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Chamber Music in Historic Sites
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Christy McAvoy
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Tired of making New Year's resolutions yet? We all have the best of intentions for ourselves in the new year, and I'll bet that one of them involves being able to spend more time on worthwhile activities. Another is to spend quality time with family and friends. Another would be to have more cultural experiences.
Well, have I got a deal for you. There is an activity that will satisfy all three.
Twenty-some years ago, a musicologist at Mount St. Mary's College was teaching music theory and history and interdisciplinary humanities courses. She was also producing and "starring" in a series of classical music programs on KUSC-FM. That's enough for anyone, right? Well, not for this talented lady.
She is Mary Ann Bonino, and she is not one to shy away from creativity and good ideas. In 1980 she decided to marry her love of music and the performing arts with her love and passion for historic preservation.
She created "Chamber Music in Historic Sites," an award-winning concert series which showcased historic venues in Los Angeles and surrounding cities. What is so different about this, given that chamber music concerts are often heard in churches and auditoriums? Dr. Bonino's vision included traditional sites, but "Chamber Music" has become much more.
As thoughtful and innovative as she is well-versed in her field, Mary Ann has paired music and historic spaces in myriad ways for the last two decades. Train stations, Griffith Observatory, churches, office lobbies, private mansions, and even car dealerships have served as backdrops for music of all varieties. Architects from Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry have designed the experience.
One of the venues closest to home has been the Doheny Mansion on the Mount St. Mary's campus in historic West Adams. The Whitman String Quartet was one of the recent performers in the elegant Pompeian Room, a conservatory that defies description. Elegant yet intimate, the setting heightens the experience of superb music.
Now widely acknowledged as some of the premier events in L.A.'s music season, "Chamber Music in Historic Sites" was not always so well known. The indefatigable Bonino had the task of convincing venue owners to let her performers in. Then she had to find the audience. Each historic site plays to its strengths, so to speak. If the venue is modern, the programming might be also. The audience size will vary. Acoustics, not always thought of as a part of the architectural experience, becomes key.
These days, the events have a consistent sell-out rate of 90percent. But it wasn't an instant success. Bonino's hard work and enthusiasm demolished the logistical obstacles one by one. She gained allies in the arts and preservation communities. The typical subscriber (and host), she says, "is well educated, interested in the arts, and eager to learn about and to experience the best that life has to offer." They are interested in discovering the hidden treasures of the community or in experiencing them in new ways.
Mary Ann and her talented organization now use more than 20 venues a year. You can experience music at California missions, jazz at the Dunbar Hotel, French court music in a private chateau in Pasadena or Beverly Hills. Applause magazine called it "undoubtedly the most imaginative, permanent floating concert series in Southern California, if not the nation." The Da Camera Society also makes sure that diverse audiences of young people, the disadvantaged, and seniors can partake of the programs.
So supporting Mary Ann and the Da Camera Society is a "sound investment." She's made her commitment to the cultural and historic resources of Los Angeles, and deserves our heartfelt respect and admiration.
For more information call the DaCamera Society at 213-388-3417, ext. 200.
Christy Johnson McAvoy is the managing partner of Historic Resources Group, a historic preservation consultant firm. She is an advisor emeritus of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and past president of the Los Angeles Conservancy. E-mail her at hrg@historicla.com |
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