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Classical Pick of the Week: You!
Photo by leah c dixon via the LAist Featured Photos pool onFlickr
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Not only were you TIME's Person of the Year, you're now an LAist Classical Pick (it'll look great on your resume). Artist Luke Jerram with the help of LACO, finally brings "Play Me, I'm Yours" (#PMIYLA), to Los Angeles, with 30 pianos in tow. (We wrote about it here and here.)
These pianos are set up in high volume areas like shopping malls to encourage people to play on them, whether it's the four chords you learned in your garage band, some jazz, Rachmaninoff, or Ligeti. Each piano is decorated by acclaimed local artists (like muralist Kwent Twitchell, Chicano Art leader Frank Romero, and Chinese calligrapher Peizhi Yu) and organizations (like the Braille Institute and Homeboy Industries). The installation is running for the next three weeks as of April 12th and are accessible to the public 24/7 for some late night jam sessions. For locations, click here.
If you don't want to bother with learning how to play the piano this week, you can also check out Jacaranda's celebration of Olivier Messiaen and Sofia Gubaidulina, Russia's foremost living female composer, at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica.
The program includes Messiaen's Meditation No. 2 and 5 and Dieu Parmi Nous from “La Nativité du Seigneur” for the organ, Dutilleux's "Three Strophes on the Name of Sacher" for the cello, and a West Coast premiere from Gubaidulina with the Jacaranda Chamber Ensemble. Concert takes place this Saturday at 8 PM, and tickets are available here. Jacaranda is also hosting a screening of "Apparition of the Eternal Church", a documentary on Messiaen on Thursday at 7pm in Hollywood. Tickets available here.
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