Rob Kapilow Opens 2023-2024 What Makes It Great Series with Appalachian Spring With the California State University, Fullerton Symphony Orchestra on Wed., October 11, 7:30 PM
CERRITOS, CA – Long compared to legendary composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein and exalted as “Classical music’s greatest evangelist” by the Boston Herald, ROB KAPILOW kicks off the 2023-2024 What Makes It Great? series at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) exploring APPALACHIAN SPRING, an acclaimed 1944 piece written by composer Aaron Copland, WITH THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Don’t miss the program on Wednesday, October 11, 7:30 PM. Tickets are $55. The show is sponsored by George & Bev Ray.
The 2023-2024 Season’s What Makes It Great? Series also includes Pathétique Piano Sonata, one of Beethoven’s most recognized compositions, on Wednesday, January 24, 7:30 PM, and Ladies of the Canyon (Music of Carole King and Joni Mitchell) on Wednesday, March 27, 7:30 PM. The three-event series costs $117.
The award-winning composer Kapilow has brought the joys and wonder of music to audiences of all ages and backgrounds for more than a decade with his What Makes It Great? presentations, which dissect and examine the mysteries of music in terms everyone can grasp and appreciate. Part One is an entertaining discussion displaying Kapilow’s gift for observation and his animated teaching style. Part Two features performances of the composition. The evening concludes with Part Three, a spirited Q&A on the work. The New York Times called the series “the kind of enlightening musical seminar in which you hang on to every word and note.”
Cited by The Boston Globe as “an educator, motivational speaker, and game show host, all rolled up in one,” Kapilow has built a loyal following and a name for himself around the world. His renowned What Makes It Great? series is a recurring event at New York’s Lincoln Center and in Boston, Cerritos, and Kansas City. Kapilow’s acclaimed FamilyMusik series introduces youths to all things musical; and Citypieces celebrates American life – its history, citizens, diversity, and destination – through collaborative compositions.
Kapilow claimed the top spot in the Fontainebleau Casadesus Piano Competition, and Second Prize in the Antal Dorati Conductor’s Competition with the Detroit Symphony. He is a
featured composer on Chicago Public Radio’s prestigious Composers in America series and a recipient of an Exxon “Meet-the-Composer” grant and awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He spearheaded the Tony award-winning Nine on Broadway and the premiere of Frida for the opening of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival. He authored the award-winning book All You Have to Do Is Listen; its follow-up What Makes It Great? Short Masterpieces, Great Composers; and Listening for America: Inside the Great American Songbook From Gershwin to Sondheim.
For tickets or more information, call (562) 916-8500 or go to cerritoscenter.com.
# # #