Pete Townshend and Rachel Fuller have recently made a generous donation of $100,000 to UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, which will go towards providing scholarships for cello students at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and funding for concerts at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
CAP UCLA presented the US debut of “Animal Requiem,” Rachel’s beautiful tribute to animals, at Royce Hall last October. The orchestral work featured Tenor Bruce Sledge and Soprano Caroline McKenzie, who were backed by the Hollywood Studio Orchestra and local choir Tonality. Pete Townshend performed a lovely rendition of the Beatles song “Blackbird” to close the show.
Pete told CAP UCLA, “UCLA created a wonderful opportunity for Rachel to share this original work with American audiences and was incredibly accommodating and encouraging throughout. It’s a great privilege to support future cello players who may one day debut original works to new audiences on the Royce Hall stage, much as Rachel did.”
CAP UCLA announced this week that Pete and Rachel’s contribution will go towards funding for "The Tune In Festival; a convergence of music and poetry in the time of change," a five-day convening of artists from across the U.S., Canada and Latin America that is currently slated for October 2020. More than 20 artists and ensembles are coming together in cross-cultural solidarity in the time-honored tradition of music and poetry as a source of resilience, protest and inspiration. Participating artists include Kronos Quartet with an homage to the legendary Pete Seeger; a capella favorites Sweet Honey In the Rock; Ethiopian-American vocalist Meklit; Peruvian folk singer Nano Stern; and Canadian duo The Small Glories.
For more information on the Tune In Festival, please visit the CAP UCLA website.
Animal Requiem US debut at Royce Hall, UCLA. Photo credit: Carrie Pratt
