Meet musician and film producer Jeff Pifher ’07E

Share a bit about yourself! What are you up to now?

After lots of schooling including Eastman, University of Miami, and University of Southern California, I began my career in Los Angeles where I still reside. Recently I have released four recordings with my band called Socrates’ Trial. We perform my original music. I like to compose what I call “cinematic jazz”. It’s a combination of film score elements such as soaring melodies played alongside an orchestra with long improvised solos by all members of the band. I perform at venues such as Catalina Jazz Club here in Los Angeles and my band has been a featured guest at the Jazz Education Network Conference this past year.

As a music and film producer, I have produced a short film documentary entitled In the Same Direction: Jeff Pifher & Socrates’ Trial which chronicles my band and our latest projects garnering 24 “Best Documentary” and “Best Music” awards from film festivals worldwide. Most recently I have finished production on Somewhere, a short film musical centering around immigration reform featuring cast members from Wicked, Glee, American Idol, The Voice, and America’s Got Talent. I am the composer, lyricist, and executive producer for the film which has won “Best Musical” at NoHo Cinefest here in Los Angeles. In 2020, I produced Writing for Strings Masterclass featuring arrangements of my original music by Harlan Hodges (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, League of Legends).

I am a member of the Recording Academy, Society of Composers and Lyricists, and several other entertainment organizations. I have also had the privilege to be a teaching artist with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz outreach program Jazz in the Classroom.

What are your most cherished memories from your time at the URochester?

Many of my fondest memories include making music with such incredible musicians and the late-night discussions about how to learn and be creative. Often my peers and I would engage in these lengthy debates that revealed how each one of us was similar but also strikingly different. Many of our goals were the same but how we went about achieving them was a unique learning experience for each of us. Sharing stories while eating at the cafeteria, making trips to the River Campus to use the exercise facilities, taking long walks in the freezing temperatures to get a favorite food fix, watching friends perform music and being inspired to reach for more, helping out lost visitors during audition weekends, and laughing until you cry about the nerdiest music jokes are all cherished memories from my time at Eastman.

How did campus life and any co-curricular involvement (clubs, organizations, teams, etc.) impact your personal and professional growth?

Part of my daily routine was to travel from the Eastman campus to the River Campus to use the University exercise facilities. While there, I was able to engage with students studying different fields and participate in other activities such as festivals and gatherings. This experience allowed me to get out of my own head, gain more perspective, and begin to hone my networking skills. As a performer, producer, educator, and member of the entertainment community in Los Angeles, these are extremely useful if not essential skills.

Did the University offer any resources or initiatives that helped you transition smoothly into the workforce?

While I did not reach out to or receive direct help from the University administration when I began establishing a performing career in Los Angeles, it was through my fellow Eastman alumni that I was able to secure my first opportunities. Currently, I am benefiting from the University by volunteering and staying involved.

How did your experience at the URochester influence your life?

Teachers at Eastman are some of the best around. I learned so much from a music and career perspective from them however, what has had the most influence on my life is what I learned from my peers. Through discussions and daily interactions with my Eastman peers, I learned not only “how to learn” but how I learn best. I was able to witness firsthand the daily dedication and discipline needed to succeed in the entertainment industry. These are traits that are now a part of my daily life and that I employ throughout my endeavors.

What sparked your initial interest in volunteering with the University? What role(s) have you held?

Connecting with local leaders in the community initially fueled my interest in volunteering with the University. I have been able to meet so many incredible people who are making notable contributions. I have been able to get involved in rewarding experiences that are a direct result of volunteering with the University and being a member of the Ģ����ý Network Leader Council.

What advice do you have for fellow alumni and friends who may be interested in taking a more active role in our alumni and friends’ community?

This alumni and friends community is so welcoming so don’t be afraid to get involved, take initiative, and share your ideas. Let your passion for giving and connecting shine through!

What’s the most rewarding part of staying connected with your alma mater?��

There are several aspects of staying connected that I find rewarding. Being able to give back through different University-sponsored events by helping others make connections, building and expanding this strong community, and supporting other alumni to reach their goals has been a truly rewarding experience that also fills me with a sense of pride to be an alumnus of the URochester.

Class of 1981 Internship Endowment

Grace Stensland ’23, a Syracuse, New York, native, grew up loving movies, photography, and Broadway shows. When it came time to choose a college, she was drawn to Rochester for its open curriculum, which she knew would give her many opportunities to explore her broad interests. Working as an intern in the summer of 2022 helped her hone those interests, too, and find her niche—an experience made possible by the Class of 1981 Internship Endowment.

Stensland found her internship by tapping into her network, which she learned how to do at her work-study job at the . “Working at the Greene Center during my sophomore and junior years gave me insight into the importance of networking, interviewing, and professional communication,” she says. “So, when it came time for me to look for an internship, I reached out to my audio engineering professor, Stephen Roessner. I knew he had a friend in Los Angeles who worked in the entertainment business, and I asked him to connect me, which he did.”

Roessner’s friend is Rob McIntyre, an Emmy Award-winning supervising sound editor who cofounded Sound Rebels, LLC, a Burbank, California-based audio post-production company that provides sound design and mixing services for animated television, movies, and reality TV. McIntyre and his business partner, D.J. Lynch, interviewed Stensland over Zoom and she aced it, securing the summer-long internship.

The internship was a great fit. Every day, she worked on such projects as Nickelodeon’s Middlemost Post, a kids’ comedy series; Paramount+’s Big Nate, a kid’s series created by Nickelodeon; and Netflix’s Inside Job, an adult-oriented science fiction series. Her primary responsibilities included editing sound effects, creating ambient sounds, and maintaining client services.

Sound Rebels even tasked Stensland with a special project: to sound design eight minutes of an episode of Inside Job. “I’ve been a big fan of this show for a long time,” she says. “It was such a thrill to go from watching it to actually creating sound for it, especially for such a big segment within an episode.”

Toward the end of the summer, McIntyre and Lynch approached Stensland about coming on board full-time after graduation as a sound editor. “I loved every minute of my internship, so being offered a full-time job left me speechless,” she says. “I did manage to say yes, though, and I can’t wait to start working there full-time.”

Stensland adds, “Even though many internships pay an hourly rate, it’s often not enough to cover other expenses,” she adds. “That was certainly the case for me. Los Angeles is expensive, and I never would have been able to afford housing and food without the assistance of the Class of 1981 Internship Endowment.”

This experience led to my dream job right out of the gate, which is incredibly rare for people graduating and hoping to work in film and television. The funding support I received gave me a head start on my career, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Learn more about how funded internships open doors to graduate schools, career paths, and personal growth.

Meet Los Angeles Network Leadership Co-Chair Nick Brandt ’98

Tell us about your time as a student.

Outside of classes, the most formative elements of my time at the URochester were my three years as an RA and four years with UR Concerts, culminating with me leading the group my senior year. Spearheading bringing iconic acts like Billy Joel, The Ramones, and Beck to campus was incredibly memorable, and I wore my Ramones concert t-shirt until it lost full structural integrity!

How did your experience at the URochester influence your life?

My courses in Film Studies had a huge impact because I found my calling and it would lead me to leave all I knew on the East Coast to strike out and form a new life in Los Angeles. My creative writing professor, Thomas Gavin, shaped my creative mind, inspiring me to write in varied media (children’s books, comic books, novels, films, and musicals), and I continue to correspond with him regularly.

What inspired you to get involved and volunteer?

What initially inspired me to get involved and volunteer was a feeling of not being connected to the greater Rochester community. This drives me because I want to ensure our network is strong and that everyone feels connected and welcomed.

What’s the most rewarding part of staying connected with your alma mater?

What I most love is meeting the varied other graduates and continuing to learn from them.

What are you looking forward to next?

I know this will age me, but as a member of the class of 1998, I’m looking forward to our 25th reunion at Meliora Weekend 2023. I miss Rochester and love any excuse to revisit.

What advice do you have for others looking to get involved?

Getting involved can be as simple as showing up. It’s always heartening to see new faces and I think once you participate in activities and see the effect it can have on your fellow grads, you want to start to contribute as well.

At the Intersection of Optics and Art

Considered one of the fathers of Silicon Valley, Jay Last ’51, ’11 (Honorary) had an extraordinary career in science, technology, and art. As an early leader in the development of semiconductors, he helped usher in the computer revolution. A noted African art collector, Last was among the first generation of Westerners to appreciate the continent’s visual art traditions. He died in November at the age of 92.

After graduating as an optics major in 1951, Last earned a PhD in physics from MIT in 1956. Early in his career, he joined a group of eight entrepreneurs who founded the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation. There, Last helped develop and produce the first integrated circuit chips, work that paved the way for the computer revolution and established Silicon Valley as the epicenter of the digital world.

Often crediting his grounding in optics for providing him with a special appreciation for form and color, Last pursued his interest in art throughout his career. His collection of African art is now housed at UCLA, and his collection of mid-20th-century lithographic labels is part of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

“In the early days of my collecting, I and many of my friends were becoming interested in art because it was interesting geometry to us,” Last said in a 2016 interview for Rochester Review. “And the way I’ve collected art, the pieces I really appreciate the most are usually the simplest design forms, or the most imaginative design forms.”

Last is the author of The Color Explosion: Nineteenth-Century American Lithography and the coauthor, with Gordon McClelland, of five other books. In 2015, he published a memoir, African Art and Silicon Chips: A Life in Science and Art. He also founded Hillcrest Press and published books on California art, ethnic art, and graphic arts. He was a founder and member of the board of directors of the Archaeological Conservancy, a national nonprofit organization established in 1980 to preserve US archaeological sites.

Widely recognized as a scientist and humanist, Last received the Maurice Rickards Award from the Ephemera Society of America, and he was awarded the Legends of California Award from the California Historical Society. The University presented him with the institution’s highest award for alumni, the Hutchison Medal, in 2005 and awarded him an honorary degree in 2011.

A generous philanthropist who supported numerous museums and educational institutions, Last helped establish a professorship at Rochester and provided support for humanities fellowships as well as the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program, the Language Center, and the River Campus Libraries.

His interests reflected a long-standing appreciation for how the sciences and the arts complement one another.

Ģ����ý Board of Trustees member Evans Lam ’83, ’84S (MBA) recently established a $500,000 scholarship challenge at the . The Evans Lam Opportunity Scholarship Challenge is designed to encourage others to create new, endowed scholarships. Lam also contributed $100,000 to an unrestricted scholarship fund to be put to use immediately.

“Evans always leads by example, consistently champions the potential in people, and ardently works toward making the world a better place for all,” says Simon Business School Dean Sevin Yeltekin. “Meeting the financial needs of talented students would not be possible without this type of generosity.”

“By establishing this scholarship challenge, we are hopeful others will step up and join us,” says Lam. “This is about the Simon community coming together to help our most talented and diverse students from all over the world as they pursue their business education and career goals.”

Supporting students is a key component of the University’s yearlong Together for Rochester campaign. Designed to make life better for the University community following the COVID-19 outbreak, the campaign’s goal is to raise $100 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year to fund several priorities: scholarships and financial aid, diversity initiatives, faculty recruitment, clinical and academic research, career opportunities and internships, and more.

For each new endowed scholarship that qualifies, the Lam Challenge will add additional funding to the contributed value of that unique scholarship. For example, if a donor establishes an initial $100,000 scholarship, the Lam Challenge will add $50,000 to it, for a total value of $150,000. Likewise, if a new donor makes a $67,000 commitment, the Lam Challenge will add $33,000, for a total value of $100,000.

“To underscore the significance of Evan’s gift, consider this: if 15 new scholarships are realized through this match, the Lam Challenge will result in a minimum of $1.6 million raised for critical scholarship funds and provide admissions recruitment opportunities for Simon,” says Yeltekin. “Challenge gifts often encourage other donors to get involved because the total impact is greater. More students can benefit.”

Lam is the managing director of wealth management and senior portfolio manager at UBS Financial Services and a renowned expert who has advised the State Council of China on monetary reform. He is also a longtime supporter and dedicated volunteer with the University. In addition to being a trustee, he is a member of Simon’s National Council and the chair of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society, toward which he makes a $100,000 annual contribution.

Lam’s philanthropy established Lam Square in Rush Rhees Library and the Susanna and Evans Y. Lam Professorship at Simon. He also created the Evans Lam Study Abroad Scholarship, which sponsors five undergraduates annually to pursue scholarly exchange in Hong Kong, China. Additionally, he sponsors students from Hong Kong to study in Rochester. Lam regularly interacts with many of his scholarship recipients.

“I came to the United States with $180 and a four-year scholarship,” adds Lam. “I am forever grateful to the University and Simon for providing me with the foundation for my career in corporate finance and investment management.”

When Anju Gupta ’90, ‘91S (MBA) graduated from the Ģ����ý and moved to California, she was excited to immerse herself in her new life. While attending the university, she participated in a 3-2 program that allowed her to receive both her BA and MBA in just four years, due to her credits from Advanced Placement high school courses and summer classes. When Gupta thinks of her time at Rochester, she fondly remembers studying abroad in England where she worked as an intern in British parliament. While she now works as a Consultant for Dell Technologies in Austin, Gupta first explored her finance career in Los Angeles. Although LA was full of young professionals, it wasn’t as easy to make connections as she had anticipated.

Gupta decided to tap into the UR Alumni Network. By attending alumni events, she made friends with people who lived in her area who she would not have met if it weren’t for the network. She says, “Especially living on the west coast, when you meet someone from the Ģ����ý from the east coast, you immediately feel connected.”

Gupta has always made it a habit to attend alumni events. She says, “My alumni network is one of my first go-to places to help open doors.” For instance, when Gupta moved to Dallas a few years ago, she met an alumna from the Eastman School of Music, with whom she had not interacted during her studies. The Eastman alumna invited Gupta to her book club, which then introduced her to larger social circle.

At another Dallas event, Gupta met an alumnus from Simon Business School. She networked with him, became friends with his wife, and even interviewed at his company. Although she didn’t end up joining his team, she was grateful for the professional and personal connection.

Gupta says that alumni events always offer a welcoming environment in which it is easy to make friends. “We have a shared experience and that makes it easier for us to connect. There’s a level of openness and trust when you meet someone who went to your university, especially when you’re in a new place away from that environment.”

Gupta encourages alumni to be open to new ideas when it comes to events. “If there isn’t an event and you have an idea for something, definitely suggest it. There are a lot of people who are willing to jump in and help create an event. You’re not alone.”

No matter where you are with your career or where you are in the world, Gupta says it is always worth the effort to attend an alumni event. “It’s a great experience and you feel like you’re in this special yet very inclusive club.”

Nana Afoh-Manin ’08M (MD) is an emergency room physician at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles—a city hit hard by the pandemic. Every day, she draws on what she learned at medical school, to treat the whole person. This means addressing acute health issues while considering a patient’s surrounding circumstances and socioeconomic conditions—all of which contribute to illness and healing.

She and two medical school classmates—Joanne Moreau ’07M (MD) and Briana DeCuir ’03, ’07M (MD) just launched a new initiative to help under-resourced communities during the pandemic. This initiative——offers pop-up, drive-through COVID-19 testing sites along with follow up telehealth medical services for those who need them most through a convenient mobile app.

The founders say that these programs are deeply rooted in the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s biopsychosocial model. They also underscore that their programs reduce patient crowds at hospitals, decrease provider burn-out, and help keep hospitals and patients safe.

“We offer the uninsured and underinsured much-needed access to experts, information, and resources,” she says, noting that these programs benefit medical professionals, too. “Helping others through volunteering is a proven way to decrease anxiety and increase well-being. Everyone wins with these programs.”

To date, the group has held three pop-up, drive-through testing events in Los Angeles, testing approximately 300 people in the process. In the coming weeks, the group will ramp up to host additional testing pop-up drive-thru events in Los Angeles, California, as well as Queens, New York, and Detroit, Michigan, with more to come.

How it works

At each site, community members stay in their cars while moving through various stations. Volunteers greet each car, outline the process, and provide paperwork, including consent forms. They make sure that people understand the website and app, and the opportunities they will have for follow up telehealth appointments with trained medical professionals.

Those in the drive-through receive a health screening by volunteer medical professionals. They are then finger prick tested for the virus and the presence of antibodies. The testing stations run behind the backdrop of a live DJ with soothing music and poetry. After the test is complete, a volunteer walks each person’s blood work over to an onsite pop-up lab, which processes the results immediately.

As people are discharged, they are reminded of the test result notification process. If a test is negative, the person will receive an email or text within 24 hours, with information reminding them of how to access their free telehealth visits. If a test is positive, a volunteer CHP (Community Health Partner) will call that person within 12 hours and provide immediate next steps.

It takes a village

In addition to people volunteering their health care expertise, services, and time, a number of businesses are also helping. For instance, at the group’s last pop-up drive thru in Los Angeles, a local CSA gave grocery bags full of food to every car.

“Community members were thrilled and surprised,” says Dr. Afoh-Manin. “So many people are getting what they need here—health care as well as food, which is also a struggle for them to get right now.”

“We have other businesses helping out, too,” she adds. “To support frontline health care staff—and that includes every type of worker, from the janitor to the surgeon—they are offering meals; flowers; services like babysitting and dog-walking; and even meditation sessions. Collaboration with business partners help facilitate getting these services to our network.

How it started

The two new COVID-19 programs are offered through , a social entrepreneurial venture the three physicians started less than three years ago. Shared Harvest aligns medical and other professionals with volunteer opportunities, which creates a unique way for them to pay down their student loan debt in the process. “It’s a model similar to what you see with the Peace Corps and the military,” says Dr. Afoh-Manin. “But, our approach serves local communities.”

Shared Harvest partners with lending organizations to coordinate debt-relief programs. The group also works with individual donors and companies with strong corporate responsibility programs to provide funding as well as in-kind donations, including equipment, technology, and COVID-19 tests.

“It’s heartening to see so many people step up to do the right thing for someone else,” says Dr. Afoh-Manin. “We would love for URMC students and alumni to join us as volunteers and donors, and additional information can be found at .”

My interest in languages, and the variations in how speakers sound, developed really early. I was born in Montana and lived in San Diego as a kid. When I was six, we moved to western New York. I could tell that I spoke differently from the people in RACH-ester. I also liked to make my family laugh, by doing impressions of what I saw on television, often based on some nuance or difference in how someone spoke.

I always wanted to work with actors because I’ve always been interested in the performance element—the heightened nature of performance—and I love film and television. I studied linguistics at Rochester and also got involved in Todd Theater and In Between the Lines improv comedy troupe. I thought if I studied language and was also active in performance, I could find a way of tying them together.

I befriended Mark Brummitt, a professor at the Colgate-Rochester-Crozer Divinity School, and when I told him I was interested in languages and dialects, he instantly said, “Have you heard of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London?” And I thought, “That’s oddly perfect.” The Central School, I found out, was where Judi Dench had gone to drama school, as well as many of the most notable practitioners in the voice industry. I applied, got in, and eventually earned a master’s degree from the Central School in voice studies—specifically, about how to work with the voice in performance.

While I was in London, I ended up teaching phonetics and British dialect to British students and specialized in American dialects as well, though a dialect coach has the potential to be asked to teach any dialect or accent. My process for learning an accent is a bit like that of documenting a language. Ideally you meet with someone, a consultant, who is a native of the area; or you watch a lot of video or listen to a lot of audio from that particular region. Then you establish some sort of framework that you know covers the bases. For my work, there’s a story called “Comma Gets a Cure,” which was written by dialect coaches and linguists in the UK and US, that includes every consonant, vowel, and diphthong that exists in English. So you record a native from the region reading that, select words, and a lot of natural, free speech—because people always speak differently when they read. Then, if the actor or voice talent can isolate the sounds, I can help them adjust the sounds to make them consistent and eventually influence their flowing speech in the new target dialect.

“I always wanted to work with actors because I’ve always been interested in the performance element—the heightened nature of performance—and I love film and television. “

While I was in the UK, I also started working with Amazon as a voice coach. For most computerized voices that you hear, there is someone who provided the initial sounds for that voice. To get full coverage for a voice, you need someone to work with the voice talent to get the thousands of things that make up the nuances of the language and the voice clear and consistent, so the end product sounds like a unified voice. I describe the process as a bit like the scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, when Mike Teavee is sent through WonkaVision. He’s zapped into a million pieces and gets put back together, but smaller. The work is time-intensive, and recording can last weeks, with 30 to 40 hours a week of recording scripts created by linguists and programmers.

I’ve worked on a British version of Alexa, as well as the Samuel L. Jackson voice, the first celebrity voice for Amazon. A lot of the work is about building rapport with the voice talent. I’m the person who has to stop them every time they need to correct something or ask them to repeat something if they were unclear. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, if you will! There’s a lot of back-and-forth banter. I work hard to convey that I’m there to assist, to help them get through moments where they’re gravelly, raspy, or lose their breath or support; or to point out things that sound irregular, or too monotone. It’s a lot of work to speak for six hours a day.

Here are some of our alumni guides’ recommendations for what to do and see in LA.

Sean Allen ‘11S (MS)

Recruited from the Simon Business School as an engineer and team lead for the oil and energy company Andeavor Logistics, Allen moved to California in 2011.

“If you have a strong drive, you’ll thrive here,” he says. “LA is filled with a lot of highly motivated people who inspire me every day.”

It’s an ideal place to live, he says.

“San Diego is only two hours south and Mexico is just 15 minutes from there. Napa Valley and Northern California aren’t too far away either. Then there’s LA itself, with a lot to do right here.”

A) Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
6300 Hetzler Road, Culver City
Allen enjoys taking visitors to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, also known as the Culver City Stairs. Hike 250 steps up to a 500-foot peak for 360-degree views of the city. “Some of these cobblestone steps are two and three feet wide,” he says. “Hundreds of years ago, there was a village here and now just these steps remain.”

B) Pho Ever Restaurant
2228 Rosecrans Avenue, Gardena
Allen recommends Pho Ever for authentic Vietnamese fare. “When you walk in, you feel like you’re on a street in Ho Chi Minh City. Your food is even served in traditional, small metal bowls.” For Japanese, try Wokcano (multiple locations). According to Allen, it serves up the best crabmeat fried rice ever. It also offers the unusual, from salsa dancing to piñata parties to reverse happy hours.

C) In-N-Out Burger
9149 South Sepulveda Boulevard
Allen, who is also a licensed real estate agent, often takes visitors to an iconic In-N-Out Burger located about a thousand feet from a runaway at the Los Angeles airport. “While eating a burger, you can look up and see a plane about 200 feet high in the sky.”

D) Dockweiler Beach
12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey
“You can’t visit Southern California and not go to the beach,” says Allen. With three miles of shoreline, Dockweiler Beach features 40 bonfire pits available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“If you want one, get there early, or be open to sharing a pit with another group or two.” If you can’t get a pit, just enjoy the beach or take a hang-gliding lesson.

Wallis Nash ‘15

After graduating from the University as a double-major in international relations and anthropology, Nash taught for a year in China. Then she earned her master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California. Today, she works as a management analyst at Pasadena City Hall, which doubled as Pawnee City Hall in the hit sitcom Parks and Recreation.

“My job is very similar to Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope,” says Nash, who is a member of the LA Network Leadership Cabinet and leader of the new LA Women’s Network. “I help manage the city’s capital improvement budget, which supports our transportation, public works, and parks programs.”

P) WB Studio Tour
3400 Warner Boulevard, Burbank
Nash recommends taking in a tour of the famous Warner Brothers studio. “You see everything from Batmobiles to the gazebo from The Gilmore Girls to the café from La La Land.” After the tour, she likes to dash over to Portos (3614 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank), a family-run Cuban bakery famous for its potato balls – deep-fried balls of mashed potatoes stuffed with meat.

Q) The Original Farmer’s Market
6333 West 3rd Street
To experience the city’s cultural and dining diversity, Nash enjoys the Original Farmer’s Market. “It’s so LA to see an Iranian woman selling traditional food next to Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts, which is next to Nonna’s Empanadas,” she says. She recommends that visitors go to Zia Valentia, where they can get coffee served in waffle cones. Check out the French Crepe Company, too. Her favorite is the la poissonière, which is filled with smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, capers, and chives.

More Parks and Rec

R) Hollywood Sign, Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Drive

S) Manhattan Beach
1400 Highland Avenue

T) Reunion Park
43234 LA-445, Ponchatoula

U) Hollywood Bowl
2301 North Highland Avenue

For those who love being outside, hike up to the Hollywood Sign from Griffith Park. Or, venture to Reunion Park, where you might catch celebrities walking their dogs. Check out Manhattan Beach, too. “It’s a great place for families, easy to get to, and much closer to LA than the often-touted Malibu Beach, which is an hour north of the city.”

If there’s time, take in some tunes at the Hollywood Bowl.” This is a great live music venue that features sings-alongs to movies like Grease and music-and-film concerts with the LA Philharmonic,” adds Nash. “Bring a picnic or get one there.”

Nick Brandt ‘98

“For me, LA is the embodiment of the American Dream,” says Brandt, a member of the University’s LA Network Leadership Cabinet. “It’s beautiful here year-round, and it’s a place you can grow and become whatever you want to be.”

As a writer, Brandt has crafted screenplays, comic books, and even musicals. His most recent work, Glass Ceilings, takes the stage in Los Angeles in March, and his graphic novel Joshua Jace: Minimum Wage Henchman is currently available digitally and in print.

L) The Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Brandt recommends a trip to The Getty. Inside, tour an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, and decorative art. Outside, take in the gardens. “If you need creative inspiration and a jolt to the soul, this is the place. I once wrote an entire screenplay sitting in the museum’s courtyard.”

M) Rockwell Table and Stage
1714 North Vermont Avenue
Enjoy live musical performances and great food. “I may be biased because some of the songs from a few of my musicals have been performed here, but it is a great venue that offers something for everyone.” Take in burlesque shows, musical parodies, theme nights with Broadway talent, and more. Brandt notes that Jeff Goldblum regularly plays jazz there, too.

N) Grab a Beer
N Golden Road Brewery
5410 West San Fernando Road

O) Bruery Terreux
1174 North Grove Street, Anaheim
Raise a glass in Glendale at the Golden Road Brewery. If you have children, they can enjoy an outdoor game and play area. Bring your dog, too, as four-legged friends are welcomed. Brandt, a Buffalo native, has high standards for his chicken wings and recommends the ones at the brewery – but, as a true western New Yorker, just blue cheese for him, no ranch.

Brandt also recommends the Bruery Terreux for a pint. Located not far from Disneyland, the craft brewery specializes in sour beers – fruit-oriented, with a hint of cherry, peach and a bit of tartness – that are brewed onsite. Patrons can also order regular, barrel-aged, and imperial beers, which are brewed at a sister location nearby so as not to cause cross-contamination.

Jeff ‘85E and Joan Beal ‘84E

A composer for film, television, and concert hall, Jeff Beal has received 19 prime-time Emmy nominations and has won the award five times. He and his wife, Joan Beal, a University trustee, studio singer, and vocal contractor for film, media, and television, have lived in the Los Angeles area since 1992.

A few years ago, the couple purchased an apartment in the heart of LA. “Downtown is home to our concert halls, museums, restaurants, jazz clubs, renovated movie houses, and lots of exciting new developments, as this once-abandoned area is being revitalized,” says Joan.

As city dwellers, the Beals are enjoying their time in what is becoming a walkable city. “The accessibility is great, and it provides a central place to collaborate with directors, editors, and other musicians,” adds Jeff.

Downtown LA

E) Grand Central Market
317 South Broadway

F) Horse Thief BBQ
324 South Hill Street

G) Angel’s Flight
350 South Grand Avenue

H) Broad Museum
221 South Grand Avenue

I) Disney Concert Hall
111 South Grand Avenue

J) Bradbury Building
304 South Broadway

K) bluewhale
123 Astronaut Ellison South Onizuka Street

The couple recommends taking a walking tour of downtown, starting at Grand Central Market on South Broadway. “This large indoor marketplace features many vendors and restaurants,” says Joan. “You’ll find great egg sandwiches, falafel, tacos, and coffee.” Jeff particularly likes the Horse Thief BBQ. “My assistant and I go there as often as possible and get all the things Joan tells me not to eat,” he says. “The pulled pork is amazing.”

After that, head to Angel’s Flight, which is next to the market on South Grand Avenue. “You have two options here,” says Joan. “You can take a steep set of stairs up to Bunker Hill or ride a convenient trolley nearly 300 feet.” (She notes that if you take the stairs, you can eat more at the market.) Then, continue on South Grand to the Broad Museum, known for its collection of contemporary art (and free general admission) and the Disney Concert Hall, an iconic building designed by Frank Gehry. “You don’t need tickets to go into the hall,” says Joan. “Acoustically, it has the best sound, comparable only to Kilbourn Hall.”

If time allows, meander over to the Bradbury Building on Broadway. The historical landmark is open to the public and has been featured in TV shows and movies. For music, head to bluewhale, a jazz club tucked away in Little Tokyo. “Have a drink and soak in the talents of some of the best musicians out there,” adds Jeff.

Indie Success

Multi-instrumentalist Sasami Ashworth ’12E released her debut album to considerable acclaim earlier in 2019, followed by an international tour that kept her on the road through most of 2019.

Recorded under the name SASAMI, the eponymous album was praised by independent music outlets like Pitchfork, Stereogum, and the Stranger, as well as such outlets as the Nation, Jezebel, the Guardian, NME, and NPR.

While still a student at the Eastman School of Music, the onetime French horn player worked as a teacher and began to establish herself as an independent musician. She joined the band of indie music icon Cherry Glazerr, with whom she toured before launching her career as an independent artist.

Classic Crimson

Bassist Tony Levin ’68E was back on tour in fall of 2019 with King Crimson, a legendary progressive English rock band that formed the year Levin graduated from Eastman.

A widely sought-after musician, Levin has played on more than 500 albums with artists that include Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, Cher, Todd Rundgren, and Alice Cooper. He also was the bassist on Double Fantasy, by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. He’s the longtime bassist for Peter Gabriel and is also a member of the groups Stick Men and the Levin Brothers.

He’s been a member of King Crimson since the 1980s.

Who Are You?

Audrey Snyder ’13E, ’15E (MM) reached rock nirvana at London’s Wembley Stadium in July. The cellist joined violinist Katie Jacoby on a featured duo during “Behind Blue Eyes,” playing alongside music legends Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey as part of The Who’s 2019 tour.

The 32-show tour ran from May through October and included concerts at Fenway Park in Boston, Madison Square Garden in New York, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Snyder and Jacoby were the only traveling orchestra members on the tour and worked with about 50 local musicians chosen for each concert.

A core member of the Chicago-based Zafa Collective, Snyder has also released her own recordings. Next March and April, she’s scheduled to play 10 more concerts with The Who in the UK.

Late-night Rocker

Since May 2019, bassist Tim Lefebvre ’90 has performed once a month with Stay Human, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Since graduating with a double major in economics and political science, Lefebvre has been a prominent session and touring performer.

He’s worked with David Bowie, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Empire of the Sun, Carole King, Elvis Costello, and Sting, in addition to establishing himself as a solo artist and band leader.