Final Concert

"The New Long Beach Symphony," declares the brochure, "is alive!" And quite well. At least that was the diagnosis Thursday, when the orchestra gave its final concert of the current, cautiously short subscription series at the Terrace Theater. The program closed with Sibelius' Second Symphony, a severe test for any orchestra. The technical difficulties don't pose the greatest challenge here. Rather, it is the task of weaving the seemingly disparate units into a continuous whole.

My Chemical Romance has broken up. Following a decade-plus run in which it ascended from the emo-punk underground to platinum-plated pop stardom, the New Jersey band announced its dissolution Friday night in a statement posted on its website . "Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing," it wrote. "We've gotten to go places we never knew we could. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends.

A series of concerts and master classes sponsored by the Jascha Heifetz Society continues Sunday at 3 p.m. in Munson Recital Hall at Azusa Pacific University, 901 E. Alosta Ave., Azusa. Veteran violinist Ruggiero Ricci will give what he has called his final public performance, a recital of solo violin works by Bach, Prokofiev, Wieniawski, Ernst, Kreisler, Heifetz and Paganini. Ricci will also give a master class at the university on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The history of California's missions is well documented, but what about the music of the era? The San Luis Obispo Symphony Chamber Players captures the 18th century sound by playing an interpretation of mission-era music during its first California Missions Tour in January. The chamber group will feature violinist Shunské Sato and conductor Michael Nowak. The group will play Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" as well as "newly re-imagined music from California's past, performed where it was originally inspired," composer Craig Russell says in a statement about the music he wrote called "Ecos Armonicos.

In these days of faceless, objective pianism, a pianist with a personality-- any personality--is something to be thankful for. Albert Dominguez is such a pianist. Even when the individuality of his approach seems at odds with what he is playing--as it sometimes did on Tuesday--one can always admire the attentiveness of his playing.

"Basses, you're all over the place! Tenors, you're too bright! Altos, I'm hearing foreign matter. Sopranos, stop wobbling. I don't want this to sound like Podunk!" For 40 years as choirmaster of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Westwood, James Vail has exhorted his vocalists, often in a vexed high-pitched tone accompanied by loud piano-pounding, to mind their sharps and flats.

My Chemical Romance has broken up. Following a decade-plus run in which it ascended from the emo-punk underground to platinum-plated pop stardom, the New Jersey band announced its dissolution Friday night in a statement posted on its website . "Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing," it wrote. "We've gotten to go places we never knew we could. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends.

After 11 years as conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony, Carlo Ponti Jr. is stepping down. His final concert of the orchestra's 2011-2012 season will be May 19. Frank Fetta, conductor of the Redlands Bowl's summer concerts and a frequent guest conductor with the San Bernardino Symphony, will assume Ponti's post for the 2012-13 season. "[Ponti] brought the orchestra to unprecedented levels of artistic achievement," symphony board president Mary Schnepp said in a news release.

A free concert by electronic DJ-producer Flux Pavilion was shut down Tuesday evening by Santa Monica police in riot gear after hundreds more people showed up than the event's permit allowed, officials said. The concert, part of a series sponsored by MTV's globally focused upstart brand MTV Iggy, was cut short after police estimated that 2,500 to 3,000 fans arrived for the 1,500-capacity event, according to our sister blog L.A. Now.  The concert was to run from 8 p.m. to midnight at Hangar 8 within the Santa Monica Airport.

Michael Jackson's final concert in Tokyo Monday night--billed by the Japanese press as his "farewell concert to Japan"--went by without a word about retirement from Jackson himself. Jackson spoke to the audience only briefly during the two-hour show, the ninth and final concert of his current stand in Tokyo, saying: " Domo arigato (thank you very much) to everyone in Japan" and "I love you, Japan."

A free concert by electronic DJ-producer Flux Pavilion was shut down Tuesday evening by Santa Monica police in riot gear after hundreds more people showed up than the event's permit allowed, officials said. The concert, part of a series sponsored by MTV's globally focused upstart brand MTV Iggy, was cut short after police estimated that 2,500 to 3,000 fans arrived for the 1,500-capacity event, according to our sister blog L.A. Now.  The concert was to run from 8 p.m. to midnight at Hangar 8 within the Santa Monica Airport.

The new Barclays Center may be controversial in its borough, but here's something every Brooklynite at heart can likely get behind. Jay-Z, who has been performing a string of shows inaugurating the new arena, plans to stream the final concert live on his YouTube channel. The show is scheduled to begin Saturday at  9:30 EST (6:30 PST) on Jay's music-and-culture channel, Life & Times . It's the last of eight shows meant to inaugurate the venue, which will be the home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and a competitor for Madison Square Garden with it comes to major New York City-area concerts.

Michael Feinstein -- the renowned singer and pianist who specializes in music from the Great American Songbook --  has been named the new lead conductor of the Pasadena Pops. He will succeed Marvin Hamlisch, who died unexpectedly on Aug. 6. Feinstein is scheduled to start his new job as principal pops conductor in the 2013 season. He will also have the newly created title of Marvin Hamlisch Chair at the Pasadena Pops. Feinstein told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that this will be the first time he will lead an orchestra as conductor.

Singer Glen Campbell has called off August performances he was scheduled to play in Australia and New Zealand on what's being billed as his Goodbye Tour because of health issues, a spokesman for the musician said Wednesday. Campbell, who is 76 and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the long flight to that part of the world would be more than he could handle. A source close to Campbell told The Times last year that the Goodbye Tour would go on only as long as Campbell felt able to continue performing.

After 11 years as conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony, Carlo Ponti Jr. is stepping down. His final concert of the orchestra's 2011-2012 season will be May 19. Frank Fetta, conductor of the Redlands Bowl's summer concerts and a frequent guest conductor with the San Bernardino Symphony, will assume Ponti's post for the 2012-13 season. "[Ponti] brought the orchestra to unprecedented levels of artistic achievement," symphony board president Mary Schnepp said in a news release.

"Basses, you're all over the place! Tenors, you're too bright! Altos, I'm hearing foreign matter. Sopranos, stop wobbling. I don't want this to sound like Podunk!" For 40 years as choirmaster of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Westwood, James Vail has exhorted his vocalists, often in a vexed high-pitched tone accompanied by loud piano-pounding, to mind their sharps and flats.

More Cher: Cher's final concert of her Farewell Tour is still scheduled for April 30 at the Hollywood Bowl, but she's adding another performance there on April 29. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday at Ticketmaster. * Less Jane: NBC Universal Television announced it was canceling "The Jane Pauley Show," citing disappointing ratings for the first-year daytime talk show. * TV partnership: ABC News will produce five documentaries for the AMC cable movie channel.

Michael Feinstein -- the renowned singer and pianist who specializes in music from the Great American Songbook --  has been named the new lead conductor of the Pasadena Pops. He will succeed Marvin Hamlisch, who died unexpectedly on Aug. 6. Feinstein is scheduled to start his new job as principal pops conductor in the 2013 season. He will also have the newly created title of Marvin Hamlisch Chair at the Pasadena Pops. Feinstein told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that this will be the first time he will lead an orchestra as conductor.

Some months ago, Los Angeles Philharmonic President Deborah Borda and her colleagues were discussing a parting gift for the Phil's outgoing music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen. "You know, when Leonard Bernstein retired from the New York Philharmonic, the board of directors and the orchestra gave him a speedboat," Borda says with a laugh. "And somehow, we thought we could do something a little more meaningful."

Classical music station KUSC-FM (91.5) is honoring outgoing Los Angeles Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen with special programs this month, including live broadcasts of two of his final performances and a documentary commemorating the maestro's 17 years with the orchestra. First up is "E-P in L.A.: Reinventing the Los Angeles Philharmonic," a two-hour documentary featuring interviews with collaborators Frank Gehry, Peter Sellars, Deborah Borda and Ernest Fleischmann, musicians and commentary from Salonen.