Education Through Music-LA is proud to be honoring Zanaida Stewart Robles with a Shining Star Award on December 6, 2024, given to those whose contributions through music have positively impacted our lives and communities!

ETM-LA provides sequential and comprehensive yearlong music education to under-resourced local schools across Los Angeles County. In our 19th Year, ETM-LA has grown from reaching 2 schools and 800 students to 41 schools and over 19,000 students.

The Gala will honor Music Educator & Artist ZANAIDA STEWART ROBLES (Frozen 2, Mulan, Harvard-Westlake School); Composer & ETM-LA Board Member BLAKE NEELY (Emmy-Winning Composer, Riverdale, The Flight Attendant, Masters of the Air); GAMESOUNDCON. Current and prior celebrity champions include Ed Helms, Kristen Bell, Debbie Allen, Cynthia Erivo, Rickey Minor, Mike Knobloch, Randy Spendlove, Michael Giacchino, John Debney, Siddhartha Khosla, Goldie Hawn, Harvey Mason jr, Christopher Columbus, Bryan Cranston, Sebastian Krys, Jane Lynch, Arturo Sandoval, Hans Zimmer, Rudy Sarzo, and more.

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Out for a bit

I’m having surgery and will be on medical leave in December, with a current plan to return to work after the new year. Thankfully, my condition is not life-threatening. The surgery is to alleviate ongoing discomfort and prevent future complications. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts as I prioritize my health. 

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Composition

Album release meet-up

Family, friends and fans of Zanaida Stewart Robles are invited to join Zanaida on Sunday, December 8 between 2pm and 4pm for a celebratory meet-up in Pasadena, CA, marking the release of Ecstatic Expectancy. The address will be shared with those who complete this form by December 1:

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Conducting

Celebrating friends

My Harvard-Westlake Jazz Singers are performing my friend Amy Gordon‘s arangement of Joy to the World for our Winter Choir Concert on Thursday, December 5 at 7pm in Rugby Auditorium. The concert also features Alleluia by my friend and HW colleague Chris Wong, performed by my HW Chamber Singers.

Thank you, Amy and Chris, for your brilliant music!

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My friend and assistant conductor Michael Fausto will lead worship on Sundays and on Christmas Eve at Neighborhood Church while I’m on leave. He will also conduct our Neighborhood Church Christmas Concert on Friday, December 13 at 7:30pm. Thank you, Michael, for stepping up to help out! 

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For Fun

Oh.
THESE were the clean clothes we’re supposed to get off of.
Our bad.

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Ollie immersed in the classic film UHF starring Weird Al Yankovic.

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Me and Felicity at the Michael Mayo concert in Santa Monica last month. Michael, who was a vocal arts student of mine at the Los Angeles County High for the Arts, was on FIRE!! 

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And finally,

“It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap:…”

I can now announce that I was part of the choir in the new blockbuster film, “Wicked”, which opened on November 22!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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View the original November 2024 newsletter here

Singing

I’m honored to be singing in the 30th anniversary performance of The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl today.

Disney’s The Lion King 30th Anniversary:  A Live-to-Film Concert Event

Billy Eichner
Bradley Gibson
Ernie Sabella
Heather Headley
Jason Weaver
Jeremy Irons
Lebo M.
Nathan Lane
Special Guest Jennifer Hudson & North West

SAT, MAY 25, 8:00PM

Special House Rules Apply

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Conducting

Thursday, June 13
7:30pm at Neighborhood Church
Neighborhood Church Spring Choir Concert

Suggested donation $25 to support the NUUC music program

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Congratulations, Felicity!

A glorious prom dress, a dynamite senior recital, now all that’s left is Felicity’s graduation from California School of the Arts San Gabriel Valley on Friday May 31. She’ll be attending CSULB for vocal performance this fall, and we’re so proud of her!

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Soundcloud Song of the Month

Gloria

by Zanaida Stewart Robles

In honor of my birthday, here’s the joyous “Gloria” from my Mass in E minor.

Listen to this recording by the Southern Tier Singers conducted by William Culverhouse

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For Fun

Here’s a cool poem that sends a little shiver down my spine, even with the weird California winter.

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To a Snowflake

What heart could have thought you?—
Past our devisal
(O filigree petal!)
Fashioned so purely,
Fragilely, surely,
From what Paradisal
Imagineless metal,
Too costly for cost?
Who hammered you, wrought you,
From argentine vapour?—
“God was my shaper.
Passing surmisal,
He hammered, He wrought me,
From curled silver vapour,
To lust of His mind;—
Thou could’st not have thought me!
So purely, so palely,
Tinily, surely,
Mightily, frailly,
Insculped and embossed,
With His hammer of wind,
And His graver of frost.

– Francis Thompson
This poem is in the public domain

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Composition

World premiere coming in April

My LA Master Chorale commission is finished and submitted! It’s about 9 minutes long and scored for a cappella double mixed chorus. It’s designed for a big choir that can lock some crunchy harmonies and still wail like crazy. LAMC is going to SLAY this piece!

Here’s how to get tickets to the premiere performance on April 6 and 7 in Downtown LA: 

I Believe:
The music of Bach, Bonds and Robles

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Conducting

Celebrating Dr. King

On Sunday, January 21, we enjoyed ourselves at the 2024 Unitarian Universalist Choral Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Forest Lawn Glendale. I conducted “Love is” by Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, along with the hymn version of “We Shall Overcome.” Here’s a photo of my colleague John Bergquist conducting our combined choir piece “Show Us How to Love” by Mark Miller. I also took a selfie with my friend and fellow composer/conductor/singer Saunder Choi, and here are some views of the crowd.

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For Fun

I got a Lite Brite for Christmas!

I always wanted one as a kid, so my husband thought it was time I finally had one. (Thanks, honey!)

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Archie and Ollie

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Hope you’re enjoying your winter!

Since I really enjoy doing composer/conductor residencies with college students, I would love to do residencies in French-speaking and/or Spanish-speaking countries. I want to immerse myself in the language, work with composition students on writing choral music, and conduct a concert with a collegiate choral ensemble featuring my choral works.

I want to sing my own music with a small group of highly-skilled singers,  performing concerts in the Los Angeles area and beyond.

I want to write or record or collaborate on something that’s good enough to win a Grammy, or a Pulitzer, or something else like that.

Dream big or go home, right? What dreams do YOU have?

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Composing

My newest composition “From the Stone Age” premieres with Melodia Women’s Choir of New York on November 19, at Church of the Holy Apostles in NYC.  Check it out here:

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Conducting

I’m conducting a reading session of my works along with works by my friend Reena Esmail (pictured) at the Southern California Vocal Association Fall In-Service, and it’s coming up later this week! on 

Friday, October 27, 2023
9:00am to 4:00pm

Glendale City Church
610 E. California Ave.
Glendale, CA 91206
Map & Directions

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For Fun

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Happy Halloween!