On a Saturday in February, Ismerai Calcaneo Lopez, a junior at Roosevelt High School and saxophone student at the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts (CSPA), joined a group of friends to clean out a garage as an odd job. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the afternoon, until she received a text message saying, “Congrats! You’re going to the Oscars.”
Calcaneo Lopez was one of several Colburn students featured in The Last Repair Shop, which won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary—Short Film. Community School students Dominic An, Genesis Garay, Esteban Lindo, and Amanda Nova were also featured in the film.
“I’m still amazed,” she says. “I remember being a fifth grader in the rooms of Colburn and Dr. John Hallberg teaching me ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ and then here I was at the Academy Awards. It was crazy.”
The Last Repair Shop was directed and produced by Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot, and co-distributed by LA Times Studios and Searchlight. It tells the story of four employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) musical instrument repair program. For 65 years, LAUSD artisan technicians have repaired thousands of horns, violins, cellos, woodwinds, percussion instruments, pianos, and more, all at no cost to students. Bowers, a CSPA alum and Grammy-nominated composer and pianist, was one of those students.
“I spent every moment I could with the school’s piano. There, I found a safe place, and I found my voice. Those were the foundational moments that propelled me into the school band. To Juilliard. To the Oscars,” he penned in a letter to The Los Angeles Times last November. “The one person I never got to meet was the man who tuned that school piano.”
That changed when he and Proudfoot met the shop’s supervisor, Steve Bagmanyan, to discuss their project. It turns out, Bagmanyan was that piano tuner years ago.
“When I stepped inside the Los Angeles Unified School District’s central instrument shop four years ago, I was surrounded by incredible cinematic imagery: cascading ribbons of sawdust, blazing torches soldering brass, the grand choreography of the thousands of tiny pieces that magically coalesce inside a piano. I expected that. But what I didn’t expect was that every one of the technicians’ life stories would break my heart and put it back together again,” Bowers wrote.
Indeed, the filmmakers discovered music has impacted each technician’s life in profound and personal ways. And now, they find satisfaction by enabling new generations of artists to experience the myriad benefits of playing an instrument. The Last Repair Shop delivers on that note, too.
“I‘ve always been a kid who gets distracted easily,” says Calcaneo Lopez, who has been attending Colburn for seven years. “When I got the opportunity to play the alto sax, I had something to focus on. I learned time management. I learned more discipline. When playing music, you have to be on time, be presentable, and do the best you can.”
“Music is a big part of my life. I listen to it every day and it helps me get through my life. It also makes me feel like I’m part of a community,” adds Dominic An, a Community School violin student who was also featured in the documentary.
The Colburn students in the documentary were recommended by Susan Cook, Dean of the Community School. They auditioned for Bowers and Proudfoot via Zoom during the pandemic. Months later some of them received an invitation to be interviewed and filmed in Colburn’s Zipper Hall. Months after that, they were asked to perform with the LAUSD Alumni band to record a song written by Bowers for the film’s score.
“That was a wonderful experience, to interact with the composer and be a part of history,” says An.
Of course, one of the pinnacle moments for Calcaneo Lopez was attending the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on March 10th. While most stars arrive at the event via limousines, she and the other cast members drove up to the red carpet in a traditional yellow school bus.
“We were representing who we are. We were representing our community and what the film meant to us,” says Calcaneo Lopez.
And for this saxophonist, being a part of The Last Repair Shop has meant gaining a greater respect for the people music has brought into her life.
“The whole experience helped me see Colburn School from another point of view,” she explains. “I’m grateful Colburn is not just a music school, but a family you create.”
The Last Repair Shop is available for viewing on Disney+ and at latimes.com .
Lee Secard, Chair, Colburn Jazz Workshop, and Dr. Walter Simonsen, Assistant Director, Big Band, lead three of the Community School’s jazz ensembles in a concert at the Catalina Jazz Club.
Salonen Conducting Fellow Aleksandra Melaniuk conducts students of the Colburn Conservatory in a program of 20th century works inspired by folk music. Featuring Khatchaturian's Violin Concerto, performed by Alena Hove, and Kodaly's Dances of Galánta.
KHATCHATURIAN Violin Concerto KODÀLY Dances of Galánta
(Monday, February 12, Los Angeles) – The Board of Directors of the Colburn School announces the election of four new board members: Bethany Coffee, Linda Curtis, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, and Allan Marks.
Chaired by Andrew Millstein, the Colburn Board of Directors supports the School’s mission to provide the highest quality music and dance education at all levels of development and provide access to the performing arts. “It is an incredibly rewarding experience to serve as Chairman of Colburn School’s Board of Directors and observe the transformative impact that the Colburn School has on students and the community. Guided by the principle of ‘access to excellence’ Colburn provides the finest faculty and robust scholarship support to students, as well as active community engagement programs and a busy schedule of performances,” says Millstein. “We are truly privileged to welcome our newest Board members—Bethany Coffee, Linda Curtis, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, and Allan Marks—who share our passionate commitment to ensuring the performing arts are accessible to all.”
An internationally renowned performing arts school located in the cultural corridor of downtown Los Angeles, The Colburn School provides the highest quality music and dance education to students at all levels of development, from children as young as 7 months old to those about to embark on professional careers. Each year, 2,000 students from around the world study in one of the School’s four academic units—the Community School of Performing Arts, Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, and Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Serving all units of the School, the Center for Innovation and Community Impact prepares students for sustainable careers and nurtures the passion and ability to serve their communities. Performances in the community and on campus develop young artists and welcome audiences with over 350 free and low-cost performances annually.
Bethany Coffee has worked in the healthcare industry for over 20 years. She served as Director of Therapy Rehabilitation in addition to her own business as an occupational therapist to address not only the physical needs of people but also their emotional and psychological well-being. During her career she implemented several new programs in the workplace. Bethany has been a part of the Colburn community for nine years. Her two children attend classes at Colburn, one in music and one in ballet. Bethany has been a part of several programs during that time including musical theater, instrumental, vocal training, dance, among others. She personally shares that Colburn has changed the direction of her family’s lives, and that she is fiercely committed to this close-knit community. She has been a board member of Kusewera, a nonprofit that empowers and educates children through active and creative play programs, since 2012. As a member of the board, Bethany has planned fundraising events, developed new programs, such as the Girl Power Initiative, and hosted events promoting the organization’s mission.
Linda Curtis is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Los Angeles. She is co-chair of the firm’s Global Finance Practice Group. Her practice focuses on all aspects of corporate finance, including leveraged financings—with a specific focus in recent years on acquisition financings, real estate financings, and investment fund financings. She also represents clients in debt capital markets transactions and has experience in debt restructurings. Linda’s clients include public and private companies in a variety of industries, private equity funds, and commercial lenders. In 1987, Linda received her Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School and her Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford Business School. Prior to her graduate work at Stanford, Linda received a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, and an A.B. in public affairs/economics from Princeton University. After graduating from Stanford, she clerked for the Honorable Robert F. Peckham, who was then Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In addition to her support of the Colburn School, Linda has supported the San Francisco Symphony and New Village Academy. Linda and her husband have five children, who all attended Colburn’s Community School.
Juan Carlos Gonzalez is a bilingual licensed attorney in California and a veteran neutral in Labor Relations since 2000. As a Commissioner of Mediation for the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service from 2000 to 2012, Juan Carlos mediated over 600 cases mediating collective bargaining contract negotiations, initial contracts, strikes, lockouts, grievances, EEOC charges, and supervisor discipline cases. From 2012 to the present, Juan Carlos has served as a Labor Arbitrator sitting on various panels in the hotel/stadium, college education, entertainment, and medical industries as well as a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. Juan Carlos was Executive Director of the Southern California Labor & Employment Relations Association (LERA) from 2019 to 2022 as well as President of Orange County LERA in 2016 and a board member from 2014-2019. Since 2019, Juan Carlos has been the President of the Rafael and Luisa De Marchena-Huyke Foundation providing funds to support various initiatives such as inner-city youth access to education, music and the arts and resources for the poor. Juan Carlos has an LLM in Tax Law and a master’s degree in Psychology. He has also been an adjunct professor for the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School and California State University Fullerton, teaching mediation and labor relations.
Allan Marks is an attorney and partner at Milbank LLP, based in Los Angeles. He advises developers, sponsors, banks, institutional investors, private equity and infrastructure funds, and corporations on a range of complex transactions. He covers project development, construction and finance, joint ventures and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, acquisitions, and restructurings. He has worked on energy and infrastructure projects around the world, with special expertise in power and renewable energy, water, transportation, biofuels, telecommunications, airports, rail, and ports. Allan created and hosts the Law, Policy & Markets podcast and speaks and publishes frequently on risk management, sustainability, infrastructure, renewable energy, cross-border transactions, public-private partnerships, and economic and regulatory policy. He is a regular contributor to Forbes and served as an editorial board member of Law360 for Project Finance. Allan is ranked as one of the world’s leading project finance lawyers by Chambers, the IFLR1000, and other legal publications and was named one of California’s “Top 50 Development Lawyers” by the Daily Journal. Allan also serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, both at the Law School and (previously) the Haas School of Business. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and was the founding co-chair of the State Bar of California Real Estate Sub-Section on Public-Private Infrastructure. Allan has served on various nonprofit and civic boards and currently serves as a director of Street Symphony, among other organizations, and as a member of the Executive Leadership Board of MoveLA. Allan earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley Law School and his B.A. in International Studies from The Johns Hopkins University.
Please click here for a complete list of members of Colburn School’s Board of Directors.
About the Colburn School
A performing arts institution located in the heart of Los Angeles, the Colburn School trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The academic units of the School provide a complete spectrum of music and dance education united by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music or dance should have access to top-level instruction.
The diploma- and degree-granting Conservatory of Music is distinguished by a unique all-scholarship model, renowned faculty, and outstanding performance opportunities. It prepares the very highest level of collegiate musicians for professional careers.
The Music Academy is a highly selective training program for gifted young pre-collegiate musicians, designed to prepare students for conservatory study and performing careers at the highest levels of achievement. This program offers residential options and balances performance, musical instruction, and academics.
The Community School of Performing Arts welcomes students of all ages, from seven months old to adults. It offers more than 120 classes each year in orchestral instruments, piano, guitar, voice, jazz, music theory, drama, and ensembles including orchestra, choir, and chamber music.
The Trudl Zipper Dance Institute develops performers of all levels, from aspiring professionals in the Dance Academy to beginners starting in Youth Dance. Students of all levels receive training in ballet, tap, musical theater, and modern genres as part of a comprehensive dance education.
Created to serve all units of the School, the Center for Innovation and Community Impact empowers the musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by nurturing students’ passion and ability to serve their communities, preparing them for sustainable careers, and embracing the development of new ideas. The Center embodies Colburn’s commitment to developing young artists with the curiosity, skills, and commitment to make a difference in their field.
Each year, more than 2,000 students from around the world come to Colburn to benefit from the renowned faculty, exceptional facilities, and focus on excellence that unites the community.
The Colburn Center, designed by Frank Gehry, is a multi-faceted campus expansion of the Colburn School. Located across the street from the School’s existing campus at the intersection of Olive and Second Streets, the Colburn Center will enable the School to expand its mission of presenting programs for the public. Gehry’s design includes a 1,000-seat in-the-round concert hall named Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, five professional-sized dance studios including a 100-seat studio theater, and gardens that bring fresh air and green spaces to the downtown landscape.
Social Media Facebook.com/colburnschool Instagram and Twitter: @ColburnSchool YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/colburnschoollosangeles
Contact:
Lisa Bellamore lbellamore@gmail.com 323-500-3071
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(Tuesday, April 2, 2024, Los Angeles) – At its annual gala, Celebrate Colburn, the Colburn School will honor James Conlon, an internationally recognized conductor and Music Director of the LA Opera, and Merle Mullin, a noted philanthropist and arts enthusiast. They will receive the Richard D. Colburn Award for their exemplary contributions to the world of classical music and the arts. As part of the celebration, Maestro Conlon will also lead an all-Mozart program featuring the Colburn Conservatory’s flagship ensemble, the Colburn Orchestra, and soloists from the Conservatory. Celebrate Colburn takes place at the Colburn School on Sunday, April 7, 2024, and thanks to the strong response from Colburn’s philanthropic community, the event is sold out.
One of today’s most versatile and respected conductors, James Conlon has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire. Since his 1974 debut with the New York Philharmonic, he has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra, and at many of the world’s leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera. Through worldwide touring, an extensive discography and filmography, numerous writings, television appearances, and guest speaking engagements, Conlon is one of classical music’s most recognized and prolific figures, and the founder of the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School. Since 2006, Maestro Conlon has been Music Director of LA Opera, where he has led more performances than any other conductor in the company’s history. He continues in this role until his 20th season in 2026, at which time he will become Conductor Laureate.
Merle Mullin is a global philanthropist whose boundless energy and love for travel, food and wine, the visual and performing arts, design, and vintage French cars has inspired her deep influence on the arts and culture, education, transportation design, healthcare, and literacy sectors. Mullin has co-curated a world-renowned vintage car collection that she both oversees as Director of the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, and that she drives in competitions. Dozens of organizations around the world are proud to celebrate Mullin and her late husband Peter’s profound generosity, including through the Music Center’s Mullin Wine Bar, the Mullin Transportation Design Center at the Art Center College of Design, The Mullin Commons at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Mullin Automotive Park and Museum in the Cotswolds (England), and the future Mullin Family Garden of Thoughts and Dreams at the Colburn School’s new Colburn Center.
The honorees will receive their awards as part a midday celebration centered around the music of Mozart, including performances of the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat Major, K. 449 with Conservatory soloist Ryota Yamazaki; Sinfonia Concertante with Conservatory soloists Fiona Shea, violin, and Charlotte Stickel, viola; and Symphony in D Major, K. 385 (“Haffner”), led by Maestro Conlon. Also featured is Pride and Purity, a work created by Dance Academy student choreographer Natalia Reszka to music by Mozart, and performances by Hot Pink Brass Quintet, Fiddles on Fire, Choirs at Colburn, and a Colburn Jazz ensemble.
Proceeds from Celebrate Colburn will benefit Colburn School’s artistic and youth education programs that bring arts education to 8,500 students annually.
CELEBRATE COLBURN SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2024 Event Information
10 am Opening Reception 11 am Remarks & Performance 1 pm Lunch on the Plaza
Contact: Jennifer Kallend VP of Communications The Colburn School jkallend@colburnschool.edu 215-622-6195
Thanks to an overwhelming response from Colburn’s philanthropic community, the 2024 Celebrate Colburn gala is at capacity. Please contact Alyssa Solis at 213-621-4535 to be placed on the waitlist.
We think your workday needs a little intermission. So log off of Teams for an hour, grab your lunch to-go, tell your favorite coworker, and catch a free, live concert on the Colburn School Plaza. Concerts at Colburn shine a spotlight on this iconic arts and culture institution in DTLA, while also showcasing the talents of their students.
Stay up-to-date as the Colburn Center takes shape. Enter your contact information to receive construction updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and information on how to be involved with this transformational project for the Colburn School and Los Angeles.
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