Rising star to delight Downey audience

DOWNEY - Astronomers give names to newly-discovered stars. Helps to sort them out and makes us feel a connection with their light shining way off in time. We now would like to suggest a great name for a new star: Nigel Armstrong. This star can be viewed from Downey tomorrow night, Saturday, March 28, rising time shortly after 8 p.m., and you don't even have to go outdoors with telescopes. Nigel Armstrong will be visible from your seat in the Downey Theatre and you can expect some uncommon music of the spheres in his appearance as violin soloist with our symphony orchestra. At 19, and a student at the Colburn School in L.A., he has already performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Berkeley and Bozeman Symphonies, and the American Philharmonic of Sonoma County, which is home turf. Armstrong received first prize in concerto competitions with the Boston Symphony and the San Francisco Youth Orchestra and now it is Downey's turn to recognize his talent as the winner of our symphony's new Young Artist Competition. "That was a very competitive event," says Downey Music Director Sharon Lavery, "and I was thrilled with the level of the finalists. The caliber of contestants was very high, and some of L.A.'s most prominent musicians made up the panel of judges to pick the winner." Armstrong will play Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 on a program which includes the Brahms Second Symphony and the appearance of Rhona Weinberg Gewelber as Baton Winner conducting Johann Strauss, Sr's Radetzky March. Tickets priced at $20 and $25, $10 for students, are available in the theater box office the evening of performance, Saturday, March 28. Sharon Lavery gives the pre-concert lecture at 7:15 p.m., concert time is 8, and you are invited to a complimentary reception in the theater patio at the conclusion of the evening. The Downey Civic Theatre is at 8435 Firestone Boulevard, at the corner of Brookshire, close to Mimi's Café, which will honor your concert tickets with a 10 percent discount. Plenty of free parking, not a bad seat in the house, gorgeous music and a new star. See you there.********** Published: March 27, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 49