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Now
beginning its 17th year, The Restoration Concert
Committee continues to bring world-class music to
South Pasadena. The Sunday afternoon concerts, frequently
featuring internationally-known and award-winning
musicians, attract music lovers from throughout
the Los Angeles area and beyond, while requests
are regularly received from performers wishing to
participate in the series. This fall, the New Hollywood
String Quartet begins its sixth season as our Quartet
in Residence.
Proceeds
from the Restoration Concerts are dedicated to the
ongoing enhancement of the historic Community Room
where the concerts are staged. Improvements to date
have included new carpeting and chairs. A recent
special project enabled the purchase, thanks to
support from individuals, grants, local organizations
and businesses, of a 9' Steinway concert grand piano.
All
of the administrative, fundraising, artist relations,
community outreach and other tasks involved in presenting
the concert series are carried out on a voluntary
basis. Committee membership has changed somewhat
over the years but several of the original members
are still actively involved, including co-chairs
Kathy
Folsom, Kay Rosser, and Yvonne Voisin.
David
Battin,
with his wife Marcia, has been a South Pasadena resident
since 1978, when they returned to California in order
for him to take up his obstetrics residency at UCLA/USC.
Both have been active in the community, volunteering
with the PTA, SPEF and youth sports. David, who considers
the Restoration Concerts series "one of the best
things in this town", researches Restoration
Concerts performers and produces our printed programs.
Shireen
Chang, who with her husband John and their
family have been South Pasadena residents for 24 years,
has recently taken on the duties of Restoration Concerts
treasurer. Shireen loves South Pasadena and is an
active and tireless volunteer with the schools, the
library and the community as a whole.
Kate Douvan
is a recent transplant to South Pasadena. hailing
from Ann Arbor, Toronto and Hollywood (she says it's
a long story). Kate looks forward to sharing her energy,
enthusiasm and graphic design skills with the Restoration
Concerts committee and to making connections within
the South Pasadena community at large.
Ann Erler,
a resident of Eagle Rock, has been attending Restoration
Concerts since 2001 and became a member of the committee
after her retirement from Delta Airlines in 2004.
Ann says she enjoys every aspect of helping plan for
the concerts and meeting the musicians and concert
patrons.
Janet Ervin and her family settled in South Pasadena
in 1973 and have been involved volunteering in a variety
of community organizations. Janet joined the Restoration
Concerts Committee in 2007 and considers it an honor
and a pleasure to help in bringing outstanding musical
performances to our community.
Connie
and John Flanders: Connie has been a
South Pasadena resident for 34 years. She has been
a committee member for ten years and says she truly
enjoys her participation. John, who has been involved
in the motorcycle industry most of his life, enjoys
producing the printed materials for Restoration
Concerts and is a big fan of the concerts.
Kathy
Folsom, committee co-chair, is responsible
for finding and working with the musicians who play
in the Restoration Concerts. A South Pasadena native,
Kathy says music has always been a big part of her
life and she and her husband Ron enjoy sharing their
love of music with our community.
Ronald
Folsom began his first serious study
of the violin with William Kurasch of
Los Angeles and concluded his formal studies with
the famed Jascha Heifétz in his Master Class
at USC. He has been a soloist, chamber music player,
and a member in many orchestras including the Los
Angeles Philharmonic where he played under Zubin
Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, Andre Previn, to name a few.
His activities also include being very active in
the recording studios of Hollywood with television,
records and hundreds of motion picture sound tracks.
Before retiring his last motion picture was the
Help. Ron has played for the Restoration concert
series as well as helped with the hiring of our
wonderful musicians. Many of you may now know him
as the "guy" that opens the door for the
musicians.
Kay
Rosser, committee co-chair, is responsible
for the group's administrative and fundraising activities.
An inveterate volunteer for more than 30 years,
Kay has contributed her talents to the American
Red Cross and Plaza de la Raza in East Los Angeles,
as well as to our local schools and library. She
was recently honored by the Bank of America for
her volunteerism. Kay is an avid skier and golfer
and studies Tai Chi, but says the Arts have a special
place in her heart.
Neil
Rosser moved his international business
to South Pasadena in 1969 from the wholesale district
in Los Angeles. He has traveled extensively to the
Orient and to India establishing business relationships
for the import of seafood to the USA. He is now
retired and pursues his interests in skiing &
golf. For the past 15 years he considers himself
the "head maintenance guy" for the Restoration
Concerts.
Yvonne
Voisin, recently returned to the Committee
after a hiatus, has handled newspaper relations
for the series since its inception. She is Publicity
Chair for the Friends of the Library. Yvonne has
lived in South Pasadena since 1969 and her three
children graduated from South Pasadena High. She
is "three-quarters retired" but currently
conducts Voisin Communications, an editorial service.
Gloria
Weinberg, whose family have been residents
of the area since 1929, was until her retirement
co-owner of International Ceramic Tile Company.
Music has always been important to the family; one
of their three sons is a Juilliard graduate and
another is executive director of the San Francisco
Early Music Society. Gloria says that she is"
honored to be a member of the Restoration Concerts
committee, to help contribute to and further the
love of music."
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