Mount Wilson Observatory Presents “Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome” w/ Peter Erskine & The Lounge Art Ensemble

Mount Wilson Observatory Presents
the First Offering in its 8th Season of
Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome
Featuring Peter Erskine & The Lounge Art Ensemble
Held Inside the Historic Dome of the 100-Inch Telescope
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Performances at 3:00pm and 5:00pm

LOS ANGELES, CA – Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO), Southern California’s esteemed home to several of the most groundbreaking astronomical discoveries in history, is pleased to present the first Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome in its 2025 season, inside the magnificent vaulted dome of MWO’s historic 100-inch telescope. As in previous seasons of the series, Artistic Director Cécilia Tsan (Principal Cellist, Long Beach Symphony and Los Angeles Master Chorale) curates. On Sunday, May 25, 2025, back by popular demand, the audience is invited to experience Peter Erskine & The Lounge Art Ensemble, led by Weather Report drummer extraordinaire Peter Erskine, with saxophonist Bob Sheppard and bassist Darek Oles. Each concert date of the season will consist of two performances per afternoon. The same program will be offered twice: first at 3:00pm and again at 5:00pm. There will be an artist reception at 4:00pm between each concert’s hour-long session. Tickets cost $60 each and are available for purchase online in advance (highly recommended) or at the door, given availability. For more information on the concert series, please visit https://www.mtwilson.edu/concerts where tickets for this, and future concerts, are available.

Peter Erskine & The Lounge Art Ensemble will offer a freewheeling selection of jazz in the Observatory’s unique and historic venue. In this carte blanche performance, the ensemble's leader, Eskine, will announce the repertoire from the stage. The performance will be acoustic, without amplification, promising that the full tonality of the instruments and the musicians virtuosity will be fully appreciated by the audience. As Erskine has fondly said, reflecting on his past performances at Mount Wilson Observatory: “This Dome has some of the best acoustics in the world!”

Peter Erskine (drums)
Peter Erskine has played the drums for sixty-five years. He appears on over 700 albums and film scores, has won two Grammy Awards plus an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee. Over fifty albums have been released under his own name or as co-leader. He’s played with Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, Brecker Brothers, Gary Burton, John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius, and has appeared as a soloist with the London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Frankfurt, Oslo, Royal Opera House, BBC Symphony & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. He premiered Turnage’s “Erskine — Concerto for Drumset & Orchestra” with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, and has performed it in Los Angeles, Helsinki, Germany and the U.K. 

Erskine has been voted Best Jazz Drummer of the Year ten times by the readers of Modern Drummer magazine and was elected into the magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2017. He was also inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame two years ago. Films where Erskine can be heard include Memoirs of a Geisha, all three of the Austin Powers movies, The Secret Life of Pets, La La Land, plus the title music of the Steven Spielberg/John Williams collaboration, The Adventures of Tintin. He recently composed and performed the score for the new film Sacramento, starring Michael Cera, Michael Angarano, Kristen Stewart and Peter’s daughter Maya Erskine.

Erskine graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and studied at Indiana University. He is the author of No Beethoven, an autobiography and chronicle of Weather Report. His latest book is titled The Musicians’ Lifeline, co-authored with Dave Black. Erskine is (retired) Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California. He is honored to be part of the Lounge Art Ensemble, as it is his favorite improvisational group to play in.

Bob Sheppard (saxophone)
Bob Sheppard, adjunct assistant professor, jazz studies at USC, earned his master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music. He is an in-demand session player who works extensively in film and television. He can be heard on the soundtracks of major motion pictures, such as Jerry Maguire, Leaving Las Vegas, Goodfellas, Forrest Gump, Nixon and First Wives Club, and on television soundtracks for Seinfeld, Chicago Hope, Late Night with David Letterman, Cheers and Northern Exposure. 

As a side musician, he is featured on a variety of recordings from pop releases by Steely Dan, The Manhattan Transfer, Sheena Easton and Rickie Lee Jones, to jazz releases by Scott Henderson, Dianne Reeves, Billy Childs and Michael Franks. Currently a member of the Mike Stern Quartet, he was featured on the 1998 premiere tour of Chick Corea’s new sextet, Origin. 

Sheppard has also been a member of the bands of such luminaries as Freddie Hubbard, Randy Brecker, Horace Silver, Lyle Mays, Peter Erskine, Billy Childs, Nat Adderley and Doc Severinson, among others. Sheppard is also a solo artist and composer. His recording debut, Tell Tale Signs (Windham Hill Jazz), was produced by Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

Darek Oles (bass)
Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz, native of Poland, residing in California since 1988, has performed and recorded with many major jazz artists. His first recording as a leader "Like A Dream" with Brad Mehldau was released on CD by Cryptogramophone Records in 2004 and gained critical acclaim worldwide.

In 2005 Oleszkiewicz was voted the Best Acoustic Bassist in the Jazz Top readers poll in Jazz Forum European Magazine. More recently his collaborative projects include artists such: Pat Metheny, Bennie Maupin, Peter Erskine, Chris Potter, Alan Pasqua, Bob Mintzer, Ernie Watts and Larry Koonse.

Cécilia Tsan, Artistic Director
Praised by the Los Angeles Times for her “...uncompromising musical character and towering technique,” French born cellist Cécilia Tsan graduated from the Paris Conservatory summa cum laude and is a prizewinner at the Barcelona, Florence, and Paris International Competitions. An international soloist and chamber musician, she has recorded several CDs and hundreds of movie soundtracks in Hollywood. She serves as Principal Cello with Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra.

In August 2024, Warner Classics released a 2-CD set dedicated to the music of John Williams entitled John Williams Reimagined with Sara Andon, flute, Cécilia Tsan, cello, and Simone Pedroni, piano. A vast array of his featured scores are arranged for flute, cello, and piano by Pedroni.

As the Artistic Director of the Mount Wilson Observatory music series "Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome", Ms. Tsan produces chamber music and jazz concerts every summer. For more information, please visit: https://longbeachsymphony.org/musicians/cecilia-tsan

ABOUT MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY
Since its founding in 1904 by astronomer and visionary George Ellery Hale, the research conducted at Mount Wilson Observatory has revolutionized our understanding of the Universe. Perched on top of Mount Wilson, a 5,710-foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, California, the Observatory boasts a rich history and significant contributions to science and the heritage of Los Angeles. The Observatory’s 100-inch Telescope—the world's largest telescope from 1917 to 1949—forever changed our understanding of the scale and nature of our Universe and deeply expanded human knowledge. This world-heritage class instrument, used by many of the greatest astronomers of the Twentieth Century, launched a revolution in astronomy that continues through today.

Mount Wilson Institute has independently operated and maintained the Mount Wilson Observatory since 1989 under a long-term agreement with the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The Observatory and grounds are open to the public to visit, and during the spring and summer months the Institute produces programs including observing sessions through the historic telescopes (the largest on the planet made available to the public), lectures, concerts, art exhibits, educational programs, and more. Many of these cultural offerings are presented inside the singular vaulted dome of the 100-inch Telescope.

All proceeds from ticketed events go to support Mount Wilson Institute in its mission to preserve, protect, and promote the Observatory and its scientific accomplishments.

Complete information on all the scientific, educational, and cultural activities at Mount Wilson Observatory can be found on their website https://www.mtwilson.edu.

THE VENUE
The 100-inch telescope is the instrument with which astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered our place in an expanding universe and deeply expanded human knowledge. The dome for the telescope—designed by seminal Chicago architect Daniel Burnham—is a 20th century temple to science whose acoustics rival the great cathedrals of Europe, a truly unique setting for this ambitious music series.

VISITING MWO
The gate to Mount Wilson’s campus opens at 10:00am daily and closes at 5:00pm from early April through November. Entrance to the grounds is free. Visitors can hike, gaze at the telescope domes and towers that dot the landscape, and take a look at historic Mount Wilson photos and letters in the Museum.

The Cosmic Café, located above the main parking lot at the Observatory entrance, is open on weekends in the spring, summer, and fall. In addition to traditional menu items such as hot dogs, drinks, and snacks, the Café offers wraps, salads, and sweet treats from Little Flower Café.  

LOCATION
Mount Wilson Observatory
Mount Wilson Circle Road & Mount Wilson Toll Road
Mount Wilson, CA 91023

On MWO’s website, the “Map” page shows various SoCal routes to the 2 and 210 Freeways which feed into Angeles Crest Highway leading to Red Box Road, which then leads to Mount Wilson Circle Road.

PLEASE NOTE: Do not rely on directions given by phone apps, they can be incorrect. We recommend downloading and printing this PDF map with directions.

PARKING
A U.S. Forest Service Adventure Pass is required to park at the Observatory. A $5 day pass or a $30 dollar annual pass may be purchased at the Cosmic Cafe on weekends between 10:00am and 5:00pm. During the week, passes are available at locations around Los Angeles. The most convenient location before heading up is at the Shell station in La Canada at the bottom of the Angeles Crest Highway. Click here to go to the U.S. Forest Service website for more information about Passes and other locations to buy them.

NOT ADA-COMPLIANT
Please be advised that access to the 100-inch dome is via an open-air, 53-step staircase inside the building. There is no ADA-compliant access.

LINKS:

• Mount Wilson Observatory - https://www.mtwilson.edu
• Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome - https://www.mtwilson.edu/concerts
• May 25 Tickets - https://www.mtwilson.edu/events/concert052525
• MWO Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WilsonObs
• MWO Twitter - https://twitter.com/MtWilsonObs 
• MWO Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mtwilsonobservatory
• MWO Images including artist and concert photos - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ayaN3JNIKNbcPYqnxp_ILe9HHvENJGSa?usp=sharing

# # #

For more information, photos, interviews, or press passes—about any of MWO's movie, concert, or lecture series—please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at lynn@greengalactic.com or 213-840-1201.

For Mount Wilson Observatory, please contact Sarah Emery Bunn at semerybunn@mtwilson.edu or 626-214-8030.