Caltech Presents

Coleman Chamber Enssemble Competition Winners Concert

2012-01-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday, April 29, 2012, 3:30 pm

The winners of the 65th annual Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, held on Saturday, April 16 and open to the public free of charge, present a formal concert to be followed by an awards ceremony.

A reception for all will follow the presentations.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location Information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Tickets: $20.00, youth high school age and under, $10.00.

Caltech Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

An Explosion of Explosions

2012-01-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 8:00 pm

The heavens teem with explosive events, some cataclysmic and many catastrophic. During these explosions, the elements needed for life (such as iron) are produced. Dr. Kulkarni will summarize the history of cosmic explosions (from Nova Stella or new stars to movae and supermovae). The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) was designed explicitly to chart the transient sky. So far, the PTF has found a new class of ultra-luminous supernovae, luminous red novae, and calcium-rich supernovae, and a trove of interesting and exotic stars.

Shri Kulkarni is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Caltech and Director of the Caltech Optical Observatories.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Lecture is free, no tickets or reservations required.

Pavel Haas String Quartet

2012-01-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday, April 22, 2012 3:30 pm

There are performances…and, then, there are performances. Performances that so stir our souls that we carry their imprint within us forever. The Pavel Haas String Quartet specializes in providing just these types of exhilarating musical experiences.

As the Berkshire Review wrote, “I was already a semi-fan before attending their short noontime concert at Wigmore Hall…but I wasn’t prepared for how powerful a sonority the Pavel Haas produces.”

The Sunday Times echoes these sentiments: “They are simply matchless today.” After the quartet won a Gramophone Award, Gramophone wrote, “[It] is thrilling now to imaginewhere this quartet can go.”

Program:

Tchaikovsky - Quartet No. 1, Op. 11
Shostakovich - Quartet No. 7, Op. 108
Schubert - Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden"

Tickets: $45.00, $38.00, $31.00, and $24.00. Youth $15.00.

Caltech Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Location - Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located 332S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Inti-Illimani

2012-01-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Saturday, April 21, 2012, 8:00 pm

Forged with passion and poetry, Inti-Illimani's unique sound explores the indigenous cultures of Latin America. Celebrating 40 years of musical experience, Inti-Illimani members perform on more than 30 wind, string and percussion instruments.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Tickets: $32.00, $27.00, and $22.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Making Molecules

2011-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 8:00 pm

Synthetic chemists spend a lot of timeimagining new molecules and figuring out how to make them. While this can be a terrific intellectual game, making molecules can also serve a greater purpose. Dr. Peters will attempt to convey both the inherent fun of molecular synthesis, as well as provide examples of how synthetic chemistry may help us continue to provide food and fuel for the inhabitants of our planet.

Jonas Peters is the Bren Professor of Chemistry at Caltech.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Lecture is free, no tickets or reservations required.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Jupiter String Quartet

2011-12-09T14:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday, March 11, 2012, 3:30 pm

When we’re "whole," we’re strong. And it’s no accident that the Jupiter String Quartet is named after the Roman god associated with happiness and strength. As the RichmondTimes Dispatch remarked, “Not just any musicians could pull off such a blazing performance.”

The Boston-based quartet lives up to its august name on another level, too. At the time of its formation, Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky. Similarly, in the world of music, the Jupiter String Quartet’s prominence continues to grow. “String quartets, like fine wines, get better with age; the Jupiters are a very fine vintage indeed,” wrote the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Program:

Mozart - Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 428
Prokofiev - Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92
Schubert - Quartet No. 15 in G Major, Op. 161, D. 887

Tickets: $45.00, $38.00, $31.00 and $24.00. Youth high school age and under $15.00

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

The All American Boys Chorus

2011-12-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 10, 2012, 8:00 pm

The best of Broadway, cool California sounds, toe-tapping tune from the Roaring Twenties, swinging songs from the Big Band era, dynamic Dixieland melodies and jazz classics are served up by this 32-voice ensemble, whose members range in age from 9 to 14 years old.

A Salute to America's Music!

Tickets: $26.00, $21.00 and $16.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Equator - Reef of Riches

2011-12-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 3, 2012, 2:00 pm

The Indonesian archipelago in the Indo-Pacific Ocean comprises thousands of islands, atolls and the largest concentration of coral reefs in the world. This rich and varied environment is a product of a unique set of natural circumstances. The equatorial sun powers ocean currents among the tiny dots of land.Where the archipelago meets the western tip of New Guinea an intersection of ocean currents crates perhaps the world's richest reefs - in the region of the Rajah Ampat Islands.

This stunning high-definition movie will serve as the springboard for a lively discussion about the science behind the beauty and wonder of nature. This is a NHNZ, NHK, France 5, ORF and ZDF co-production in association with Discovery HD Theater & Animal Planet International.

James Maloney, a lecturer in chemistry at Caltech, will introduce the film and guide the post-screening discussion.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Tickets: $5.00 - unreserved seating

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

The Science of Magic and Illusion

2011-12-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 2, 2012, 7:00 pm

Art and science clearly come together as Bob Friedhoffer performs one amazing feat after another, and proves that our senses can truly be fooled. Obvious, but amazing, tricks our mind plays on us are revealed. How are people really fooled by magic? Is it principles of physics, chemistry or biology? Or is it the science of our mind, psychology and neurology?

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Tickets: $15.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Website: http://events.caltech.edu/index.html

Journeying to the Earth's Past in the Isotope Time Machine

2011-12-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 8:00 pm

Earth Science is a form of history with the basic goals of reconstructing and understanding the unique events and life forms of our planet's past, many of which are beyond our experience of the modern world. This talk will explore how the study of isotopes in rocks and fossils lets us peer into the past and quantitatively reconstruct geological and biological evolution. Isotope geoscience began with the pioneers of the Manhattan project; recent innovations allow us to reconstruct ice ages hundreds of millions of years in the past and measure the body temperatures of dinosaurs.

John Eiler is the Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Professor of Geochemistry at Caltech.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture.

Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Free event, no tickets or reservations required.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Takacs String Quartet

2011-12-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 26, 2012, 3:30 pm.

The human heart has inspired countless composers, including Claude Debussy, whose Quartet is included in this post-Valentines Day program. “ I love music passionately,” he wrote. “And because I love it, I try to free it from barren traditions that stifle it.”

Returning for its eighth performance with Coleman since 1984, the Takács String Quartet has long been recognized as one of the world’s premiere string quartets—performing inNorth America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The recipient of a Gramophone Award, the ensemble is equally renowned for its award-winning recordings on the Decca label.

“This is chamber-music playing of overwhelming intensity, insight and intelligence, simply the best…ever heard in concert,” raves the Guardian.

Program:

Dvorak - Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51
Britten - Quartet No. 3 in G Major
Debussy - Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Ticket prices: $45.00, $38.00, $31.00, and $24.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Cinema Vivant

2011-12-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 25, 2012, 8:00 pm

Imagine yourself in the idyllic French countryside in the 1930s. Sometime before dark, a gypsy caravan sets up camp in a field outside of town, luring the locals out for an evening's fun. The wanderers travel with a film projector, pointing it at the side of a barn. As the images flicker to life beneath the stars, gypsy musicians play their guitars and fiddles, matching every movement on the screen with characteristic virtuosity, passion and humor. Reviving this lost entertainment, The Hot Club of San Francisco presents Cinema Vivant, an evening of vintage silent films accompanied by live gypsy swing.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Ticket prices: $26.00, $21.00, and $16.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minuets before the evening performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Il Voce

2011-12-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 17, 2012, 8:00 pm

Il Voce puts a fresh face on the global phenomenon of the genre labeled "Classical Crossover" or "Popera." Their amazing sound is created by the combination of these four magical voices and complimented by their beautiful and distinctive look. This is what truly sets Il Voce apart.

Il Voce is comprised of soprano Tiffany Desrosiers, tenor Marc Devigne, coloratura soprano Melody Mercredi and bariton DJ Calhoun. Bringin passion and virtuosity to their unique interpretations of romantic, classical, pop and opera favorites,simply put, Il Voce is "The Voices."

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Ticket prices: $26.00, $21.00, and $16.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the evening performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

What Parents Want: Evidence From Child Adoption

2011-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 8:00 pm

Adoption is an important phenomenon in the United States. Approximately 2.5 percent of all children, or 1.6 million, are adopted. The adoption process is fascinating for social scientists, allowing inspection of fundamental questions about preferences of parents for child attributes, such as race and gender, that are difficult to identify with biological chilen, where parents have limited freedom of choice. A new data set enables us to examine parents' attitudes and behavior in the domestic adoption process, while providing policymakers an evidence-driven base for evaluating the implications of highly debated policies, such as those restricting adoption by single-sex and foreign couples.

Leeat Yariv is Professor of Economics at Caltech.

Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series

Lecture is free, no tickets or reservations required.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Life: Primates

2011-12-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 11, 2012. 2:00 pm

Life - Primates, a BBC/Discovery Channel coproduction, explores the intelligence, adaptability, and resourcefulness that have enables privates to thrive ini an incredible diversity of habitats. Primates have found extraordinary ways to improvise, espeically when faced with challenges beyond their physical means.

This stunning high-definition movie will serve as the springboard for a lively discussion about the science behind the beauty and wonder of nature. This is a BBC/Discovery Channel/SKAI/Open University co-production in association with RTI Spa.

Adler Dillman, a graduate student in biology at Caltech, will introduce the film and guide the post-screening discussion.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Tickets $5.00, unreserved seating.

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125

Caltech ticket office: http://events.caltech.edu/tickets.html

Location information: http://events.caltech.edu/find.html

Spirit of Uganda

2011-10-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

To the melodic tones of standing drums, with dramatic choreography, bright, layered rhythms and gordeous call-and-response vocals, Spirit of Uganda brings to life the sounds and movements of East Africa.

Friday, January 27, 2012
8:00 pm
Caltech's Beckman Auditorium

Tickets: $26.00, $21.00, $16.00, youth high school age and under, $10.00. Senior rush tickets may be purchased 30 minutes before the performance for $10.00, subject to availability.

Pacific Trio

2011-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

There's something restorative as well as magical about music. We arrive at a concert frazzled and overwhelmed and exhausted... Then, before we know it, our worries lessen. Our hope and spirits soar.

The music the Pacific Trio plays 'soothes' us in just such a way. But the ensemble itself is electrifying-specializing in what The New York Times defines as "directly emotive playing." Adds the Los Angeles Times: "First rate piano trios are rare. A concert by the Pacific Trio was a special treat, as the trio demonstrated in convincing manner why it should be considered one of the best...A winning combination of grandeur, intensity and lyric grace."

Program:

Muczynski - Trio No. 1, Op. 24
Ravel - Trio in A minor
Smetana - Trio in G Minor, Op. 15

Sunday, January 22, 2012
3:30 pm
Caltech's Beckman Auditorium

Tickets: $45.00, $38.00, $31.00, and $24.00. Youth high school age and under $10.00.

Electrons in Flatland

2011-10-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

James P. Eisenstein, the Roshek Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Caltech, will give this Earnest C. Watson lecture.

Admission is Free, no tickets or reservations are required.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
8:00 pm
Caltech's Beckman Auditorium

Challenges of Life

2011-10-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Introducing the extraordinary things animals and plans must do in order to survive and reproduce. A few of the creatures you'll see are brown-tufted capuchins, dolpins, cheetahs, chameleons, and killer whales.

Ronnie Bryan, a graduate student in computation and neural systems at Caltech, will introduce the film and guide the post-screening discussion.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

2:00 pm

Caltech's Beckman Auditorium

Tickets: $5.00, unreserved seating.

Design By Evolution: Engineering Biology in the 21st Century

2011-10-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Frances H. Barnold, the Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry at Caltech, will give this Earnest C. Watson Lecture.

Admission is Free, no tickets or reservations required.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
8:00 pm
Caltech's Beckman Auditorium