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 Contact: Craddock Stropes
Director, External Affairs
(858) 459-3724 x213
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For immediate release: September 29, 2005
LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY NAMES CHRISTOPHER BEACH
AS NEW PRESIDENT AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR (SAN DIEGO, CA — September 29, 2005) La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) Board of Directors announced today that it has appointed Christopher Beach President and Artistic Director of the La Jolla Music Society, effective December 15, 2005. Mr. Beach is currently the Director of The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, NY. He succeeds Mary Lou Aleskie, who joined the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, CT as its Executive Director in September 2005. Joy Frieman, Chairman of the Board of La Jolla Music Society, said, “The Board of Directors was impressed by Mr. Beach’s leadership skills, dedication to community, education and outreach, and strong commitment to artistic excellence as well as his compelling accomplishments at a presenting organization that is recognized both nationally and internationally. We are looking forward to working with him to further the mission and vision of La Jolla Music Society.” Since 1989, Christopher Beach has guided The Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York through 16 years of uninterrupted growth. He grew the budget during that time from $1.2 million to $5.2 million, and expanded The Center’s Season from 21 performances in 1989 to over 120 in the 2005 season. Under his leadership, The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College has grown from a local venue for primarily classical music to the largest professional performing arts series in the SUNY system. He has welcomed the greatest classical artists in the world to come to Purchase, including; William Christie's Les Arts Florissants, Mitsuko Uchida, Leontyne Price, Yo Yo Ma, Maxim Vengerov, Evgeny Kissin, Isaac Stern, Garrick Ohlsson, Lang Lang, Jessye Norman, Shura Cherkassky, and Earl Wild. Mr. Beach has had a long and special relationship with pianist Garrick Ohlsson, a Westchester County native. [Mr. Olhsson performs with the Takács String Quartet on the opening concert of La Jolla Music Society’s Revelle Series, October 11 at MCASD Sherwood Auditorium] While strengthening classical offerings, he has added new series in Jazz, Film, Comedy, Cabaret, World Music and Dance, Rock and Roll and many Family programs. Mr. Beach conceived, directed and was instrumental in the design of the $3.2 million renovation of the public spaces at The Center. Another critical role he played during his tenure was creating an identity for The Center that realizes the college’s mission to equate the arts with academics, and to serve both students and the community. Mr. Beach first came to Purchase in 1987 as Managing Director of PepsiCo SUMMERFARE, the highly acclaimed ten-year international summer festival of contemporary, cutting-edge music, dance and theatre. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University , Mr. Beach’s performing arts experience is extensive. He has been Production Manager for the Baltimore Opera Company, Production Stage Manager for the Santa Fe Opera, and for five seasons, was the Administrative Assistant to John Dexter, the Director of Production at the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Beach founded the Santa Fe Festival Theatre in 1980, the first fully professional theatre company in New Mexico, and then returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Operation Director in 1985. In accepting the appointment, Mr. Beach said, “La Jolla Music Society’s impressive commitment to artistic excellence and community involvement is well-recognized throughout the country. It is a privilege to be entrusted with this distinguished, 37-year old institution, which is the major presenter of classical music in San Diego County and a leading performing arts presenter in the West. One of the most exciting aspects for me is the opportunity to offer a range of programming in a wide variety of venues which best reflect the diversity of the region. I am eager to engage the arts community, and work collaboratively to fulfill the La Jolla Music Society’s mission of enhancing the vitality and deepening the cultural life of San Diego.” In 2005-06, La Jolla Music Society presents Season 37, featuring the West Coast premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre> with Dawn Upshaw, as well as performances by Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, pianist Richard Goode, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and many more. Season 37 opens on October 5 with a performance by Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti on the Discovery Series at The Neurosciences Institute. For more information on La Jolla Music Society, or to order tickets, please visit www.LaJollaMusicSociety.org or call (858) 459-3728. ### As one of the West’s leading presenters of world-class performing arts, La Jolla Music Society strives to enhance the vitality and deepen the cultural life of Southern California by presenting and producing a dynamic range of performing arts for its increasingly diverse community. La Jolla Music Society contributes to San Diego's cultural vitality year-round through a rich variety of concert genres, including classical, jazz and contemporary music, ballet and modern dance. The Society’s signature event is the nationally-recognized SummerFest, an annual three-week chamber music festival of performances, live broadcasts, open rehearsals, educational encounters, pre-concert talks, and social events. All of the Society’s activities are supported by extensive education and outreach programs, such as artist residencies and music instruction at the Community Music Center, which are designed to enlighten adult and young audiences, as well as aspiring and emerging artists. More information at www.LaJollaMusicSociety.org. ###
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