By Ted AYALA Though it has been nearly a century since the Armenian Genocide began, dignitaries and ordinary people from various communities came together last week to show that the slow tread of time will not make them forget the suffering. Known in Armenian as Medz Yeghern or The Great Crime, the genocide was a […]
By Ted AYALA Ending weeks of scrutiny and speculation, newly sworn in Glendale City Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan admitted to being the author of racist comments that were uncovered early last month. The slurs against Muslims, Hispanics, and gays triggered a fierce reaction from many in the community. At the time, Sinanyan and his supporters said […]
By Ted AYALA Frank Quintero, who less than two weeks ago stepped down from public service, returned to the Glendale City Council dais after his colleagues voted to appoint him as an interim councilmember. Quintero emerged as a top choice last week after council debated how best to fill the position left vacant by Rafi […]
By Ted AYALA “The Ottoman Empire tried to wipe out an entire race of people – and they almost succeeded,” said Congressman Adam Schiff Monday night to the audience assembled in the auditorium of Glendale High School. “But they didn’t. Today the Armenian people enrich culture and society in every part of our country.” Schiff […]
By Ted AYALA Richard Wagner famously remarked of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7” that the piece represented to him the “apotheosis of the dance.” The Santa Cecilia Orchestra’s closing concert of its 20th season on Sunday conveyed an impression of that remark. Something of Wagner’s Venusburg bacchanalia could be sensed in Sonia Marie de León de […]
By Ted AYALA A faint echo of the Brooklyn Festival, which started at Disney Hall on April 16, could be heard last Saturday at the Alex Theatre when the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s composer-in-residence took his star turn on the stage. Andrew Norman, a Southern California native now living in Brooklyn, had his latest LACO […]
By Ted Ayala How is musical excellence defined? Does a composer’s willingness to go against the grain of his times and fight for his personal convictions bespeak of “greatness?” When considering the latter question, one usually thinks of composers like Beethoven, Mahler, Stravinsky, Webern, and Cage for starters; all of them composers who struggled […]
By Ted AYALA The discussion on how to fill the vacancy left by Rafi Manoukian’s election to the position of Glendale city treasurer was clouded by nagging questions over racist, Islamophobic and homophobic comments allegedly posted online by newly elected Glendale City Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan. The allegations, which surfaced early last month, have dogged Sinanyan, […]
By Ted AYALA Frank Quintero said good-bye to his life in public service last Thursday evening, April 11, and the city was there to give him a warm send-off. Over 100 dignitaries, including outgoing mayor of Burbank Dave Golonski, Senator Carol Liu, and Rita Hadjimanoukian, who represented Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, were […]
By Ted AYALA Before I begin this review, let’s just get one thing straight. As of the moment I’m typing this, only two opera companies in all of the Greater Los Angeles area dare to perform opera as a living art: Long Beach Opera and the up-and-coming Pacific Opera Project. With all due respect to […]