Music Of The Spheres At Lick

SANTA CRUZ, CA–The silence is almost suffocating–not a leaf-rattle or even the hiss of wind in the scorched mountain grass. Below, on the valley floor, feeble lights strangle in the low creeping haze of now faraway everyday. Beyond, the black buffalo ridgeline humps up in the clear air against the last smoldering banner of daylight. On their tiny island in the darkening wider than the whole secret landscape, the ghostly domes stand among the glittering machinery that wheels in steady, staggering, supernatural glitter. Then, the voice of a single violin swimming through the dark, and then, a guitar.

Once you’ve been to one of the summer benefit concerts at Lick Observatory, on the airy shoulders of Mt. Hamilton, you may be tempted to try a few florid paragraphs of your own, but the experience isn’t an easy thing to render into words. If you’ve never been, be ready to snag your tickets when they go on sale at the UCSC Ticket Office on May 22 (May 15, if you’re willing to spring for preferred or VIP Tickets). Your ticket entitles you to more than a concert among the galaxies and globular clusters–you also get to peek through the historic 36-inch refractor telescope, enjoy a mind-warping talk on things astronomical by a noted UC astronomer, and go home with a commemorative wine glass or coffee mug.

The series begins on Friday, June 15, at 8 p.m. with a concert by violinist/composer Kim Angelis, and flamenco-inspired guitarist Josef. If the weather is good, the concert will be held outside. The talk, "The Birth and Evolution of Galaxies: Time Machines, Cannibalism, and Chemical Abuse," by Raja GubaThakurta, UCSC astronomy and astrophysics professor, will fill you in on stellar scandals that make the antics of human celebrities seem pedestrian by comparison.

If you’re not up for gypsy flair and cannibal galaxies, Yiannis Chronopoulos and the Spartans bring a lively mix of contemporary and traditional Greek music to the mountaintop on Saturday, June 16, at 8 p.m. Also on hand will be UCSC professor of astronomy and astrophysics, Jerry Nelson to reveal the grand designs of "CELT: The Ultimate Giant Telescope." Weather permitting, this concert will also be held outside.

In July, multi-instrumentalists Edmund Badoux and Francy Vidal will bring Andean flavors to the Hamiltonian altitudes as they perform on an extraordinary collection of Andean wind, string, and percussion instruments. Alex Filippenko, astronomy professor at UC Berkeley, completes the evening by contemplating "Einstein’s Biggest Blunder? The Case for Cosmic Anti-Gravity." That program is on Friday, the 27th, at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the 28th, the South American theme continues with Ramón Romero, master of the Paraguayan harp. Sandra Faber, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC, weighs the case of "Lick vs. Hubble: Adaptive Optics to the Rescue."

In August the dog days of summer lay panting in the shade, but 8 p.m. Friday evening, the 24th, chills to the cool Celtic sounds of Golden Bough–jigs, reels, and sing-alongs from the British Isles. UCSC’s Burton Jones, assistant director of Lick, will ponder "Cosmic Threats to Life on Earth: Will We Survive?" Well, if we make it as far as Saturday, the 25th, you’ll be able to catch some nylon-string magic from renowned classical guitarist Daniel Roest and Concord Jazz recording artist Jeff Linsky, beginning at 8 p.m. Michael Bolte, UCSC astronomy and astrophysics professor, will evaluate "The Impact of the Hubble Space Telescope on our Understanding of the Universe."

Standard tickets, at $40, entitle you to the concert, the talk, a peek through the 36-inch refractor telescope, and your own commemorative wine glass or coffee mug. Preferred tickets, at $100, include the same benefits as the standard tickets, plus a 20 percent discount in the gift shop and reserved seating. VIP tickets are $150 and include all the preferred ticket benefits plus a private tour of the 120-inch reflecting telescope and a light buffet. The tour begins two hours before the scheduled concert time and is limited to only 20 VIP ticket holders per concert date.

Seating will begin 30 minutes before the concert. All proceeds go to benefit the Lick Observatory visitor program. Attendance by children under the age of 10 is not advised. Only 160 tickets will be available each night. Reservations, taken on a first-come, first-served basis, tend to sell out quickly.

Contact the UCSC Ticket Office after May 15 for VIP and preferred tickets and after May 22 for standard tickets. Contact the Ticket Office at: (831) 459-2159; FAX: (831) 459-3552; e-mail: tickets@cats.ucsc.edu

Ticket Office hours are: Tuesday-Friday, 12 noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Any e-mail or fax request received before noon the first day will be disregarded.

For more information about Lick Observatory, call: (408) 274-5061, between 12:30 and 5 p.m., e-mail [giftshop@ucolick.org][2] or visit the web site at [www.ucolick.org.][3]