The Burbank Cultural Arts Commission presents an online event, “Virtually Burbank: Songs in the Key of Burbank,” on Monday evening, January 31. The program features performances and Q&As with local groups like the choir VocArte, the big band Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous8, a small ensemble of musicians from the Burbank Chamber Music Society, as well as solo musicians like singer-songwriter Sara Dee and vocalist Lauren Patrice.
“Our community will be so impressed by the amazing lineup of musicians, who all live, work or grew up in Burbank,” said “Songs in the Key of Burbank” host and Cultural Arts Commissioner Raj Mallikarjuna. “While they are of varying ages and backgrounds, they are all incredibly gifted at playing their chosen genres of music – from soul to classical, musical theater to jazz and so much more.”
Mallikarjuna, a composer of orchestral and chamber music with degrees from Boston University and Berklee College of Music, has worked with the Musicians at Play Foundation and was a 2019 Arts For LA Activate Fellow. She is excited about sharing “Songs In The Key of Burbank” with the community.
“Music has the power to uplift the spirit, and making music also fosters a feeling of being connected,” Mallikarjuna added. “With all of the challenges and setbacks that we’ve faced during the pandemic, it’s important to provide our city with a source of comfort, as well as give our community of musicians a way to showcase their love for their art form.”
“Getting all of these performers on one stage would have been exceedingly difficult during even the most normal of times, which these days are most definitely not,” Cultural Arts Commissioner Eric Connor commented, “With just a few clicks, you get to be entertained by a multitude of musical acts and maybe find a group you’ll want to join!”
“We are so grateful for this opportunity to connect with the members of our special community alongside our fantastic colleagues,” says Nicolina Logan, co-director of the Burbank Chamber Music Society, “To share music is to spread love, and with the great losses of the pandemic still daily upon us, celebrations like these could not be more necessary or abundant!”
Current USC composition student and a 2020 graduate of John Burroughs High School, Yoni Fogelman, will also participate in the online event. A string orchestra piece composed by Fogelman was recently performed by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
“I am so honored to be contributing a song in the key of Burbank. Art gives us all a voice and reveals what we love, what we fear, what we hope for, and what we miss,” he said. “I am excited to hear what is inspiring other writers in our community, and I look forward to attending on the 31st.”
Since summer 2020, the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission has held its programs online. The Virtually Burbank series has discussed and highlighted a variety of various local Burbank artists.
“We were all in ‘lockdown’ and desperately wanted to still connect with the the creative and larger Burbank community,” Connor explained. “After nine monthly virtual events – including hosting the City of Burbank’s Christmas Tree Lighting – we discovered that there were more programs we could still share online.”
The Cultural Arts Commission plans to offer a variety of online programming on Facebook Live and InstaLive as the pandemic continues.
“Our upcoming ‘Songs in the Key of Burbank’ is a terrific fit for this online platform,” adds Connor, “Anyone can click on and watch and listen to these talented performers from the comfort of their home. And in case you miss it – and why would you do that? – it can be accessed later on social media and on the BurbankArts website.”
“Virtually Burbank: Songs in the Key of Burbank” begins at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 31, via Burbank Cultural Arts’ Facebook Live. More information on the event can be found on the commission’s website.
