A Quartet Concert

Camerata Pacifica’s latest concert at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall was an absolute gem featuring pianist Irina Zahharenkova, cellist Jonathan Swensen, flautist Sooyun Kim, and Ben Goldscheider on horn.

The eclectic program featured Yun’s “Etude No. 5” for solo flute, Ravel’s “Kaddish” for cello and piano, Pärt’s “Partita, Op. 2”,  Rachmaninoff’s “Andante” from the G minor cello sonata, and Larsen’s horn trio; a commission premiere.

A delightful evening.

‘Yellowstone’ Show Closes, Park Still Open

Carpinteria actor Kevin Costner’s hit show Yellowstone is reportedly coming to an end after the second half of the fifth season amid reported disputes between the Oscar winner, 68, and the show’s creator Taylor Sheridan.

The issue appears to be a clash between Costner, who reportedly expressed desire to cut down his workload to focus on other projects, and Sheridan, according to the New York Post.

Adding to the uncertainty around the Paramount series is the absence of a firm date to resume filming for the latter half of the newest season – which could be disrupted by an impending shutdown after the Writers Guild of America voted to authorize a strike over pay issues.

The first half of the season ended in January. Stay tuned…

Dad Takes Selfie for Kids’ Sake

King Charles III asked Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry – who is singing at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on May 7 – to take a selfie with a member of his staff. The staff member had confessed to the monarch that his children “loved her,” the king’s former private secretary has revealed.

Scott Furssedonn-Wood began working as deputy private secretary to the then Prince of Wales and Camilla in 2017 before leaving Clarence House in 2021.

He recalled an incident with Charles on Twitter when the pair met Katy in Mumbai, India, in 2019.

“I was with the king when he first met her. I told him how much my kids loved her. Those of us on the team never asked for selfies. So HRH kindly asked for me. He and his family are such fans!”

Charles went on to meet the former Dos Pueblos High student, 38, for a second time in February 2020, when it was announced Perry would be ambassador for the British Asian Trust.

It’s Good to Be the King

King Charles III has eclipsed his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s wealth with a $745,000,000 fortune, according to new estimates.

Last year the late monarch was calculated to be in possession of $459 million.

But when he was Prince of Wales, Charles, 74, carefully saved profits from his Duchy of Cornwall land holdings, some 130,000 acres of land in the southwest of the U.K. and central London.

Analysis of the monarch’s finances was carried out for the London Sunday Times rich list, which comes out next month.

Before acceding to the British throne Charles previously earned $18.5 million to $28.5 million in personal income through his ownership of the historic Duchy of Cornwall, which has now passed down to oldest son Prince William.

New analysis suggests the duchy’s profits have risen to $31.5 million a year with a net worth of $1,292,992,000.

Income has also come from renting commercial properties in London, Milton Keynes, and Cornwall to $21,864,000.

After the Queen’s death in September the king inherited nearly $28 billion in assets belonging to the Crown Estate plus Buckingham Palace, the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, and Kensington Palace.

The estate holds some $18,634,000 of assets which cannot be sold, including the Royal Collection made up of more than a million paintings, sculptures, books, and pieces of jewelry.

Barry Humphries Remembered 

On a personal note, I remember Australian comic genius Barry Humphries, who has died in Sydney aged 89.

Humphries, known for his alter ego – the lilac haired Dame Edna Everage and his cheery greeting “Hello possums” – was a great wit and connoisseur of art, and much loved by Britain’s Royal Family, including the late Queen Mother and King Charles.

I last saw him and his actress wife Lizzie Spender – daughter of poet and essayist Sir Stephen Spender – at the opening of the late Hong Kong tycoon David Tang’s Manhattan store, Shanghai Tang in 1999, when the Duchess of York was also
a guest.

An enormous character…

Sightings

Singer Mary J. Blige rehearsing at the Music Academy…Singer John Legend at the Rosewood Miramar…Singer Kenny Loggins noshing at Ca’Dario on CVR.

Pip! Pip!