Love Songs through the Ages. Whittier Chapel. Sold out crowd. Awesome concert.

Destination  . . . Chorale Bel Canto

            By Linda de Vries, Singer and Chair of the Board

Love classical choral music? Think Chorale Bel Canto.

Seldom or never listen to classical choral music? Think again.

On October 26 think the City of Whittier, where Chorale Bel Canto is singing Love Songs Through the Ages.

Think Whittier is too far to drive for just a concert? Think again.

“Destination . . . Chorale Bel Canto” posts several times in advance of each of our concerts, offering you ideas for a different day trip to the city in which we’re singing, with a Chorale Bel Canto concert at the center of your experience. These trips appeal to a wide variety of interests, and share fascinating, sometimes intricate, connections between the city and the music.

Today, think Asian Serenity.

The population of Whittier is only about 4% Asian, but as the concentric circles around Whittier widen to encompass Rowland Heights and Monterey Park, the Asian population increases to over 50%, as does the number of Asian services—spas, markets, temples, gardens, restaurants, and more. Enjoy a bit of the Far East in and around Whittier before the concert!

Morning. Begin your day in nearby Hacienda Heights at the Hsi Lai Temple, located at 3456 Glenmark Drive, 626-961-6697, info@hsilai.org. Sited atop a hill just off Hacienda Boulevard on 15 acres of land with 102,000 square feet of interior space, this Buddhist monastery is faithful to the Ming (1368-1644 C.E.) and Quing (1644-1911 C.E.) dynastic styles of architecture. Hsi Lai translates as “coming west,” and this temple and monastery were founded by the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order (in the Chinese Mahayana tradition) to spread the teachings of the Buddha to the Western Hemisphere.

You will enter through the Temple’s stunning gateway and enter first in Bodhisattva Hall, dedicated to several enlightened sages, or “Buddhas in training,” and displaying their golden statues. To your left is the Information Center, where bi-lingual volunteers will provide you with a 40-minute self-guided audio tour pack. On your tour you will visit the Arhat Garden; the Avalokitesvara Garden; the elaborate Courtyard with its four lions; the Main Shrine dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism; the Fo Guang Yuan Hsi Lai Art Gallery; the Translation Center; the Auditorium; the Meditation Hall; and the Memorial Pagoda that sits atop the temple grounds.

The Temple runs an after-school enrichment program for K-6 grade students, as well as providing weekend classes and special workshops for adults interested in Chinese culture and Buddhism, meditation, or Dharma instrument instruction. The Temple also boasts the Buddha’s Light Symphony Orchestra, the Buddha’s Light Chorus, and the Hsi Lai Chinese Drum Troupe, as well as hosting special events. Call the Information Office for specific times and dates. The temple is open 9:00-5:00 daily. There is handicapped parking, all levels are wheelchair accessible by elevator, and all areas are traversable by ramps.

Depending upon how much time you’d like to spend in the Temple, you may want to structure your day to include a visit to the 99 Ranch Market, located very near the Temple at 1625 Azusa Avenue, Hacienda Heights, 626-839-2899. This is one of 30 Asian supermarkets founded by the Taiwanese-born American, Roger H. Chen, so-named because the number 99 is considered by the Chinese to be lucky.
Most of the market’s customers are Chinese American, but the chain sells a wide range of imported food products and merchandise from Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, as well as some domestic products made by Chinese American companies. The language used in the stores is Mandarin Chinese, but some announcements are often made in English as well. You may feel as if you need your passport, but a visit to this market is an amazing experience not to be missed, and you will definitely find that special Asian ingredient you despaired of securing!

Lunch. Just below the Main Shrine in the Hsi Lai Temple is the Dining Hall, where you may enjoy a vegetarian buffet for $7 weekdays from 11:30-1:30 and weekends from 11:30-2:30. Next to the Dining Hall is the Tea Room, serving lighter fare, and the Book Store.

Or, you may wish to journey to Whittier and enjoy a meal with meat. The well-recommended Silver Palace Restaurant, serving Schezuan food, is located at 15326 Whittier Blvd., 562-947-4043. Many like the inexpensive Grand Buffet, an elaborate Chinese buffet at 11885 Whittier Blvd., 562-692-8997. Some swear by the New Canton Restaurant, at 13015 Philadelphia St., 562-698-7315. The latter two are very near the afternoon’s concert venue.

Early Afternoon. If you’ve spent the day at the Hsi Lai Temple, you may wish to head straight to the concert. To deepen your state of serenity before an afternoon of gentle a capella music, though, you may wish to enjoy an Asian spa experience. The Greenleaf Massage Spa, located at 7049 Greenleaf Ave., 562-360-9585 offers a range of massage experiences at extremely reasonable prices in a relaxing setting. It’s a quiet retreat on the busy main street of Uptown Whittier! Without requiring you to disrobe (or disarrange your hair!—be sure to tell them) you may enjoy a 60-minute foot and shoulder massage for $19.99. You may wish to return another time for their most expensive 90-minute full body massage for $60. Prepare to be properly pummeled!

4:00 p.m. – The Concert

At the corner of Painter Avenue and Philadelphia Street in Whittier you will find the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Just east of the Shannon Center in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, Chorale Bel Canto will sing Love Songs Through the Ages. The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals by George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!

Evening. Conclude your Asian day in Whittier by dining at one of its Japanese restaurants: Amachi at 6729 Greenleaf Ave., 562-698-1510, or Azabu Sushi at 13119 E. Philadelphia St., 562-789-0881. The Pasadena Star News recently gave Amachi two stars and Azabu three stars. A close friend of mine will only eat salmon at Amachi!

1st concert of the season tomorrow... and look at our new record! Next season...200!!

Easy Fundraising Ideas

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Destination  . . . Chorale Bel Canto

            By Linda de Vries, Singer and Chair of the Board

Love classical choral music? Think Chorale Bel Canto.

Seldom or never listen to classical choral music? Think again.

On October 26, think the City of Whittier, where Chorale Bel Canto is singing Love Songs Through the Ages.

Think Whittier is too far to drive for just a concert? Think again.

“Destination . . . Chorale Bel Canto” posts several times in advance of each of our concerts, offering you ideas for a different day trip to the city in which we’re singing, with a Chorale Bel Canto concert at the center of your experience. These trips appeal to a wide variety of interests, and share fascinating, sometimes intricate, connections between the city and the music.

Today, think Mexican California.

10:00 a.m.

Begin your day at San Gabriel Arcángel Mission, 428 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel 91776. (626-282-5308). Founded September 8, 1771 by Spaniards of the Franciscan order as the fourth of what would become 21 missions in California, this mission is still a fully-functioning parish church. Father Antonio Cruzado designed the mission, its Moorish architecture reflecting his home in Córdoba, Spain,

The original site of the mission was on the banks of the Rio Hondo in the Whittier Narrows. It was destroyed by a flash flood and was relocated five miles closer to the mountains. The Misión Vieja (“Old Mission”) can be seen near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue in Montebello. From this mission were sent the fathers that founded the pueblo that became the City of Los Angeles.

Tour the church, museum, and grounds. Museum exhibits include mission relics, books and religious artifacts. The grounds feature operations from the original mission complex, including indoor and outdoor kitchens, winery, water cisterns, soap and candle vats, tanning vats for preparing cattle hides, a cemetery, and a gift shop.

12:00 noon

There are many places to lunch around the mission, and you may wish to spend more of your day in San Gabriel. Or, you might want to head to Whittier for a great Mexican meal. Try El Buen Gusto Mexican Restaurant, a proud supporter of Chorale Bel Canto, at 10820 Beverly Blvd., 562-692-4448. Another good authentic choice is Bizarra Capital at 12706 Philadelphia St., 562-945-2426.

You might want to lunch later and visit the Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe Historical Site built in 1844 on Rancho La Merced in the city of Montebello at 945 North Adobe.The Sanchez Adobe is open Saturday afternoons. For exact hours, contact Info@MontebelloHistoricalSociety.org.

Governor Micheltorena granted Rancho La Merced to Casilda Soto de Lobo, the widow of a soldier assigned to the San Gabriel Mission, in 1844. In 1850, William Workman purchased it and, in 1851, gave it to his son-in-law, Francisco P. Temple, and former ranch foreman, Juan Matias Sanchez.

The Sanchez Adobe was partially constructed in 1845 by Casilda Soto de Lobo and her three sons. With William Workman's gift in 1851, Juan Matías Sanchez moved into the  house. In 1876 the Temple and workman bank failed and the ranch ended up in the hands of Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, after whom Baldwin Park is named. The subsequent history of both Temple and Sanchez was filled with tragedy, and the property changed hands many times after their deaths. Josephine Scott Crocker gave the deed to the Juan Matias Sanchez Adobe to the Montebello Historical Society in 1972.

2:00 p.m.

Time for lunch, if you delayed. If you lunched at noon, you may wish to continue your Early California experience with a visit to the Pio Pico State Park at 6003 Pioneer Boulevard, open Saturday and Sunday 9:30-4:00. (562-695-1217) (http://www.piopico.org/index.html)

The Pio Pico Mansion, known as “El Ranchito,” the former residence of the last Mexican Governor of California, Pio de Jesus Pico, and one of southern California’s few remaining 19^th century structures built of the large sun-dried mud bricks called adobe.

4:00 p.m.

Return along Beverly or Whittier Boulevards to Painter Avenue in Whittier. At the corner of Painter and Philadelphia Street you will find the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Just east of the Shannon Center in the Whittier College Memorial Chapel, Chorale Bel Canto sings Love Songs Through the Ages. The music captures true love, unrequited love, illicit love, courtly love, and humorous love, expressed by composers from five centuries, from madrigals by George Gershwin and the Beatles—Monteverdi to McCartney!

One intricate connection between this concert and Whittier is that this concert contains “April is in My Mistress Face,” by Thomas Morley. The poet John Greenleaf Whittier, after whom the town is named, wrote the words for many hymns, one being “I Bow my Forehead to the Dust.” The hymn has been set to the music of several composers, one of them being Thomas Morley. Although not a love song, one might say Whittier’s poem expresses love of another sort.

On a more contemporary, perhaps playful note, there is a Beatles tribute band in the next-door city of La Habra called Hard Day’s Night. You may book them for your next event!

6:00 p.m.

If you lunched elsewhere, you may wish to return to El Buen Gusto or Bizzara Capital for dinner. Or, you might want to drive east on Whittier Boulevard to El Cholo Spanish Cafe, a landmark in La Habra for decades.

OPEN REHEARSAL!