There are two events coming up this weekend that I think are pretty special and I encourage you to attend.
First, the Cascade Winds Symphonic Band, one of the many ensembles I proudly direct, presents two first-call musicians from the LA film music industry, flutist Louise DiTullio and trumpeter Dr. Burnette Dillon, who will candidly reminisce about their decades of experience working with A-list filmmakers and composers such as Stephen Spielberg and John Williams. If you have watched a movie made in the last 40 years, you have probably heard their work multiple times on such films as Men in Black, Jurassic Park, Blazing Saddles, Schindler’s List, Spider Man, and Toy Story. Bring your burning questions to the event on May 20, 2023 at 2pm in Wille Hall, which is located in the Coats Campus Center on COCCs Bend Campus. Admission is free.
Second, OperaBend is presenting Leoncavallo’s opera Pagliacci on Saturday, May 20 at 7pm and Sunday, May 21 at 3pm in the Pinckney Center for the Arts, also on COCCs Bend Campus. I have had the privilege of conducting numerous operas and I can say, without question that the cast of singers in this production is the best I have ever worked with. For those of you who don’t know the opera, or who perhaps vaguely know of it through an episode of Seinfeld, I’ll sum it up in five words: love, jealousy, spite, murder and clowns. The classic combination; all squeezed into a fast-paced hour and 35-minute adventure! You can purchase tickets through the OperaBend Facebook page: facebook.com/OperaBend.
I hope to see you at either or both of these events and I wish you a terrific summer ahead!