Mount Wilson Observatory pres. Parallax Brass playing Bernstein “Suite from West Side Story” & more

Mount Wilson Observatory Presents
Brass Quintet – Bernstein “Suite from West Side Story” and More
The Third Offering in MWO’s 9th Season of
Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome
Held Inside the Historic Dome of the 100-Inch Telescope
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Performances at 3:00 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 third offering of its 2026 Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome season, inside the magnificent vaulted dome of MWO’s historic 100-inch Telescope. On Sunday, July 5, 2026, the audience is invited to experience Brass Quintet – Bernstein Suite from West Side Story and More, with musicians Dan Rosenboom, Rob Schaer (trumpets), Laura Brenes (horn), Alex Iles (trombone), and Doug Tornquist (tuba).

As in previous seasons, Artistic Director Cécilia Tsan (Principal Cellist, Long Beach Symphony and Los Angeles Master Chorale) curates the series. Each concert date of the season features the same one-hour program presented twice—first at 3:00pm and again at 5:00pm—with an artist reception at 4:00pm between performances.

Tickets cost $65 each and are available for purchase online in advance (highly recommended) or at the door, pending availability. For more information on this concert, please visit www.mtwilson.edu/events/concert070526. For more on the entire Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome series, please visit www.mtwilson.edu/concerts.

UPCOMING CONCERTS IN THE 2026 SEASON:

August 9: Jazz / Carte Blanche to Tom Ranier
A carte blanche jazz performance featuring Tom Ranier (piano), Larry Koonse (guitar), and Darek Oles (bass).

September 6: Webern String Quartet
A program featuring Todd Mason String Quartet No. 5, “The Phoenix” (2025), and Beethoven String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132, performed by Webern String Quartet—Benjamin Hoffman and Chiai Tajima (violins), Alex Granger (viola), and Stella Cho (cello).

October 4: Piano Quartets
Featuring David Kaplan (piano), Ambroise Aubrun (violin), Ariana Solotoff (viola), and Cécilia Tsan (cello), playing Mahler and Brahms Op.60 in C minor.

ABOUT

THE PERFORMERS:

Parallax Brass
Parallax Brass consists of Dan Rosenboom and Rob Schaer (trumpet), Laura Brenes (French horn), Alex Iles (trombone) and Doug Tornquist (tuba). They are among the most in demand professional freelance musicians in Southern California who, individually and collectively, have performed in practically every genre and medium of music imaginable. Their repertoire today (including classic works by Bach and Bernstein, adapted for brass quintet) reflects the group's deep interest in sharing music reflecting a wide range of musical emotion.

Dan Rosenboom (trumpet)
Dan Rosenboom is an internationally recognized trumpet player, composer, producer, and educator, known as a prolific member of the Los Angeles creative music scene. He has released more than 30 albums of original music, supported over 60 artists through his label Orenda Records, and recorded for major film and television soundtracks with composers including John Williams, Danny Elfman, James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri, Alexandre Desplat, and Ludwig Göransson. Rosenboom has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the LA Chamber Orchestra, and the LA Opera. The Los Angeles Times has called him “a musician dedicated to exploration and expression, regardless of anyone’s imagined boundaries,” and “a phenomenon.” In addition to his work as a performer and composer, he teaches at UCLA and is the author of The Boom Method: Universal Fundamentals for Trumpet and Other Instruments, Vol. 1.

Robert Schaer (trumpet)
Dr. Robert Schaer is a Yamaha Performing Artist, freelance trumpet performer, orchestrator, conductor, and educator based in Los Angeles. His extensive recording credits include major film and television projects such as Moana, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Hacks, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. He has also composed and orchestrated for productions including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Disney’s The Little Mermaid Live, and Riot Games’ League of Legends. Schaer is Principal Trumpet of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, MUSE/IQUE, the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, the GRAMMY Awards, the Academy Awards Orchestra, and many of Los Angeles’ renowned big bands. He also serves as adjunct faculty at California State University, Long Beach.

Laura Brenes (French horn)
Laura Brenes is a Los Angeles–based French horn player whose career spans orchestral performance, international touring, and hundreds of film and television soundtracks. She has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, appeared at the Academy Awards, toured internationally, collaborated with Danny Elfman at the Coachella Music Festival, and became a Guinness World Records record holder as part of the largest orchestra ever assembled for a hip-hop concert. Her recording credits include several Star Wars films, Oppenheimer, West Side Story (2021), Frozen, The Fabelmans, Encanto, Avatar, and many more. Brenes has also served as solo principal horn on numerous projects, including John Williams’ Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), and released her solo album A Time and A Place in 2015.

Alex Iles (trombone)
Alex Iles is one of Los Angeles’ most in-demand trombonists, recording artists, and educators. Over the course of his career, he has toured with Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson, performed and recorded with artists including Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, and Prince, and was an original member of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. His extensive film and television credits include Star Wars Episodes VII–IX, The Mandalorian, Rogue One, Frozen, La La Land, Up, The Incredibles, Avatar, and Family Guy. Iles is Principal Trombone with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, second trombone with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and LA Chamber Orchestra. An active educator, he has taught or given master classes at CalArts, Azusa Pacific University, Cal State Northridge, USC, Indiana University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Christian University, and the International Trombone Festival. He also co-leads the jazz septet All In.

Doug Tornquist (tuba)
“A player of astonishing flamboyance,” according to the Los Angeles Times, and praised for his “impressive dash” by the Orange County Register, Doug Tornquist has been a vital part of Southern California’s freelance musical world since 1987. A commanding voice on tuba, Tornquist studied at USC with Jim Self and Tommy Johnson, earned his master’s degree from Wichita State University, and returned to USC for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree. His career has taken him from Los Angeles’ leading orchestras to major international ensembles, with performances alongside the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and regional orchestras throughout Southern California, under conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Witold Lutoslawski, and Valery Gergiev. His recording credits include Diana Krall, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Randy Newman, Meat Loaf, and Beck, and his work on more than 600 film, television, and video game soundtracks spans from his first film, Edward Scissorhands, to his most recent, John Williams’ Disclosure Day. Tornquist teaches at the University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, and the Colburn School, and has served as guest professor at the SBALZ Festival in Spain, the Royal College of Music in London, and the Escuela Superior de Música in Mexico City. He is a prize winner of the International Tuba and Euphonium Competition in Riva del Garda, Italy, and serves on the National Advisory Council of Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

Cécilia Tsan (cello / 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 of the Barcelona, Florence, and Paris International Competitions.

An international soloist and chamber musician, she has recorded several albums and hundreds of movie soundtracks in Hollywood. She serves as Principal Cello with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra. She is also the Artistic Director of the music series Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome at Mount Wilson Observatory.

Recent performances include John Williams’ Memoirs of a Geisha, Dvorák and Elgar Cello Concertos, and the Brahms Double Concerto. Cécilia has served as Principal Cello for the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, American Idol, and Dancing with the Stars. In April 2019, she was invited by the LA Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Peter Sellars to be the narrator for Stravinsky’s Perséphone at Disney Hall.

In August 2024, Warner Classics released a 2-CD set dedicated to the music of John Williams, John Williams Reimagined, featuring Sara Andon (flute), Cécilia Tsan (cello), and Simone Pedroni (piano), produced by Robert Townson. A vast array of Williams’ scores is arranged for flute, cello, and piano by Pedroni. The release was preceded and followed by international concert tours featuring the trio.

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 20th-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 its website 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 Cafe, 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 Cafe offers wraps, salads, and sweet treats from Little Flower.  

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 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 Flintridge 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 - www.mtwilson.edu
• Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome - www.mtwilson.edu/concerts
• July 5 Tickets - www.mtwilson.edu/events/concert070526
• MWO Facebook - www.facebook.com/WilsonObs
• MWO Instagram - www.instagram.com/mtwilsonobservatory
• MWO X - https://x.com/MtWilsonObs
• PR Assets Folder (images, etc.) - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZJJE1OsJKhbRCt1-kUiC_kXEAzPCNAk2

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