall, free.

Lectures

USC President’s Distinguished Lecture Series:
The Hon. Madeleine Albright
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright speaks about her life and career, outlining how a refugee girl from a Nazi concentration camp rose to become the first woman to serve as Secretary of State (1997-2001), and the highest ranking female in the history of the nation. (213-740-2167)
Oct. 9, 7 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $20 general, $10 USC faculty/staff and seniors, $5 USC students.

Film

Berlin Film and Architecture Festival
The Berlin/Los Angeles Film Festival presents “Wild Walls: Architecture and the City,” in collaboration with the USC School of Fine Arts and the MAK Center for Art and Architecture L.A. at the Schindler House. Featuring 43 films, the festival is divided along 15 themes, including “Architectural Visions in Early Cinema,” “The New Berlin,” “Gated Communities” and “Public Housing.” Retrospectives of the work of filmmakers Sharon Lockhart and Sarah Morris will also be included. The Los Angeles curator of the series is David Bunn, USC professor of photography and experimental genres. A tentative schedule includes screenings of films by Andy Warhol (Empire, 1964), Fritz Lang (Metropolis, 1922), Man Ray (Les Mystères de Château de Dé, 1927) and Jean-Luc Godard (Opération Béton, 1954). (213-740-2787)
Oct. 12-21, multiple locations, free. Call for schedule information. l

Exhibits


Willie Robert Middlebrook: Black Angel 35: The Burden. Digital Creation Image/Giclée Print, 76” x 54.”

Family Pictures/Ecumenical Icons by Willie Robert Middlebrook
This solo exhibition by one of Los Angeles’ best known and most highly regarded African American photographer-artists includes works from the past 10 years produced under the general title “Portraits of My People.” The show includes agenerous representation of pieces from the series “Black Angels,” “God Suite” and “Sinner Man.” Focusing his lens on himself, his wife, his children, close family and friends, Middlebrook translates these intimate portraits into an all-encompassing heritage, resonant with biblical and mythic overtones, of the human family. Curated by Max Schulz and Ariadni Liokatis. (213-740-4561)
Sept. 5-Nov 21, USC Fisher Gallery, Harris Hall, free. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Join the gallery staff for an informal tour of the exhibition each Tuesday at noon, free. Call 213-740-5537 for reservations.

Maynard Dixon’s ‘Jinks Room’ Murals
The Jinks Room murals were created between 1912 and 1914 by a young Maynard Dixon for Anita Baldwin McClaughry, daughter of California pioneer-tycoon E.J. “Lucky” Baldwin, and installed in the children’s playroom, or “Jinks Room,” at her Anoakia Mansion. The Lowry B. McCaslin family donated the murals to USC in 1998. (213-740-4561)
Sept. 5-Jan. 12, 2002, USC Fisher Gallery, Harris Hall, free. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

September – November 2001

HIGHLIGHT
Remembering Davis & Coltrane: A 75th Birthday Bash


Herbie Hancock comes to Bovard Auditorium Oct. 11.

Had they lived, John Coltrane and Miles Davis would both be celebrating their 75th birthdays in 2001. Though long gone, these modern jazz titans still cast a giant shadow across today’s music landscape. To celebrate that legacy, disciples Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove have banded together in a tour that comes to USC this fall. Hancock, an alumnus of Davis’ renowned 1960s quintet, is a world-famous jazz pianist and electric jazz-rock band leader. Brecker, a two-time Grammy-winning veteran of the ’70s jazz-rock scene, first took up tenor sax inspired by Coltrane. On trumpet, Hargrove – who, according to Rolling Stone, is “one of the most ferocious of the Young Lions bred in the bebop revival sparked by Wynton Marsalis” – in his mature ballad style conjures Davis at his late-’50s best. With Brian Blade on drums and John Patitucci on bass, this powerful quintet performs the music of and compositions inspired by Coltrane and Davis, paying homage to the fertile ground sown by these two modern jazz legends. Presented by USC Spectrum. (213-740-2167)
Oct. 11, 8 p.m., Bovard Auditorium, $28 general, $20 USC faculty/staff and seniors, $5 USC students.