El Camino College Center for the Arts to Present Exciting October Performances

October begins with an appearance from Mo’Kelly, a notable radio personality and guest speaker who will discuss the road to success at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 in Marsee Auditorium. O’Kelly will explain how too many times rejection is viewed as failure; when in fact it can help people become the greatest version of themselves. The longtime radio and television commentator specializes in politics and current affairs. His daily radio commentary “Mo’Kelly’s 2-Minute Warning” is syndicated nationally across the Black Information Network and iHeartRadio. He is also heard weekends as host of the three-time award-winning, 10-time nominated program, “The Mo’Kelly Show” on the No. 1 news/talk station in America, KFI AM640 in Los Angeles. 

O’Kelly’s program was featured on the TNT network program, “American Race” with basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley. Additionally, he is a featured weekly commentator regarding American politics for BBC Radio. O’Kelly has also been seen offering analysis for CNN, MSNBC, HLN, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Good Morning America, and Spectrum News SoCal.

Tickets are $24/$10 and may be purchased at www.centerforthearts.org using the online ticketing system or by phone at 310-329-5345. The Ticket Office is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for walk-up sales, and one hour before all performances. El Camino College is located at 16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance. 

A performance by Cliburn medalist Dmytro Choni is next, scheduled for 8 p.m. Oct. 13 in Marsee Auditorium. Choni won bronze at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June 2022, the second Ukrainian pianist to medal at the prestigious contest. He won hearts and accolades with a compelling and colorful musicality that is fortified by a genuine, engaging stage presence. As one critic noted: “Each time he strode onstage, it was with winning confidence and a big smile. He’s clearly an accomplished, assured – and communicative – pro.” The program will include pieces by Beethoven, Debussy, Prokofiev, Silvestrov and Liebermann.

Choni’s Cliburn prize builds on an already impressive resume, with accolades and awards from influential competitions. He has collaborated with renowned orchestras and has performed in major halls and festivals such as Kissinger Sommer, Verbier Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Wigmore Hall, Wiener Musikverein, and Carnegie Hall. Also a devoted chamber musician, Choni has collaborated with the Quartetto di Cremona, Calidore String Quartet, violinists Rudens Turku and Jack Liebeck, clarinetist Sharon Kam, and violist Nils Mönkemeyer.

Tickets are $26/$10 and may be purchased at www.centerforthearts.org using the online ticketing system or by phone at 310-329-5345. The Ticket Office is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for walk-up sales, and one hour before all performances. El Camino College is located at 16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance. 

An evening of dance is also on the fall 2023 schedule, with a “Shared Evening of Dance: ‘Common Transcendence’” set for 8 p.m. Oct. 21 and 3 p.m. Oct. 22 in Marsee Auditorium. Audiences will enjoy dance works by John Pennington and Pennington Dance Group, as well as solo dance works by Liz Hoefner Adamis with live music by award-winning cellists Brent Samuel (Los Angeles Philharmonic) and Margaret Edmondson. This performance will include three world-premiere works, sure to educate and entertain audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Pennington Dance Group is committed to artistic excellence in creating, performing, and preserving the work of founding director John Pennington, and of other contemporary and past dance artists. Collaborating with visual and performing artists of note, PDG creates and performs works that contain social, emotional, political, abstract, and scientific themes that appeal to a wide audience. Adamis is an accomplished choreographer and member of the El Camino dance faculty.

Tickets are $22/$10 and may be purchased at www.centerforthearts.org using the online ticketing system or by phone at 310-329-5345. The Ticket Office is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for walk-up sales, and one hour before all performances. El Camino College is located at 16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance