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Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Newport Beach welcomes return of Pacific Symphony for free concert on the Civic Center Green
Pacific Symphony returns this month to Newport Beach for the first time since 2017 for a free orchestral concert of popular classics, pop tunes and patriotic music. The event joins Pacific Symphony's Symphony in the Cities program with Newport Beach's Summer Concerts on the Green series, and begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17 with pre-concert activities for children. 'The program includes not only the symphony performance, but an educational Musical Playground to round out the family-friendly event,' said Newport Beach Mayor Joe Stapleton. 'Exposure to symphony music helps to inspire learning. It sparks curiosity about history, composition and the arts. It's an opportunity for the community to gather and enjoy a variety of classical and contemporary works, including patriotic tunes, in the heart of the city's Civic Center campus.' Rebecca Lightfoot, Library Services manager and Cultural Arts assistant, said that all concerts run by the Newport Beach City Arts Commission for the Summer Concerts Series on the Green are free and open to the public. There is no ticket or pre-registration required. The pre-concert Musical Playground, from 5 to 6 p.m., includes interactive and hands-on activities for children — like instrument making and a drum circle. Children get the chance to learn how to conduct and will help lead the orchestra in John Philip Sousa's 'Hands Across the Sea' march during the concert. The concert begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m. Lightfoot said there will also be free face-painting and balloon animals. The Lime Truck and Kona Ice Truck, will be on site selling food. The public is also invited to pack a picnic and bring lawn chairs or blankets. 'The City Arts Commission selects a variety of bands from various genres for the annual summer concerts,' Lightfoot said. 'For our summer concerts on the Civic Green, we generally see attendance between 2,000 to 3,000 people but are anticipating a higher attendance for our Aug. 17 concert for the symphony's performance.' Pacific Symphony President and CEO John Forsyte recommends arriving early to secure a viewing spot, because it can fill up quickly. 'We have found over the 20, 25 years or so that we've been doing Symphony in the Cities concerts that the thousands of people who attend are multi-generational,' Forsyte said. 'It's a great exposure for children and parents and grandparents to enjoy. Orchestral music under the stars in a beautiful setting … it's a great introduction to the wide range of music that an orchestra can perform and at the same time enjoy the educational activities that we provide before the concert.' He said their goal as an orchestra is to provide concerts that are accessible and interesting to a wide cross-section of the community. Forsyte said Pacific Symphony had secured a state grant to help subsidize the cost of the concert this year. 'So we perform throughout Orange County, not only Symphony in the Cities, but also our Symphony on the Go concerts, which are a smaller version on a mobile stage that moves around the county,' he said. 'We produced 28 and counting of those concerts this year. So I really feel we bring music to folks with the hope that ultimately they want to seek out a great concert hall experience at the Rénee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, because there's nothing like hearing the orchestra in that incredible acoustic setting.' Assistant Conductor Jacob Sustaita will be leading the concert and singers will include Michael O'Halloran (baritone) and Jessica Choi (soprano). The program includes selections from 'West Side Story' — 'I Feel Pretty,' 'Maria,' 'Something's Coming' and 'America.' Other music includes selections from Aaron Copland's 'Old American Songs' — 'The Boatmen's Dance,' 'Simple Gifts' and 'I Bought Me a Cat.' Guests will also hear 'Edelweiss' from 'The Sound of Music,' 'Flying Theme' from 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' and more. 'It's a lot of wonderful, best of Broadway and opera songs,' Forsyte said. 'There's also this wonderful, very moving part of the evening where we salute our armed forces. And we have sort of a patriotic conclusion to the evening, so it's a very fun concert. People have really enjoyed it.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DPI receives part of federal library funds, but uncertainty will affect grant services
Wisconsin libraries rely on funding provided by the federal government through the Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States Program. (Photo courtesy of Madison Public Library) The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) received $1.6 million in grants from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support library operations and programming last week, though uncertainty remains for the program. Wisconsin libraries rely on funding provided by the federal government through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants to States Program, but that program has been in danger since President Donald Trump signed an executive order to downsize and begin the process of eliminating the agency. DPI and libraries throughout the state have warned that eliminating the funding would be a blow to statewide support for library programs as the grants fund staff for programs including the interlibrary loan system and other grants. The notification message from IMLS to DPI stated that the partial payment is for the time period through April 2025. It also notified the state agency that 'any additional amounts are subject to the availability of funds, IMLS discretion and other actions' and that 'should those conditions be met, IMLS anticipates issuing supplemental awards and will send the allotment table at that time.' 'At this time, the DPI has not received a final allotment table indicating the amount of funding Wisconsin will receive,' the DPI stated in an update to libraries Tuesday afternoon. 'This is not the typical fashion in which these funds are granted to states, but receiving a partial award provides some stability and relief in the short term.' The uncertainties for federal funding will still have some impact on the services that DPI carries out. Typically, the DPI Library Services office opens grant subawards, which are grants funded by federal funds and administered by the state agency, to library systems in Wisconsin in July. That won't happen this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the amount and timing of future Grants to States funds. 'The DPI will prioritize the Library Services salaries and the tools necessary to do their jobs with this partial allotment,' DPI said in the email. The Library Services team is made up of about 20 people with 16 of the positions funded with federal dollars. 'The team will reassess the viability of providing subawards once more is known about the future of IMLS and LSTA funding.' The amount that the state received is about half of the $3.23 million that Wisconsin received for the Grants to States Program received in 2024. Ben Miller, DPI library services director, had previously told the Examiner that the expected payment would serve as the next milestone for the state agency. There was uncertainty surrounding whether the payment would be sent given the gutting of staff for the IMLS office and the fact that other grants for libraries and museums have already been cut. Wisconsin is part of a multi-state lawsuit challenging the cuts to IMLS. Miller had said that even if the agency received the payment, it will likely be cautious in proceeding with certain actions as the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, the federal law that the grant program relies on, is up for renewal this fall. DPI spokesperson Chris Bucher said in an email to the Examiner that the state agency is 'encouraged' by the first payment and is 'optimistic given the IMLS note about issuing the supplemental awards.' 'Our top priority remains being [of] service to Wisconsin kids and communities,' Bucher said. DPI also it would continue to provide updates to libraries as the situation evolves and thanked the library community for 'sharing your stories, working with elected officials, and remaining steadfast in the incredible services you provide every day.' Libraries across the state have been working to inform the public about the potential cuts and to advocate for the federal funding with lawmakers. 'Keep being loud and proud about the meaningful work happening in your libraries and communities,' DPI wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Boston Globe
12-03-2025
- Boston Globe
Boston Public Library will use artificial intelligence to expand digital collection
With help from the The BPL said it hopes the program will serve to support research and transparent AI training. 'Our audience extends beyond traditional academic researchers,' said Michael Colford, Director of Library Services. 'When patrons use our digital collections to explore family histories, neighborhoods, and cultural heritage, we want them to benefit from the same technological advancements as our academic peers.' Advertisement The program is supported in part by OpenAI's NextGenAI initiative, according to the press release. Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at
