By Lookout Staff

May 27, 2014 – Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Music Department will host a series of spring concerts in June that include a fully staged production of “Luisa Fernanda,” one of the 20th century’s great zarzuelas, or Spanish operas.

Concerts will be held in either The Broad Stage or at The Edye at the SMC Performing Arts Center at Santa Monica Boulevard and 11th Street.

The Concert series will kick off on June 1 at 2 p.m. in The Broad Stage with a SMC Wind Ensemble conducted by Director of Bands Kevin McKeown. 

The ensemble’s annual “Pops” concert showcases “the most memorable music from film, TV, and the Broadway stage,” according to officials. Tickets are $10 and all ages are welcome.

A Piano Ensemble Recital directed by Dr. David Goodman will be on stage at the Edye on June 3 at 11:15 a.m.  SMC’s advanced piano students reveal the uniqueness and diversity of four-hand piano and piano duo repertoire.

Tickets are free and complimentary tickets are available at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.

On June 5 at 11:15 a.m. in The Edye, Conductor Matthew Altmire will lead the SMC Percussion Ensemble Recital in a “creative, unique performance of percussion music,” covering a variety of styles.

The recital is free and complimentary tickets are available at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.

The SMC Opera and SMC Symphony Orchestra combine forces to present “SMC Opera Theatre & SMC Symphony: ‘Luisa Fernanda’” from June 5 to 7 at 7:30 p.m. in The Broad Stage

Directed by Janelle DeStefano and James Martin, the show is a fully costumed production of one of the 20th century’s great Spanish operas, Federico Moreno Torroba’s “Luisa Fernanda.” 

The opera is “a tale of love, rivalry, and politics in the revolutionary atmosphere of mid-19th century Spain.” The on stage performance will be in Spanish with English supertitles. Tickets will be on sale for $20.

The SMC Jazz Band conducted by Keith Fiddmont will perform arrangements from the masters, as well as contemporary works from aspiring composers and arrangers on June 8 at 4 p.m. in the Broad Stage. 

Renowned guest artists will join the band to explore the music of Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson and others. Tickets are on sale for $10.

The Music Program’s May concert series will wrap up on June 10 at 7:30 p.m. in The Broad Stage with a performance by the SMC Concert Chorale.

Conducted by Jeffe Huls, the ensemble performs a concert featuring Franz Schubert’s “Mass in G,” as well as a number of smaller works, including contemporary compositions and African-American spirituals. Tickets are on sale for $10.

For tickets and information, visit www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or call (310) 434-3005 or (310) 434-4323.