Westchester Resident and Mezzo-Soprano Janelle DeStafano to Perform at Jacaranda Concert Nov. 9

American mezzo-soprano and Westchester resident, Janelle DeStefano, has been praised for her “magnificently executed vocal cascades” and her “passionate delivery,” performs on Saturday, November 9 in Jacaranda Music’s “Shattered Glass” concert in observance of the 75th Anniversary of Krstallnacht at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica.

 She has sung on regional operatic, orchestral and musical theater stages across the US, performing. A member of the LA Master Chorale, Ms. DeStefano made her debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Handel’s Messiah in 2010. In addition to performing, Ms. DeStefano has taught voice for more than a decade and earned her Doctorate in Musical Arts from the Thornton School of Music at USC. She currently is an Associate Professor of Voice at Santa Monica College.

The second concert of Jacaranda's new season will observe the 75th anniversary of the infamous Kristallnacht, Nov. 9, 1938, when Jewish business, temples, schools, hospitals and homes were systematically vandalized, damaged or destroyed across Nazi Germany and parts of Austria. Some 90 Jews were killed and 30,000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps between Nov. 9 and 10th. The concert will travel musically from the Jewish quarter (Samuel Adler’s Klezmer Fantasy” for solo clarinet) to Hollywood (Eric Zeisl’s “Hebrew Requiem”) via trains across the U.S. and Europe (Steve Reich’s Different Trains for string quartet and pre-recorded tracks). Along the way, the Jacaranda Chamber Singers will perform two brief unaccompanied choral works about peace and endurance (Arnold Schoenberg’s “Friede auf Eden” and “De Profundis”). To be performed under the baton of Mark Alan Hilt, Jacaranda’s music director and resident conductor, Zeisl’s 1944 requiem, with soloists, chorus and orchestra, was the first musical work to commemorate the holocaust.

Sat., Nov. 9, 2013 - SHATTERED GLASS

Samuel Adler -- Canto XIV “Klezmer Fantasy

Steve Reich -- Different Trains [*2007

Arnold Schoenberg -- Three a Capella Choruses;

         “Farben” (from Five Pieces for orchestra, arr.: Franck Krawczyk)

          De Profundis, Freide Auf Erde

Eric Zeisl -- Hebrew Requiem (Requiem Hebraico) 

Concert Locations/Ticket Prices:
Concerts will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica, 90401, on Saturdays at 8 p.m., except for Feb. 22’s concerts, to be held at First Presbyterian at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; the free Sept. 28th pre-season Glow event at the Santa Monica carousel, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.; and the March 15 concert, to be held on Sat., March 15, at 8 p.m., at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall, 445 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Concert tickets, $45 general; $20 students: jacarandamusic.org. Information: (213) 483-0216.  

About Jacaranda: Jacaranda, with a motto of “music at the edge,” is a series of intimate concert adventures into the realm of new and rarely heard classical music designed to awaken curiosity, passion and discovery. Founded in 2003 by arts impresario Patrick Scott and conductor/organist Mark Alan Hilt, Jacaranda produces a series (eight concerts this season) in Santa Monica that features current and rising stars in the world of classical music performance. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2013-14, Jacaranda’s full 2013-14 season information is available at jacarandamusic.org. Concerts are held  at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica, 1220 Second Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. For information or to purchase tickets go to jacarandamusic.org, or call (213) 483-0216.