KCET'S LA TONIGHT WITH ROY FIRESTONE GOES IN-DEPTH WITH TWO L.A. POWERHOUSES AIRING AUGUST 9 AT 9 PM

Roy's Featured Guests Include World-Renowned Opera Singer and KCET Personality Suzanna Guzmán and Celebrated Chef Joachim Splichal, Founder of Patina Restaurant Group

Burbank, CA - July 24, 2012 - KCET, the nation's largest independent public television station serving Southern and Central California, invites viewers to go in-depth with two leading personalities who have shaped Los Angeles music and cuisine: Suzanna Guzmán, internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano opera singer and host of KCET's original series, Open Call; and Chef Joachim Splichal, one of the nation's foremost culinary masters as well as founder of Los Angeles-based Patina Restaurant Group, on an all new episode of LA Tonight with Roy Firestone, airing August 9 at 9 p.m.

First, host Roy Firestone gets up-close and personal with Suzanna Guzmán, a Los Angeles native and international opera superstar. Hailing from east LA, Guzman discusses her upbringing in an eclectic family that ranged from firefighters to chemists.

Roy traces the trajectory of her music career that began in rock-and-roll but unexpectedly led her down the path of classical opera. Guzmán shares her fondest memories from the opera stage, performing everything from "Carmen" to "The King and I." She also shares her passion for teaching and discusses the importance of music education in schools.

Next, Roy gives viewers a taste of the robust culinary world of Chef Joachim Splichal. Known as one of the major forces behind the California cuisine revolution, Chef Splichal explains his first adventure in the kitchen as a child at his family's hometown bakery in Germany.

Roy uncovers additional morsels about the menus of Chef Splichal's high-profile clientele who include Bill Clinton, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Also, Roy finds out what the chef thinks about his peers, such as Wolfgang Puck and Gordon Ramsay; and why he thinks the Los Angeles dining experience is the best in the country.

ABOUT LA TONIGHT WITH ROY FIRESTONE

KCET's new half-hour interview show, LA Tonight with Roy Firestone, is hosted by Emmy® Award-winning journalist Roy Firestone.  Firestone delves into provocative issues and brings us the fascinating people shaping the day's news with guests who live and work in Los Angeles, including celebrities, entertainers and public figures. 

LA Tonight with Roy Firestone is an ongoing special series on KCET. Previously, shows have featured music legends David Foster, Burt Bacharach, Chris Botti, Diane Warren and Steve Tyrell, as well as entertainer Debbi Allen and tennis great Andre Agassi, among many others.  

ABOUT KCET

On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. KCET currently produces the Emmy®, duPont-Columbia and Peabody Award-winning SoCal Connected, a hard-hitting prime-time weekly television news program that examines the issues and people of Southern California. Throughout its 48-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org.

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