We're back!!

For the first episode of Season 2 of Centered on the Arts, Rebecca Carson, our Managing Director, keeps everything light and breezy as she excitedly announces the new 2021–2022 lineup of Presented Shows at Smothers Theatre, Raitt Recital Hall, and Lindhurst Theatre. Rebecca also gives the scoop of what the CFA has been doing during quarantine, as well details on the new changes we've implemented in anticipation of resuming live performances. 

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

Hi everyone! Get ready for Season 2 as we continue to have deep conversations with various performing arts professionals and ask the question, "Why are the arts important?"

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

It’s the last episode of the season, and we have a treat! R.J. Morgan sits down with the graduating seniors of the CFA staff, Carmen Edano, Mary Buffaloe, Sam Petersen, Indy Wilson, David Bird, Sydney Swearengin, Nina Duchild, and Karli Mueller, to discuss their Pepperdine working careers as well as their future plans. Our patrons will have seen these students working back-of-house, front-of-house, on stage, or in the museum, and together we can enjoy the lively anecdotes of these remarkable students. 

Behind-the-scenes stories, as well as backstage gossip, make this a must-listen-to episode. But in addition to their humor, our students have also brought a community to the CFA they happily share with every patron. Our graduating seniors are wise beyond their years, and their worldviews are worth appreciating. 

Join us in the Fall of 2021 for the next season!

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

R.J. chats with Jeremy Zerbe, a current Pepperdine senior who is double majoring in Advertising and Music Composition while also serving as the Music Director of the Pepperdine Pickups men's a capella group and Music Producer for the Centered on the Arts podcast. He was the featured student composer for the Up Against the Screen silent film festival in Spring 2020 with the Pickford Ensemble, and recently, he composed for the theater department’s performance of As You Like It and premiered his String Quartet no. 1 with the Escalera Quartet in 2020.

The pair banter about the ending of Zerbe’s undergraduate career, as well as his experience as a student member of the CFA staff. Zerbe’s passion for music and composition is overwhelmingly apparent as he discusses what got him into music and where he hopes his career can go. His infectious joy will delight any listener, and you may just learn a bit about composing. 

Info on Jeremy: https://jeremiahzerbe.wixsite.com/composer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhzerbe/

The Senior Recital will be via the Pepperdine Music Facebook page on the 16th. Visit https://www.facebook.com/pepperdinemusic/

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

On today’s episode, R.J. is joined by Keith Colclough, the Assistant Professor of Voice and the Director of Opera. Colclough received his undergraduate degree from Pepperdine, and then went on to win the Fulbright fellowship to Mannheim, Germany, and later on he was also instructed by the Tanglewood Music Center and the Music Academy of the West, amongst others. His performance credits include but are not limited to solo performances at the LA Philharmonic and Opera Santa Barbara, and later his directing credits would include Pepperdine Opera classics such as Gianni Schicchi, Dido and Aeneas, and Die Fledermaus.

Colclough discusses his experience and passion for opera, including how he himself came to the art and how he encourages students to find their own voices. The struggles and triumphs of online learning are delved into, specifically how they relate to the opera program’s upcoming performance of Cendrillon. According to Colclough, the dedication and talent of these students has been remarkable through this process, and it is not a performance to miss! 

Cendrillon Details 

Thursday, April 22–Saturday, April 24, 2021

Ticket link: https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1016886/pepperdine-music-malibu-center-for-the-arts-digital-performances 

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

RJ Morgan and music student Jeremy Zerbe sit down with Randall Goosby, a talented violinist who began playing at age seven, going on to perform in orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, the Buffalo Orchestra, the Rochester Orchestra, and the Orlando philharmonics, among others. He’s won a myriad of awards, including but not limited to the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Sphinx’s Isaac Stern Award, and Bagby Foundation grant. Currently, he is attending the Juilliard school of music, studying under Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho, and he is playing a Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu of 1735, on a generous loan by the Stradivari Society. 

The three discuss Randall’s career in music and what motivates him to keep creating and performing. His musical inspirations and the value he places on his craft are both fascinating and enriching for all, so for any music lover, this is well worth the listen. 

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

Violinist and Violist: Samuel Sun

Dani chats with Sonia de los Santos, a family entertainer who has toured around the world, singing in English and Spanish to share and celebrate her culture. She began her career with Dan Zanes and friends, and has since gone on to be nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2019 and be named one of Billboards “the Latin Children’s music artists you should know”. In addition to her accolades, she has been featured on NBC’s Visiones, Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live, and WXPN’s Kids Corner, among others.

Topics range from how Sonia began her career as a musician, her move to New York, and her solo trip to Peru. Her excitement for her craft is infectious, and families everywhere will be delighted as they listen along.

To learn more about Sonia:

https://www.soniadelossantosmusic.com/

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

R.J. Morgan welcomes Hollace Starr and student actor Leyla Dillig, to share their experiences with the upcoming Pepperdine show, As You Like It, and why they believe the arts are important.

Hollace Starr (voice and dialects) is an associate professor of theatre at Pepperdine University, where she teaches, coaches voice and dialects, and directs. Recently, Hollace directed the West Coast Premiere of Mike Bartlett’s Earthquakes In London at Rogue Machine Theatre, and she wrote and voiced the original prologue, which will be published in the upcoming “Emergency” issue of Imagined Theatres, for the video version of Pepperdine’s COVID-cancelled The Cherry Orchard. Hollace’s acting credits include Yard Sale Signs and Milkmilklemonade at Rogue Machine, Small Tragedy at the Odyssey for which Hollace received an Ovation Award nomination, and more. She is a founding member of Rogue Machine Theatre Company and on the board of Trade City Productions, which operates Los Angeles’ very first mobile theatre truck. Hollace received her MFA in acting from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television.  She is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and a designated Linklater Voice teacher.

Leyla Dillig is a Senior Theatre Major with an emphasis in acting from Stuttgart, Germany. Her Pepperdine credits include The Pirates of Penzance (Ensemble), Well (Ensemble Member B), Rhinoceros (Housewife), Stay Because (Erin), Falling (Lisa), Ragtime (Sarah), and Men on Boats (Dunn). In 2018 she was part of the world premiere of “The Abode” with Pepperdine's Edinburgh Summer Program. She is a recipient of the Theater Scholarship and a member of the Pepperdine Student Players.

If you are interested in being a part of this piece of the As You Like It performance, please do the following:

1. Watch this video and learn the dance.  Now, you can spend as much time on this as you would like.  You can go over it again and again and really get the steps down, or you can go through it once or twice and just try your best!  Go with what you have time to do and just try to have some fun.
2. (optional) Find a funny hat, jacket, or some fun glasses or a fancy ball gown.  It’s entirely up to you what you wear, but this part of the play is the celebration of a wedding, so wearing something festive is encouraged.
3. Record yourself doing the dance.  You can watch choreographer Kelly Todd and dance along with her while you record on your phone or computer  
4. Save and label your video.  Please label your file with your name, the date, and the words “wedding dance video submission.”
5. Upload your video to our Wedding Dance Video raw footage Google Drive folder by March 21.

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

Paul Vacchiano welcomes Jazzy Ash, who with her band The Leaping Lizards, is a family entertainment sensation having released multiple albums and energetic stage shows that celebrate jazz and African American folk music. As a lifelong performer, Jazzy Ash seeks to share her passion for childhood development through the arts, designing her stage show to bring together families of all generations and backgrounds. Aside from the visual arts, she has also released an audiobook: Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons, which has allowed for her to delve into children’s literature and celebrate the world she knows. Jazzy Ash’s love for performing and children comes through her body of work, and the genuine love for the arts she projects is inspiring.

Register for the free Jazzy Ash Performance:

https://arts.pepperdine.edu/events/2020-2021-season/artsreach-black-history-month.htm

Jazzy Ash’s Website:

http://www.jazzyash.com/

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe

Rebecca Carson chats with Melanie Weir, her longtime friend and colleague who works as the Education and Community Engagement Manager for the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa while also serving as the President of the Board for California Presenters. Melanie relates her passion for exposing youth to the arts as a mode of social betterment, emphasizing throughout her conversation with Rebecca the value of the arts for all of society. In trying times such as these, Melanie uses her role to bring hope and joy to communities, and her wit is sure to bring a smile to your face as you listen. 

More info about the Center for the Arts can be found: https://arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/digital-resources.html 

Music Composer: Jeremy Zerbe