Melodia Mariposa Lecture Series: Maestro Larry Blank in Conversation

Melodia Mariposa, in association with the Pasadena City College Foundation, presents Maestro Larry Blank in Conversation with PCC Music Faculty Zac Matthews and Henry Shin.

Reception (CA East Patio) 6:30pm - Presentation (Westerbeck Recital Hall) 7:00pm

Larry Blank is one of the most prolific and sought-after composers, conductors, and orchestrators in the entertainment business today. His work has been presented all over the world, including some of Broadway's most successful musicians, Carnegie Hall, and top television and film projects. He is also the resident conductor of the Pasadena Pops Orchestra.

Zac Matthews is a cornerstone of the Los Angeles music scene, known for his versatility and deep musicality. He has performed with an extraordinary range of artists, including jazz legends such as Tom Scott, Jason Moran, Pete Christlieb, Bill Watrous, Henry Mancini, Bobby Shew, Bud Shank, Rob McConnell, Nancy King, Sheila Jordan, Donald Vega, Gary Foster, and Laurence Juber, among many others. A longtime member of Grammy-winning composer Clare Fischer’s big band, Zac’s career includes international performances spanning jazz, rock, classical, musical theater, film scores, dixieland, and folk. He has also toured extensively with Vox Lumiere, The Acoustic Jazz Quartet, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Zac’s artistic development has been shaped by intensive study with renowned bassists Ray Brown, John Clayton, and François Rabbath. He has also had the honor of working directly with influential figures like Branford, Wynton, and Ellis Marsalis, James Moody, Phil Woods, Milt Jackson, and Mel Lewis.

He holds degrees in Bass Performance and Music Theory & History from Washington State University and earned a Master’s in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California. Currently, Zac is pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership, with a research focus on the development of Popular Music Programs in higher education.

Henry Shin - Known for his “keen sense of timing, charisma, and leadership,” Henry Shin is steadily building a reputation as one of the most versatile conductors of his generation. Since 2015, Mr. Shin serves as Director of Orchestras at Pasadena City College. A strong proponent of bringing music to underserved youth in Los Angeles, he also serves as the music director and conductor of the nationally-acclaimed Harmony Project Orchestras, Hollywood, the Valley Philharmonic Orchestra in Porter Ranch, and the Kadima Conservatory Philharmonic in Pacoima. For seven years, Mr. Shin also served as the assistant conductor of the Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute (EMMI) Chamber Orchestra at the Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica.

Prior to his arrival in Los Angeles, Mr. Shin served as an assistant conductor with the Deutsches Nationaltheather und Staatskapelle Weimar, the San Francisco Civic Symphony and with the University Symphony Orchestra at UC Berkeley. For almost 10 years, he also served as music director and conductor of the UC Berkeley Summer Symphony. Outside of classical music, Mr. Shin music directed the San Francisco Arts Education Project’s Event Players, a premiere youth musical theater troupe, leading sold-out performances of Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, and On the Town. In 2009, Mr. Shin gained international recognition when he was a prizewinner at the prestigious International Competition for Young Conductors in Besançon, France – notable alumni to include Seiji Ozawa and Osmo Vänskä. Mr. Shin has studied conducting with David Milnes, John Barnett, Carl St.Clair, and Neal Stulberg, among others. He has also worked alongside Kurt Masur, James Conlon, Marin Alsop, Gustav Meier, Daniel Lewis, and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Mr. Shin holds degrees from UC Berkeley and the USC Flora L. Thornton School of Music, and his doctoral studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.