After years of exploration and contemplation, the incandescent Stacy Sullivan has joined forces with the extraordinary Jon Weber, to create a tribute to Miss Lee that honors both her legacy, and the music she performed (and often wrote), in fresh and unusual ways.  Join us for the sparkling opening of our 2012 season of Music at the Court as Stacy pays homage to this one of kind singer in an evening centered around Peggy’s humor and tastes, her insatiable sense of adventure, and most importantly her music.

Bassist Tom Peters provides the live musical score for the little known silent film “Chicago.” The 2003 the filmed version of the 1975 Broadway musical Chicago won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta Jones, and has become a beloved favorite. But the story of murderess Roxie Hart has been around for more than 86 years, and the 2002 version is not the first to make it to the screen. 

Now into its second decade of celebrating the beauty that lies "between the keys" of the piano, MicroFest is the world's leading concert series devoted to the glorious universe of non-standard tunings. Founded by microtonal guitarist and radio personality John Schneider in 1997, MicroFest has grown to a festival of six separate events this year at Southern California venues ranging from Little Ethiopia to Claremont, Eagle Rock to Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. 

Be a part of history in the making, and witness the work of some of the most exciting and promising young talent from the University of Southern California presenting new thoughts, cool sounds and beautiful voices. USC graduate students in writing join forces with graduate student composers, collaborating with the most gifted young vocal performers, to create an exhilarating evening of new poetry and new music that is literally "hot off the press".

Passionate music that blends Classical, Jazz, and Eastern European sounds
In a performance of passionate music that blends Classical, Jazz, and Eastern European sounds, the Thies-Krajacic Project (TKP) for this performance invites to the stage a bassist and drummer to bring a new dimension of creativity to the music.

"Twenty-four Preludes for the Left Hand" honors a venerable tradition created by composers that included Bach, Chopin, Scriabin and Shostakovich, who each wrote suites of short pieces in each of the major and minor keys.  This collection is unique in that the preludes are composed for one hand only, which situates it as well within the specialized current of repertoire devoted to the left hand.  Discover a whole world of emotions as familiar tonalities and keys are revisited to yield their individual colors and characters.  

“A friend of mine described marimba players as FIGHTING to get a tiny bread crumb falling from the big loaf of bread for pianists and violinists.'' Although I don't imagine this home page will contribute to getting bigger bread crumbs, it might be a good place to show what I, as a marimbist, feel and what kind of life I live. Perhaps this will help marimbists bake our own bread in the future?! “  Makoto Nakura

Though the book has yet to come out, think “Zen and the Art of Piano Performance”.   Join master pianist Vicki Ray in an evening that reflects the spare beauty of Tibetan and Zen Buddhist philosophy through the sound universes of prepared piano, piano with live electronics, and purely acoustic music. The concert features new works by Sean Heim, Linda Bouchard and Bruce Reiprich which have been harmoniously  paired with compositions by Frederick Rzewski and John Cage.  Treat yourself to a serene evening of musical bliss. 

Sandra Tsing Loh was raised in the ‘60s and ‘70s by an almost six foot tall, Valkyrie-like, culture-mad German mother given to making her children study piano (also known as scales) with dwarf-like Italian conductors and taking the family to the exact same ballet 16 times.  Those were the days before Angry Birds and such enlightened 21st century parenting practices as fostering individual children’s actual interests.  And yet, now that Sandra is a mother herself, with two preteen daughters who dismayingly seem to know all the words to “songs” (are they really?) by not just Katie Perry; but someone called Ke$ha (Ke$ha?), she has become perio-menopausally in touch with her inner Valkyrie.  “Music for a 10-Minute Opera” brings her Breughel-like musical world to life for a family-friendly (and how far is that really from family-unfriendly?) audience--think classical piano trio meets utter hilarity.  Mit schlag.

Grant Gershon is recognized as one of Los Angeles most talented, world class musicians.  His conducting, whether at the Los Angeles Opera or with the Los Angeles Master Chorale elicits passion, élan, and transcendent performances.  Joined by the illustrious vocal quartet of Elissa Johnston, Adriana Manfredi, Daniel Cheney and Reid Burton, Grant turns his musicians ear to the intriguing world of international folk song as arranged by a variety of composers including Brahms, Bartok, Copland, and Tormis. 

Soprano, Kathleen Roland and pianist, Lisa Sylvester join forces to present an evening of lush and romantic art song transported directly from Sweden.  Though this gorgeous repertoire is not well known outside of the country that is most famous for Nobel Prizes,  Ms. Roland a former Fulbright scholar is highly regarded as an expert proponent of Scandinavian song,  and concertizes the music of many of Scandinavia’s finest composers throughout the United States.  

O-Lan Jones is a full-service artist, being an award-winning composer,  actor, sound designer, and writer.  Miz Jones is also the Artistic Director of OVERTONE INDUSTRIES, a company that creates new mythological operas and theatricales; including SONGS AND DANCES OF IMAGINARY LANDS, a collaboration of 21 librettists and 11 composers performed in a 25,000 sq’ abandoned car dealership. And THE WOMAN IN THE WALL, a Medieval opera presented at the Masonic Lodge in March 2012.
She is very happy to be presenting a selection of her work at the Boston Court that spans over 20 years of theater and opera compositions.

Bassist Tom Peters provides the live musical score for the silent film “The Cat and the Canary.” Mention the words “haunted house” and most people will think of all the standard clichés—a cobweb filled mansion on the hill, the will read at midnight, hidden passageways and trying to survive a night in the house without going insane. Many of these notions come from the 1927 comedy horror film The Cat and the Canary. 

When you think of Pink Martini (not the drink), the first thing that comes to mind is the exotic and multi-talented China Forbes, founder and lead singer of the world famous band.    Not only is China known for her voluptuous vocal styling, but she also co-wrote with Thomas Lauderdale many of Pink Martini's most beloved songs including "Sympathique", "Lilly", "Clementine",  "Let's Never Stop Falling in Love" and  "A Snowglobe Christmas."  Music at the Court is thrilled to present China in an intimate, one of a kind evening of songs and stories that reveals her expertise with a variety of different musical genres including opera arias, contemporary pop, jazz standards, eclectic international, and of course her own material. Don't miss the opportunity to experience China up close and personal.

Yes, the piano is a percussion instrument, and with the dynamic pianist, Susan Svrcek at the keyboard, and virtuoso percussionist, Yuri Inoo bringing a full array of not necessarily recognizable instruments, you are in for an unusual night of interesting and colorful music exploring the repertoire expressly written for the piano and percussion.  Dare to be transported from the serene landscape of "Like still waters" by Thomas Osborne to John Psathas'  amazing and wild "Matre's Dance", a piece inspired by a dance performed by a group of characters in one of Frank Herbert’s "Dune" novels.  As a footnote, the dancers often collapsed or died before completing the exhausting routine.  Hmmm...See what happens when Susan and Yuri dance their way into Music at the Court!

Voces en el Polovo- Voices in the Dust is a new multi-media chamber opera, by Bruno Louchouarn, with libretto by Juan Felipe Herrera, set against the backdrop of the September 1985 Mexico City 8.0 earthquake, and tells the story of a symbolic love and a people who survive through persistence and hope against all odds.