California State Old Time Fiddlers, District 8, meet Sunday, November 28 1:30-4:30 at Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join the fiddlers for an afternoon of listening or dancing to Western, Country, and Bluegrass music. Refreshments available. Parking and admission free. Info: 640-3689, 517-1131 or visit our web site at www.calfiddlers.com.

Camarillo, CA. – Three CSU Channel Islands (CI) students won top honors at the 2010 CSU Media Arts Festival (MAF), which was held Nov. 6 at the CSU Fullerton campus. It is the eighth consecutive year that CI students have earned top honors.

The annual event allows CSU students to present their film, video, and interactive media work for critical review. A total of 131 student entries from the CSU system were received and judged by a panel of industry experts who chose 29 finalists for award competition within nine categories: Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Interactive, Music Video, Narrative, Television, Feature Screenplay, and Short Screenplay.

The festival, the largest of its kind in California, showcases student work that is chosen as best in the state. The festival also featured seminars with leading industry experts and events to prepare students to pursue careers in the entertainment and media industries. The finalist projects were screened at the Festival and Rosebud Award (first place) winners were announced including CI students:

· Shannon Scobey, a senior Art major from Ventura, was awarded the First Place Rosebud Award for her Interactive entry, www.SatisFactorySweets.com. Ms. Scobey’s film also earned her the $500 cash prize that accompanies a Rosebud Award.

· Claire Flores, a senior Art major from Ventura, won the First Place Rosebud Award for her music video entry, Pilar, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_uFRVmjEKI. Ms. Flores’ video also earned her a $500 cash prize.

· Ryan Hunnewell, a junior Art major from Simi Valley, received Second Place recognition for his music video entry, Dear Chatsworth, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S20VkqfPL2w

Liz King, Associate Professor of Art at CI, who teaches interactive media and web design and stated that the Festival has continued to allow CI students to, “… compete with their talented CSU peers throughout California.” “Every year CI students have done extremely well at the Festival and it is this type of opportunity and that gives our students the confidence and exposure needed to succeed as they get ready to enter into very competitive entertainment industry careers.”

First place winner Claire Flores stated, “It is an honor to be selected as a winner of the Media Arts Festival and Rosebud Award for my animated music video. I couldn’t have done it without the help and guidance of Professors Liz King and Kathleen Quaife. Animation takes a lot of hard work, time, and effort and it’s nice to have that work be recognized of myself and that of my fellow CI student winners for their projects.”

MAF allows students in the California State University system the opportunity to be in professional competition. This gives students necessary skills for transition between producing films, video, and interactive media in college classes to related industries. Visit www.mediaartsfestival.org for a full listing of all winner and place awards plus videos of the Rosebud Award winning films. MAF operates under the umbrella of CSU Summer Arts, www.csusummerarts.org.

CSU Channel Islands is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

CI Mission Statement
Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – California Lutheran University students and staff will join with community members to re-enact the Christmas story in the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5.

In the university’s annual tradition, students representing Mary and Joseph will travel by donkey through campus seeking shelter for the birth of their Son. Other students, staff and visitors holding candles will walk with them from the Student Union Building to Lundring Events Center in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center. The evening will conclude with a piñata and refreshments of Mexican hot chocolate and pan dulce (sweet breads). This festive Mexican tradition dates back to the 16th century.

The Student Union Building is located on the north side of Memorial Parkway in Thousand Oaks. Parking is available outside the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive.

CLU’s Office of Campus Ministry, Office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services, Latin American Student Organization and Spanish Department are sponsoring the free event. For more information, call Multicultural Programs at (805) 493-3489.

Please join Mayor Bill Fulton for a reception honoring the 2010 recipients on Thursday, November 18, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Museum of Ventura County, 56 E. Main Street, Downtown Ventura Cultural District. Everyone welcome.

2010 Award Recipients:
Helen Yunker, Arts Patron
Jack Halbert, Artist in the Community
Sylvia White, Sylvia White Gallery, Creative Entrepreneur
Margaret Travers, Arts Leader
Bob Moskowitz, Arts Educator
Chris Jay, Emerging Artist

The Mayor’s Arts Awards recognizes the artistic achievements and contributions to the cultural community by City residents, artists, educators, organizations and business leaders. Nominations for the awards were solicited from the community and the honorees were selected by a panel of leaders from the fields of art, education and business. This program is co-presented by the Community Development and Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships Deparments.

Thank you to the Museum of Ventura County, the Wine Rack and Seasons Catering.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – California Lutheran University’s annual Kwanzaa celebration will feature food, several performances and a ceremony from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, in Soiland Recreation Center.

CLU students will perform a Kwanzaa ceremony and NAACP Saturday School students will make presentations. The celebration will also include authentic African and African-American food, entertainment and vendors selling arts and crafts.

The public is invited to attend the free event to learn about this holiday. Millions of African Americans observe Kwanzaa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 each year. It is a special time when families and friends unite to strengthen and encourage one another.

Soiland Recreation Center is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center north of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks.

The NAACP Saturday School, the Afro-Centric Committee of Ventura County, and CLU’s Black Student Union and Office of Multicultural Programs and International Student Services are sponsoring the event. For more information, call Multicultural Programs at (805) 493-3323.

Scott O’Connor’s Blacklight Galaxsea is showing at the Harbor Village Gallery from Wednesday, December 1, 2010 to Monday, January 19, 2011. An opening reception will be held on Friday, December 3, 2010 from 5 – 8pm.

Blacklight Galaxsea is a ticket for a real good time. A blast from the past or s sneak peak into the future, this is how we step into a world of imagination. O’Connor’s devotion to be as original as he can has arrived and materialized behind the black curtain. Entering into the space O’Connor created for your enjoyment will leave a lasting impression especially with the 3-D glasses he provides.

O’Connor builds his paintings with depth and lots of texture. His thick colorful palate used for Galaxsea is in acrylic paint, because “oil doesn’t glow in the dark.” The neon and florescent colors used in his underwater, intergalactic subjects are displayed under blacklight to feel the full effect of the glowing energy illuminating from paintings. O’Connor’s previous work in oils was also thick in texture, but the oil paint easily lent itself to his desired heavy look. When switching to the paint you can see in under a blacklight he learned a few tricks about bulking up with mediums like glue and joint compound. No doubt easy to find in his contractor’s toolbox.

O’Connor lives in Ventura at The Galaxy Gallery, a home he often invites friends to for painting party’s or magic shows. The simple joy of entertaining and encouragement for others to be creative for art sake seems to be second nature to O’Connor. His instillation exhibit will entice those who believe in creative freedom as well as the non-believers.

O’Connor’s inhibition to tackle his wildest of ideas, to use brush strokes thick enough to create their own shadow and to bring to life his abstract concepts of pirate ships in space and flying sea creatures are paintings you experience, not just look at.

O’Connor has exhibited at the Old Town Studio Gallery in Camarillo and also has 29 oil paintings on exhibit at the Artist Gallery on Callens Road in Ventura.

This is O’Connor’s first solo exhibit with the Buenaventura Art Association.

The Harbor Village Gallery is located at 1591 Spinnaker Dr., entrance # 3 in the Ventura Harbor Village, next to the big lawn. Open Wednesday through Monday (closed on Tuesdays) from 12 to 5 p.m. For more information, call the gallery at 805-644-2750 or visit www.harborvillagegallery.com

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks will present its annual Christmas gift to the community when the choral ensembles and University Symphony perform at the free Christmas Festival Concerts Dec. 3 through 5.

The performances will be at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, and Saturday, Dec. 4, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in Samuelson Chapel.

The university’s longest-running annual event features a narrated performance of Christmas music. The program includes delightful lesser-known carols as well as familiar favorites sung by the CLU Choir and Women’s Chorale.

The University Symphony will perform the first and third movements of J.S. Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5” featuring junior Bradley Boelman of Ladera Ranch on violin and faculty members Eric Kinsley on harpsichord and Nancy Marfisi on flute. The symphony will also perform Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Greensleeves.”

Wyant Morton, chair of CLU’s music department, and music professor Daniel Geeting will conduct.

Donations will be accepted.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive. Additional parking is available in the lot at the corner of Olsen and Mountclef Boulevard. This is always a popular concert so arrive early for the best seating and parking.

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

The exploration of the Pacific Coast will be the subject of a free presentation by historian Rex Ziak at the Museum of Ventura County on Tuesday, November 16, at 5:30 p.m. Ziak will be the featured lecturer aboard a Pacific Coast Exploration Cruise April 10-24, which will benefit the museum. After Ziak’s presentation, Robertson International Travel will discuss details about the cruise aboard the Crystal Symphony, which will sail from Los Angeles and call at ports in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. For presentation reservations, call Danielle Martell, Museum of Ventura County, (805) 653-0323 x 305.

Ziak returns to the Museum of Ventura County’s travel program after an earlier Columbia River museum voyage taken during the Lewis & Clark Centennial. He is a recognized expert on northwest regional history, and an Emmy winning documentary cinematographer.

"Matilijas by the Window" by Meredith Brooks Abbott
Enlarge Photo

Atmospheric landscapes, garden paintings and portraits by California Impressionist Meredith Brooks Abbott will be on solo exhibition at the Museum of Ventura County, December 5, 2010 through February 13, 2011.

Abbott has spent most of her 50 years as a painter in the South Coast region; she is a founding member of the Oak Group of painters dedicated to preserving open spaces, and exhibits regularly with the California Art Club. This museum exhibit draws from collections in Ventura and Santa Barbara, and showcases her ability to capture the natural world around her with quick brushstrokes and subtly related colors. Abbott often finds inspiration from the garden flowers around the 1873 farmhouse where she lives in Carpinteria.

Raised in Santa Barbara, Abbott earned her degree from the Art Center School in Los Angeles, and also studied with noted artists Richard S. Meryman and Clarence Hinkle. She worked as an illustrator in New York and San Francisco, but returned to this area in 1974, where she has painted ever since. She is also a member of the Santa Barbara Art Association.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 E. Main Street in downtown Ventura, open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Go to www.venturamuseum.org for more information or call (805) 653-0323.

FOOTWORKS YOUTH BALLET presents two full-length performances of the Christmas classical ballet THE NUTCRACKER, performed with The Footwork Community Orchestra and Singers from the ChannelAire Chorus. A free family educational lecture and story time will begin one hour prior to the performance time.

Where:
Oxnard Performing Arts Center – 800 Hobson Way

When:
General Public
Saturday December 11, 7:00 P.M.
Sunday December 12, 2:00 P.M.
Outreach Performance
Friday December 10, 10:00 A.M.
(Please contact your child’s school to encourage this opportunity to see Act I of THE NUTCRACKER. Call (805) 340-9878 for more information.)

Who:
Footworks Youth Ballet, Kirsten Oakley, Artistic Director

Tickets:
$12, $20, $25
For more information or to purchase tickets, call (805) 340-9878

The Nutcracker, one of the most well-known holiday ballet productions, is a favorite amongst both children and adults. A traditional holiday party and a very “typical” sibling rivalry set the stage for an entertaining fantasy to the Land of Sweets. With a cast of 80, Footworks Youth Ballet’s 7th production of The Nutcracker promises to dazzle audiences with its colorful costumes, professional sets and a live orchestra and choir. Join Footworks Youth Ballet for their Family Educational Hour one hour prior to each show to learn about the production, costumes, ballet history and music. Footworks Youth Ballet is a non-profit ballet company whose purpose is to provide educational opportunities to young people through the art of ballet.

OXNARD, CA. - Channel Islands Harbor kicks off the holidays with its 45th annual holiday Parade of Lights 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Dec. 11, with the parade beginning at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to enjoy a full day of holiday activities and watch festively decorated boats in the parade.

Kids can play in 36 tons of snow falling at the north end of Harborview Park, off Harbor Blvd. near Marine Emporium Landing, beginning at 10 a.m. There will also be a holiday artists’ market, exhibitors, live music, children’s activities, face painting, and much more.

Santa and his reindeer will ride through the sky to mark the beginning of the parade. The parade starts in front of Peninsula Park and heads to the Main Channel, turns at Hobie Beach, loops in front of the launch ramp then heads back to Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club and repeats the route for second run. The parade can be viewed from parks and walkways that line the route as well as from most Harbor restaurants. Boat charters are available for those who want to watch the parade from the water. Charter information is available at www.channelislandsharbor.org.

To participate in the parade, download an entry form from www.channelislandsharbor.org. To adopt a boat to be in the parade, contact Bill Conroy at the Ventura County Maritime Museum at (805) 984-6260. Any size boat can register for the Parade of Lights.

Parade participants can take part in various decorating contests and compete for awards.

For more information on the Parade of Lights visit www.channelislandsharbor.org.

Channel Islands Harbor serves as a center of recreation, boating, shopping and water sports activities. The harbor is home to three yacht clubs and nine full-service marinas that provide berths for 2,150 boats. It also hosts the Ventura County Maritime Museum. Located at Fisherman’s Wharf, the museum is a cultural center dedicated to the interpretation of maritime history through interactive exhibits and educational outreach.

Ever thought about being a Museum docent/volunteer? Are you interested in art and meeting new people? The Santa Paula Art Museum is looking for docents/volunteers to help out at the Museum. If you are able to work a lot of hours or just a few we would love to have you!

Being a docent is a vital part of the Museum. Some of the responsibilities are greeting customers, running the gift shop and talking to people about the art when they visit. We also have very exciting special functions and smaller projects. Training and support is provided for art lovers and those who are willing to learn and share.

Please contact Jennifer Heighton, Museum Director for more information 805-525-5554 or email her at info@santapaulaartmuseum.org

Guild members of the Santa Paula Art Museum are now selling 2011 calendars featuring 12 paintings from the Santa Paula Collection. The calendar cover and first month feature a beautiful view of Santa Paula by Cornells Botke looking from "hospital hill" to South Mountain.

Other notable artists featured in the calendar are: Robert Clunie, Ralph Holmes, Mary Ellen Wehrli, Xavier Montes, Douglas Shively, John Stroh, Paul Lavritz, Emil Kosa, Milford Zornes, Robert Percy Smith, and Jessie Arms Botke.

Support from the calendar sponsors has made it possible to make this collectible calendar available to the public at a low cost. This years sponsors are: Calavo, South Coast Fine Art Conservation Center, Troop Real Estate, Limoneira, The Termo Company, Cal West Real Estate, Santa Clara Valley Disposal, and Santa Paula Insurance Agency.

The calendars are $10.00 each and are available in the Museum Gift Store. The store has many other items for sale suitable for holiday and all occasion gift giving. Shoppers who only wish to patronize the store may do so without paying the standard museum entrance fee.

The Santa Paula Art Museum is located at 117 N. 10th Street. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00am to 4:00pm. For more information about the Museum and gift store please call 805-525-5554, and visit the web site at www.SantaPaulaArtMuseum.org.

Josh Bricker
Enlarge Photo

After receiving over 23,000 submissions from 91 different countries the YouTube-Guggenheim Museum Biennial of Creative Video collaboration announced its list of 25 finalists on October 21, 2010. The top 25 videos which Guggenheim Director and Chief Curator Nancy Spector called, “the ultimate YouTube playlist”, included 1998 Fillmore High graduate Josh Bricker’s video entitled ‘Post Newtonianism’. The video utilizes the mash up technique to contrast actual war footage and audio with footage and sound taken from the popular video game ‘Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare’. According to Bricker, the video is an investigation into the growing use of war as a primetime source of entertainment by the media and the resultant merging of reality and simulacrum. Additionally, it serves as a meditation on the power of the Internet as both a political and artistic tool. A graduate from Cal State Channel Islands, and recent recipient of a Masters Degree from Parsons in New York City, Josh says that his “intention was to make something ‘High Art’ using the internet and YouTube. As a result every piece of footage and sound was harvested from the internet in an effort to create a work political, both in content and form. Rather than act as a piece of didactic propaganda or my own political soap box, my wish and intent is for the work to spark critical debate and dialogue among the American general public.” In addition to the YouTube Play Biennial, Josh has recently participated in The Wassaic Project as an artist in residence and in November will exhibit as part of a group show at Apex Art Gallery in New York City.

California State Old Time Fiddlers, District 8, meet Sunday, November 14, 1:30-4:30 at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Road, Oak View. Join the fiddlers for an afternoon of listening or dancing to Country, Western or Bluegrass music; refreshments available. No admission or parking charge.
Info: 640-3689, 517-1131, web site calfiddlers.com

Special screenings of D.W. Griffith’s 1910 silent film, Ramona, with musical accompaniment featuring award winning composer Maria Newman and an introduction by film historian Hugh Munro Neely of the Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education will highlight the special benefit reception to conclude Ramona Days at Rancho Camulos on Sunday November 7, 2010. 1pm – 5pm.

The film which was shot at Rancho Camulos 100 years ago and re-mastered last year for the Turner Classic series, “Latinos in the Movies”. Ms. Neuman, a member of one of the most famous musical families in Hollywood and highly honored as a concert composer in her own right, was commissioned to compose and perform the score for the re-mastered film. Mr. Neely is a documentary filmmaker, professional musician and theater director. In addition to his work at the Mary Pickford Institute, he has produced silent film soundtracks for Milestone Films and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and directed documentary films on film history.

In addition, guests will enjoy wine–tasting provided by Camarillo Crush and Stafford Winery, as well as light refreshments, and docent-led museum and garden tours.

Donations for this unique event are $50. All proceeds benefit the historical preservation, restoration, and educational efforts of this 501(c) 3 museum. Rancho Camulos is located on HWY 126, 2 miles East of Piru / 10 miles west of the I-5 Newhall Ranch Road exit. RSVP 805-521-1501 / info@ranchocamulos.org

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - A Grammy-winning violinist will perform at the “Hungarian Goulash” concert at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, in Samuelson Chapel at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Violinist Lorenz Gamma and CLU faculty cellist Joyce Geeting will perform two major works for violin and cello. The pieces are the “Duo” by Zoltan Kodaly and the “Passacaglia,” Johan Halvorsen’s arrangement of a suite by George Frideric Handel. Geeting and her cello students will also play works by Halsey Stevens, David Popper and Béla Bartók.

Since 2001, Gamma has been first violinist with Southwest Chamber Music, which won Grammy Awards in 2004 and 2005. The group also was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for the 2006 ensemble work “Aura” by composer Chinary Ung. Born and educated in Switzerland, Gamma later studied in the United States and currently holds faculty positions at California Institute of the Arts and California State University, Long Beach. He has performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States.

Geeting has recently performed as soloist at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Author of “Janos Starker, King of Cellists,” she is the recipient of this year’s Book Publicists of Southern California IRWIN (Industry Recognition of Writers In the News) Award for Most Innovative Campaign.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive. A donation of $10 is suggested. For more information, call (805) 341-1249.

Ventura County Ballet Company partners with Ventura College Orchestra to present exquisite holiday performances at Oxnard Performing Arts Center

Ventura, CA. - For the first time ever, the Ventura County Ballet Company (VCBC) will share the spotlight with Ventura College’s 52-piece orchestra (VCO) to incorporate live music in the company’s annual must-see holiday shows.

“The Ventura County Ballet Company is excited to add a live orchestra to our ballet this year, making this world-class ballet production even bigger and better,” said Marina Fliagina, choreographer of the Nutcracker.

Similar to the VCBC mission of pairing professional ballet dancers with pre-professional dance students, the VCO combines pre-professional musicians with professional artists. The VCO’s contribution to this spectacular holiday production will highlight Tchaikovsky’s much-adored musical composition and will help bring to life America’s most beloved ballet.

Under the direction of recently appointed VCO Maestro Robert E. Lawson, a music professor at Ventura College for over 30 years, this production of The Nutcracker will be the newly-formed VCO’s second public performance. “The VCO brings together some of the best professional and student musicians in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Counties and includes in its ranks dozens of students, college music teachers as well as members of several prestigious local orchestras and symphonies,” said Lawson.

“The Ventura College’s renewed collaboration with VCBC is exciting for the community, enhancing both groups’ missions to serve young artists and the community at large,” said Norbert Tan, Executive Director of the Ventura College Foundation. “Ventura College looks forward to its ongoing artistic partnership with VCBC, especially leading up to the unveiling of its multi-million dollar theatre renovation in 2011. The Ventura College Foundation is delighted to sponsor the VCBC and Ventura College Music Department’s collaboration of The Nutcracker Ballet in November.”

Families can usher in the holiday season with performances on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way in Oxnard. Following each matinee will be a Sugar Plum Cookie reception complimentary to all ticket holders.

Tickets are $10 - $25 for general admission, $17 for seniors 65 and older, and $12 for children 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center Theater Box Office at 805-486-2424 or online at www.venturacountyballet.com or www.oxnardpacc.com.

For more information, visit www.venturacountyballet.com.

About the Ventura County Ballet Company and Ballet Academy Ventura
Celebrating its 18th year, the Ventura County Ballet Company presents two to three large scale productions each year. The productions feature professional dancers as well as VCBC pre-professionals, students from Ballet Academy Ventura, the official school of the VCBC.

Kathleen Noblin, a recipient of the City of Ventura 2008 Mayor´s Arts Award, founded Ballet Academy Ventura, as the official in-residence school of the Ventura County Ballet Company in 1992. She has served as executive director of the company since its inception. Students are taught creative movement as early as 2 to 3½ years and pre-ballet to the age of six. A complete and graduated ballet program, beginning through pre-professional, including adults is taught. Other classes include flamenco, jazz, and Hip Hop for 5 to 12 year olds.

For more information, or to sponsor an upcoming ballet or educational program, call (805) 648-2080 or visit www.venturacountyballet.com.

Roy Allen

Today’s digital cameras deliver excellent results in the automatic mode, but sometimes we don’t get the picture we really wanted. How do we change what is in focus and what is blurry? How do we make the image look brighter or darker than the camera thinks it should look? How do we turn off the electronic flash so the museum guard will stop yelling at us?

On Saturday, November 13, the Ojai Photography Club presents: Getting Your Camera Out of “Auto” Mode – Let The Creativity Begin!

Our guest speaker is Roy Allen, president of the Ventura Camera Club. Covering photographic fundamentals - from basic camera settings to artistic composition - Roy’s presentation helps novice photographers gain confidence to experiment with their cameras.

Roy will discuss the relationship between shutter speed, lens aperture, and ISO settings, and how to use your digital camera more creatively through its different exposure modes.

Members of the Ventura Camera Club and Ojai Photography Club will be on hand to answer attendees’ questions about composition, lighting, and specific cameras.

If you’re ready to find out what all those dials, buttons, and pictographs on your camera are all about; this is the workshop for you! (Attendees are encouraged to bring along their cameras and instruction manuals).

Date: Saturday, November 13, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM to Noon
Location: Kent Hall, Help of Ojai’s Little House, 111 Santa Ana Street, Ojai
Suggested Donation: $5.00 with all proceeds to benefit the non-profit, Help of Ojai

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – California Lutheran University’s new director of bands will conduct the Wind Ensemble in a concert at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, in Samuelson Chapel.

Michael D. Hart will direct the CLU Wind Ensemble as it plays both new compositions and works from the classic wind band repertoire. CLU’s Jazz Improvisation Ensemble, directed by Peter Woodford, will perform works from “The American Songbook.”

Hart also conducts the Athletic Band and teaches courses in music theory and ear training at CLU. He received a bachelor's in music education from Concordia College in Moorhead and master's in music from The University of Iowa, where he is completing a doctorate in conducting. Before coming to CLU, he was a faculty member at Iowa Wesleyan College where he directed the Southeast Iowa Band and was a band director in the Minnesota public schools teaching at the elementary, junior high and high school levels. He has performed as a tubist with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony and The University of Iowa Symphony Band. He appeared as both a tubist and conductor at the 2010 International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Tucson.

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