New West Symphony "Northern Lights" Concert March 2-3 in Thousand Oaks, Oxnard

Northern Lights

Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto was his final major work. Written in 1919 at the end of World War I, the Concerto was Elgar’s lament for a lost world following the devastation of the war. Julie Albers, principal cello of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, makes her New West Symphony debut with this most eloquent and passionate work. The 1st Symphony of Jean Sibelius was an immediate success following its premiere in 1900. Full of sweeping melodic invention, rhythmic vitality and imbued with the aura of his Finnish homeland, the symphony launched Sibelius’s career on the international stage.

Performances at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 7:30pm and the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 3pm. Buy tickets at www.newwestsymphony.org/cvg.

Andrew Constantine, guest conductor
Julie Albers, cello

Elgar | Sospiri
Elgar | Cello Concerto in E minor
Sibelius | Symphony No. 1

Julie Albers, cello

American cellist Julie Albers is recognized for her superlative artistry, her charismatic and radiant performing style, and her intense musicianship. She was born into a musical family in Longmont, Colorado and began violin studies at the age of two with her mother, switching to cello at four. She moved to Cleveland during her junior year of high school to pursue studies through the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Aaron. Miss Albers soon was awarded the Grand Prize at the XIII International Competition for Young Musicians in Douai, France, and as a result toured France as soloist with Orchestre Symphonique de Douai.

Andrew Constantine, guest conductor

Andrew Constantine serves as Music Director of both the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

Having gained a reputation in Europe and the UK as a conductor of great skill, charisma, energy and versatility, Andrew Constantine moved to the US in 2004 to become Assistant Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Within his first season there he was promoted to Associate Conductor.

In the US he has won great praise for his ability to communicate with audiences and his energetic and compelling advocacy for classical music have gained him many admirers. In May of 2007, following a two year search and a pool of over 280 applicants, he was appointed Music Director of the Reading Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. In July of 2009, after a similar process, he was also appointed Music Director of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Indiana.

Syncopated Ladies Tap Workshop July 15 and Live Performance July 22 in Oxnard PACC

The Oxnard Performing Arts Center (The PACC) proudly presents SYNCOPATED LADIES!

From viral videos shared by Beyoncé to crew battles on "So You Think You Can Dance", the talented dancers of Syncopated Ladies are at the forefront of the tap movement. During this high-energy show, you'll witness the electrifying and inspiring moves from this world-travelling troupe, where fierce footwork meets a cutting-edge style. Founder Chloe Arnold has debuted choreography on "So You Think You Can Dance, Good Morning America, The Talk, The Ellen Show", and over 20 episodes of "The Late Late Show With James Corden". Complete with a supporting band of accomplished musicians, the action-packed performance taps through Oxnard Performing Arts Center.

SYNCOPATED LADIES (community tap workshop)

Sunday, July 15 | 2-4 pm | Free with RSVP

SYNCOPATED LADIES (live performance)

Sunday, July 22 | 6 pm | $15-$30

Tickets for 7/22 performance at THIS LINK.

@ The PACC, 800 Hobson Way in Oxnard

These Beyonce-approved ladies of tap slay with their legendary choreography to epic songs from greats like Prince and  Beyoncé. You won't want to miss this show.

oxnardperformingarts.com | 805-486-2424 | paccinquiries@oxnard.org

SYNCOPATED LADIES is a Female Tap Dance Band from Los Angeles, widely known for viral videos that have been Beyoncé approved and have accumulated over 50 million views. They also were featured on So You Think You Can Dance - Season 11 as the Winner of the First Crew Battle. Syncopated Ladies was created by critically acclaimed tap dancer and choreographer, Chloé Arnold, who was discovered at an early age in Washington, DC by legendary choreographer Debbie Allen.  www.syncopatedladies.com

13th Annual Ventura County Blues Festival in Camarillo on Saturday, April 28, 2018

UPDATE 10/29/18: Organizers posted on Facebook: “To The Ventura County Blues Festival Entertainers, Sponsors, Volunteers, Vendors and Fans, Thank You for 13 memorable years!!!
Please visit our Ventura County Blues Society website for upcoming events.”

The 13th Annual Ventura County Blues Festival is planned for Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Studio Channel Islands Art Center, 2222 E. Ventura Blvd., Camarillo from 10 am to 7:30 pm. Music starts at 11 am. Event is presented by the Ventura County Blues Society and proceeds will benefit a local charity. Learn more and buy tickets at venturacountyblues.com. Presale $30 ($40 at the gate). Kids 12 and under free with adult.

9th Annual Sights of Conejo Drum Line and Winter Guard Show on Saturday, March 10, 2018

The Thousand Oaks High School Lancer Band will present the 9th Annual Sights of Conejo Drumline and Winter Guard exhibition at 7 on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the Thousand Oaks High School Gym, 2323 N. Moorpark Road. Doors open at 6 p.m.

This event will feature performances by percussion ensembles and/or color guards from middle schools and high schools from the Conejo Valley.

Food and refreshments will be available for sale. Tickets are $5 per person and $3 for students at the door, cash only. For more information, visit www.tohsband.org.

Opera by the Glass Presents "Anna Bolena" at Museum of Ventura County on 11/17, 11/19

Opera by the Glass Presents a Thrilling Immersive Production of Donizetti’s Tragic Masterpiece, Anna Bolena, at the Museum of Ventura County on Friday, November 17, and Sunday, November 19, 2017

Artists collective Opera by the Glass will present its contemporary interpretation of Gaetano Donizetti’s historical masterpiece, Anna Bolena, sponsored by the Museum of Ventura County for two special performances on Friday, November 17 (8:00pm), and Sunday, November 19, 2017 (5:00pm).

Anna Bolena, a thrilling bel canto opera in two acts, recounts the final days of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's notorious King Henry VIII, once he had lost interest in her and ruthlessly moved on to Jane Seymour. The fast-paced immersive experience is staged in the museum’s exquisite Martin V. & Martha K. Smith Pavilion, which is punctuated with striking walls of glass and river rock. Anna Bolena features first-rate Ventura-based artists in collaboration with performers from outside the area who have appeared in regional, national, and international productions.

Anna Bolena is widely considered the strongest of Donizetti's three "Tudor queen" operas, noted for its inspired music and fully realized characters. Donizetti’s original opera was over 3 hours in duration. For this production, Opera by the Glass has carefully trimmed the work down to a more palatable 2-hour length. The high-quality production will be presented in its original Italian with English supertitles.

The Friday, November 17th performance of Anna Bolena starts at 8:00pm and the Sunday, November 19th performance starts at 5:00pm, running for 2 hours and 20 minutes (2 hours of performance + a 20-minute intermission). Seating is arranged to resemble a royal court with the performers activating the space for an immersive, intimate experience; complimentary wine and light refreshments will be available for those seated at tables. VIP “King” front row tables for 4 are $300, “Queen” tables for 4 are $250, “Court” tables for 4 are $150, and single seats behind the tables are $30. Adding seats to tables is not possible. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at bolena.bpt.me. Minimum age is 16.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street, Ventura. Plenty of street and metered parking is available near the venue. For additional information, visit the Facebook event page: https://oby.tg/FBAnnaEvEnt. Or direct questions to (805) 665-3651 / hello@operabytheglass.org. Opera by the Glass is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

More info:

Hana Chelberg is featured in the challenging role of “Anne Boleyn,” the ambitious, doomed Tudor queen, as she languishes in anxiety, confusion, and eventual madness while facing execution (remedial spoiler: she’s totally a goner). Dianna Burdick plays the conflicted “Jane Seymour,” who replaced Anne in the king’s affections. Luvi Avendano is “Lord Rochefort,” Anne’s brother, with whom she was accused of having an incestuous relationship. “Lord Percy,” Anne’s former love, is played by Alex Rodin Mendoza. Sally Rose Bates, as Anne’s page “Mark Smeaton,” and Ricardo Mota, as court official “Sir Hervey,” round out the cast.

Additional members of Henry’s treacherous court are characterized by an ever-present chorus of eavesdroppers and spies. Covers and ensemble members include Constance von Briesen-Kamm, Rosa Chang, Grace Kim, Rachel Labovitch, Jessie Missouri, and Esteban Pérez. The production also features a 14-piece live orchestra of area musicians.

Anna Bolena will be staged with a blend of traditional and modern aesthetics in the Museum of Ventura County’s Martin V. & Martha K. Smith Pavilion, a state of the art event space in the heart of historic downtown Ventura. Audience seating will be arranged around a theatrical “runway” in blatantly hierarchical, courtly fashion with tables configured by ticket price. The best seats, with the closest access to the performers, will go to those with the most power and influence (i.e., money). As they perform, players in sumptuous costumes will filter through the audience in the impressive space, offering an immersive experience as the action unfolds all around.

Anna Bolena is the first live performing arts production to be staged in the museum. While not entirely historically accurate, the production should appeal not only to diehard opera fans, but also to history buffs, political junkies, cultural adventurers, and music lovers seeking an accessible way to dip their toes into the often-pretentious world of opera.

In addition to serving as Artistic Director for Opera by the Glass, Zeffin Quinn Hollis also directs Anna Bolena. Timothy León is the Music Director and Conductor. Robert Chelberg is an Executive Consultant.

Opera by the Glass –
Launched in 2016, Opera by the Glass is a community of singers, directors, and musicians devoted to providing fantastic immersive opera experiences for contemporary audiences in non-traditional yet spectacular spaces in Ventura County and beyond. The concept is part of a new breed of intimate opera companies and grass roots arts organizations that strip away rigid performance paradigms to offer accessible and affordable opera in casual settings that are enjoyable and easy-to-follow by a wide audience. Anna Bolena is the second opera staged by Opera by the Glass. The organization’s sold-out inaugural production of Bellini’s The Sleepwalker (2016) met critical acclaim and enthusiastic local audiences last November.

10th Annual Scott Medlock-Robby Krieger Celebrity Golf Tourney and All Star Rock Concert on August 27-28, 2017

The 10th annual Scott Medlock-Robby Krieger Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament Benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and 19th Hole Festivities are planned for Monday, August 28, 2017 at the North Ranch Country Club and All Star Rock & Roll Concert featuring Robby Krieger of The Doors and other rock legends is planned for Sunday, August 27 at 5:30pm at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu.

Internationally renowned Sports Artist Scott Medlock and the Legendary Guitarist for THE DOORS Robby Krieger are excited to host the event.

After completing play for the day, all golfers are invited to the 19th Hole Festivities for cocktails, hors d'oeuvres hosted by some of the best local restaurants, golf awards,

All proceeds from the event will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the largest pediatric research hospitals in the world. 

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, and food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. 

To learn more and buy tickets to both events, visit www.TheMedlockKrieger.com 

Ojai Studio Artists Second Saturday Open Studios - Free Event on January 14, 2017

The Ojai Studio Artists Second Saturday mini-tours begin on January 14 with four open studios in downtown Ojai. Featured this month are Andrea Haffner, Rex Kochel, Marta Nelson and Iris Williams. Studios will be open from 10am - 3pm. Admission is free, and the studios are all located within a few miles of each other.

With enthusiastic response from the community to the Second Saturday tours, OSA is scheduling mini-tours from January through July. "It gives people a chance to spend some in-depth time with each artist," Ms. Moran says. "With over 60 artists on the October Studio Tour, people really have to pick and choose who to see. This is a more leisurely tour."

A professional artist for the past 18 years, Andrea Haffner's resin cast pieces are unique and delicate. Inspired by the natural form - from yucca capsules to maple samaras, Haffner assembles and suspends bits of natural material in resin colored with transparent dyes. With a background in both photography and glass, light is a primary consideration in her work. Elegant yet abstract, she encases her assemblages within small sterling silver or larger steel frames. She creates jewelry pieces as well as large commissions. Haffner has exhibited extensively across the country and recently completed numerous large-scale commissions for hospitals, hotels and private residences.
After 34 years as an educator in the Ventura School District, Rex Kochel is now a full-time artist. His whimsical style evolved primarily from the use of blind continuous line drawings. He begins his watercolors on location, then continues to modify them in his studio before he begins to paint. His work reflects his travels to Mexico, Peru, Panama, Argentina, as well as time spent in San Francisco and Ventura County. He maintains a strong compositional focus in all of his artwork, frequently moving in the direction of abstract realism. His work can be seen at the new Remax Building in Ventura, for which he created 54 paintings which are part of their permanent collection.

Marta Nelson is a painter, printmaker and sculptor and a founding member of Ojai Studio Artists. A lifelong artist, she won her first art scholarship at 10 years old, and attended her first figure drawing classes at Chouinard Art Institute. She later taught at Bakersfield College, teaching painting and sculpture. Her art often reflects her interest in dance, her garden in Ojai as well as exotic scenes from her travels around the world. Her paintings and prints hang in private collections across the United State, Mexico and Japan. Marta is also deeply committed to the International Peace Movement. Incorporating peace doves in all her work, Marta was instrumental in establishing the first Peace Pole in Ojai.

Iris Williams sees art as a silent language. Her oil paintings are often mischievous and whimsical and also involve some aspect of storytelling. “Art was the agent that allowed me to speak,” she explains. She uses her art to explore her imagination and dreams. In all her work, whether still life, landscape or figurative work, she aims to elicit a feeling of wonder. As co-owner of Ojai Creates along with her husband Kirk Lowry, Williams sells art supplies to the community and has a longtime association with the Ojai Art Center.

A map for the January 14th event can be printed from the OSA website: ojaistudioartists.org. Any changes or additions to the list of artists will be posted there.

African Children's Choir to Perform in Oxnard on Friday, July 29th

Please join us in welcoming the African Children's Choir all the way from Uganda! This is a FREE event for all ages. The choir is composed of children ages 7-10 years old and most have lost one or both parents to disease, devastation of war, famine and disease. This choir will warm your hearts singing well-loved children's songs, hand clapping, traditional spirituals and contemporary tunes. Hosted by O'My (Oxnard Musical Youth) Theater and featuring additional Ventura County Choirs. Event begins at 6:30PM at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, OxnardCA 93030. Please RSVP for your FREE tickets at: info@omytheater.org

20th Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival at Cal Lutheran Features "Henry V" June 24 to July 10

Photo credit: Brian Stethem/Cal Lutheran

To celebrate the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival’s 20th season and the 400th anniversary of the Bard of Avon’s death, the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is kicking off the summer with a play that was one of the most popular with its audiences.

Performances of “Henry V” will begin at 8 p.m. June 24 through 26, July 1 through 3, and July 8 through 10 in Kingsmen Park on the Thousand Oaks campus of California Lutheran University. The festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking and entertainment.

Michael J. Arndt, a founding member of the festival and the company’s artistic director, directs. Ty Mayberry, who debuted at the festival in 2013 as Hamlet, will play King Henry.

The play contains one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines related to war: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers….” Many Kingsmen veterans reunite in this “band of brothers” revival. Marc Silver, who appeared in the first season and many thereafter, plays Pistol. Returning after several years’ absence is octogenarian Robert Nairn in the role of Sir Thomas Erpingham. Other returning Kingsmen favorites are Michael Faulkner, Angela Gulner and Ross Hellwig. John Slade, who directed “Henry V” at the 2004 festival and has played King Lear and other Kingsmen roles, will portray the Archbishop of Canterbury and Charles the Sixth, King of France. Jason Rennie, who was in the first Kingsmen Apprentice Company and performed as the pre-show “fire breather” in the early years, is choreographing several battle sequences employing most of the 35 cast members.

“Henry V” is one of the Bard’s most-produced history plays. It tells the story of the real 15th-century English king, a brutal and heroic monarch. The play’s vast scope moves from religious and political intrigue at the courts of England and France to scenes of delicate romance, ribald comedy and sweeping battle.

This play is the only one of Shakespeare’s histories that features a chorus character who narrates the action, inviting audience members to use their imagination. The Kingsmen production sets the play in the historical period of the real King Henry, but the chorus character will be portrayed as a 21st-century news reporter, presenting the story as if she were narrating a documentary film.

The production will feature a distinctive set by Erik Diaz, period costumes by Howard Schmitt, lighting by Leigh Allen and an original electronic music score by Christopher Hoag.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theater company of Cal Lutheran. The company also provides apprentice programs for professional and aspiring Shakespearean actors, an educational tour program and summer youth theater camps.

General admission is $20 for adults and free for children under 18. Individual tickets are available at the door only. For lawn box reservations, visit kingsmenshakespeare.org or call 805-493-3014.

2015 Ojai Studio Artists Tour Planned for October 10-12

The 32nd annual self-guided Ojai Studio Artists Tour is Columbus Day weekend, October 10, 11 & 12. 

Fifty artist studios throughout the breathtaking Ojai Valley will be open each day from 10am to 5pm. Artist demonstrations proved so popular last year they'll be expanded in 2015 with the Demonstration Schedule distributed in advance.

Another highlight is the special Pre-Tour Program at 7pm on Friday, October 9th.
for locals and early arrivals. Led by an OSA artist, the program introduces the work of each Tour artist and is designed to help people plan their personal Tour schedules.

Also popular, Saturday's Dessert Reception and live music event, open (free) to all Tour artists and ticket-holders. The event features a raffle of beautiful baskets filled with original art and fine local products, such as Ojai honey, olive oil and lavender.

Proceeds from the Tour and Art Basket Raffle fund OSA's "Artreach Program" of youth art scholarships and funding for community arts needs.

Tour tickets are $30 in advance, $35 day of event, $20/person for groups of 10 or more, $15 for students, 17 & under free, and cover studio visits all three days and admission to Saturday's Dessert Reception. Tickets and Tour brochures will be available starting in May at ojaistudioartists.org.

The Ojai Studio Artists Tour has a rich legacy , from early days that included the celebrated Beatrice Wood, Horace Bristol and Otto and Vivica Heino, to today's membership of distinguished, award-winning artists. Come see why leading critics and media describe the Ojai Studio Artists as "world-class," and the Tour, "a rare experience" - wihile the growing influx of stylish shops and trendy restaurants only adding to Ojai's unique "destination appeal."