Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 25, 2014

STAY INFORMED - NOVEMBER 4th IS ELECTION DAY

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2014

SECTION B

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

COLORATURA SOPRANO LORI ANN FULLER 
PISCIONERI JOINS PASADENA 
COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA 

TRACK COMPLETION CEREMONY


PASADENA, Calif. – October 14, 2014. On Friday, 
November 14, 2014, coloratura soprano Lori Ann Fuller 
Piscioneri, who has been a soloist with the Los Angeles 
Opera and Los Angeles Philharmonic, joins the Pasadena 
Community Orchestra in the gala opening concert of the 
orchestra’s 32nd season. Audiences will be caught up in 
the dramatic sweep and beauty of the arias Piscioneri 
will sing and the instrumental works Music Director 
Bethany Pflueger has selected to complement them. 

 A native of Louisiana, Ms. Fuller Piscioneri made her 
operatic debut in London in 1999 with conductor Sir 
Andrew Davis. She has since performed with numerous 
opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout 
the United States and Europe, portraying coloratura 
heroines from Verdi to Mozart, as well as musical 
theater ingénues. Since moving to Southern California, 
Ms. Fuller Piscioneri has sung roles in numerous 
productions by the L.A. Opera, and some of her most 
memorable concert performances have been with the 
L.A. Philharmonic.

 Ms. Fuller Piscioneri performs four gems of coloratura 
opera literature, showing her versatile expression and 
virtuoso vocal flexibility. Lucia’s two-part aria, “Regnava 
nel silenzio” (“Silence reigned”), from Donizetti’s Lucia 
di Lammermoor, is at first mysterious and brooding, 
then switches gears (when she sings of love) to shimmer 
with coloratura acrobatics. The music of “Je veux vivre” 
(“I want to live in my dream”) from Gounod’s Romeo 
et Juliette is giddy and breathless waltz like Juliette 
herself. “Musetta’s Waltz” from Puccini’s La Boheme is 
as seductive and coquettish as the character who sings 
it. And no one, including the “dear papa” whom she 
addresses in the aria, can fail to be moved by the soaring, 
heart-melting music of “O mio babbino caro,” from 
Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.

 Each of the works from which the orchestra performs 
a section vividly expresses a distinctive sense of place. 
Rossini’s William Tell Overture was beloved by 
generations before it became identified with “The Lone 
Ranger” TV series and numerous cartoons: it actually 
depicts its setting in the Swiss Alps in four beautifully 
evocative sections. Humperdinck’s beloved Hansel and 
Gretel depicts the classic Grimm’s fairy tale setting (and 
the overture opens 
with one of the most 
beautiful chorales 
for the French horn 
section ever written). 
Bedrich Smetana 
is regarded as the 
founder of Czech 
musical nationalism. 
The “Polka” from 
his opera, The 
Bartered Bride, puts 
us at a Czech village 
celebration with its 
folk-based music. 
Finally, perhaps no 
instrumental work 
better exemplifies 
musical nationalism than Sibelius’s Finlandia. The 
“Finlandia hymn,” one of music’s great melodies, with 
words added in 1941, has become one of the most 
important national songs of Finland.

 PCO has been bringing fine classical music to the 
community for 31 years. Concerts are free (donations are 
welcome at the door). Well-trained musicians provide 
a high-quality musical experience. Concert starts at 
8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14th First Church of 
the Nazarene is located at 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., 
one block west of Michillinda Ave. Parking is free 
and wheelchair accessible. Immediately following the 
concert, audience members will have the opportunity to 
meet the soloist and the other musicians at a reception.

 For further information, please contact 
PCO at 626.445.6708 or publicity@pcomusic.
org. Find us online at http://www.pcomusic.
org or https://www.facebook.com/pages/
Pasadena-Community-Orchestra/125809577468516. 

 Concerts are made possible in part by the Michael 
J. Connell Foundation, the Pasadena Arts & Culture 
Commission, the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs 
Division, Pasadena Community Foundation, Pasadena 
Showcase House for the Arts and LA County Arts 
Commission.

On Saturday, under a nearly cloudless sky, 
dignitaries representing the San Gabriel Valley 
locally, in Sacramento, and Washington DC came 
together with more than 400 project supporters 
to mark the occasion of a significant project 
milestone: completion of all light rail track work 
for the 11.5-mile Pasadena to Azusa project. 

 The Track Completion Ceremony included 
installation of the final e-clip; the last of about 
300,000 e-clips already installed along all 28 miles 
of completed track (the photos on right below 
capture the moment when Elias Avila, a Monrovia 
resident on our contractor’s team, hammered in 
the last e-clip, completing the light rail track from 
Pasadena to Azusa).

 We are honored by the outpouring of 
support from so many elected officials attending 
this weekend’s ceremony. Included were U.S. 
Representatives Grace Napolitano and Judy Chu; 
State Senator Norma Torres; State Assembly 
Member Roger Hernandez; County Supervisor 
Michael Antonovich; Construction Authority 
Board Members Doug Tessitor (Glendora Council 
Member), Sam Pedroza (Claremont Council 
Member), John Fasana (Duarte Council Member), 
Dan Evans and Marisol Rodriguez; Azusa Mayor 
Joseph Rocha and Council Members Uriel Macias, 
Angel Carrillo, Robert Gonzalez and Robert 
Alvarez; Metro Board Member and Glendale City 
Council Member Ara Najarian - to name just a 
few. The master of ceremonies was KNX Business 
Hour Host Frank Mottek.

Inside This Section:

The World Around Us 

Business News & Trends 

Opinion 

Legal Notices

VISIT ARCADIA APP & WEB SITE LAUNCHES 

IN TIME FOR BREEDERS’ CUP

Year-round “Eat, Play, Stay” initiative by Arcadia Chamber and KAI Consulting

The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and KAI Consulting 
Group have partnered with support from the City of 
Arcadia to launch a new initiative called Visit Arcadia for 
visitors that includes an exciting new app for cell phone 
and tablets, a companion web site, and cutting-edge 
technology for one-touch access from locations featuring 
the Visit Arcadia logo.

 The new Visit Arcadia app is available at the Google 
PlayStore for Android phones and tablets and at 
iTunes for iPhones and iPads. The web site is www.
VisitArcadiaCalifornia.com, which 
is linked at web sites of the Breeders’ 
Cup, along with the Chamber’s video 
“Arcadia’s Got It All” (www.breederscup.
com/plan-your-visit/what-do), the City 
of Arcadia (www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/), and 
the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce 
(www.ArcadiaCaChamber.org), and 
ArcadiasBest.com, among others.

 The app displays photo tiles of bright 
and easily recognizable images of the 
many great places to “Eat, Play, Stay” 
and Shop in Arcadia. Users are able 
to quickly search local restaurants by 
cuisine and distance, for example. One 
tap reveals a brief summary of the listing, as well as a 
locator map, directions, contact information, as well as 
user ratings and comments. Users may also submit their 
own ratings and reviews with a quick click.

 A section called “48-hours in Arcadia” offers helpful 
suggestions to travelers in town for a short visit who want 
to make the most efficient and enjoyable use of their time.

 Distinctive purple Visit Arcadia decals are being placed 
in windows and other locations around highly-trafficked 
locations in Arcadia, beginning with hotels and on 
Breeders’ Cup shuttle buses. Each logo is embedded with 
state-of-the-art computer chip technology that allows 
users with Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled 
smart phones to simply touch their phone to the decal to 
get the Visit Arcadia web site to pop up. NFC is nearly-
ubiquitous on recent Android devices. For those without 
NFC technology, the more familiar QR code stamp is also 
included on the logo for a similarly simple connection. 
For a city of only 57,000 people, Arcadia is a uniquely 
strong draw for out-of-town visitors to Santa Anita Park 
and the adjacent Los Angeles County Arboretum and 
L.A. County Arboretum; the Angeles National Forest 
and headquarters (recently designated a National 
Monument by President Obama); the nation’s largest 
annual high school track meet, the Arcadia Invitational; 
Southern California’s largest marching 
band parade competition attracting 
more than 40 schools to the annual 
Festival of Bands; and L.A. County’s 
Arcadia Park and its Santa Anita Golf 
Course and lawn bowling center, which 
attracts national and international 
tournaments.

 “There is clearly a need for access to 
visitor information through technology 
being used by today’s travelers,” said 
Arcadia Chamber of Commerce CEO 
Scott Hettrick. “We are pleased to offer 
this service to benefit visitors as well as 
our local businesses and organizations.”

 Glenn Oyoung, founder of KAI Consulting 
Group and an Ambassador of the Arcadia Chamber, 
is responsible for the design and oversight of the 
implementation of the technology and content.
“We’re excited to help drive attention to Arcadia businesses 
and show visitors what this city has to offer,” said Oyoung.
KAI intends to expand and leverage this partnership 
with the Arcadia Chamber to create and link 
companion “Visit” sites and apps for other cities 
in the San Gabriel Valley to create a single 
recognizable brand for all visitors to the Valley.
In the coming weeks, additional features will be added to 
the Visit Arcadia app and web site to allow businesses to 
place expanded listings, videos, and upcoming events on 
the site and app.


DUARTE UNIFIED ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS TO 
FILL VACANT SEAT ON BOARD OF EDUCATION

Due to the resignation of Pam Kawasaki, Board 
President, the Duarte Unified School District currently 
has a vacancy on its board of trustees. At the Regular 
Board Meeting of October 23, 2014, the Governing Board 
announced the process to fill the vacancy by a provisional 
appointment from among qualified applicants.

 The school district is requesting all those interested 
in serving on the school board to submit an application. 
Applications are available on the district website, www.
duarteusd.org and at the District Office, 1620 Huntington 
Drive, Duarte, CA, 91010.

 To be eligible to apply for appointment to the 
Governing Board, an individual must be at least 18 years 
old, be a resident of the Duarte Unified School District, 
be a registered voter in the State of California, and not be 
disqualified from holding civil office by the constitution 
or any law of the State of California.

 This appointee will hold office for the remainder of the 
term of office for this vacancy.

 An employee of the Duarte Unified School District 
may not be sworn into office as an elected or appointed 
member of the Governing Board, unless he or she resigns 
as an employee. If the employee does not resign, the 
employment will automatically terminate upon being 
sworn into office.

 Return completed applications to the Superintendent’s 
Office, 1620 Huntington Drive, Duarte, CA 91010 or email 
to Mercedes Ruiz at mruiz@duarteusd.org, by the filing 
deadline of Friday, November 7 at 4 p.m. For additional 
information contact Mrs. Ruiz at 626-599-5037.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com