The Santa Monica College (SMC) Music Department will present six spring concerts and three opera performances in May in The Broad Stage, The Edye, or the Music Hall at the SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street (at Santa Monica Boulevard). The concerts include a Jazz Series performance by the Jon Mayer Quartet and performances by the SMC Wind Ensemble, SMC Jazz Band, SMC Guitar Showcase, SMC Percussion Ensemble, and SMC Piano Ensemble, as well as three full-production performances by SMC Opera Theatre.
The May events are:
- Friday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the Music Hall: Jazz Concert: Jon Mayer Quartet. Master bebop pianist Jon Mayer – described by Downbeat magazine as a musician who “mixes introspective lyricism and a hard-bop drive" – and his fellow jazz musicians never fail to entertain and enlighten. Part of the SMC Spring Jazz Series. (Tickets are $10.)
- Friday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. & Saturday, May 12 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in The Broad Stage: SMC Opera Theatre Presents: “Gianni Schicchi” and “Il campanello,” directed by Janelle DeStefano and Mercedes Juan Musotto. A double-bill of Italian comic opera features fully staged performances of Puccini’s one-act masterpiece “Gianni Schicchi” – the comic story of a money-grabbing family who relies on the cunning of Gianni Schicchi to try to change the will of a wealthy relative – and Donizetti’s delightful “Il campanello,” a tale about a crafty young man who tries to disrupt the wedding night of his former girlfriend. (Tickets are $20 general admission, $10 students.)
- Sunday, May 20, at 4 p.m. in The Broad Stage: SMC Wind Ensemble, under the baton of Kevin McKeown. Afternoon features an exciting, lighthearted “Pops” concert showcasing the most memorable music from film, TV, and the Broadway stage. All ages are welcome. (Tickets are $10.)
- Monday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Hall: SMC Jazz Band, under the baton of Frederick Keith Fiddmont. Jazz band arrangements from the masters, as well as contemporary works from aspiring composers and arrangers. This special concert will feature Jeff Hamilton, composer, world-renowned drummer, and band leader of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. (Tickets are $10.)
- Thursday, May 24, at 11:15 a.m. in The Edye: SMC Guitar Showcase. An epic concert featuring SMC guitar students and faculty performing Classic, Rock, Pop, Blues, and Reggae. (Free. Complimentary tickets are available two weeks before the event at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.)
- Friday, May 25, at 1 p.m. in the Music Hall: SMC Percussion Ensemble Recital, conducted by Megumi Smith. Recital presents a creative, unique performance of percussion music, covering a variety of styles. (Free. Complimentary tickets are available two weeks before the event at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.)
- Thursday, May 31, at 11:15 a.m. in the Music Hall: Piano Ensemble Recital, under the direction of Yulia Kozlova. Recital showcases the uniqueness and diversity of four-hand piano and piano duo repertoire performed by advanced SMC piano students. Guaranteed to be more than twice as fun as solo piano performances. (Free. Complimentary tickets are available two weeks before the event at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.)
For more information and to purchase tickets, please go to www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or call (310) 434-3005 or (310) 434-4323.
Submitted by Grace Smith, SMC Public Information Officer