Father Serra on a Mission to Teach Coachella Valley Students about California History

            CATHEDRAL CITY, January 26, 2012 – Father Junipero Serra, the founder of the California missions, will speak about his travails and triumphs to local schoolchildren in Cathedral City and Coachella on Thursday, February 9^th. The program, entitled “A Visit with Father Serra,” is part of Forest Lawn’s “History Comes Alive” series, and will be held at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at Forest Lawn-Cathedral City, and then at 3:00 p.m. at Forest Lawn-Coachella. .

            During each presentation, Father Serra will explain how the missions were organized, beginning with Mission San Diego in 1769, and will discuss his own accomplishments and challenges over a 16-year period, beginning in 1769, when he took on the responsibility for establishing Northern California’s missions.  

            “Father Serra” will be portrayed by well-known actor-presenter Bruce Buonauro, who has re-enacted the role of the Franciscan friar for more than seventeen years throughout California and at the San Diego, San Gabriel and San Luis Rey missions.

            Following each presentation, Father Serra will answer the children’s questions about his life and work. Children will also have the opportunity to make adobe bricks, which were used in the construction of the California missions. Admission is free. Availability is very limited. Forest Lawn-Cathedral City is located at 69855 East Ramon Road in Cathedral city, while Forest Lawn-Coachella is located at 51990 Jackson Street in Coachella. For more information and reservations, please call Event Planner Shannon Lawrence at 760-328-3471.

“A Visit with Father Serra” at Forest Lawn-Cathedral City and Forest Lawn-Coachella

About the Forest Lawn Museum

            The Forest Lawn Museum was founded in 1951 with a vision of bringing a wide variety of artwork to the community through both its permanent collection and traveling exhibits. The museum’s permanent collection features both original works and reproductions by artists from throughout the world including both ancient and contemporary pieces. Bronzes by Frederic Remington, pre-historic stone sculptures, rare coins, valuable 13^th to 20^th century stained glass and architectural masterpieces such as Paradise Doors are among the more than nearly 250 pieces that can be viewed year-round by museum visitors. In addition, the museum proudly hosts special exhibits such as “¡Adelante! Mexican American Artists: 1960s and Beyond”

About Forest Lawn®

Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries has been honoring the lives of Southern California families of all faiths and cultures for more than a century. World-renowned for its unsurpassed beauty, exceptional level of service, and competitive prices for cemetery property, funerals, and cremation services, Forest Lawn has become the gold standard in the funeral and cemetery industry.   With its unique “Spirit of Service” and commitment to uplift and educate the communities it serves, Forest Lawn provides many admission-free programs on art, history, and remembrance enjoyed by thousands each year.

(Glendale FD 656, Hollywood Hills FD 904, Cypress FD 1051,Covina Hills FD 1150, Long Beach FD 1151, City of Industry FD 2121, Cathedral City FD 1847, Palm Springs FD 1908, Coachella FD 640, Indio FD 967,Palm Desert FD 1571)

Forest Lawn^® is a registered trademark of Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Association.

UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas Proudly Presents

“Musical Magic: Stars of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”

-        Free Concert Produced by Opera Arts, Steinway Society and Cathedral City will Feature Renowned Composer Ivan Lane with Local Student Vocalists and Musicians -

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – January 11, 2012 –  UltraStar Cinemas, Southern California’s largest privately owned theater group and the new operator of the Mary Pickford Stadium 14 and Desert IMAX theaters, is proud to host “Musical Magic: Stars of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” The concert is free to the public and jointly produced by OperaArts, the Steinway Society of Riverside County, and Cathedral City.  On Friday, January 27 at 3 p.m., renowned 97-year-old composer Ivan Lane will take the stage with the Marywood-Palm Valley Middle School Choir and talented local teen musicians for an unforgettable performance of soaring voices and piano artistry that will share the love of music with all generations. The concert will take place at the UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas inside the Buddy Rogers auditorium.

Ticket Information

Tickets for “Musical Magic: Stars of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” will be available beginning later this week at the UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas box office, centrally located off Highway 111 at 36-850 Pickfair St. in Cathedral City. Admission is free, but tickets are required for entry and may be obtained in person only. They will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. Limit four tickets per person. Ample parking is available in the nearby parking structure. For more information, please visit www.operaartspalmsprings.org or www.steinwayriverside.org. 

Cast Listing for Musical Magic: Stars of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (in alphabetical order)

Chloe Sharp (vocalist) is a 16-year-old junior at Xavier College Preparatory High School. She has performed in community theatre since age 6, including roles in The Wizard of Oz, Annie, Beauty and the Beast, and Music Man. She was a finalist in the 2007 and 2010 McCallum Open Call competition and won 2008 Entertainer of the Year at The National Miss American Starlet competition. She currently performs with the Steinway Society bringing music to underprivileged elementary school children.

Esther Yaghoubian (pianist/cellist), 15,  has been playing the piano for five years and the cello for three years. She has been Open Call Finalist, Steinway Society of Riverside Festival winner, and DMF of Joshua Tree winner. In 2010, Esther won second place in the Riverside ASTA strings competition,  and soloed on cello with the Redlands' Youth Symphony and JPHIL Orchestra of Joshua Tree as Principal Cellist.  In summer 2011, she attended the Symphony Camp at the Idyllwild Arts Academy on full scholarship from the Palm Springs' Friends of Philharmonic. For the past two years, Esther has attended the Symphony Camp at the University of Redlands.

Gale Enger (accompanist) is Organist-Choirmaster Emeritus of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Palm Springs, where he has played organ and directed a 50-voice choir in an ambitious program of regular masses and liturgies, plus a regular series of cantatas and oratorios. His career as a concert organist includes 1973 and 1987 organ recitals at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris playing to audiences of over 9,000 people with standing ovations. He is honored with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame. 

Hannah Yaghoubian (pianist),13, has been playing the piano for four years and violin for three years. She was an Open Call finalist in 2009 with the Yaghoubian Trio. From 2009-2010, she was a member of the VIP Youth Orchestra at the University of Redlands and also a member of the JPHIL Orchestra of Joshua Tree. Hannah recently won a Hennekes piano scholarship and participated in the Steinway of Riverside Festival. She has attended the University of Redlands Symphony and Piano Camps and presently is part of the Buddy Rogers Youth Symphony.

Ivan Lane (pianist) is a renowned composer, conductor, songwriter and arranger educated at New York University and at the Guildhall School of Music and Art in London. He was an arranger for the Guy Lombardo, Sammy Kaye and Blue Barron orchestras in the Big Band era, and thereafter wrote music for television and film. Joining ASCAP in 1961, his popular-song compositions include "Long May We Love" and "Qu'est Que C'est L'amour."

Jordan Way (vocalist) is 8 years old and a third grade student at George Washington Charter School. She started dance at 4 years old and has performed with dance group The Kidettes for the last 3 years. Jordan is currently enrolled in tap, ballet and jazz and has been taking piano lesson for the last two years. She recently took up voice lessons and belongs to the school choir.

Judy Deertrack (soprano) is a dramatic soprano specializing in Broadway and opera. Originally, Judy studied vocals under the tutelage of Janet Hopkins, a dramatic soprano with the New York Metropolitan Opera. She has studied repertoire the last three years with international concert pianist Gale Enger, and her performances include arias and solos for such venues as the Palm Springs Opera Arts Association.

Marywood-Palm Valley School Chorus 

The chorus is composed of middle school children from the Marywood-Palm Valley School, under the direction of teachers Ken Sarkis and Chris Griffin.

Noah Yaghoubian (pianist), 19, started piano lessons over seven years ago and has been performing
and competing ever since. He was an Open Call grand prize winner, Steinway Society of Riverside Festival winner, Redlands' Bowl Young Artist winner, and Hennekes Scholarship recipient. Noah has been a featured soloist with the Coachella Valley Symphony, performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue piano concerto.

Paul MacKey (vocalist) is an award-winning singer, actor and dancer whose career includes theatre, music, film, television, recording and dance. Memorable performances include Charlie in Brigadoon, Adolfo Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, Dr. Coppelius in Coppelia, and the Observer in Putting it Together. Paul is honored to serve as host of Live at LIT, a series of musical performances at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

Sasha Chasen (vocalist) is a middle school student at the Marywood-Palm Valley School.  She is active in all of the school's drama productions, taking lead roles as singer and actor.

Sye Sharp (pianist) is a 17-year-old senior at Xavier College Preparatory High School. He is a drama student and most recently performed in You Can’t Take it With You. Sye attended the Berklee College of Music in summer 2011 and was a member of the Palm Desert High School Marching Aztecs. He was the first place winner of the 2011 Desert Music Foundation Scholarship and the Colonel Mitchell Paige Talent Show. Sye currently performs “Classics to Pops” concerts with the Steinway Society, which bring musical inspiration and education to elementary school children.

About OperaArts Palm Springs

OperaArts, created from the collaborative dreams and efforts of a small consortium of community residents and opera aficionados, is a non-profit organization whose goal is to present quality musical performances, with emphasis on Opera and operetta, accompanied by high quality visual arts and art experiences, to the Coachella Valley community, with emphasis on our youth and senior citizens.

About The Steinway Society of Riverside County

Since 2002 the Steinway Society has been providing life-enriching musical programs, music classes and outreach programs in schools for over 60,000 children. The Steinway Society of Riverside County and the Coachella Valley promotes excellence in piano performance for all children by bringing music into the schools and encouraging music education at all levels.  The Society also provides financial awards through competition and provides music lessons for deserving children with financial need.

UltraStar Cinemas

UltraStar Cinemas is Southern California’s largest privately owned movie theater group. UltraStar Cinemas is headquartered in San Diego County and operates 134 screens at 13 sites throughout Southern California and Arizona. Recognized for pioneering the digital age of cinema, UltraStar was the first theater group in the world to be fully equipped with Pure Digital Cinema^® powered by DLP Cinema^® technology in all of its locations. In 2009, the company also became the first to offer D-BOX motion seats, which use motion effects specifically programmed for each film to create an immersive experience for movie goers. For more information, visit www.ultrastarmovies.com.

UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas to Offer Military Families

Free Admission on Christmas Eve

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – December 15, 2011 –  UltraStar Cinemas, Southern California’s largest privately owned theater group and the new operator of the Mary Pickford Stadium 14 and Desert IMAX, will offer free admission to members of the military and their families on Christmas Eve.  This marks the fifth year in a row that UltraStar has invited servicemen and women to enjoy complimentary Christmas Eve movies, as a gesture of appreciation for their courage and dedication. The free admission will be valid from 6 p.m. to closing at the UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas only.

This holiday movie season promises to be one of the biggest ever, with highly anticipated releases including Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Guests can simply present a valid military ID at the box office for complimentary admission. Accompanying family members with valid dependent ID will also receive free admission. UltraStar Cinemas also offers a discounted ticket price of $8to members of the military all year round.

“Our nation owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the United States Armed Forces,” said Alan Grossberg, president and CEO, UltraStar Cinemas. “In the Desert Cities, we are especially proud of the efforts of the hardworking men and women stationed at the 29 Palms U.S. Marine Corps Base. We hope to have a tremendous number of military families come out and enjoy a complimentary evening of entertainment at the UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas.”

UltraStar’s Mary Pickford Cinemas is centrally located off Highway 111 at 36-850 Pickfair St. in Cathedral City. Ample parking is available in the nearby parking structure. For tickets and information, please visit www.ultrastarmovies.com.

UltraStar Cinemas

UltraStar Cinemas is Southern California’s largest privately owned movie theater group. UltraStar Cinemas is headquartered in San Diego County and operates 144 screens at 14 sites throughout Southern California and Arizona. Recognized for pioneering the digital age of cinema, UltraStar was the first theater group in the world to be fully equipped with Pure Digital Cinema^® powered by DLP Cinema^® technology in all of its locations. In 2009, the company also became the first to offer D-BOX motion seats, which use motion effects specifically programmed for each film to create an immersive experience for movie goers. For more information, visit www.ultrastarmovies.com.