Music Concerts

Weekend Concerts

Program subject to change. For details, call (310) 434-4323 or (310) 434-3000. Concerts held in SMC’s Concert Hall unless otherwise noted. Tickets for concerts with an admission charge may be purchased at the SMC Events Office or by calling (310) 434-3000. Seating is strictly on a first-arrival basis.

Emeritus College Band Concert

Wallace Umber, Conductor. February concert—Conductors Holiday—features 7 guest conductors and Sousa marches. June performance is our annual Spring Pops Concert, featuring popular show tunes and Big Band music.

Sun, February 27 • 3pm • Free • Concert Hall
Sun, June 12 • 3pm • Free • Concert Hall

The Goldman-Brown Duo

Violinist Harris Goldman and pianist Carolyn Brown perform compositions of Beethoven and Mozart. Jason Callaway—a Juilliard graduate and widely experienced solo and chamber cellist—will join the duo for Rachmaninoff’s “Trio Elegiaque.”

Sun, March 6 • 4pm • Free • Concert Hall

SMC Opera Theatre: First Annual Spring Film Festival

Sue Ann Pinner, SMCOT Artistic Director, presents a special screening of “Patti Gallagher and Donald Fredrickson In Concert” to celebrate the 2005 release on DVD, VHS, and CD of this SMCOT television video featuring the popular dynamic duo. A 30-minute collage of highlights from other award-winning SMCOT videos will also be showcased at this SMCOT benefit event. Come enjoy the debut of this series of annual film festivals!

Sat, March 12 • 8pm • $16 • Concert Hall

SMC Symphony Orchestra

Dr. James Smith, Director. Continuing the celebration of SMC’s 75th Anniversary, the March concert features former SMC student Matthew Elgart—now adjunct professor of guitar at SMC—playing the “Concierto de Aranjuez” by Joaqun Rodrigo. May concert features current SMC Applied Music Program student Fang-Ning Lim conducting the “Egmont Overture” by Beethoven, and performances by the talented winners of the West Los Angeles Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition for instrumentalists.

Sun, March 20 • 4pm • $10 • Concert Hall
Sun, May 8 • 4pm • $10 • Concert Hall

SMC Jazz Band

Keith Fiddmont, Conductor. Ensemble performs music contemporary to the “Big Band Jazz” genre, with an emphasis on “modern” jazz. Compositions from jazz masters are juxtaposed with recent works. Renowned guest artists frequently perform with the ensemble.

Sun, April 3 • 4pm • $10 • Concert Hall
Sun, May 22 • 4pm • $10 • Concert Hall

SMC Concert Band

Kevin McKeown, Conductor. The band’s annual Spring concert in April includes the music of Percy Grainger and Aaron Copland, with featured guest conductor Dr. Thomas Lee, UCLA’s Director of Bands. In its June concert—under the baton of Kevin McKeown—the band pays tribute to composers Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, and David Raksin with a “Pops” concert featuring music from movies, TV, and Broadway—plus Sousa!

Sun, April 24 • 4pm • $8 • Concert Hall
Sun, June 5 • 4pm • $8 • Concert Hall

SMC Jazz Band Vocalists & Jon Mayer Trio

Keith Fiddmont, Conductor. SMC vocalists and the Jon Mayer Trio perform standards from jazz repertoire.

Fri, April 29 • 8pm • $10 • Concert Hall

Benefit Concert: SMC Applied Music Program

Dr. David Goodman, Director. Concert features performances by some of the outstanding instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers in the Applied Music Program, one of the distinctive programs of SMC’s Music Department.

Fri, May 6 • 8pm • $10 • Concert Hall

SMC Opera Theatre: “Don Giovanni” & “The Rake’s Progress”

75th Anniversary icon. Sue Ann Pinner, Artistic Director. Come and enjoy the tragedy, comedy, and romance of opera! The Emmy-winning opera troupe—featuring SMC students—performs a fully staged and costumed production of highlights from the Mozart and Stravinsky opera masterpieces. Guest artists include SMCOT alumni who are rising young opera stars.

Sat, May 14 • 8pm • $16 • Concert Hall
Sun, May 15 • 4pm • $16 • Concert Hall

SMC Musical Theatre Workshop

Adrianne Harrop and Frank Turner, Co-Directors. SMC Music and Theatre Arts students present an extended program of solos, duets, and ensemble selections from the musical theater genre.

Sat, May 21 • 8pm • $8 • Concert Hall

SMC Jazz Vocal Ensemble Concert

Cindy Bourquin, Conductor. Ensemble performs solo and ensemble selections from vocal jazz literature ranging from classic jazz to jazz arrangements of modern songs.

Sun, May 22 • 8pm • $10 • Concert Hall

SMC Concert Chorale

Dr. James Smith, Conductor. May concert at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is free and features a joint performance with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Call (310) 395-6330 for details. June concert at First United Methodist Church features a joint performance with the Chancel Choir of the First United Methodist Church of the beautiful “Requiem” by Durufle and “Te Deum” by Verdi, accompanied by the Los Angeles Concert Orchestra. The “Symphonie Concertante” by Joseph Jongen—featuring Los Angeles organist Ty Woodward—is also on the program.

Sun, May 29 • 7:30pm • Free • Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (1855 Main St., Santa Monica)
Sun, June 5 • 7:30pm • $15/$10 • First United Methodist Church (11th St. & Washington Ave., Santa Monica)

SMC Chamber Choir

Niké St. Clair, Conductor. Ensemble performs choral works by Brahms, Bartók, and contemporary American composers. Repertoire encompasses sacred and secular compositions ranging from folk songs to gospel.

Fri, June 3 • 8pm • $5 • Concert Hall

Spring Jazz Concerts

This popular concert series brings the best of America’s jazz music to SMC and sells out quickly. For tickets, call (310) 434-3000, or stop by the SMC Events Office. Program subject to change. Call (310) 434-4323 or (310) 434-3000 for details. Seating is strictly on a first-arrival basis.

Interior Flight: A Tribute to “Bird”

Kindra Windish, Choreographer. Is it possible to transcend our personal histories or are we forever restrained by our memory? Interior Flight is a series of dances—inspired by the music of Charlie “Bird” Parker—that explores how memory shapes and dictates our relationships. Presented by the New York City Co-op Dance Ensemble.

Fri, February 25 • 8pm • $10
Sat, February 26 • 8pm • $10
Morgan Wixson Theatre (2627 Pico, Santa Monica)

Gilbert Castellanos Quintet

One of Southern California’s leading trumpeters, Gilbert Castellanos is equally renowned as an ensemble leader and as a member of not one, but two top LA-area jazz ensembles: guitarist Anthony Wilson’s Nonet and the critically acclaimed Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Fri, March 11 • 7pm • $10 • Concert Hall

Donald Vega Quintet

Pianist Donald Vega is profoundly changing the landscape of American music in a delightful way with his synthesis of Latin rhythms and traditional jazz and blues.

Fri, April 1 • 7pm • $10 • Concert Hall

Jon Mayer Quartet

Jon Mayer—the playful and superbly inventive bebop-based pianist—always delivers ear-pleasing improvisations.

Fri, April 22 • 7pm • $10 • Concert Hall

An SMC Jazz Series “WIG” Celebration

Alvin Lyles, Director. The Jazz Series—now in its 20th year!—pays tribute to the talented and beloved jazz pianist Gerald Wiggins in honor of the significant force he’s been in the success of our SMC Jazz Program. This concert by his peers celebrates ‘Wig’ for his contribution to jazz and his devotion to encouraging and supporting jazz studies.

Fri, May 13 • 8pm • Free • Concert Hall

Weekday Concerts

Ohio Northern University Singers

Dennis Kratzer, Director. Choral concert at SMC is one of the featured Southern California Spring Tour performances by guest artists from Ohio Northern University (Ada, Ohio). The choir will also be appearing at other venues in the southland.

Tues, March 1 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

Liuba Sorochkina

The master Russian pianist graces our stage once again with her eloquent virtuosity.

Tues, March 29 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

Nora & Friends in Concert

Join Nora Chiang, Donald Fredrickson, and Diana Zaslove in an hour of beautiful two–piano and soprano-vocal music. Includes works by Brahms and Rachmaninoff.

Tues, April 5 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

Michael Sellers

Internationally acclaimed pianist—just returned from a 50-concert/4-continent tour—performs Samuel Barber’s “Sonata” and works by Scarlatti, Schumann, Chopin, and Liszt.

Tues, April 19 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

Joan Mills

Piano soloist with symphony orchestras of Charleston and Columbia, SC, Charlotte, NC, and Savannah, GA, performs compositions by Villa-Lobos, Beethoven, and Liszt.

Tues, May 3 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

Jung Eun Kim & Mi Ran Song

Mi Ran Song, professor at Dae Jin University in Korea, joins our own SMC professor Jung Eun Kim in a piano duo recital that includes works by Korean composer Jin Woon Na and American composer David Burge.

Tues, May 17 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

SMC Flute Choir Recital

Peter Sheridan, Conductor. Come enjoy a ‘Flute Family’ concert featuring a variety of musical styles, including ventures into the realm of extended techniques and improvisation.

Thurs, May 19 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

SMC Musical Theatre Workshop Highlights

Adrianne Harrop and Frank Turner, Co-Directors. SMC Music and Theatre Arts students present a short program of solos, duets, and ensemble selections from musical theater.

Tues, May 24 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

SMC Symphonic Band Concert

Peter Sheridan, Conductor. A fun-filled afternoon of diverse musical styles for woodwinds and brass. Includes works by JS Bach, Aaron Copland, and Richard Strauss.

Tues, May 31 • 4pm • Free • Concert Hall

SMC Percussion Ensemble Recital

Matthew Altmire, Director. Ensemble presents a creative, unique performance of percussion music, covering a variety of styles.

Thurs, June 2 • 11:15am • Free • Concert Hall

 Previous | Next