10 Things About Mary Ellen Clark & La Jolla Music Society
The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief,
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.
– Shakespeare
La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) contributes to San Diego’s cultural vitality year-round through a rich variety of presentations, including classical, jazz, global roots, contemporary music, and dance, at its state-of-the-art venue, The Conrad in downtown La Jolla. In addition to robust educational programs and community outreach, La Jolla Music Society produces SummerFest, a four-week music festival featuring over 80 world-class artists and ensembles performing eclectic concerts and programs. Mary Ellen Clark is a LJMS Board Member & the Winterfest Gala Chair.
#1 I grew up in San Diego.
#2 I grew up with music, but many people did not. I know how music can enrich and transform lives, and I love that La Jolla Music Society takes concerts and music instruction to children and adults all over San Diego.
#3 I have a small house in the wine village of La Palme in coastal Southwestern France. That and Paris are my favorite destinations. Visiting Easter Island has been on my bucket list. I have a trip there with my nieces and nephews scheduled for next year.
#4 Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown” is my favorite movie.
#5 A book I would recommend is Colm Toibin’s “The Master”, about the life of Henry James.
#6 I love baseball! My brother played professionally in the 1960s and we enjoy attending Padres games together at Petco Park.
#7 My musical mentor was Vere Wolf, a musician, musicologist and long-time Music Librarian at the San Diego Central Library. Vere taught me how to listen to music – especially opera – and helped me develop an appreciation of the great composers, musicians and opera singers of the past.
#8 I have been attending LJMS concerts since childhood. I often attended with my mother, and later with my friend Vere Wolf, and particularly enjoyed the opportunity to hear the world’s greatest classical performers in an intimate, chamber music setting. After friends and family, music is the most important thing in my life, and I love being involved with an organization dedicated to musical excellence.
#9 Please join us at The Conrad for a Valentine’s Day celebration at the 2024 WinterFest Gala. Guests will meet and mingle in The Wu Tsai QRT.yrd followed by an elegant dinner and brief live auction before we enter The Baker-Baum Concert Hall for a concert by world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming, accompanied by our own Inon Barnatan. Finally, a post-concert dessert reception is the perfect way to conclude this day.
#10 WinterFest Gala provides the primary funding for La Jolla Music Society’s Learning and Engagement programs, which reach nearly 11,000 school children and adults in multiple locations throughout San Diego County every year.
La Jolla Music Society
Winterfest Gala 2024
February 14, 2024
4 pm
The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
7600 Fay Avenue in La Jolla
www.theconrad.org
