In The News: School of Music
Some were displaced during the war. One was tossed from a cattle train en route from Paris to Auschwitz. Another survived Dachau. These violins, long associated with the Holocaust, have been restored by father-and-son instrument makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein as part of their Violins of Hope project. The instruments will be celebrated, and played, this weekend in two concerts.
The Las Vegas Sinfonietta, a professional chamber orchestra, will kick off its fifth concert season this weekend with a historically significant performance. The season’s opening concert, “Violins of Hope,” is a powerful tribute to the resilience and spirit of Holocaust survivors.
Las Vegas has its fair share of native celebrities like Ne-Yo, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and future celebrities are being made right now. In October, the culture issue in our city-regional magazine, Desert Companion, will feature in Ones To Watch. These are profiles of interesting up-and-coming local artists or performers.
For the first time the ҳ| 鶹ýӳ is debuting a mariachi program exploring the traditional Mexican folk music that originated in the late 1800s. “The culture is just so rich. The music is one of the most beautiful kinds of music I’ve heard in my life,” Stephen Blanco, director of mariachi for UNLV’s School of Music, said.
For the first time the ҳ| 鶹ýӳ is debuting a mariachi program exploring the traditional Mexican folk music that originated in the late 1800s. “The culture is just so rich. The music is one of the most beautiful kinds of music I’ve heard in my life,” Stephen Blanco, director of mariachi for UNLV’s School of Music, said.
We all have that one friend who is shockingly adept at all things music-related. Whether they do it professionally or merely whip out their violin on special occasions, you can't help but wonder where their innate talent came from.
Hailed by Count Basie Orchestra bandleader Scotty Barnhart as a “superb musician and soloist who has great technique and a refined sophistication,” Butler’s recording primarily features compositions by Bennie Green from his 1959 LP, Bennie Green Swings the Blues, and saxophonist Ike Quebec’s album, Easy Living, which also features the trombonist, and was recorded in 1962.
Las Vegas based International Conductor, Maestro Taras Krysa returns from Ukraine Concert Tour inspiring and bringing a sense of normalcy to life during war time.
Interview Channel 3 Las Vegas: April 16, 2024.
UNLV’s College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame has honored many Strip entertainers in its 20-year history. But the annual event itself has never played the Strip.
For the students of the Las Vegas High School Mariachi Joya, their excitement for class is palpable. “It’s something I always look forward to every day, picking up my instrument and playing,” the group’s Student Director, Axel Rodriguez-Olivas says. The UNLV-bound student says his dream is to teach mariachi music to others, and, luckily for him, he’ll now be able to further his mariachi education without having to leave the valley. UNLV will be offering its first mariachi program starting this fall, led by Las Vegas High School’s Mariachi Joya Director Stephen Blanco.
UNLV’s School of Music announced several new classes for the fall semester focused on mariachi. The program will be overseen by Stephen Blanco, who founded Las Vegas High School’s mariachi program in 2018.