Jazz In North Park Series: Four Women Only, Sept. 1

Lyric’s Jazz in North Park Series, presented in conjunction with Holly Hofmann, continues at the Birch North Park Theatre with Four Women Only on September 1, 2010.

Gathering from across the country, Four Women Only is a stellar quintet of players brought together by a common love of jazz. Led by Holly Hofmann on flute, Four Women Only includes Mary Fettig on alto sax, Mimi Fox on guitar, Kristin Korb on bass, and Sylvia Cuenca on drums. All of these artists are top players on their instruments, each with an extensive background in jazz performance and improvisation. This is a rare opportunity to hear this talented group of players in Southern California.

Next up in the Jazz in North Park series: 

October 6: Cannonball-Coltrane Project

November 3: The Ken Peplowski Quartet

All performances begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 for seniors, KSDS 88.3 FM members, and Lyric  members, and $27 for general admission. Student discount tickets for $15 are available on the day of the show. For tickets call (619) 239-8836, or order online.

Jazz in North Park is presented by Lyric in collaboration with Music Director Holly Hofmann, in association with KSDS 88.3 FM) radio.

Lyric at the Birch: What’s in a name?

The more sharp-eyed among you may notice that our company is changing the way it refers to itself.

Instead of “Lyric Opera San Diego” or “LOSD,” our various materials will now refer to us as “Lyric at the Birch,” or often simply “Lyric.” Our logos will also be modified to reflect this change.

As a company, we have been evolving since our creation in 1978. Then, we were called the San Diego Gilbert & Sullivan Company, because that’s what we exclusively performed. Over the years we have changed our name: to San Diego Comic Opera, then to Lyric Opera San Diego. Each time the change heralded a shift in repertoire, mission, or focus; each change brought us a little closer to what we believe is our true calling. We are San Diego’s affordable, accessible musical theater company; the emphasis has never been on opera above other musical theater genres, and we feel our new name rightly focuses the attention on what we are really about: lyric theater. That means musical theater of all kinds, not just opera.

In addition, as a result of our hard work and your undying support, we have had the great good fortune to move into our fabulous new home and take over ownership of the Birch North Park Theatre. Councilman Todd Gloria said recently that this glorious building is the “economic engine” that drives North Park, the heart and soul of a thriving arts community, and we find it only fitting that we include it in our name as a reminder that we are a part of this community, and dedicated to its success.

This is who we are; this is where we are: we’re Lyric at the Birch. Doesn’t get simpler than that.

Looking for an Angel

We are looking for an “Angel” to underwrite the upgrade of our two web sites. Alonso Creative, a local Web designer consultant, is donating their design skills to complete the upgrade of the Birch North Park Theatre site. They are further offering their services at a significant discount to upgrade the Lyric site and fully integrate both sites. (Check Alonso Creative out on the web and you’ll understand how fortunate we are to have their support.)

We need about $10,000 to purchase software our office needs to maintain and interface with the new site – and to pay Alonso’s reduced fees. This upgrade will make it easier and quicker for us to respond to you, our patrons, and will reduce the time needed to regularly update our event calendar from several hours to a few minutes. If you know anyone who can help us, please contact Pam Arnold at 760-738-9079. Thanks for your support!

Jack’s Notes: Gigi

Observations on Lyric’s season from our Artistic Director, J. Sherwood Montgomery

Well, here we are about to open our thirty-second season, and the very fact that we are still here is more than a miracle. We are grateful to all in the community who continue to allow us to bring you music for everyone, at a high artistic level, at the lowest ticket price for this kind of entertainment in town. No other company gives you a full orchestra and chorus for every show in an attractive and intimate setting, with no seat farther than sixty feet from the stage, in an historic movie palace that is an ideal “house of dreams.” This season we are on a journey that we have never taken in this way before: four shows that are each a classic in their own right, that seen together, promise to give you thrilling music making and memorable theater.

We open with our first ever Lerner and Loewe show, Gigi, which represents the final collaboration of this great team of music theater masters. The stage version of their 1958 film was the final time they worked together. The show has California roots as it was presented by Edwin Lester, the fabled producer of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Opera, which guaranteed eighteen sold-out weeks of tryout to any new show or national touring company that was lucky enough to get the gig. The stage production featured a cast of music theater marquee names, Alfred Drake in the Maurice Chevalier role of Honoré, Agnes Moorehead in her final role ever (she died of cancer during the run), Daniel Massey as Gaston, and Lila Kedrova as Mamita. This is the first time the show will have been mounted in San Diego in twenty years, and it will feature Laura Bueno as Gigi, J. Sherwood Montgomery (myself) as Honoré, Benjamin Robinson as Gaston, and two debuts of local stage personalities, Leigh Scarritt as Aunt Alicia, and Rita Cantos Cartwright as Mamita.

The film Gigi represented the last hurrah of the Freed unit at MGM and Vincente Minnelli pulled out all the stops in casting and sets and costumes to bring this French novel by Colette to vivid life. Maurice Chevalier himself gave the composer and lyricist the idea for one of his songs on the occasion of their first meeting. Lerner and Lowe met with Chevalier in Paris to sign the contract and talk about the film. They began by sharing some hot Hollywood scandal gossip and Chevalier smiled and said: “I'm glad I’m not young anymore.” Immediately a hit number was added to their canon of great songs, and we look forward to bringing this charming diversion to our stage for the first time in all its splendor and sophistication.

Gigi runs from September 24 to October 3. Tickets and season subscriptions are available online so please make a plan to join us today!

Behind the Scenes at Lyric: The Singing Chef

You already know that Lyric’s General Director, Leon Natker, is multitalented onstage and off. The talented singing actor also conducts and directs, and runs the company and the theatre. But did you know he happens to be a gourmet cook as well?

Leon calls cooking “a hobby I started at Juilliard because I was tired of eating canned tuna and hamburger all the time.” In those days, Leon explains, college students didn’t have computers and videogames to take up their spare time, so he thought he’d take some cooking classes to see what he could do on a tight budget.

Leon’s Juilliard roommate was the actor John de Lancie (now best known for his recurring role as Q on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), whose father, the late John de Lancie, was the principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. De Lancie the elder helped pay for Leon and John to take cooking classes, in part, Leon thinks, because he was tired of constantly taking the perpetually broke students out to eat during his frequent visits to New York.

Cooking has remained a lifetime passion for Leon, who has continued to take every opportunity to learn new techniques and recipes. In Chicago, he was even the sous-chef for a time at the Halsted Street Fish Market, the first fish-only restaurant in Chicago. “I learned how to fillet a fish, shuck oysters, open clams, you name it.” Leon has also planned vacations around cooking classes, including a cooking school tour of Thailand and another in China. Although he says his favorite type of cuisine is “whatever I’m doing at the moment,” he has a special fondness for Chinese cooking. “I love the variety of Chinese cuisine, it’s imply amazing,” he says. “I also love what you might call Continental cooking – French/Italian, what the Italians would call ‘cucina povero,’ simple, poor people’s food. You can make a lot with a very little if you just know some techniques.”

Anyone who’s been lucky enough to be invited to a dinner party at Leon’s house can attest to his skills, which came in handy during the years of fundraising for the restoration of the Birch North Park Theatre. Intimate dinners for six or eight, with Leon as chef, proved a popular auction item at fundraising events. “Jack and I really enjoyed those dinner the most, although we also love giving large parties for the cast of whatever show is currently in production,” Leon says.

Here’s one of Leon’s favorite recipes of the moment:

Summery Grilled Pork Chops

4 thick cut boneless pork loin chops

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 teaspoons prepared Chinese mustard (you can use Dijon if you can’t find the Chinese variety)

Mix to the marinade together well, place the chops and marinade in a

sealed plastic bag for at least two hours.

Sauce:

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

4 - 6 dried prunes, chopped

Grill the chops so that they are still juicy and just a little pink inside. The time will depend on your grill, five minutes to a side is a good judge. Place them on a plate and cover while you prepare the sauce.

In a skillet, bring the vinegar, sugar and prunes to a boil, lower the heat and reduce the liquid by 1/3, pour over your chops. They are ready to serve.

Serves 4

Members Only! Join the Club

Admit it, you’ve always wanted to be a Maestro, an Impresario, or a Wandering Minstrel. Perhaps a Pirate King or even a Grand Poo-Bah? Or perhaps you have your sights set higher – President, CEO, or Chairman of the Board. Thanks to Lyric’s many levels of giving opportunities, you have the chance to attain one of these exalted titles, no matter the size of your donation.

Lyric is committed to providing outstanding musical theatre performances while keeping ticket prices at an affordable level, so that the performing arts may be enjoyed by all San Diego’s citizens. This has been especially difficult over the past two years, as the recession has hit everyone hard. Attaining our goals is only possible with the help of our loyal supporters. We welcome your help!

If you’re already a Member, please renew your membership, if you haven’t already. If you’re not a Member, you can become one when you purchase tickets or a subscription. There are other ways to help, but Membership is the best way to show your commitment to musical theatre in your community.

There are, of course, perks and benefits among the various ways we show our gratitude for your support. These begin at a $50 donation level, and the sky’s the limit from there. But let’s get real – you won’t donate to Lyric for a free coffee in the lobby or a chance to have your photo taken with a tenor. You’ll donate because you believe in what we’re doing and you want to help. Everything else is icing on the cake. (Mmm… cake.)

It’s easy to become a Member or make a donation. All the levels, details, and benefits can be seen here.

Online donations by credit card are safe and secure with payment processing via PCCharge. To donate by check, please make your check payable to Lyric Opera San Diego and mail to
2891 University Avenue, Ste. 1
San Diego, CA 92104. You can also donate by phone using a credit card:
call 619-231-5714, ext. 110.

For information on Underwriting Opportunities or Endowment contributions, please call our Development Director, Pamela Arnold at 619-231-5714, Ext. 108 or email pparnold@cox.net.

All donations are 100% tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Tax ID 95-3426868.

“Jazz in North Park” Heads Into Summer with Denise Donatelli and the Geoffrey Keezer Quartet

Lyric’s series of jazz concerts, “Jazz in North Park,” heads into summer at the Birch North Park Theatre with Denise Donatelli and the Geoffrey Keezer Quartet, on Wednesday, July 7, 2010.

“The love for jazz is evident when Donatelli sings, as each note opens with the vibrancy of a lush flower and holds with the precision of a long-time student of the art. With picture-perfect pitch and a crystalline quality to her higher notes, she presents a vocal palette that is appealing, energetic, enticing, and sensual.” – Jordan Richardson, blogcritics.org

Born in Allentown, Penn., Denise Donatelli was drenched in music from an early age. She has performed in jazz clubs and jazz festivals across the country. Her first CD, “In the Company of Friends,” was released in 2005 on the Jazzed Media label and her 2008 release, “What Lies Within” on the Savant Records label, debuted on the National Jazz Week Chart at #15 and peaked at #11. Her upcoming release with pianist, composer/arranger, Geoffrey Keezer, who will join her on this double bill, is scheduled for a spring 2010 release. 

Keezer, who now lives in San Diego, is an immensely talented pianist who, at 17, joined the great Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, then went on to perform with Art Farmer, Ray Brown, Christian McBride, Jim Hall, and countless others. His own projects cover a wide range of musical expression from acoustic jazz to electronica to diverse world-music collaborations including his 2009 Grammy-nominated CD “Aurea.” Joining the quartet for this performance is San Diego’s favorite guitarist, 
Peter Sprague.

Jazz in North Park is presented by Lyric Opera San Diego in collaboration with Music Director Holly Hofmann, in association with KSDS 88.3 FM) radio. Tickets are $27 for adults, $15 for students. Show Lyric or KSDS membership card and save $5 off single show tickets. Tickets and information: www.birchnorthparktheatre.net or (619) 239-8836.