Brand from Home | April 07, 2022

Music Concerts in April!

The Brand Associates Music Series presents "Music From America," a program by Bokyung Byun performing new pieces from young US composers along with South American composers. She has won many international competitions and awards. Most recently the 2021 Guitar Foundation of America’s International Concert Artist Competition, probably the most prestigious guitar competition in the world. April 30, 2022 at 2:00 PM, Brand Library Recital Hall. Sponsored by the Brand Associates, admission is free and seating is limited.

Join Lernazang Ensemble for a celebration of Armenian dance and culture on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 4:00PM. The event will feature master musicians from Armenia including folk singer Hasmik Harutunyan, Vardan Baghdasaryan on kamancha, Tigran Zakaryan on pku/zurna, Albert Ordinyan on dhol, and more performing a rich repertoire of azgagrakan songs and dances from Western Armenia.

Music Playlists

Listen to a streaming playlist from Freegal Music, Naxos Music Library,Naxos Jazz Music Library, Hoopla or Music Online from Alexander Street free with your library card. Alexander Street will ask for an academic institution, use Glendale Public Library.

Here are some new CDs.

Here are some new music books.

Music Online

Did you know that the Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive has Billboard Magazine issues back to 1894? Variety issues back to 1905? Radio and Records issues back to 1973? Musician issues back to 1982?

Call for Art

The Associates of Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale, California announce the 50th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper. This years juror is Shannon Currie Holmes. Shannon has been producing events designed to connect people through the exploration of art through public art projects including Satellite Galleries and Street Box Art. Cash awards total over $4,000 including a Juror’s Award. All accepted artworks will be included in a show at the Brand Gallery and in both printed and online exhibition catalogs. Entry Deadline: Friday May 13, 2022

Art Exhibits in-Person

Check out Mer Tun, Dzer Tun on view from April 11 - May 21 at Adams Square Mini Park Gas Station. Artist Nelli Astvatsatrian translates this to “our home, your home” taken from an Armenian folk song “Dle Yaman” by Armenian troubadour and genocide survivor Komitas. The installation seeks to reclaim and honor history, laying testament to the resilience of indigenous peoples robbed of homeland everywhere. The finished product will be a quilt featuring artwork from Glendale, as well as people from Armenia and Artsakh, reflecting on what "home" means to them.

Hollywood Actress Sarah Ramos and The THNK1994 Museum are pleased to announce Autograph Hound, a multimedia exhibition exploring the intersection of fandom and fame. On display at Junior High (603 S Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91204) during the month-long exhibition will be photographs, artifacts, and installations from several series by Sarah Ramos including Autograph Hound, Quaranscenes, Successica, illustrated portraits of her fellow Parenthood cast members, and more. On view through May 8.

Thinkspace gallery opens four solo shows highlighting hope and optimism. Tacit Turnabout: Casey Weldon, a testament to the persistence of the creative spirit. Parking Lot Carnival: Brian “Dovie” Golden, explores the artist’s perseverance over grief after the loss of his son. The World Within: Toco-Oco is a series of whimsical sculptures from Brazilian husband and wife team (Lara Alcântara and Guilherme Neumann) that tickles the profundity of human experience. High Fructose: Carlos Ramirez, combines familiar pop iconography and corporate logos with figures from comics, folklore and Catholicism.

FIDM Museum (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing) is recognizing outstanding achievement in costume design from films released in 2021. With over twenty films represented from a variety of genres and studios, come and experience the exhibition which has become a tradition for LA locals and movie lovers alike.

Art Exhibits Online

Organized by the Fine Arts Museums of SF, Contemporary Muslim Fashions is the first major museum exhibition to explore the complex and diverse nature of Muslim dress codes worldwide. The exhibition examines how Muslim women (those who cover and those who do not) have become arbiters of style within and beyond their communities and, in so doing, have drawn attention to the variations and nuances of their daily lives.

Google Arts & Culture presents We Wear Culture: The stories behind what we wear. Explore over 400 stories by curators from leading institutions across the world. Discover more stories about the trends we wear from the court at Versailles to the streets of Tokyo. Explore the connections between art and fashion. Discover more icons and trendsetters. Learn more about the craft in our clothes and more.

Explore our collections to learn more! Celebrate Poetry Month as well!

Can't find it at the library? Try out Link+ our network of 70 public and academic libraries from across California and Nevada. Just click on the link from the catalog or watch a tutorial to learn more.

Brand Library Staff Reviews

I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation is Disney storyboard artist Natalie Nourigat’s 2018 guide in comic form about moving from Portland to Los Angeles and the lengthy process of landing her first salaried job. Nourigat offers advice to anyone looking to break into animation, starting with the practical (building a portfolio, working with a recruiter, networking) before dealing with knottier topics like handling rejection, taking classes to hone skills, accepting a job offer, and becoming a fully perked union member. There are lots of funny (and scary) anecdotes about moving and adjusting to L.A. life with many pages devoted to her favorite spots in the city (including the Brand Park trails!). At the end there are “Alternate P.O.V.s,” other artists working in animation who discuss their first jobs, student loans, and whether or not it’s necessary to get that art school degree. The comic doesn’t get into the finer aspects of Nourigat’s art—which tools she uses for instance—but last year she posted this helpful YouTube video. Since the publication of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation the entertainment world has obviously changed, so parts of the comic are perhaps less accurate in today’s more remote or hybrid work environment. Still, Nourigat’s story is funny and inspiring and will hopefully help you land the studio job of your dreams! -SB

David Del Tredici: Final Alice (Barbara Hendricks, Chicago Symphony, George Solti). American composer David Del Tredici recently celebrated his 85th birthday. His early works were dissonant and atonal but he used Alice in Wonderland as a basis for so many works that he embraced tonality to suit his concept of the texts. Final Alice was premiered by soprano Barbara Hendricks, conductor George Solti and the Chicago Symphony in 1976. At that time, most well-known composers were writing in an atonal style so Del Tredici was afraid he would be ridiculed by his colleagues for writing tonal music. Instead he had a big success and Final Alice performed by orchestras across the US. It is immense fun and a tour de force for Hendricks who is both soprano and narrator. The text is taken from the last two chapters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland including the trial. Unfortunately, the PDF of the booklet is not included but it’s easy to follow since it has so much spoken narration. The orchestration reminds me of Richard Strauss at times, Del Tredici is fantastic orchestrator. There is even a mandolin, tenor banjo and accordion in the ensemble. Hendricks voice was amplified in live performance; it is a huge orchestra to project over. The piece clocks in at just over one hour and is a fantastic musical representation of the story. The Acrostic Song will stick in your head, which isn’t such a bad thing! The score and LP are also available in the Brand Library collection. -BW

Covid-19 Resources

Reliable information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) is available from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County Public Health Department, City of Glendale and the Library, Arts & Culture department.