Orchestral Tribute

"At the point where popular culture and classical art converge, the songs of the Grateful Dead make an excellent place to explore," says Lee Johnson. Johnson is a professor of Music at LeGrange College in Georgia and composer-in-residence at this season's Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. His Dead Symphony No.6 is to be performed this Sunday. Johnson in an interview with Stacey Vreeken discusses the band's mystique, the Dead Community, and the influence the Grateful Dead's music has had upon his own work. The interview "Dead On" appears in the Santa Cruz Sentinel's August 6th issue. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_13002428

The Los Angeles Times also carries an article this week on the Festival's orchestral tribute to the Grateful Dead. Written by Chloe Veltman, "Paying tribute to the Grateful Dead in symphony" can be found at: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-dead-symphony5-2009aug05,0,4366990.story