Starlight Amphitheatre

Leo Damiani, a conductor and founder of the Burbank Symphony Orchestra, died Tuesday of heart failure at his Burbank home. He was 74. Damiani was hospitalized recently for diabetes and kidney failure, family members said. He organized the Burbank Symphony Orchestra in 1944 and served as its conductor and director for 15 years. Damiani also pressured city officials to build the Starlight Amphitheatre in the northwestern hills of Burbank as a facility for the orchestra.

Tim Pinch, operator of the beleaguered Starlight Amphitheatre in Burbank, beat a city-imposed deadline Thursday to come up with the cash for back rent and other bills, city officials said. Pinch, 33, took a check for $10,500 to the city's Parks and Recreation Department 25 minutes before the office closed, a spokeswoman for the department said. If Pinch had missed the 5 p.m. deadline, city officials said, they would have taken steps to terminate his contract.

A touring troupe of 50 Ethiopian dancers and singers failed to appear for performances Friday and Saturday at the Starlight Amphitheatre in Burbank. About 2,000 concert goers were turned away Friday night; 50 showed up for Saturday's show. The reason for the absence of the Addie Ababa National Folk Ensemble and its whereabouts remained a mystery. Show producer Laurie Scott said she had not talked to representatives of the group for six days.

Leo Damiani, who developed a group of 35 amateur musicians into the 85-member professional Burbank Symphony Orchestra, has died at his home in that city. He was 74 and had been hospitalized recently for diabetes and kidney failure. He died Tuesday of heart failure, family members said. Damiani organized the Burbank Symphony Orchestra in 1944 and served as its conductor and director for 15 years.

Burbank officials said Tuesday that they are beginning termination procedures against Starlight Amphitheatre operator Tim Pinch because of his failure to live up to an agreement to provide "broad and varied entertainment" at the city-owned facility. The Burbank City Council asked city Parks and Recreation Director Richard Inga to issue a notice of termination before the end of December. Council members said Pinch has been unable to stage a steady slate of entertainment at the amphitheater.

A controversial war memorial that sparked a battle around Burbank City Hall was unveiled Friday. Sculptor Erwin Binder's 12-foot tribute to war veterans, an abstract piece in the shape of a flame titled "Requiem," was uncovered to thunderous applause from 200 spectators and dignitaries at a Memorial Day ceremony in Buena Vista Park.

The manager of Burbank's Starlight Amphitheatre has pulled the plug on plans to stage a high-tech extravaganza on the life of Jesus Christ. Tim Pinch, under contract to manage the city-owned Starlight, says he has withdrawn a proposal to stage "A Man Named Jesus" next year because the production would be too big for the 6,000-seat amphitheater. "It became apparent . . .

The City Council has given preliminary approval to a smoking ban in all publicly owned and operated facilities, ranging from City Hall to much of the Starlight Amphitheatre. If approved at next week's council meeting, the ban will take effect as early as July with the removal of ashtrays from municipal buildings and the posting of signs that prohibit smoking. Councilman Robert R.

The Burbank City Council voted Tuesday to study whether to allow construction of a championship-style tennis center and family sports complex in the city. Former tennis professional Steve Starleaf has said he wants to build a $6-million to $10-million center in Stough Park. Starleaf, who now teaches tennis, said his center would include 18 to 20 outdoor and indoor courts, a swimming pool and a clubhouse with facilities for racquetball, basketball and weight training.