The Santa Paula Society of the Arts presents "Earthsong,' a collection of art work by Wana Klasen to be exhibited from now through the end of February, 2011 at the Blanchard Community Library located at 119 N. Eighth Street in Santa Paula. The library hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from noon until 8PM, Wednesday from 10:00 AM until 6 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM until 2PM.

Santa Paula Society of the Arts and Klasen invite everyone to stop in during the regular hours of the Library and enjoy the colorful, energetic, tribal figures presented in mixed media. An evening to "Meet the Artist" is planned for February at the library with the date and time to be announced.
Additional work by the artist can be seen at www.wanaklasen.com

 


 
January 22, 7 pm, 1059 1st Street, Fillmore, CA.

The Nashville-based “Blackwood Legacy” Contemporary Southern Gospel group will be performing at two local-area churches this month. On Friday, January 21, 7 pm, they will be at the Camarillo Church of the Nazarene, 2280 Antonio Avenue. The following evening on January 22, 7 pm, they will be in concert at the First Baptist Church of Fillmore, located at 1059 1st Street. Admission is free to both events and a love offering will be received.

One of today’s most popular and requested touring groups, the Blackwood Legacy is led by Rick Price, a veteran Southern Gospel entertainer with more than 30 years in the industry, including many years as the lead singer for the Grammy and Dove awarding-winning Blackwood Brothers Quartet, with whom he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Believing “the road to the future is paved with memories of the past,” and recognizing the need to reach audiences of all ages Price has gathered some of the most talented and sought-after new artists on the scene today to create a dynamic concert that features the well-remembered old favorites such as Beulah Land and How Great Thou Art, as well as music made popular by today’s most recognized worship artists. Included in the talent lineup is Washington State native, Luke Yates, a dynamic worship musician and singers who recently exploded on the Gospel music scene as well as Daniel Blackwood Childs, a seasoned musician and Christian entertainer in his own right.

For more information on this event call 866-855-1036 or visit the group website at www.blackwoodlegacy.org. You can also preview this great Nashville group on Facebook. The public is encourage to arrive early for best seating.

 


 
February 21
Mosab Hassan Yousef
Mosab Hassan Yousef

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA. - Mosab Hassan Yousef - the famed author of “Son of Hamas” who was disowned and denounced by his family and has repeatedly put his life in danger by exposing the ways of Hamas--will be sharing his story of danger, discovery and honesty on Monday, February 21 at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel (880 South Westlake Boulevard, Westlake Village).

Born in Ramallah, in the West Bank, to Sheikh Hassan Youssef, one of the prominent founding leaders of Hamas, young Mosab was groomed from an early age to assume the leadership of the movement’s political wing. He become an integral part of the organization and was imprisoned several times by Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence service. After initially towing the Palestinian line of defying his captors, he began seeing things in a different light when he realized how Hamas was torturing its own people in a relentless search for collaborators and in its quest to advance its single-minded agenda of hatred and bloodshed.

The more Yousef discovered, the more he realized he could not go on living and supporting Hamas. He embarked on a six-year quest of discovery and exposure that endangered his family and threatened his life. During this time, he worked covertly to assist the Jewish state. It is said that the information Yousef supplied prevented dozens of suicide attacks and the assassinations of many Israelis. This led to his becoming a wanted man by his own people and his father issuing the following declaration: “I, Sheikh Hassan Yussef... my wife, sons and daughters announce that we have completely disowned the man who was our oldest son and who is called Mosab.”

After escaping the Middle East, Yousef converted to Christianity and went on to speak out in prominent forums and media outlets around the world, making the case that the most notorious enemies and persecutors of Palestinians were not Israel or America, but its very own leadership and the radical Islamic belief system. He posits that this system in its current form, by definition, cannot, and will not, coexist in peace with Israel in its midst.

In his talks and interviews, Yousef pulls no punches. He speaks forcefully and passionately about his experiences in a manner unlike anything heard before from someone as high up in the upper echelons of an Arab terror organization as Yousef once was.

His book, "Son of Hamas," published in March 2010, reveals information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role. So entrenched was Yousef in the Hamas system that when he recently sought political asylum in the United States, there were those who were skeptical as to whether his turnabout was truly genuine. Perhaps he was still secretly working for Hamas? There was talk of deporting him back to the West Bank, which his advocates warned, would most surely lead to his execution by the Palestinian Authority. On June 24, 2010, Gonen Ben-Itzhak, a member of Israeli's security agency Shin Bet and who had worked with Yousef for 10 years, revealed his own identity in order to testify on behalf of Yousef at an immigration hearing. Ben-Itzhak described Yousef as a “true friend” who “risked his life every day in order to prevent violence.”

“For most of us, the realities of terrorism’s path and agenda usually come to us via second-, third- or fourth-hand sources," says Rabbi Moshe Bryski, dean of Chabad's Conejo Jewish Academy. "With Mousab Hassan Yousef,, it is about as firsthand as you can get. To hear his story is to come face to face with facts that are as shocking as they are repugnant. He is courageously speaking out because he recognizes that if he won’t, nobody else will. I think we owe it to him to hear his story; moreover, we owe it to ourselves to not ignore his compelling and alarming message.”

The evening begins at 8:00 p.m. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes prior to the lecture to give ample time to pass through security. Ticket prices are $16 in advance and $20 at the door. For tickets and information for “Son of Hamas: An Evening with Mosab Hassan Yousef," visit www.jewishacademy.com or call (818) 991-0991.

 
January 25

Artist and historian George Stuart presents a monologue on Tuesday, January 25 at 1:30 p.m. about the current Museum of Ventura County exhibition Dressed To Impress: the High Fashion of the George Stuart Historical Figures®. Stuart explores what influenced the figures’ fashion choices, from personal preferences to court formalities and cultural traditions. The monologue is $15 for the general public, $10 for museum members, and includes admission to all exhibits at the Museum of Ventura County, where the monologue is held. For reservations, call (805) 653-0323 x 315.

Dressed To Impress: the High Fashion of the George Stuart Historical Figures® runs through February 6. The exhibit of one-quarter life-size sculptures highlights more than 30 figures wearing exceptionally beautiful, chic, and flamboyant costumes, including Moctezuma, Marie Antoinette, Beau Brummel, Empress Tzu An, Countess Du Barry, and Lucrezia Borgia. Fashion accessories from the museum’s permanent collection are also included in the exhibition.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

 
"Blacksmith Shop"; c. 1898 (Ojai Avenue), Nordhoff CA - Ojai Valley Museum Permanent Collection.
"Blacksmith Shop"; c. 1898 (Ojai Avenue), Nordhoff CA - Ojai Valley Museum Permanent Collection.
Enlarge Photo
Opens the Ojai Valley Museum’s 2011 schedule

"Spencer & Burke: Real Estate, Notary, Fire Insurance"; c. 1900 (Ojai Avenue), Nordhoff, CA - Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.
Enlarge Photo
“Main Street, Nordhoff, CA” c. 1850 (Ojai Avenue) Nordhoff, CA – Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.
“Main Street, Nordhoff, CA” c. 1850 (Ojai Avenue) Nordhoff, CA – Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.
Enlarge Photo
“The (new) Arcade” c. 1918 (Ojai Avenue) Ojai, CA – Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.
“The (new) Arcade” c. 1918 (Ojai Avenue) Ojai, CA – Ojai Valley Museum Photo Archive/Permanent Collection.
Enlarge Photo

The purpose of this tour-de-force, retrospective exhibit is to educate visitors about the history and use of Ojai’s landmark, turn-of-the-century, covered shopping mall. Themes explored in the exhibit include: who conceived of the idea, who paid for its design and construction, how the Arcade beautified the town, and, how businesses in the Arcade evolved or changed, between the early and late eras of the 20th century.

The primary exhibition, mounted in the 2500 square foot Rotating Gallery, takes viewers through five decades of the Arcade as the central business district for the City of Ojai. The Hallway Gallery, leading into the main exhibit, displays copies of letters soliciting funds to build the Arcade in order to beautify the wild western quality of the town. The 1916 correspondence is enhanced with period photographs of Nordhoff (later re-named Ojai), visually illustrating the pre-Arcade, rough ‘n tumble quality of Ojai Avenue at the turn of the century.

Six-foot photomurals describe Ojai’s 20th century life and times. A portion of the Arcade, built to scale, defines the entrance to the show. Arcade stores and businesses are re-created on platforms in three-dimensional tableaux. A vintage 1911 Sears Cadillac and a 1950’s original “chopper” punctuate the appropriate eras, which also include costumed mannequins, architectural models, and examples of advertising through the decades.

Visitors to this show will experience the transformation of Nordhoff, California, from its “ramshackle,” dusty, wild state into an aesthetically unified, harmonious Ojai townscape with its Spanish style Arcade. They'll also remember or re-live the more recent bygone days of the 1950’s - 1970’s, and, ultimately, leave with a new appreciation for one of Southern California’s first outdoor, covered, miniature shopping malls.

The exhibit opens on January 13 and runs through February 27, 2011. A Gala Reception will be held on Saturday, January 22 from 5 to 7 pm.

The Ojai Valley Museum is located at 130 W. Ojai Avenue and is open Thursday and Friday from 1 to 4 pm, Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from Noon to 4 pm. For additional information call the museum at (805) 640-1390 or visit the museum website at: http://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/

 
Saturday, January 29, 2011, 11 AM - 3 PM, Free
Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap
Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap
Enlarge Photo

Where: Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery, 40 East Anapamu Street, downtown Santa Barbara.

Join us for an amazing Free event as we celebrate the 3rd Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap on Saturday, January 29, from 11am-3pm. Over 200 people attended last year, sharing seeds and knowledge with other backyard gardeners, plant lovers, and farmers . Come be a part of this seed saving movement, making sure that locally adapted varieties of seed & plants are passed on to future generations. Children welcome!

Bring seeds, plants, cuttings, and garden knowledge to swap.
Don't have these?
Then come get seeds.
Seeds to sow.
Seeds to grow.
Seeds to harvest.
Seeds to save and share next year.
Activities for all ages: story hour, crafts,
seed ball making, seed saving lessons,
seed envelope making, worm composting,
learning about bare root trees and more!

Music that will have your toes tapping with Honeysuckle Possums
Special Speakers throughout the day
A gathering of garden friends old and new.

Third Annual Santa Barbara Seed Swap More Information on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188069247872175

 
Come Fiddle Around

California State Old Time Fiddlers, District 8, meet Sunday, January 9, 1:30-4:30 at Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join the Fiddler's for their first meeting in 2011. Still lots of good music with a friendly group of people. No parking or admission fee. Refreshments available, 640-3689 517-1131 or visit web site www.calfiddlers.com.

 
Exhibit Dates: January 8 – 30, 2011, Opening Reception: Saturday, January 8, 4pm – 6pm

Camarillo, CA – Opening on January 8th at 4pm, Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) will have its first art exhibition in 2011 entitled “ACHS@SCIART”. Students and faculty from Adolfo Camarillo High School (ACHS) will be featured in this show.

Studio Channel Islands Art Center invited Bonnie Mills, ACHS Art Department Chair, to assemble art works from juniors and seniors at the local high school, as well as works of art from faculty members. Bonnie Mills embraced this opportunity for her students: “We are excited and honored to be invited to exhibit with SCIART. This provides our students a real life learning experience in the art world. We thank SCIART and the supporting artists for this unique opportunity.”

Studio Channel Islands Art Center supports the First Annual Adolfo Camarillo High School Fine Arts Award. The art being exhibited was created by Adolfo Camarillo High School students and a few of their teachers. Four of the art works are donated for a silent auction during the reception. One hundred percent of the proceeds will support the Fine Arts Award that will be presented to a senior that plans to pursue the path in the arts.

Awards, determined by juror Bob Privitt, Professor Emeritus, Pepperdine University will be presented at the opening to honor the recipients of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday 11am – 3pm, Wednesday – Friday 11am – 5pm, Saturday 10am – 3pm.
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2221 Ventura Boulevard
Camarillo, CA 93010

Open Studios on 2222 Ventura Boulevard every Thursday through Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm.

 
"Peacocks and Delphiniums" by Jessie Arms Botke, oil on board.
"Peacocks and Delphiniums" by Jessie Arms Botke, oil on board.
Enlarge Photo
Opens January 22, 2011

SANTA PAULA, CA – The Artist’s Eye: The Working Life of Jessie Arms Botke and Cornelis Botke, an extraordinary exhibit of works by Santa Paula’s preeminent artists is set to open at the Santa Paula Art Museum on January 22, 2011 with a gala celebration.

Co-curated by Museum Director, Jennifer Heighton, Museum Educator, Meg Phelps and granddaughter of the artists, Kitty Botke Seemel, the exhibit will provide a rare look into the artistic preparation, working methods, and creativity of the artists, in both collaborative and individual artworks. The exhibit will feature sketches, preliminary drawings, and studies alongside finished works.

“These items are really considered completed works in their own right”, said Museum Director Heighton, “The studies of landscapes, birds and botanicals are truly breath-taking. They represent the lifetime of work and study behind the reputations of these great artists."

Much of the exhibition materials have never been publically displayed and include paintings from other private collections as well as fine examples of Botke works from the The City of Santa Paula, The Santa Paula Elementary School District, the Santa Paula Union High School District, and the Blanchard Community Library, all part of the Santa Paula Collection. “We so appreciate the generosity of these entities and are excited to offer an exhibit that will allow a deeper look into the work behind these Santa Paula Treasurers”, said Heighton.

The exhibit will not only focus on the work-product of artistic preparation, but also will explore the technique, methods and artistic considerations that go into a final work of art. "This is a fascinating side of the artists that we rarely get to see," said co-curator Phelps. "You can really sense how their pieces evolved, what artistic ideas they were working towards, and how much work went into every piece."

Throughout the run of the exhibit, lectures, gallery talks, tours and special presentations will focus on the Botkes and their artistry. Details for these events can be found on the Museum website as they are scheduled.

The exhibit will run until June 5th, and may be viewed during regular Museum hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 4PM, and Sundays 12 PM – 4PM. The Museum is located at 117 North 10th Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060. More information is available by calling the Museum at 805-525-5554, or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.

 
Johann Sebastian Bach

VENTURA BAROQUE PRESENTS! An all program of works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Sunday January 23rd, 2011 at 4:30PM in the beautiful HERITAGE SQUARE CHAPEL HALL, 731 S 'A' Street in Oxnard.
Ample Free Parking in and around the square. Refresshments at the end.
A kindly suggested $20 Donation. It will be an exciting presentation.
Call (805)827-8722 or (805)402-0016 for more details. Email: southdesigns@yahoo.com

 
 
SESPE PLAYERS AND FILLMORE HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA CLUB PRESENT:   
TOTALLY RAD 
THE HAIR! THE FASHION! THE MUSIC! THE...  HAIR! 
A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF EVERYTHING 80S!

Come out and Audition for this original production written and directed by Fillmore's own Josh Overton!  We need actors between the ages of 14 and 65 who love to act, sing, and dance!  If you survived the 80s or just love everything about that decade, then come on down!

When: January 12, 13th, and 14th, 2011 5-7PM
Where:  Fillmore High School Drama Room (directly across the street from the Memorial Building).
SESPE PLAYERS AND FILLMORE HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA CLUB PRESENT: TOTALLY RAD THE HAIR! THE FASHION! THE MUSIC! THE... HAIR! A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF EVERYTHING 80S! Come out and Audition for this original production written and directed by Fillmore's own Josh Overton! We need actors between the ages of 14 and 65 who love to act, sing, and dance! If you survived the 80s or just love everything about that decade, then come on down! When: January 12, 13th, and 14th, 2011 5-7PM Where: Fillmore High School Drama Room (directly across the street from the Memorial Building).
Enlarge Photo
 
“Cygnus” painting by Ashleigh Norman.
“Cygnus” painting by Ashleigh Norman.
Enlarge Photo

Raul Valdez, Ashleigh Norman and Jamie Danielson are exhibiting their collaboration FIGURE at the Harbor Village Gallery from January 19 to March 7, 2011. Opening reception will be on Friday, January 29 from 5 – 8pm.

In March 2010, Valdez, Norman, and Danielson, won awards in the Buenaventura Art Association’s 4th Annual Collegiate Student Art Competition This juried competition is open to art students from local colleges. These three artists were students at California State University, Channel Islands, and have been very active not only with studies but also curating or exhibiting in shows in student, private art gallery venues in the last year. Valdez graduated Fall 2010, and Norman and Danielson plan to graduate in Spring 2011, all three with a B.A. in studio art.

FIGURE is a multi media compellation of works exploring humanity from the artists’ perspectives of physicality, the range of human emotions, and spirituality. Viewing this exhibit is meant to stimulate different reactions in its viewers, including puzzlement, surprise, humor, wonder, inquiry and understanding.

Valdez was awarded 2nd Place and an Honorable Mention in the student scholarship competition last year. His work interprets the human figure in paintings with a “voyeuristic sensibility”, portraying nude or semi nude figures without the figure being aware of the viewer. His sculptures incorporate clothing and other objects in unexpected ways with parts of the human body.

Norman won 1st Place and a Merit Award. Her paintings are colorful, metaphorical narratives containing deep emotional content. Many of her paintings are biographical and can be viewed as self-portraits. Her sculptures depict the human form in dreamlike situations which blur the lines between the human and his or her surroundings.

Danielson won a Merit Award and the Christine Beirne Award. Her work is a commentary on nature, femininity, spirituality and transcendence. She uses the female form in a variety of ways, tweaking it to separate it from reality. Many of her pieces do not depict the figure as clearly dead or alive, including images that are part skeletal, part flesh. Her sculptures range from miniature to life-size.

The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr. Suite 117C, Enterance # 3 in the Ventura Harbor Village. Open everyday except Tuesday from 12 to 5 pm. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit their website at www.harborvillagegallery.com . The Harbor Village Gallery is an art space of the Buenaventura Art Association.

 

Do you know what to look for when you collect California art? Learn about the history and strategies of collecting California paintings from Scot Levitt, Vice President of Fine Arts and Director of California and Western Painting and Sculpture at Bonhams & Butterfields, on Saturday, January 22 at 2:00 p.m. at the Museum of Ventura County.

The presentation is $10 general public, $5 museum members, and includes admission to all gallery exhibitions, including Nature’s Palette, the art of California Impressionist Meredith Brooks Abbott. For reservations to the Levitt presentation, call (805) 653-0323 x 315.

Levitt’s expertise ranges from old master to modern art, with a particular interest in California and western paintings and sculpture. He oversees Bonhams & Butterfields fine arts appraisals, conducts auctions on a regular basis, and currently oversees their monthly consignment clinics in Los Angeles. He is a member of the American Arts Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

 

Carlisle Cooper, William McEnroe, Norman Kirk and Gerd Koch will be honored for their 346 combined years of artistic experience and influence, when the Museum of Ventura County presents Four Masters- Four Legends, a retrospective exhibition opening February 26 and continuing through April 24, 201l.

“These four masters have profoundly influenced and continue to shape art and culture in Southern California,” said artist and colleague HirokoYoshimoto, the exhibit’s curator, who has chosen to feature a small yet significant retrospective collection of work by all four artists. The exhibition will also explore their seminal involvement in arts organizations in Ventura County, and their teaching careers at Ventura College, where they have influenced and nurtured generations of artists, from the 1950s to today. The four men were all born within a ten-year span of each other.

Carlisle Cooper (b.1919) is a figurative painter who explores the human condition as it concerns man’s relationship to truth. He describes his figures as symbolic of the progress mankind has made in developing art, religion, philosophy and science.

William McEnroe (b.1922) experiments continuously with the process of painting. An active painter, pastelist, teacher, art historian, stage set designer and poet, his book “La Grande Livre,” published in 2010, features his most recent pastels and poems.

Norman Kirk (b. 1924) is best known for his watercolors, which are in the collections of major museums in Southern California. He is a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor West and the Gold Coast Watercolor Society (now part of the Buenaventura Art Association). Kirk painted the Lake Casitas event for the ’84 Olympics, and cover illustrations for the Ventura County Design House tour.

Gerd Koch (b. 1929) paints expressionistic abstractions and stylized interpretations of nature. Initially inspired by the chaparral around the artists’ commune he organized during the 1960s, his interests expanded to include the mystical, mythological and metaphysical character of nature in ethnic and primitive as well as Greek and Egyptian cultures.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura, California. Open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, free for members and children under 6. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

 
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Enlarge Photo
Ventura Music Festival announces the return of trumpet legend, Arturo Sandoval, accompanied by his 18-piece orchestra, February 12, 2011

Ventura, CA. - Arturo Sandoval is back, bringing more brass, more percussion, and more sizzling Latin jazz music than ever before. The Ventura Music Festival is thrilled for the jazz superstar’s return to Ventura for a Valentine’s weekend concert, Sat., Feb. 12, 2011 at Seaside Park.

Each spring, the Ventura Music Festival (VMF) hosts a critically acclaimed series of concerts featuring a lineup of world-renowned musical performers. The 2011 Ventura Music Festival will run from Apr. 28 – May 7, 2011.

When he last performed in Ventura in 2007, Mr. Sandoval was a sensational entertainer, sharing an array of musical languages with his audience. As a renowned performer, Sandoval plays a variety of styles including Afro-Cuban rhythm, classical concertos, smooth jazz, and speedy bebop.

“We are so excited to have Arturo Sandoval return to Ventura County,” said Cheryl Heitmann, Executive Director of the Ventura Music Festival. “His music and life’s journey are an inspiration; his music covers an amazing range of styles.”

Known for his flawless technique, Sandoval is a consummate performer from the first opening note to the last measure of his shows. Because Sandoval’s beat is popular with dancers, concert goers are encouraged to wear their dancing shoes and dance the night away in the venue’s designated dance area.

Joining Sandoval on stage will be the winner of the Ventura Music Festival’s annual Student Jazz Competition. Now in its fifth year, the VMF hosts a yearly competition for young jazz musicians with the top prize being the opportunity to perform on stage with a musical legend. This year’s student winner will be chosen from five finalists at a live concert competition on Jan. 16, 2011 and will perform live alongside Sandoval on Feb. 12.

Sandoval is a four time Grammy winner, recipient of six billboard awards, and was also awarded an Emmy for his work composing for the film about his life, “For Love or Country.”

For tickets and more information, visit www.venturamusicfestival.org.

About Arturo Sandoval
Beginning his melodic journey just outside of Havana, Cuba, Arturo studied classical trumpet at the age of 12, dreaming of musical freedom. After years of traveling and performing while learning additional instruments, Arturo was granted political asylum in 1990 and made Miami, Florida his home. Sandoval went on to compose and perform with famous musicians such as Justin Timberlake, Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Pattie LaBelle, and his idol, Dizzie Gillespie.

About the Ventura Music Festival
Founded in 1994, the Ventura Music Festival presents world-renowned classical, jazz, and crossover musicians in historic and intimate venues throughout Ventura and surrounding areas. Today, the festival stands as one of Ventura County’s signature events, attracting upwards of 10,000 concert-goers. The Festival takes place over ten days in April and May, and presents individual concerts throughout the rest of the season.

Each year, the Ventura Music Festival’s Education Outreach Program presents live performances and interactive lessons to nearly 4,000 local students through its “Music in the Schools” program.

The Ventura Music Festival is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. Information: (805) 648-3146 or www.venturamusicfestival.org.

 
Kingsmen company to perform two plays at CLU

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - The 15th anniversary season of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival will feature performances of “The Taming of the Shrew” and “The Merchant of Venice” at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

This is the first time that the festival will feature “The Merchant of Venice.” The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company last performed “The Taming of the Shrew” in 2000.

The 2010 season will run from July 1 through Aug. 7 in scenic Kingsmen Park. “The Taming of the Shrew” will be performed July 1-3, July 8-10 and July 15-17. “The Merchant of Venice” will be staged July 22-24, July 29-31, and Aug. 5-7. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival is one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events. Visitors are immersed in the Shakespeare experience as the festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for pre-show picnicking and entertainment.

Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theatre company of California Lutheran University. The nonprofit organization also coordinates apprentice programs for professional and aspiring Shakespearean actors, an educational tour program in local schools, and summer theater camps for youth.

General admission is $15 for adults and free for those under 18. For more information, visit http://kingsmenshakespeare.org or call (805) 493-3014.

 
Kingsmen company to perform two plays at CLU

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - The 15th anniversary season of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival will feature performances of “The Taming of the Shrew” and “The Merchant of Venice” at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

This is the first time that the festival will feature “The Merchant of Venice.” The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company last performed “The Taming of the Shrew” in 2000.

The 2010 season will run from July 1 through Aug. 7 in scenic Kingsmen Park. “The Taming of the Shrew” will be performed July 1-3, July 8-10 and July 15-17. “The Merchant of Venice” will be staged July 22-24, July 29-31, and Aug. 5-7. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival is one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events. Visitors are immersed in the Shakespeare experience as the festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for pre-show picnicking and entertainment.

Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theatre company of California Lutheran University. The nonprofit organization also coordinates apprentice programs for professional and aspiring Shakespearean actors, an educational tour program in local schools, and summer theater camps for youth.

General admission is $15 for adults and free for those under 18. For more information, visit http://kingsmenshakespeare.org or call (805) 493-3014.

 
Concert features wind instruments, piano

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - California Lutheran University music faculty will perform wind chamber music at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, in Samuelson Chapel.

Faculty Artists Perform Poulenc will feature Fred Beerstein on oboe, Daniel Geeting on clarinet, Eric Johnson-Tomai on bassoon, Eric Kinsley on piano, Louise MacGillivray on French horn and Nancy Marfisi on flute.

The central piece on the program will be Francis Poulenc’s monumental “Sextet.” The French composer added the piano to the standard romantic wind quintet of the 19th century for the piece.

Donations will be accepted.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks.

For more information, call the Music Department at (805) 493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music

 
“Reflected Trees” by T.C. Hengst.
“Reflected Trees” by T.C. Hengst.
Enlarge Photo
Artist T.C. Hengst chairs multimedia department

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - A suite of digital works by artist T.C. Hengst will grace the walls of California Lutheran University’s art gallery for the first exhibit of 2011.

Digital Imagining will be displayed in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture from Monday, Jan. 10, through Saturday, Feb. 5. An opening reception will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22.

The works, created over a period of several years, are printed in large formats to show off their complex layering and intriguing composition.

Hengst’s early illustration training was primarily in airbrush, continuous tone, and pen and ink. The Thousand Oaks resident began using the computer for digital illustration in the late 1980s, using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as his primary illustration media.

A 1972 alumnus who joined the university’s faculty in 2001, Hengst is the chair of the multimedia department. He has taught scores of students in digital illustration and graphics techniques.

Hengst earned his graduate degree in medical and biological illustration from the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and later taught in the Hopkins graduate program for nine years. He has illustrated more than 60 medical and surgical texts and his illustrations have appeared in more than 100 scientific journals.

The gallery, located in Soiland Humanities Center, is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Parking is available in the parking lot on Mountclef Boulevard south of Olsen Road.

CLU’s Art Department is sponsoring the free exhibit. For more information, call Michael Pearce at (805) 444-7716 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/kwan_fong .