October 19, 2008
Brazilian Guitar Quartet
Hemet Community Concert Association will open its 36th season with the world-famous Brazilian Guitar Quartet on October 19th, 2008. The Washington Post called them “"Confident masters of technique… also brilliant musicians.” And the LA Times cited their “world-class degree of precision, near-perfect balance and sensitive musicality.”
With repertoire ranging from Bach to Albeniz, Brahms to Villa-Lobos, this ensemble’s gorgeous sound will enchant you!
Our concerts will continue in January, 2009 with the acclaimed Chatham Baroque Ensemble from Pittsburgh. February brings the fascinating Nyaho/Garcia Piano Duo, and in March the ever-popular Woods Tea Company will make a return visit. We’ll finish our season in April with a stunning young group from Mexico, La Catrina String Quartet.
Subscribers get to hear all these concerts for only $50.00 – please join us today!
In order to bring quality artists to our community, we need a robust subscriber base, so we do everything possible to encourage subscribers. Our subscription is a great entertainment value – five concerts for $50.00 is hard to beat! Students are half price, and children through age 16 are admitted free. We are very fortunate to have the First Southern Baptist Church in Hemet as our venue – the acoustics are superb, the seating is generous and comfortable, the piano is a fine Yamaha concert grand – and parking is free! Hemet Community Concert Association is a non-profit, all-volunteer managed organization dedicated to presenting the best of the performing arts to the residents of the San Jacinto Valley. We believe that live concerts are an essential part of any community’s cultural landscape. We hope you will join Hemet Community Concert Association and enjoy these beautiful concerts with us!
News
March 2008
Our Scholarship Program awarded two more $1,000.00 scholarships this spring to:
Jacob Cecil, 18, a senior at Hemet High School, where he participates in Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble. He has achieved a 4.0 GPA, in a course schedule including AP Literature, Art History and Calculus. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet and is learning the flute. His first love is jazz, and he has participated in Idyllwild Summer Jazz camps. He plans a degree in music education, to become a public school music teacher.
Isaias Chavez, 18, a senior at San Jacinto High School, where he participates in Concert Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, as well as Mariachis. He plays saxophone, is learning piano and participates in his family mariachi band. He plans to attend Mount San Jacinto Community College, then transfer to UCR to earn a degree in music education. He wants to teach music in the public schools, especially mariachi music.
We have had many requests for news about last year’s scholarship winners, and we are happy to share the following:
Jordan Gollaher, via email from UC Santa Barbara
“Wow, college has been a complete whirlwind… I have been really busy doing all my general ed classes (like math, history and science classes), but I got to take one music class this quarter, music appreciation. It was a really fun class and we got to learn about music from Mozart and Chopin all the way to present day and the Beetles (sic). … I have a final in an hour, so I better go, but thanks for writing and I hope you and all the members of the HCCA are doing well! Take care!”
Monique Barber, via email, from UC Berkeley
“I've decided to double major in music and psychology. I'm taking sight singing and university chorus this year along with other classes and I really enjoy them. I've joined a BCM gospel choir club as well and it really helps me feel like I have a place in that huge school. I miss San Jacinto sometimes though, and I wish I was closer to home, but I'm learning a lot up here and it's molding me into a responsible adult. Oh, I also got a job; so I'm a full time student and I work half time. Thank you again for all you guys have done and thanks for continuing to give the scholarships because it really makes a difference in our lives. You guys make it easier for students to go to college, and we are grateful for that.”
Responding to your many inquiries, here is a summary of our artist selection process:
Through various connections with other associations, professional organizations and non-profit groups, we learn about musicians available in our area and price range. We try to hear artists live before considering them for our series, but occasionally have to rely on CD or DVD performances and recommendations from other presenters.
We are always open to suggestions from subscribers, and maintain a list of “audience favorites” to invite for return visits. For example, Woods Tea Company performed for us in 2002 to such acclaim that we have asked them to be part of our 2008-09 Season.
It is our goal to assemble a season with wide variety and high quality, and we welcome feedback from our audience. Let us know your thoughts!
P.O. Box 2241 | Hemet CA 92546 | 951-927-1775