“Four thousand years ago, someone pressed a reed into clay to preserve this story. Tonight, we sing it forward.” — Diana Farrell, librettist and artistic director Ahmad Joudeh (young Gilgamesh), center, with ensemble in "Gilgamesh: The Opera" at Cerritos Center (Photo by Christina Gandolfo) The 4,000-year-old epic tale of Gilgamesh was brought to life last weekend in the form of a lush opera five years in the making. With culturally inflected orchestral music, a rich libret

Ellie Roddy as Roxie in the national tour of "Chicago" (Photo by Jeremy Daniel) For a girl from Orlando, Florida, playing Roxie Hart in...

This interview was originally published in the Long Beach Post , a nonprofit news organization, on March 6, 2025. Branford Marsalis. Photo by Palma Kolansky. The Branford Marsalis Quartet is set to perform for one night only at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on March 13. I had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Marsalis in advance of the event. Marsalis is widely regarded as jazz royalty and a master musician, his career extending into classical music recordings

This article was originally published in the Long Beach Post, a nonprofit news organization, on Feb. 13, 2025. Michael Fabisch (Evan) in...