Mike Nelson

3 weeks ago | vcreporter.com | Mike Nelson

Fifteen years ago, Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo created two choral works that contrast the relative darkness of Lent with the brightness of Easter: “Dark Night of the Soul” and “Luminous Night of the Soul.”Five years ago, Gjeilo combined the two pieces into a single, celebratory work, “Dark and Luminous Night,” which will be among the featured selections for — and the theme of — a free concert featuring the Ventura College Choirs (VCC) on April 25 at 7 p.m. at Mission Basilica San Buenaventura.

Oct 30, 2024 | vcreporter.com | Mike Nelson

He’s played his clarinet for U.S. presidents, in famous palaces, with the likes of Pablo Casals and Leonard Bernstein, and with the world-acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on Grammy-winning recordings. And yet, none of that might have happened for David Singer had it not been for a fire in his Philadelphia apartment building, at an especially low point in his life when he was discouraged enough to wonder if playing the clarinet would ever amount to anything worthwhile, much less pay the bills.

Oct 14, 2024 | ventanamonthly.com | Mike Nelson

By Mike NelsonEver meet someone for the first time and feel like you already know that person? The same can be true of musical instruments. Just ask Alyssa Park, who at age 5 saw Itzhak Perlman playing violin on TV, and asked her mom if she could learn to play the violin instead of the piano. “I have a distinct memory of feeling somehow connected to the violin,” she recalled.

Aug 8, 2024 | vcreporter.com | Mike Nelson

The road from Oxnard’s public schools to Europe’s opera stages is hardly well traveled — but it can be done. Just ask Juliana Zara, one of international opera’s brightest young stars, whose journey has included Rose Avenue Elementary School, Fremont Middle School, Oxnard High School and — most importantly — the Performance Theatre for Young Artists (PTYA) in Ventura. “I spent practically my entire childhood at Performance Theatre,” said Zara, 31, during a recent visit home from Germany.

Jul 17, 2024 | vcreporter.com | Mike Nelson

Thirty years since its founding, and 20 years since it dropped “chamber” from its name, the Ventura Music Festival is offering a 2024 program that both celebrates its musical roots and continues to explore and embrace all forms of music. From Bach and Baroque to bluegrass and bandoneón, a variety of artists — some new, some familiar to VMF audiences — will bring a variety of musical styles and performers to local stages on consecutive weekends, July 25-28 and Aug. 2-4.