ARTS+SUNDAYCULTURE

SECTION E

PEACEFUL GETAWAY KEY NOTESTRAVEL CULTURE

Carmel Valley Ranch resort is bothluxurious and earth-friendly E14

Successhasn’t changedThe Black Keys— it’s still about

the musicE9

‘GOOD’TIMES

ARTS

In ‘Good People’at the Old Globe,Paul Mullins

directs a play forand about our times

E3

SUNDAYSEPTEMBER 30, 2012

The San DiegoSymphony kicksoff its 102nd seasonwith a handful ofnewmusicians

R O S E L O M B A R D OP R I N C I P A L F L U T E

R A Y N O W A KT R U M P E T

A N N A S K Á L O V Á V I O L I N

Y E H S H E N V I O L I N

A J N I L L E SV I O L A

t h ef r e s h m a nf i v e

JAMES CHUTE • U-T

AJ Nilles doesn’t have one of the high-visibility positions in the San Diego Symphony. He’s a new section violist, joining the orchestra fresh out of theJuilliard School ofMusic.■Butwithin the first few days of rehearsals after Nilles joined the orchestra earlier this year, just about everybody in the80-member ensemble hadmade a point of introducing themselves.■ “I’d heard that this orchestra is much friendlier than most,” said Nilles, dur-ing a Summer Pops rehearsal break. “For me personally, to be fresh into the professional world and be surrounded by people who are friendly andnurturing has been a nice, warm experience.■ “And, of course, it’s a great orchestra. It’s really on its way up, which is refreshing.”■Over the pastyear, the orchestra had added five new musicians, most of them younger: Nilles; section violinist Anna Skálová; principal flutist Rose Lombardo;highly experienced third trumpet Ray Nowak; and section violinist Yeh Shen, formerly a member of the Houston Symphony.

San Diego Symphony Jacobs Masterworks SeriesWhen: Opens 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. next Sunday (Opus 2012 Gala concert at 8 p.m. Saturday)Where: Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., downtown

Admission: $30-$85 ($30 to $80 for Opus 2012) Phone: (619) 235-0804 Online: sandiegosymphony.org

SEE SYMPHONY • E6

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‘SAM BENDRIX’ TAPS INTO TONE OF BYGONE ERA

JAMES HEBERT • U-T

Out on the streets ofNew York City, it’s thefirst blizzard of 1958. Buta gentler kind of tempestis getting patrons shakenand stirred inside the BonSoir nightclub, where bar-keep-turned-singer SamBendrix’s act has grownperilously personal.Or it would be perilous,

anyway, if this were actu-ally 1958 — long before

the Stonewall Riots andthe subsequent gay-rightsmovement made theworld at least a little saferfor someone like Sam.When Sam’s patter

takes on a confessionaltone in this La JollaPlayhouse show — stagedin an actual bar, MartinisAbove Fourth — it’s easyto understand why hispianist Jimmy (CharlieReuter) tries to wave himoff so sternly, warning

that the cops could raidthe place any minute.But for a member of

Sam’s adopted cabaretaudience, sitting in thisstylish watering holein the warmly welcom-ing, proudly gay-centricneighborhood of Hillcrest,it’s a bit harder to re-ally tap into that sense ofthreat.Still, that doesn’t take

away from what is a warmand persuasive perfor-mance by Luke Macfar-lane, a star of TV (“Broth-ers and Sisters”) andBroadway (“The NormalHeart”), as the heartsickromantic Sam. Or fromthe writing by KeithBunin, who gives Sam abelievably bittersweetback story, and findsgraceful ways to fold theshow’s classic songs intothe character’s saga.It also helps that Mac-

farlane cuts a dashingfigure, coupled with anappealing voice and ayoung-Sinatra vibe (if notquite the same purity ofpipes).And that he’s backed by

a swinging jazz trio led bymusic director Reuter (aquadruple-threat who’sjust about done it all onlocal stages) and featur-ing bassist Kevin Cooperand percussionist DannyKing, both with sterlingtheater credits.Director Mark Rucker’s

show, the third in thePlayhouse’s “WithoutWalls” series of site-spe-cific works, puts Samfront-and-center as “theman you come to seewhen you can’t see theman you really want tosee.”In other words, he’s

the guy filling in for BonSoir’s usual headliner— a big deal after years ofslinging martinis behindthe bar. (Sam actually in-corporates some cocktail-mixing into the act.)Turns out he’s waiting

and hoping for the arrivalof the man he really longsto see — society’s disap-proval be damned. (One

chair is left vacant for themystery visitor, just incase.)Introducing himself

with tunes such as ColePorter’s “You’d Be SoNice to Come Home To”and the Bacharach/Da-vid hit “The Story of MyLife,” Sam tells of hislonely Nebraska up-bringing (Jerome Kern’s“The Land Where theGood Songs Go”) and his(mis)adventures in NewYork (the Gershwins’ “Oh,Lady Be Good!” and “NiceWork If You Can Get It”),as well as of his eventualheartbreak (Kurt Weill’s“That’s Him,” Rodgers& Hammerstein’s “TheGentleman is a Dope”).Macfarlane, an ac-

complished cellist, evenperforms briefly on thatinstrument (althoughwith a slight hiccup onopening night that hadhim calling on “Charlie”— instead of Jimmy, thecharacter name — for ado-over).It’s a measure of the

low-key spell this showcasts that the upbeatclosing number — “SomeOther Time,” from themusical “On the Town”— carries a hint of thewistful. It’s a reminderthat Sam dreams of someother time to come — onemore enlightened than hisown.

jim.hebert@utsandiego.com(619) 293-2040Twitter: @jimhebertFacebook.com/UTTheater

Staged in an actual bar, La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘Without Walls’piece folds classic songs into a story of once-taboo longing

“I’m happy to be here,”said Shen, who will beonstage with the orchestrawhen it opens its 102ndseason Friday throughSunday at Copley Sym-phony Hall. “The orchestrahas improved a lot. It’s ayoung orchestra with a lotof potential.”Of the symphony’s 80

musicians, 55 of them havejoined since Jahja Lingbecame music director in2003, and many of themare relatively young. Thathas little to do with Ling’spersonal preferences. Theauditions for every open-ing, which often attracthundreds of applicants,are blind, performed be-hind a screen. The screenis removed for the finalists,with the winner chosen byLing and a committee fromthe orchestra.“You have to have all the

basic things — intonation,rhythm, dynamics …” Lingsaid. “But beyond that,there has to be somethingthat speaks to the heart— a phrase, somethingthat when he or she playsit, can the audience feelit? Can the audience bemoved by it? Can he moveme? Can he move the com-mittee members?”It can be difficult for

musicians to control theirown destiny, not onlybecause of the sometimesunpredictable preferencesof some audition com-mittees but because onlycertain orchestras evenhave openings.“As a musician, you can’t

really pick,” Lombardosaid. “You go where theopenings are, so we all feelreally lucky we get to behere.”As principal flute, Lom-

bardo has a unique leader-ship position. She takesher place in an expert

woodwind section thatincludes principal oboeSarah Skuster, who joinedthe orchestra in 2009, andprincipal clarinet SherylRenk and principal bas-soon Valentin Martchev,who have been with theensemble considerablylonger (Renk since 1991).“What’s great is I don’t

really feel that the peoplewho have been here fora while, like they are justkind of sitting back,”Lombardo said. “Peoplehave been helping me out,showing me the ways ofthe world since I’ve joinedthe orchestra.“I’m sure they played

these things 100millionmore times thanme, butthey are still at it, still fresh,which is really inspiring forsomeonemy age to see.”For Nowak, whose ré-

sumé includes ensemblesin Spain, Mexico andJapan, he’s delighted atthe orchestra’s vitality andisn’t taking anything forgranted.“Everyone knows a lot

of orchestras are havingproblems,” he said. “Timesare tough. People else-where are either takingpay cuts or their positionsare cut, or they are forcedout because they can’tmake ends meet.“I think musicians,

myself included, are takingit a lot more seriously now.Maybe it was taken forgranted 20 years ago (thatyou could get a good joband stay there); you see alot less of that now. Thisorchestra is young, butwhether someone is youngor old, you see that fire in-side, the excitement. I loveseeing that. I love being apart of it.”

jim.chute@utsandiego.comTwitter: @sdutchuteFacebook: U-TArt & Music

WeKnow theArts.

Sunday Arts and Thursday Night+DayUTSanDiego.com/entertainment

Follow us:@sdutchute@jimhebert

We know San Diego.Wherever actors, musicians and

artists assemble, we’re there

to describe, analyze and

interpret.

Jim HebertHas writtenabout San Diegotheater for theU-T since 1997.

Jim ChuteCovers classicalmusic and visual art.He has covered thearts for more thanthree decades.

FROM E1

SYMPHONY • 55 of the 80musicians have joined since Ling took over in ’03

AJ NillesViolaFrom:Wheaton, Ill.Age: 23Education: Juilliard School of MusicExperience: Perlman Music Programat the Metropolitan Museum of Art;performed at Alice Tully Hall and NewYork’s Cultural Arts CenterInterests: composing (hip-hop, elec-tronic and rock music) and hikingQuote: “If you are not constantlytrying to make the music better, nomatter how good it already is, youare just going to becomemiserable.… You have to try to rediscover it foryourself and the sake of the wholeorchestra. I think that’s essential,every single time.”

Rose LombardoPrincipal fluteFrom: BostonAge: 24Education: Juilliard School of Music,Colburn School Conservatory of Music

Experience: AXIOM, New JuilliardEnsemble, Pacific Music Festival(Sapporo, Japan), Spoleto MusicFestival USAInterests: Cooking, ocean swimming,surfing, yogaQuote: “We have a lot of youngpeople, and I hope we bring a lotof energy. And I learn a lot fromeveryone I’m sitting around. It’s a nicetrade-off.”

Ray NowakTrumpetFrom: Los AngelesAge: 42Education: Cal State Long Beach,Bob Dole Conservatory of Music,UCLAExperience: Orquesta Sinfonica deTenerife (Canary Islands) OrquestaSinfonica de Galicia, Orquesta de BajaCalifornia, Presido Brass QuintetInterests: Family (married with fourchildren)Quote: “I think the orchestra hasgrown so much, it’s really exciting tosee. … I want it to keep going; I wantthis potential to be realized.”

Yeh ShenViolinFrom: Hunan province, ChinaAge: UndisclosedEducation: Peabody Institute ofMusic (Johns Hopkins University)

Experience: Houston Symphony Or-chestra, music director of Santa RosaSymphony Youth Orchestra, AspenConductor Academy FellowshipInterests: Technology, developingiPhone apps, computer programming,inventingQuote: “We’re building a traditionhere which I think can be great.”

Anna SkálováViolinFrom:Machov, Czech Republic

Education: University of Michigan,Indiana UniversityAge: 22

Experience: Concertmaster with hermusic school orchestras and NewYork String Orchestra at CarnegieHall, soloist at 8th Emirates Interna-tional Peace Music Festival in DubaiInterests: Reading,making jewelry

Quote: “I can only compare it toschool orchestras, to college orches-tras, and for my taste, playing in aprofessional orchestra like San Diegoworks way better.”

The freshman class

E6 U-T SAN DIEGO | SUNDAY • SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

THEATER REVIEW

LukeMacfarlane stars in La Jolla Playhouse’s “SamBendrix at the Bon Soir.” J. KATARZYNAWORONOWICZ

“Sam Bendrix atthe Bon Soir”

La Jolla Playhouse

When: 7:30 p.m.Mon-days-Wednesdays; 2 p.m.Saturdays; 2 and 7:30p.m. Sundays. ThroughOct. 17.Where:Martinis AboveFourth, 3940 Fourth Ave.,Suite 200, HillcrestTickets: $35Phone: (858) 550-1010Online:lajollaplayhouse.org

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