Last April, the acclaimed chamber group, Art of Elan, gave its first, sold-out, one-night-only performance at Lux Art Institute in Encinitas. Now, on Nov. 20 and 21, they will return to Lux with two nights of lively and uncommon music by a trio of composers: Heitor Villa-Lobos, a Brazilian; Sergei Prokofiev, a Russian; and John Corigliano, a 75-year-old New Yorker whose work includes an Oscar-winning film score for “The Red Violin,” a Grammy Award for “Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan,” and a Pulitzer Prize in Music for his “Symphony No. 2.”
Also on the program is a medley of Armenian folk songs, making for a delightfully eclectic evening of international sounds. The hour-long concerts will take place in Lux’s studio, preceded by a reception with the musicians and Lux’s resident artist of the month, Melora Kuhn.
The pre-holiday evenings at Lux invite audiences to share what Hatmaker calls “an intimate chamber music experience in a visually stunning space,” with Kuhn’s artworks providing the background for Elan’s music. A painter who draws her themes from history and myth, Kuhn alters images to reveal different patterns of thinking, creating a world where classical and contemporary forms coexist — not unlike A of E’s preferred style.
This is the busiest November yet for Elan co-founder Kate Hatmaker, a violinist with the San Diego Symphony, who just returned from the Symphony’s grand tour, performing in New York’s Carnegie Hall and three cities in China. After the Lux programs, Art of Elan moves on to its regular venue, the San Diego Museum of Art, on Nov. 26, for the second in a series of “Reflections” concerts.
Besides fine art and music, Lux has something new to crow about this month: they were chosen to design and create ornaments for California’s tree, part of the 2013 National Christmas Tree display in Washington, D.C.
Along with artists and students from the other states and territories, they will be making 24 ornaments for their state tree. Third-graders from Ocean Knoll Elementary School in Encinitas participated in the project by painting winter scenes on small log slices.
“All of us at Lux are proud to be included in this national celebration of the holiday season,” said Lux director Reesey Shaw, a La Jolla resident.
Commemorative ornaments will be on sale in the gift shop.
IF YOU GO
• What: Art of Elan at Lux Art Institute
• When: Nov. 20-21, 2013. 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. performance
• Where: 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas
• Tickets: $30-$40. Advance purchase required.
• Box Office: (760) 436-6611