Jeffrey Jones, Morgan Hill-raised piano prodigy, now 19 and a
piano student at Oberlin College in Ohio, will perform a selection
of piano music, including Musica Callada, in four books, by the
20th century Spanish composer-pianist Federico Mompou at Le Petit
Trianon Theatre tonight, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m.
Jeffrey Jones, Morgan Hill-raised piano prodigy, now 19 and a piano student at Oberlin College in Ohio, will perform a selection of piano music, including Musica Callada, in four books, by the 20th century Spanish composer-pianist Federico Mompou at Le Petit Trianon Theatre tonight, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. Proceeds from the event will support conservation of the endangered and mysterious snow leopard.
Jones, a Live Oak High School graduate and former student of Morgan Hill’s JoAnn Pruitt, has long felt a connection with snow leopards. He decided to put his musical talents to work for their conservation. The idea of hosting a concert to benefit the endangered cats was born during a visit to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
“I spent several hours by the snow leopard enclosure, admiring this mysterious, fabled creature. I had anticipated being there for a while, so I had brought my music scores to study. At one point, while the snow leopard was resting on his perch, I spontaneously began to sing the main theme from a Schumann Concerto to myself. I only got a few notes out before the leopard woke up and stared right at me from the ledge with ears perked. Enthralled by this reaction, I continued to sing themes from that concerto for more than ten minutes, and then I proceeded to sing some selections from one of my favorite works, the Musica Callada. He looked even more interested in these Spanish love songs, and I left the zoo that day in a state of barely contained elation. That’s how the idea for this concert came about.”
The snow leopard is perhaps the most elusive of the large cats. Seldom seen in their high mountain ecosystem of central Asia, these cats live in some of the most rugged habitat on the face of the earth. Snow leopards live in the mountain ranges of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Despite their relatively wide distribution, snow leopards are under pressure from a variety of sources: poaching for their pelts (used to make fur garments) and bones (used in traditional Asian medicines); loss of native prey species (wild sheep and goats) due to competition with increasing numbers of domestic livestock; and conflict with humans as a result of instances of livestock depredation. Snow leopards are listed on the IUCN (International Conservation Union) Red List as Endangered, the same classification as the panda and the tiger.
The International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT) is a Seattle-based wildlife conservation organization dedicated to the conservation of these beautiful cats. Since 1981, ISLT has been working with local people in central Asia to protect snow leopards and their fragile mountain ecosystem through a balanced approach that considers the needs of the people who live in close proximity to the cats.
Le Petit Trianon is located at 72 North Fifth St., in downtown San Jose. Santa Clara exit from Hwy. 87 north, turn right onto West Santa Clara Street, left at Fifth Street. Free parking next to the theatre, past the first intersection. Admission to the concert is $10, and all proceeds will be donated to the International Snow Leopard Trust to support their ongoing conservation efforts.
Concert details: www.steinwaythebayarea.org/ or 246-4200; ISLT: www.snowleopard.org/
