Friends of Phil to host gala

The Thousand Oaks Philharmonic-Friends of the Phil will host an Italian dinner gala Thurs., Nov. 13 at Alessio Ristorante in the Paseo Market Place, 3731 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village.

The reception begins at 4:30 p.m. with dinner and performances at 6 p.m. The concert will feature the orchestra's new conductor Richard Rintoul and five soloists.

The event will raise funds to support the orchestra's ongoing concert series, which provides young artists in Ventura County and neighboring communities an opportunity to perform with a professional symphony orchestra.

The La Dolce Vita evening will feature performances by 17yearold pianist Daniel Lessler, 16yearold violinist Trina Boman and 11year-old pianist David Fraley.

Travis Nunn, a vocal major at Pepperdine University, will sing two arias by Donizetti, "Come Paride" and "Sull'onda cheta e bruna." Pianist Landon Baumgard will present "Transcendental Etude No. 10" by Liszt.

Gala admission is a $50 donation for adults and $30 for students ages 13 to 18.

The reception will offer hors d'oeuvres with a no-host bar. All well drinks are $5. VIP tables of six, eight, and 10 may be reserved in advance.

For reservations, which are required, call Sharon Pittman at (805) 937-9199, ext. 205, or e-mail assistant@kbergmangroup .com, or call Klara Bergman, gala chairperson, at (805) 260-6444.

The Thousand Oaks Philharmonic is a nonprofit organization that offers an annual series of three concerts performed at Camarillo United Methodist Church and repeated at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. For more information, contact the office at (805) 3762485 or visit www.tophil.org.