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www.MyBigFatMoviewReivews.com
Pioneer Presents A New Concert Series
Posted: 10/5/2011
The Raspberry Jam Band – Ragtime to Contemporary Music. Photo courtesy of Sue Dings. Auburn – Pioneer United Methodist Church is launching a new series of benefit concerts beginning Sunday, Oct 16 at 3:00 p.m. The church is located at 1338 Lincoln Way, Auburn.
The first concert features Tom Brier, Ragtime pianist/composer; Raspberry Jam Band and the Flutecakes Flute Choir. Tom Brier has entertained and amazed audiences by his artistry at several Music for Humanity concerts sponsored by Pioneer Church. The Raspberry Jam Band has also performed locally and throughout the Sacramento basin, gaining a following at Ragtime and Jazz Festivals. Their unique combination of instruments such as String bass, violin, flute, guitar, wash board, and piano has always left audiences smiling and humming favorite tunes. The Flutecakes Flute choir features four flutists playing all sizes of flutes including the large, deep sounding bass flute, to piccolo This group plays music from the classical and contemporary repertoire.
This first benefit concert has been organized by Pioneer members Julia Riley, flutist and Sue Dings, Choir Director. The purpose is not only to provide a wonderful afternoon of enjoyable music, but to support the downtown church’s debt retirement campaign.
According to Glen Cleveland, longtime member of Pioneer Church, “the necessary renovation of the Sanctuary Building in 1997 cost more than $900,000, including rebuilding the Crandall Memorial stained glass window. That cost has been reduced greatly through the years, but current financial woes felt by most citizens have made paying off the remaining notes more difficult.”
Quite often this church has been a favorite venue for civic meetings, schools, weddings, memorial services and as a meeting place for self help groups. Many concerts have been presented and well attended by audiences from Auburn and surrounding areas. The Christmas Eve Candlelight Services have always brought many visitors to swell the numbers of those who regularly attend services at Pioneer.
The donations at the concerts will help retire the building debt payments and keep Pioneer Church a vibrant part of downtown Auburn. No tickets will be sold. The suggested donation is $20.
For more information, call Julia @ 530 888-6493 or Sue @ 530 885-9009.
An Evening of Classic Blues and Jazz
Jimmy Robinson & Friends
Posted: 10/5/2011
Jimmy Robinson World-renowned drummer and percussionist Jimmy Robinson and a group of highly-respected jazz musicians will perform Saturday evening, November 5th at 7:30 PM at the State Theater in Auburn. Known for being the driving force and inspiration behind the popular “Jazz @ 808” summer series at the Arts Building, Jimmy always provides his audiences with top quality jazz performances. Auburn audiences will have another opportunity to listen to this great musician and his jazz colleagues at this upcoming show in an intimate theatre setting.
A master at his craft, Robinson has carved out a world-class reputation, from steady gigs as house drummer for major jazz stars to touring Great Britain and Europe. His long and storied career includes organizing major jazz festivals in France and England and attracting prominent American artists to the European jazz scene. He is featured in Keeper of the Flame, a history of the early days of jazz in Manchester, England, and is cited as an important jazz personality in a French anthology as well. The Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center is proud to present this talented jazz icon for Auburn’s enthusiastic music audience. Tickets are $20.00 and may be purchased at www.livefromauburn.com, or the Box Office at 530-885-0156, or Cherry Records in Auburn (530-823-2147).
The Friends who will be joining Jimmy are:
Dr. Joe Gilman (Piano). Dr. Gilman is a prominent jazz pianist, composer, arranger and music educator, who teaches at American River College in Sacramento and at the Brubeck Institute in Stockton. Dr. Gilman founded the Capitol City Jazz Project, has toured as an International Jazz Ambassador through the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and was the grand prize winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 2004. His unique style incorporates his early influences in jazz, such as Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, and many others.
Garrett Perkins (Saxophone). Garrett Perkins, a native of Sacramento, studied at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. Recognized as a prodigy, at the age of 15 he opened for Freddy Hubbard and Mercer Ellington. As a very young man he toured Europe playing jazz with Reggie Graham, who has said “…by the time he was 21, he was the resident pro.” His debut performance was at the Sacramento Community Center Theatre and brought people to their feet, according to the Sacramento Bee’s music critic. He currently has a jazz quartet called the Garret Perkins Project, which he has had since he was 15 years old.
Matt Robinson (Bass). Matt Robinson (no relation to Jimmy) graduated from Sacramento State University with a Master of Music degree in 2003. He has played with important local jazz musicians such as Joe Gilman, Aaron Garner, Steve Homan, Rick Lotter, Steve Roach and others. He has been active as an acoustic and electric bassist all over California and the Pacific Northwest since 1993. Jazz is his primary creative outlet, but he also enjoys soul, classic rock, reggae, classical, romantic, baroque, country, salsa, and others. This wide exposure gives him a unique musical perspective for exploring creative avenues.
October Events - Maidu Museum & Historic Site
Posted: 9/29/2011
The Indigenous Art Gallery: 40th Anniversary Art from Pacific Western Traders
The Myron Zents Gallery: "The Americana Indian: American Indians in the American Imagination"
Historic Site: Guided Tours weekdays 10am, Saturdays at 10am & 1pm.
Fabulous Campfires
Friday, October 21. 7:30pm -8:30pm.
Fee: $5/ person or $16/family of four.
Enjoy an evening in the museum amphitheater with family and friends around a campfire. Listen to Native stories and songs under the stars and roast marshmallows for a sweet ending to the perfect family gathering. No reservations required.
DROP IN ACTIVITIES
3rd Sat Art Walk / Night Out at the Museum
Enjoy an evening at the museum with cultural heritage exhibits, and contemporary art gallery. A monthly free event. Refreshments served.
October feature: Opening Reception / Meet the Artists
Saturday, October 15 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm
We will be hosting an opening reception for Artists Jack Alvarez, Dugan Aguilar, Frank LaPena, Stan Padilla and Francisco Dominguez, in our Indigenous Gallery. In partnership with Pacific Western Traders of Folsom, we will be honoring the occasion of PWT’s 40th Anniversary Celebration. The Program will include meeting the Artists, who will talk about their work, plus an art exhibit and sale.
November feature: Gardening, eating and healing with Native plants.
Saturday, November 19 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Living Wild author Alicia Funk & Mountain Maidu Language teacher Ferrell Cunningham will facilitate discussion about gardening, cooking and healing with native plants of the Sierra Nevada, followed by a food tasting.
This event will serve as an appetizer for our upcoming Salmon Seaweed and Manzanita Cider Exhibit which opens in January!
EXHIBITS – New
The Indigenous Gallery at the Maidu Museum is pleased to announce a partnership with Pacific Western Traders (PWT). For 40 years PWT has been the showcase for California Native artists, basket weavers and cultural practitioners. A new permanent exhibit space will rotate important works of California Native art through the gallery. We are proud to collaborate with Herb and Kathe’ Puffer to display their world class collection of contemporary California Native art.
"The Americana Indian: American Indians in the American Imagination"
August 6th through November 30th in the Zents Gallery.
This exhibit features over 100 examples of the use of Native American imagery in advertising and popular culture. But these fictionalized, commercial representations steal the identity and mock the cultures of Native Americans, replacing the historical with something that never existed.
Learn how these stereotypes relating to American Indians are imbedded everywhere. Examples include old time elixirs, soda bottles and toys to movies, sports teams and much more.
Curator Brian Baker, Bad River Chippewa, associate professor of ethnic studies and American Indian studies at California State University, Sacramento will discuss his collection on August 20 at 7pm during the 3rd Saturday Art Walk Opening Reception from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Sierra Native Alliance Mural and Sculpture Installation.
The SNA youth group mural and sculpture are based on local Maidu Legends and incorporate the Maidu language. The sculpture is an impressive 10’ tall. Installation continues thru December 23, 2011.
EXHIBITS – Upcoming
Seaweed, Salmon and Manzanita Cider: A California Indian Feast
January 2012 through April, 2012 in the Zents Gallery
A unique exhibit that explores traditional hunting, collecting, food preparation and food preservation by California Indian cultures from all regions of the state. The exhibit showcases the extensive and sophisticated system of environmental knowledge underlying California Indian use of food resources. The exhibit includes many artifacts used for hunting, gathering and food preparation, historic and contemporary photographs, text panels, preserved or processed examples of types of foods, film footage of foods in the wild and tear off recipe pads to encourage viewers to try recipes at home.
3rd Saturday Exhibit Opening Reception & native foods tasting January 21, 2012
6:30 to 8:30pm.
Maidu Museum & Historic Site
1970 Johnson Ranch Dr.
Roseville 95661
MUSEUM: Please note new hours that began September 1!
Monday-Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday, 10:00am –
1:00pm
free 3rd Saturday evenings 6:30-8:30pm.
Web site: www.roseville.ca.us/indianmuseum
For museum and program information call (916) 774-5934
RAPUNZEL (OF THE BAYOU) AT ROSEVILLE THEATRE
Posted: 9/29/2011
ROSEVILLE, CA — The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy (RTAA) has created a brand-new fairytale for the Roseville community: Rapunzel (of the Bayou)! Opening on October 8 and continuing through November 5, this Treehouse production brings together the words of RTAA President Michelle Raskey and the music and lyrics of veteran Treehouse player Pam Coles. Raskey’s last original script, Fairytale Idol, was nominated for an Elly Award by the Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance (SARTA).
Why is this Rapunzel set in the swamp? “I started watching ‘Swamp People’ as a joke, but then grew to absolutely love the characters of the bayou,” said Raskey. “They were some of the most generous people I ever saw on television. They would catch a gator or a crawfish and literally take it home and invite everyone they knew to dinner.” Raskey went on to say that the ‘characters’ of the bayou have a deep appreciation of the land. Even though most are securely under the poverty line, they are some of the happiest people around. They live off what mother nature provides, and readily share with their neighbors. “Make fun all you want,” Raskey continued, “but I have never seen a ‘Real Housewife’ share all they have.”
When thinking of her next adventure for RTAA, taking the Roseville community to the swamp seemed a nature progression. “It just came to me: What if Rapunzel were set in the bayou? What if her family were ‘characters’ I had fallen in love with in the swamp?” Here was an opportunity not just to entertain the children of the community, but to endear the adults as well—and Raskey grabbed it with gusto.
“The casting was really important,” Raskey continued. As the story stressed the ‘character’ nature of the bayou inhabitants, the cast needed to be amazing story tellers. After careful deliberation, the cast was hand-picked to include actors that would “tell stories with their faces, their expressions, their hands and their bodies.”
“I am so proud of this play,” Raskey commented. “The story flowed out of me like bayou streams. I hope everyone who comes to see it leaves with an appreciation of the ‘characters’ of the bayou and, above all, a deep understanding that, no matter what, we should always share all we have.”
The Treehouse is a program of the Roseville Theatre Arts Academy that focuses on utilizing adult talent to introduce young audiences to the magic of the theatre. This is the first Treehouse production written exclusively for RTAA.
The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to fostering theatre arts within the Roseville community. Programs include children’s Workshops each season, a “Masters’ Series” for more experienced actors, a Community Choir, and one-day seminars such as Media and Audition Training. RTAA incorporated in January 2011.
For more information or to donate please visit www.rosevilletheatreartsacademy.com or call 916-772-2777.
“Six at Finn Hall” Talented Rocklin Artists to Participate in 18thAnnual Autumn Arts Studios Tour
Posted: 9/29/2011
The Placer Arts League celebrates the 18th Annual Open Art Studio Tour in Placer County. Visit Friday, Saturday & Sunday November 11th, 12th and 13th from 10am-5pm. Attendance is $10 for adults and free for students K-12. You may purchase tickets by visiting Finnish Temperance Hall at 4090 Rocklin Road, Rocklin, CA 95677 or from the Placer Arts League at 801 Lincoln Way in Auburn.
Gayle Rappaport-Weiland, Craig Johnson, Betsy Kritzon, Judie Larson, Connie Omans and Jenny Stepp will show their wide variety of artwork at Finn Hall in Rocklin, during the 18th Annual Autumn Art Studio Tour. Gayle is a well-known local artist-teacher-consultant and will be sharing her newest coffee table art book in addition to her instructional DVD, gift items and paintings. Craig Johnson, an award-winning photographer, will have greeting cards to framed originals to exhibit and sell. Betsy Kritzon has one-of-a-kind gourd purses and will demonstrate her work as well. Experience the talent that makes Connie Oman’s jewelry an heirloom art. Judi Larson’s skills range from illustrator to diverse mediums. It is a “must see”. New to Finn Hall, Jenny Stepp will showcase her glass and metal art including handcrafted furniture pieces. Let their passion for the arts “rub-off” on you.
Placer County Artist will show and demonstrate their artwork at a variety of locations including Finn Hall where the art of 6 local artists will be on display. While here, enjoy the wide variety of original art, demonstrations and gift items. There will be a drawing for art as well as tasty edibles.
Historic Downtown Truckee Arts and Crafts Festival
August 13-14, 2011
Posted: 7/24/2011
Truckee, Calif. – North Lake Tahoe will be teeming with art and activity during the Historic Downtown Truckee Arts and Crafts Festival, Saturday and Sunday, August 13-14, from 10 am to 5 pm each day. Hosted by the Truckee Downtown Merchant's Association, this free event welcomes visitors to browse and shop among the original work of artists and crafters from across the western United States showcasing their handcrafted creations including original photography, jewelry, sculptures, ceramics and much more.
Taking place in downtown Truckee’s walkable historic mountain setting on the closed street of Bridge Street between Donner Pass Road and Jibboom Street, the unique venue offerssomething for everyone, whether you want to experience the history of the area, meet artists and craftspeople, stroll along the river, shop among the many independent boutique stores or eat at any one of over a dozen restaurants.
Among the artists showcasing their wares at this year’s show is Gary Chappell of Nevada City, California who has been making jewelry since 1972. His creations, each crafted from metal fabrications, hard wax and other materials are all one-of-a-kind. Gary is also a gem cutter and enjoys using unique gems in his jewelry such as fossilized coral.
Retired from careers in the sciences, education and construction, Newman and Judith Whitmire moved to Incline Village nearly 10 years ago to set up a workshop to pursue their passion for woodturning and making other creations in wood including coat racks, functional vases, decorative cutting boards and candle holders. The bowls and platters they create are turned on a wood lathe while tools called gouges are used to shape the bowls. Artistry determines the outer shape butskill accomplishes the inner form of each piece.
Dirk Yuricich of Stateline, Nevada will be showcasing a variety of photos that feature the Lake Tahoe area, available in a variety of sizes from note cards to large pieces. The self-taught photographer uses a 35 mm SLR camera to capture landscape images, wildlife, abstract, travel, photojournalistic and documentary images. Dirk prints, mats, and frames all of his images, using archival, photographic paper, acid- free, museum quality mat board, and custom- cut frames.
Other artists participating in the event include Meg and Randy Black-Smith of Nevada City, California displaying their handcrafted sterling silver and gold jewelry; Sue Fox-Capeloto of Garden Valley, California showing her functional ceramic kitchen pieces; and Michael Kerby of Meadow Valley, California showing his watercolor and acrylic paintings inspired by the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Truckee is just 40 miles from Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento, and threehours from San Francisco with easy access off of Interstate 80. For more information about the Historic Downtown Truckee Arts & Crafts Festival, contact the Truckee Downtown Merchant's Association at (530) 587-3161 or Pacific Fine Arts at (209) 267-4394, or visit www.pacificfinearts.com.
Summer Series Season Closes with Jazz Gitan on July 17
Posted: 7/13/2011
Auburn – Placer Arts’ 2011 Summer Series Concert Season concludes with Jazz Gitan on Sunday, July 17. The Auburn Library Garden Theater is the venue for this popular free concert series, celebrating its 23nd season.
The music of Jazz Gitan is inspired by “Le Jazz Hot”, the swinging jazz of the 1930s and 40s with a crossover of songs from the modern gypsy repertoire. With guitars similar to Django’s Hot Club de France, Jazz Gitan provides exciting and engaging music for all audiences.
Lead guitarist Don Price has performed memorable performances with BB King, Frank Gambale, Larry Coryell and Bruce Forman. Along with Ken Billeci on rhythm guitar and Jane Thompson on bass, the Jazz Gitan trio puts on a show that is virtuosic, musical, fun and family friendly.
Don personally credits Robin Nolan with teaching him the "authenticity" of playing gypsy jazz guitar, with acknowledgement to the great players such as Stochelo Rosenberg, Bireli Legrene, Angelo Debarre, to name only a few. Of course, last but not least, is the master player himself, Django Reinhardt, for giving us this inspired musical genre - le jazz hot!
Take a trip to the past and come tap your feet and sway to this mix of high energy music!
The free Sunday evening concert starts at 7:00pm.
The Library Garden Theatre is located at 350 Nevada St., adjacent to the Auburn Library. Bring low chairs, blankets and picnics for a delightful evening of music in this lovely outdoor theatre. No refreshments available.
A host of sponsors and community volunteers makes this free concert series possible, including sponsors Friends of the Auburn Library, Greater Auburn Lions Clubs, Auburn Rotary Club and Harris Industrial Gases.
Placer Arts is the Arts Council of Placer County, a non-profit, public benefit agency, and the designated state-local partner of the California Arts Council for the County of Placer.
Americana/ Bluegrass Band, Dehlia Low, Plays the Sutter Creek Theatre on Sat, July 30th with Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack
Dehlia Low Releases a New Album on Rebel Records August 2nd
Posted: 7/13/2011
Asheville, NC -- Newly signed to Rebel Records, Dehlia Low echoes the sounds of early country with a strong bluegrass flavor, crafting a fresh originality that feels like home in this new album produced by the Infamous Stringdusters’ Travis Book.
Dehlia Low pushes bluegrass music squarely into the emerging Americana genre, combining their gripping, rustic-flavored vocal style with extraordinary instrumental prowess in original songs that feel at once both old and new. The band’s Rebel debut Ravens & Crows is the eagerly-anticipated follow up to their acclaimed 2009 independent studio release, Tellico. Produced by Travis Book of Grammy-nominated and IBMA Emerging Artist winners The Infamous Stringdusters, Ravens & Crows will help firmly establish Dehlia Low as one of the most compelling and distinctive young groups on the acoustic music scene today. With their tasteful, sometimes moody blending of different styles, the group has created a unique sound that already seems fully mature and established.
Dehlia Low formed in late 2007 as part of Asheville, North Carolina’s roots music renaissance. Singers Anya Hinkle (from Blacksburg, VA on fiddle) and Stacy Claude (from Atlanta, GA on guitar) pulled together a group of talented pickers from the region: Aaron Ballance on Dobro (Winston-Salem, NC), Bryan Clendenin on mandolin (Hurricane, WV) and Greg Stiglets on bass (Jackson, MS). The group’s sound is focused on original music rooted in bluegrass but with a distinctive country/folk feel true to their southern Appalachian roots.
By early 2008, just a half year after playing their first show at Asheville’s Grey Eagle, the band’s first, self-titled EP was on radio waves across the US. Its astonishing reception on Western North Carolina’s WNCW as #16 of its best new releases of 2008 gave Dehlia Low an unexpectedly rapid regional notoriety. The group increased their touring radius and repertoire, resulting in their first proper studio release Tellico in 2009 and an exciting national tour in support of the album. That year, Dehlia Low recorded a video-taped set for PBS affiliates syndicating the “Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s” series, performed at Rhythm and Roots (Bristol, TN), Pickathon (Portland, OR) and the Durango (CO) Meltdown in addition to extensive regional touring.
In 2010, Dehlia Low expanded its audience by leaps and bounds after well-received sets at several of the most prominent music festivals in the country, including MerleFest and the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. Their MerleFest set was released by FestivalLink.net, and cuts from that same performance were selected for a Bluegrass Trust Fund compilation CD alongside the likes of the Krueger Brothers and Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers. The group recorded a number of other shows at some of the best venues in the Southeast such as the Grey Eagle, the Down Home and the Mockingbird; tracks from these gigs were included on their November 2010 release Live, capturing the magical intensity of a live Dehlia Low show.
"The heartfelt mountain sounds of this new band recall the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers." ~ Diane Amov, Bluegrass Spotlight on MerleFest
"One of those kinds of bands that I just really fall in love with" ~ Iaan Hughes, No Depression
About Rita Hosking and Cousin Jack:
Kitchen tables, loggers, trailers, springs, loss, miners, culture clash, hope, forest fires— Rita Hosking's show is about all that and more, and always fierce and lovely. Her delivery is, to put it simply, intense. "From the first time I heard Rita sing, her voice gripped me and did not let go," (Joe Craven.) Her voice, called a "soulful howl from the mountains" is calling attention among country-folk fans everywhere. "This California girl comes by her mountain-music sensibility with true authenticity, with original songs deeply rooted in her family's frontier experience," (FestivalPreview.com.) Rita’s record was selected “Best Country Album” in the 2010 Independent Music Awards, 3rd Coast Music Magazine of Austin, Texas called her “Female Artist of the Year” for 2009, she was a finalist in the 2009 Telluride Troubador Contest, and the winner of the 2008 Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest at the Sisters Folk Fest in Oregon. “The songs of Rita Hosking are as fragile as a newborn baby and as defiant as a West Virginia coal miner,” (Fiddlefreak Folk Review.) More info is at: http://www.ritahosking.com.
July 30, 2011
8:00 pm
$18/$20
(916) 425-0077
44 Main Street
Sutter Creek, CA 95685
www.suttercreektheater.com
4th Annual Historic Downtown Truckee Arts and Crafts Festival
July 30-31, 2011
Posted: 6/28/2011
Truckee, Calif. – The 4th Annual Historic Downtown Truckee Arts and Crafts Festival celebrates art in the outdoors Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31. Hosted by the Truckee Downtown Merchant's Association, this free event will give visitors the chance to meet with more than 45 award-winning artists and crafts people showcasing a wide variety of arts and crafts including photography, oil paintings, ceramic vessels, jewelry and much more.
Taking place in downtown Truckee from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day on the closed street of Bridge Street between Donner Pass Road and Jibboom, the 4th Annual Historic Downtown Truckee Arts and Crafts Festival provides a unique venue for patrons to view original handmade creations while enjoying the outdoors.
Among this year’s featured artists is ceramicist and Truckee resident Brad Henry who makes functional stoneware pottery, created on the potter’s wheel as well as by using slabs and handmade molds. Once cured, decorations are then applied with sumi brushes using wax or glaze, creating colorful energetic spontaneous swirls, circles, dots, stripes or scenes of nature. All of all Brad’s pottery is food,dishwasher, microwave and oven safe.
Laura Morton of Grass Valley has been a printmaker for over 35 years, specializing in etchings and etching collages. The natural world and its beauty have always been the inspiration for her creations, which range in size from miniature (1" x 1") to “as large as I can print on my press,” she says. All the materials Laura uses in her pieces, and all matting and framing materials, are acid free or archival.
Award-winning jeweler Meg Black-Smith of Nevada City has been making jewelry for more than 20 years and brings quality, professionalism and top-notch artwork to this year’s show. Meg uses karat gold and sterling silver to create her Victorian style pieces. By using precious metals and striking gemstones, Meg solders and casts the swirls of silver and gold into works of wearable art including rings, bracelets, earrings and pendants.
Other artists participating include Kathleen Burks of Fernley, Nevada who creates infrared landscape photography that can produce black & white images that have a dream-like or ethereal quality to them; Tim Lazer of Sacramento whose original hand-blown glass designs in vases, paperweights, perfume vials and other works are distinguished by dramatic, colorful compositions often accented with precious gold or iridescent decorations; and Karen Hale of Jackson, California showing her mixed media paintings that incorporate texture, dimension and a love of color.
Truckee is just 40 miles from Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento, and threehours from San Francisco with easy access off of Interstate 80.
Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day
Downtown Truckee, on the closed street of Bridge Street between Donner Pass Road and Jibboom
Hosted by the Truckee Downtown Merchant's Association, this free event will give visitors the chance to meet with more than 45 award-winning artists and crafts people showcasing a wide variety of arts and crafts including photography, oil paintings, ceramic vessels, jewelry and much more.
For more information about the Historic Downtown Truckee Arts & Crafts Festival, contact the Truckee Downtown Merchant's Association at (530) 587-3161 or Pacific Fine Arts at (209) 267-4394, or visit www.pacificfinearts.com.
Music in the Mountains Brings Cirque to Grass Valley
Posted: 6/14/2011
Christine Van Loo Static Silks Nevada City, CA - Music in the Mountains (MIM), the largest and longest continuously running classical music organization in the Sierra Foothills, will present an outdoor concert featuring Cirque de la Symphonie on Saturday, June 25 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. This world-renowned troop of aerialists, acrobats, contortionists and jugglers will perform to the music of Dvorak, Bizet, Tchaikovsky and others, played by the MIM Festival Orchestra.
Cirque de la Symphonie brings the magic of cirque to the orchestra performance. It is an adaptation of artistic performances widely seen in theaters and arenas. The visiting artists are veterans of leading cirque programs throughout the world and they include world-record holders and international gold-medal winners. Their performances are uniquely adapted to share the stage with symphonies, and each artist's performance is professionally choreographed to classical masterpieces in collaboration with the maestro, MIM's artistic director, Gregory Vajda.
The visiting Cirque de la Symphonie artists have extensive credentials. Christine Van Loo is a seven-time consecutive National Champion, Female Olympic Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Decade in acrobatic gymnastics. She has performed in the 2002 Winter Olympics as well as at Grammy and American Music Awards shows and has been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. The other performers, all originally from Russia, have similarly impressive backgrounds with experience in organizations including the Moscow Circus, Circus Circus and Festival Mondial Du Cirque De L'Avenir in Paris.
"We will also have an up-and-coming young prodigy in the performance," commented Terry Brown, MIM vice president and event producer. "Kai Newstead comes to us from the Mendocino Center for Circus Acts. He began performing at age five and already has an impressive resume - in spite of the fact that he's still a teenager."
Gregory Vajda, artistic director for MIM commented, "I love to mix art forms like this, to create an extraordinarily rich experience. When I performed with Cirque de la Symphonie and the Seattle Symphony last season we sold out five houses."
"The audience will love it when they see these performers flying around my head," he continues. "And Cirque even involves me in a special magic act. There has never been anything like this in our area and I think the audience will be astounded," says Vajda.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and gates open at 6:00 for picnickers. Tickets for Music in the Mountains' concerts and events may be purchased online at www.musicinthemountains.org or by calling the box office at (530) 265-6124.
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Music in the Mountains, founded in 1982, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Nevada County by presenting outstanding performances of predominantly classical music and by offering educational opportunities for youth and adults in music appreciation, performance and composition. Fueled by hundreds of volunteers and donors, the organization includes the Festival Orchestra, with 55 professional players from around the country, and the 85-voice Festival Chorale a highly acclaimed, auditioned vocal group.
Roseville’s Tower Theatre: Invaded by Elves?
Posted: 6/1/2011
Sacramento thespian Bobby Grainger has written and directed The Elves and the Schumachers, a children’s play which premiers at the Tower Theater in Roseville, Calif. starting June 4 at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. The production will run at the same times and location every Saturday through June 25.
BG Productions’ theatrical re-telling of The Elves and the Shoemaker is adapted for all ages. Mom and Dad will have just as many laughs as the kids with references that span the 80s through today. The play also benefits two non-profit organizations through the Bobbie Wortell Memorial Education Fund: Sacramento SPCA and Reece’s Rainbow, a non-profit ministry dedicated to promoting the international adoption of orphan children with Down Syndrome and special needs. Two dollars of every ticket purchased will be given to the aforementioned charities.
It’s difficult for families to find high-quality entertainment that also teaches a valuable lesson. It’s even more difficult to do so on a budget. For less than the price of a movie ticket, The Elves and the Schumachers offers a welcome entertainment alternative for children of all ages with tickets only $7. Parents usually plop their kids in front of the TV and once an hour has passed the experience fades away. A play brings the characters to life in front of their eyes, suspending their disbelief and deepening their imagination.
Grainger’s play is based on the Grimm’s Fairy Tale about a shoemaker (Bernie) and his wife (Gladys) who are down on their luck. With the help of two magical elves they are able to turn things around and become very successful. And with each success the couple always remembers to “pass it on,” the heart of the play’s message.
The play is fun for the entire family, with the action directed at children and the dialogue fit for all. If one hasn’t been to children’s theater because it’s “only for kids” The Elves and the Schumachers proves that reputation wrong.
The Elves and the Schumachers is written, directed and stars local thespian Bobby Grainger. He has acted and directed in various plays in the Sacramento area for the last 15 years. His previous credits include directing The Singing Christmas Tree and A Christmas Story.
Tickets are available for $7 each at http://TheElfPlay.com. Additional information about the cast of characters and the charities can also be found on the website.
Music in the Mountains Announces SummerFest Schedule
Posted: 5/18/2011
MIM Festival Chorale sings American favorites at July 3 “Happy Birthday USA” concert. Photo courtesy of Music in the Mountains. Nevada City, CA (May 13, 2011) – Music in the Mountains (MIM), the largest and longest continuously running classical music organization in the Sierra Foothills, announces the full schedule and details for SummerFest 2011, the 30th anniversary concert series.
The two-week Festival will kick off with “Dinner Divertimento,” an elegant and intimate evening of fine food and chamber music performed by Music in the Mountains Players at Miners Foundry on Saturday, June 18. Gregory Vajda, MIM’s artistic director, comments, “This is the way great music was typically shared in the old days – people would gather in small groups at various homes to enjoy fine music with a meal.”
On Thursday, June 23, MIM will present The 30th Anniversary Concert, with orchestra and chorus. Works will include “Happy Birthday Variations” by John Williams and pieces by Bernstein and Brahms. Ryan Murray, choral conductor, will conduct the 85-voice MIM Festival Chorale and the orchestra for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Toward the Unknown Region.” According to Murray, “This is truly one of the great choral master works of all time and we are looking forward to sharing it.”
Saturday, June 25 will bring a special treat to our area with “Cirque de la Symphonie,” a world-renowned troop of aerialists, acrobats and jugglers who will perform to the music of Dvorak, Bizet, Tchaikovsky and others, played by the MIM Festival Orchestra. The audience can picnic under the stars at this outdoor concert. According to Terry Brown, MIM vice president and event producer, “There has never been anything like this in our area and we know the audience will be astounded. Gregory Vajda brought this group to Portland, where they sold out four houses.”
“Orchestra Masterworks” is the title for the Saturday, June 26 concert, which will include timeless classics like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, along with the West Coast Premier of a piano concerto written by MIM’s own Gregory Vajda.
Tuesday, June 28 will feature “All that Brass,” an energizing evening brought back by popular demand. The MIM brass and percussion sections will perform.
The orchestra and chorus will perform together again on Tuesday, June 30, offering up the great work, “Carmina Burana.” The other half of this concert will include works by Mozart and Haydn. “We’ve performed ‘Carmina Burana’ several times in our 30 –year history and it always packs the house,” comments Brown.
On the evening of Friday July 1, students in the unique MIM Young Composers program will present their pieces, performed by the MIM professional musicians. Then on Saturday morning, July 2, MIM transforms the traditional KinderKonzert into a Family Concert with lots of background information on the symphony and how it works, as well as the music itself. Prior to the concert, kids can try out instruments at the MIM “petting zoo,” which will be outside the concert hall at the fairgrounds.
As always, MIM wraps up SummerFest with the traditional “Happy Birthday USA” picnic and pops outdoor concert on July 3 at the fairgrounds. In addition to patriotic marches and old American favorites performed by the orchestra and chorus, there will be a Marine Corps color guard and a flyover. This concert is a great way to kick off the July 4th weekend.
Tickets for Music in the Mountains’ concerts and events may be purchased online at www.musicinthemountains.org or by calling the box office at (530) 265-6124.
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