The Beatles: Listen and Talk
In 1963 the Beatles were a promising band just beginning to make a name for themselves.
By 1970 they had changed the face of popular music forever. Their metamorphosis is a story of musical genius and the uneasy dreams of an entire generation. Sixty years after “Please Please Me,” they still please us. Let’s listen together and talk about why.
Rhythmic Sounds
The rhythms of nature. The beating of your heart, the rise and fall of the surf, the promise of a child drawing her first breath. The world is full of meaningful, beautiful…and rhythmic…sounds. Join Steven Schick—percussionist, conductor and author—as he explores the world of percussion rhythms and mindful listening. Don’t worry! This is still your vacation. The performance will be gentle, evocative and will draw you into a world of pulses, sonic textures and musical gestures. If you think you’ve heard everything there is to hear on a concert stage, then come take a listen to the percussionist that Alex Ross of “the New Yorker” called, “one of our supreme living virtuosos, not just of percussion, but of any instrument.” It will music for both the ears and the heart.
Percussionist, conductor, and author Steven Schick, hailed by Alex Ross in the New Yorker as, “one of our supreme living virtuosos, not just of percussion but of any instrument,” has championed contemporary percussion music by commissioning or premiering more than one hundred-fifty new works. Steven Schick is artistic director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. As a conductor, he has appeared with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, Ensemble Modern, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Asko/Schönberg Ensemble. He is the curator of, and was most recently conductor and percussion soloist in, “It’s About Time,” a festival of the San Diego Symphony held in January of 2018. Schick’s publications include a book, The Percussionist’s Art: Same Bed, Different Dreams, and many articles. He has released numerous recordings including the 2010 “Percussion Works of Iannis Xenakis,” and its companion, “The Complete Early Percussion Works of Karlheinz Stockhausen” in 2014. He received the “Diapason d’Or” as conductor (Xenakis Ensemble Music with ICE) and the Deutscheschallplattenkritikpreis, as percussionist (Stockhausen), each for the best new music release of 2015. He was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2014. Steven Schick is Distinguished Professor of Music and holds the Reed Family Presidential Chair at the University of California, San Diego. He was music director of the 2015 Ojai Festival, and in 2017, the co-artistic director, with Claire Chase, of the Summer Music Program at the Banff Centre. In 2018 Schick became the Artistic Director of the Breckenridge Music Festival.
Tom Birmingham is an artist, photographer, and teacher who has lived and worked in Big Sur, California for over 30 years. He has recently located to a home near the Long Island Sound in Connecticut. As a founding director of the Big Sur Arts Initiative, Tom has provided instruction and enrichment in the creative arts in a variety of mediums. For ten years he taught art in the summer children’s theater program, StageKids. He has taught photography and drawing at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, and for years he and his wife, Erin Lee Gafill taught painting and sketch on their annual retreats to Italy.
An award-winning painter and author, Erin Gafill has inspired people around the world with her inspirational art, heartfelt stories, and uniquely engaging teaching methods. Her work bridges art, craft, and community, weaving observation, intuition, and imagination into her painting, writing, teaching, and public speaking. A fifth-generation California artist, she was born in Big Sur, California in 1963, the daughter of a beatnik and a flower child. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Carmel’s first artist-in-residence. Growing up at her grandparents’ legendary restaurant, Nepenthe, a mecca for poets, bohemians and dreamers, she drew inspiration from its ever-changing cast of characters as well as the stunning and mystical beauty of the coast.
Nancy Cetel, MD, is an engaging and passionate physician, author and professional speaker. Following her graduation from the New York University School of Medicine, she obtained her postgraduate training in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of California, San Diego, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California. Her pioneering research in hormonal issues led to numerous publications and awards. Dr. Cetel is often referenced in books and journals, and is a frequently invited lecturer nationally and internationally. Live appearances and interviews have brought her acclaim as an accomplished communicator and advocate for an informed public. She is the author of Double Menopause: What to Do When Both You and Your Mate Go through Hormonal Changes Together. Her passions include her family, vegetarian cooking, dancing, and the joys of being a grandparent.
A former National Aerobic Champion, star of the iconic Abs of Steel videos, and creator of the over 1-million selling Discover Tai Chi series, Scott Cole has lectured in over 30 countries and been a guest on LIVE with Regis and Kelly, The View, CNN, The Early Show, The Doctors, and more. He has trained Hollywood elite (Christian Bale, Barry Manilow, Stefanie Powers, Gena Lee Nolin), and was featured in The Wall Street Journal for his unique blending of the martial and healing arts. After 5 years of Clinical Pain Management, Scott is poised to help RLP guests improve balance, strength, mobility, and flexibility, AND reduce stress.
Lyricism, complexity, and dissonance characterize the musical interests of pianist Kyle Adam Blair. A contemporary music specialist, his major pianistic focuses include the performance of new works in collaboration with composers, and the performance of works from the American art music repertory of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, particularly music of Elliott Carter, Aaron Copland, George Crumb, and Stuart Saunders Smith.
Shirley Buccieri is the creator of Shirleyfest: living one month every year in a different city in the world. She goes to her new city alone, rents an apartment and fully embraces the city as a local. Everyone who learns of the concept loves the idea, but most have no idea where to begin. Her acclaimed blog, shirleyfest.com, has been read in 91 countries and featured on various radio stations across the globe. Shirleyfest was born out of transitions in her life. Shirley is uniquely qualified to provide insights, tips, and enthusiasm to those interested in turning any transition into a transformation.
Karl Anthony is an award-winning singer/songwriter and a proud member of NOAH (National Organization of Arts in Health), dedicated to advocating for the healing power of music in healthcare. For nearly twenty years, he has served as a healing-arts professional at the San Diego Rady Children’s Hospital, infusing his work and music with a message of hope for children and families. Leading drum circles in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (CAPS) at the hospital as a REMO Certified Health Rhythms Facilitator, Anthony promotes the scientifically researched benefits of community drumming as a tool for equalizing and building communities. Each year, Karl and his wife Noi lead travel service trips to Thailand, where they have a home and reside part of the year. These trips support musical instruments for local schools and orphanages. Karl has forged his own unique path in the music industry, earning multiple Gandhi/King Season for Non-Violence Peace Hero awards for his innovative art-focused wellness programs, music performances, and humanitarian efforts. Through his music, Karl Anthony opens doors to connect with people and shares his passion for the healing potential of music.
One year after graduating from the ‘FAME’ school (LaGuardia) as a theatre major, Galit Friedlander moved to Los Angeles to pursue a degree from the University of Southern California.
Shortly after graduating college, Galit found that her drive gained her the opportunity to work as an assistant choreographer for Prince in the Los Angeles leg of his Welcome 2 America Tour. She has worked on projects for Pharrell and MC Lyte. She has toured China and the U.S. with groundbreaking artists, choreographed for short film, works for the WNBA’S LA Sparks as a head choreographer, and has been the SparKids head choreographer since 2017.
Anjali Austin is a distinguished Specialized Master Trainer in GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® methodology with over 35 years of experience in the system. Trained by Juliu Horvath and Hilary Cartwright, she taught in the New York City studios, and was among the first group of teachers certified as Master Trainers.
Gay Gasper began her fitness career on Fit Tour, completing nine tours teaching fitness workshops in the United States. Additionally, Gay has shared her expertise by teaching at various Fitness Conventions around the world. Gay is the choreographer of over 40 fitness videos, has worked at QVC and HSN. She currently works full-time at a (CCRC) Continuing Care Resident Community as the Director of Fitness and teaches at numerous fitness facilities around Charlotte, NC. Gay continues to travel and teach, presenting fitness education for Interactive Fitness Trainers of America.
A passionate ambassador of classical music, violinist Monique Mead enjoys a rich career as a performer, educator, and innovator. Inspired and mentored by Leonard Bernstein, Monique has devoted her performing career to nurturing new audiences and curating extraordinary musical experiences. Her programs with major orchestras and festivals in the United States and Europe have drawn international acclaim for their popular appeal and innovative approach. Interweaving live music with education and audience engagement at the highest level, her programs have reached millions through television appearances, a six-year radio series with the Munich Radio Orchestra, and over 20 years of concerts with the Cologne Philharmonic, Munich Symphony, Düsseldorf Symphony, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and the Mainly Mozart Festival. Since 2012 Monique has served as Director of Music Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University, where she trains musicians in community engagement, peak performance, and professionalism as she helps them forge new paths as professional musicians. Monique performs on violin made in 1860 by J.B. Vuillaume which was gifted to her at age 19. She enjoys hiking, yoga, homegrown cuisine, and performing with her talented teens, Isabel and Tino.
Touted as a “gifted guitarist” by the New York Times, 2-time Grammy-nominated artist Mak Grgić [GER-gich] is a star on the worldwide stage. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, collaborator, and Grammy-nominated recording artist are fueled by curiosity, imagination, and boundless energy. As a testament to his versatility and wide-ranging appeal, in 2018 Mak was invited by legendary singer-songwriter k.d. lang to perform as the opening act for the North American leg of her Ingénue Redux Tour. Recent engagements include performances and residencies at the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Konzerthuset in Stockholm, several venues in Portugal, Teatro Cervantes de Bejar in Castilla-Leon/Spain, the Sarajevo Music Academy, several venues in Slovenia, the Paris Guitar Foundation, Zurich University of the Arts, Taipei National Theater, Shanghai Grand Theater, and the Hong Kong International Guitar Festival. Mak’s latest recordings, “Balkanisms” for Naxos Music plus “MAKrotonal” and Grammy®- nominated “Mak|Bach” for MicroFest Records, explore a vast repertoire spanning ethnic music, microtonal, new music and early music on re-fretted instruments, such as a “zig-zag fretted Bach prototype guitar” that allows him to create a “well- tempered guitar” for “Mak|Bach.” Born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1987, Mak studied guitar in Zagreb with the revered Ante Cagalj at the Elly Basic Music Academy. He completed a bachelor’s degree with Alvaro Pierri at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and in the fall of 2017, he began the Artist Diploma program at USC, the first guitarist in the university’s history to be admitted to this elite program. Mak currently holds a full-time teaching position at University of South Carolina, and is a founder and CEO of Notey, a startup building a mobile music education game.
