![](../../images/header.jpg) | | | Issue 24, February 4th 2009 Calendar Listings | | MUSIC AND CONCERTS | | | Young People’s Symphony Orchestra Winter 2009 Concerto Concert Music Director David Ramadanoff celebrates his 20th season as Music Director/Conductor. Program will include Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphoses as well as Concertos by Bartók, Weber, and Lalo performed by Dylan Mattingly (age 17), Annie Sandholtz ( 17), Violin, Madison Greenstone (16), Clarinet . Feb 7, 8 pm and Feb 8, 2 pm, Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga Valley Lane, Moraga. Tickets: FREE on Sunday. Saturday: $15 general; $12 seniors and students. For more information, call 510-849-YPSO, via email at ypsomusic@yahoo.com, or go to www.ypsomusic.net. __________________________ The Campolindo High School Instrumental Music Department, under the direction of Mr. Harvey Benstein, invites you to a Cornucopia of music this February. On Feb. 18th, the Orchestra performs “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.77 by Johannes Brahms, with guest soloist Jassen Todorov. A native of Bulgaria, Mr. Todorov has appeared with major orchestras in the U.S and Europe, and has been hailed as “an outstanding violinist…a player to watch” by the British music journal The Strad. The program closes with the enchanting and timeless “Peter and the Wolf,” by Serge Prokofieff, narrated by Stacey Kikkawa, Campolindo Choral Director. __________________________ On Feb. 23rd, the Chamber Music Recital showcases some of Campolindo’s outstanding classical musicians performing solo and ensemble pieces. Finally, on Thursday, Feb. 26th the Concert and Symphonic Bands perform “The Dream of Abraham” by Daniel Bukvich, “Concert Overture,” by Keith Gates, and the West Coast Premier of “Symphony for Band," a piece by James A. Beckel, commissioned by the Campolindo Symphonic Band. All performances are free and open to the public, beginning at 7:30 in the Campolindo Performing Arts Center. | | | | | | THEATRE | | | BREAKING LEGS, a comedy by Tom Dulack, directed by Helen Means. The worlds of the Mafia and the theatre clash hilariously when a collage professor seeks funding to produce his new play from "the family" of one of his former students. Crossroads Theatre, 1277 Boulevard Way, Walnut Creek. Fri. and Sat. Feb 6 through Feb 27 at 8:15 PM. Thursdays Feb 19 & 26 at 8:15 PM. Matinees are Sun. Feb 22 and Sat. Feb 28 at 2:15 PM. TICKETS: (925) 944-9006 or onstagetheatre.org, $18 general and $14 seniors. __________________________ “Winnie The Pooh,” at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Performances are Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2:15 pm and 7:45 pm, and on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2:15 pm. The 4H Drama project features a cast of 6 year olds to 17 year olds. Tickets are $18 adults, $10 for children 18 and under. Ticket are available by calling (925) 943-SHOW. __________________________ The Fantasticks, music by Harvey Schmidt with lyrics and book by Tom Jones, runs Jan 23- Feb 15 on the Main Stage (P.A.C.) at Diablo Valley College. Friday and Saturday Nights @ 8pm and Sunday Matinees at 2:30pm. Special senior, student and group pricing is available. Tickets can be purchased by calling (925) 687-4445, or emailing our Box Office at MFulk@dvc.edu. DVC, 321 Golf Club Road in Pleasant Hill. __________________________ The House on Mango Street comes alive on the stage of the LeFevre Theatre at Saint Mary's College in Moraga on Tuesday, Feb. 24th at 8pm. Sandra Cisneros' critically acclaimed novel, told in a series of vignettes stunning for their eloquence and elegant simplicity, is the story of a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. Lauded by critics, beloved by teens, their parents and grandparents, taught everywhere form inner-city schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, it has entered the canon of coming-of-age classics. There will be a post-show discussion following the hour-long performance. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 925.631.4381 or visit www.stmarys-ca.edu __________________________ Lafayette Town Hall Theatre presents “Rabbit Hole,” the bittersweet 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. In the story, Becca and Howie Corbett have everything a family could want until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. Feb. 5 – March 7. Contact the Town Hall Theatre Company Box Office for exact dates and times. For Tickets: 925-283-1557. Rating – PG-13. Town Hall Theatre Company, 3535 School Street at Moraga Road in Lafayette. | | | | | | ART | | | Bert Monroy, Master Artist Tribute VIII: A Digital Artist Paints With Light through April 5. The Hearst Art Gallery of Saint Mary’s College is pleased to present a major survey of the preeminent digital master Bert Monroy, a world-renowned Photoshop artist and teacher, known for pioneering and innovative digital painting technique. The exhibition opened in January and continues through Sunday, Apr. 5, 2009. Public Hours: Wed - Sun, 11 am - 4:30pm Admission: $3; children 12 and under free; Gallery members free. 925.631.4379. www.hearstartgallery.org __________________________ A Photoshop Demonstration with Bert Monroy will take place on March 19th at the Moraga Room of the Soda Center at Saint Mary’s College. 7-8 pm demonstration, with an exhibition walk through with artist from 8-8:30. Free to the Public. Call (925) 631-4379 for more information. The Moraga Art Gallery presents “The Northern Lights” in Moraga through March 14th. The show will highlight artworks by local artists Vivien Hart and Nina Tyksinski. Vivien, who lives in Orinda, creates artful cabinetry knobs and pulls from fused glass, “functional art on a glass canvas.” Lafayette writer-turned-painter Nina Tyksinski’s recent paintings seek to capture the phenomenon of the northern lights using watercolor while placing them in local surroundings, including the Chapel at Saint Mary’s and Mount Diablo. The Moraga Art Gallery is a co-operative gallery of 20 artists in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, 570 Center Street in Moraga (MoragaArtGallery.com).Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12-5 pm, 925-376-5407. __________________________ First Friday at Moraga Art Gallery, Feb. 6, 2009, 7-9 p.m. Nancy Robinson Oils painting demo . www.moragaartgallery.com __________________________ "Objects of Affection," the new show at the Lafayette Gallery, 50 Lafayette Circle, runs through March 7th, 2009. A festive public reception will be held on Feb 6, 2009, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The show coincides with Valentine’s Day celebrations. The viewer is treated to multiple canvases offering a fine art gift for your object of affection. For this special show, gallery artists create 12"x12" canvases with their personal interpretation of affection in all its many guises. Gallery Hours: 11–5 pm Tue. – Sat., 50 Lafayette Circle, 925-284-2788. __________________________ Illuminated Sculpture runs through Feb. 22 at the Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. The exhibit will showcase sculptures using a variety of forms of illumination including gases, incandescent light and emerging mediums like laser, plasma, fiber optics and light-emitting diodes (LED). Captured inert gases (e.g. neon, argon, helium) can yield a wide range of colors from vivid purple to sky blue to intense yellow. Opening Reception: Sunday, Jan 11, 3-5 pm. Meet this innovative group of light artists, enjoy wine and hors d'ouevres. Free for LCA members, Friends of the Bedford. General admission $5. __________________________ The Art Connection, well known for their watercolor and mixed media installations of abstracted landscapes and experimental artwork on paper and canvas is showing their new work at the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Art Gallery in San Ramon. Marianne Brown, a local painter and teacher in Moraga, as well as Pat Dews, international workshop instructor and author, has influenced the group. Four award-winning California artists make up The Art Connection: Angela Cheng, Ann Marie King Hauser, Pamela Howett and Mary Claire Stotler. Community Center, 12501 Alcosta Blvd. San Ramon, CA. The reception is Sunday, Feb.8, 3 to 5PM. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CRAB FEEDS | | | Crab Feed & Dance – Sat., Feb 7, 6 – 11 pm. Bring your appetites & dancing shoes. Music provided by popular DJ. Dinner & dance $35; dance only $10. For info and reservations call (925) 672-6799. Holy Trinity Cultural Center, 1700 School St., Moraga. __________________________ Soroptimist International Crab Feed and Silent Auction -6pm on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Oakwood Athletic Club-Lower Court 4000 Mt. Diablo Blvd in. Lafayette. Dinner to include crab, pasta, salad, bread, ice cream and coffee. Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for sale. Proceeds to benefit Soroptimist International of 24-680, a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. $35.00 per person. Reservations needed. No ticket sales at the door. 925-688-1480, http://www.soroptimist24-680.org. 9th Annual Kiwanis Club of Moraga Valley Crab Feed on Saturday, Feb 14th Holy Trinity Cultural Center, 1700 School Street, Moraga, 6pm: No Host Cocktails. 7PM – Dinner – Music – Dancing --Silent Auction: Merchandise, Services & Attractions, Crab Pot – Go home with a lot of cash! Tickets $45.00 per person. $10 corkage fee . Proceeds benefit local charities For tickets see any member of Moraga Valley Kiwanis ,or Call Paul Ratto 925 899-9536. | | | LECTURES | | | On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2008 at 7 p.m., the Orinda Library invites audiences to a talk by a trained BRT docent on Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s (BRT) new production, the world premiere of ‘In the Next Room or the vibrator play” by Sarah Ruhl which illuminates the lives of six lonely people in the twilight of the Victorian age and the local doctor who promises them relief through modern technology. Gallery Room . Free of charge and will last about an hour. The Orinda Library is at 26 Orinda Way For more information, please call (925) 254-2184 or visit the library website at ccclib.org. First Friday Forum will feature Jasmina Vujic, PhD., head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley, speaking on The State of Nuclear Energy. The meeting will be held Feb. 6 in the Sanctuary, 1:30 p.m. at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian church 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette. Refreshments served at 1 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Professor Vujic says, "This country has neglected nuclear energy for the last 20 or 30 years, but it will be the way of the future. We are now going through a nuclear renaissance with exciting growth in three areas of long-term strategic importance: energy security and independence; homeland security and non-proliferation; and nuclear medicine, imaging and cancer therapy." Come with your questions on this pertinent topic. For information, call 925-283-8722. __________________________ MEDITATION WORKSHOP with Brother Camillus Chavez "Meditation on the Archetypes" The archetypes are mysterious patterns we inherit through our common humanity. They are part of our inner structure and potential. Connect to your archetypes at a deeper level of consciousness and awaken to their power and possibility. Questions: Please contact Brother Camillus at cchavez@stmarys-ca.edu or log on to http://www.brothercamillus.com/brcamillus. You can email your confirmation for the workshop or leave a message at (925) 631-4344. Suggested donation: $20.00 __________________________ Saint Mary’s Kalmanovitz School of Education’s Distinguished Speaker Series: Dr. Michael Pritchard - comedian, author, TV star SOS Save Our Schools - Live, Love, Laugh, Learn! Feb 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Soda Center __________________________ Creative Writing Reading Series at St. Mary’s College - Dana Johnson- Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, 7:30 pm at the Soda Activity Center. A native of Los Angeles, Dana Johnson worked as a magazine editor before completing her M.F.A. at Indiana University. She is now an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, where she teaches creative writing and literature. She is the author of the short story collection Break Any Woman Down, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction in 2001. Her latest book, co-written by Allison Umminger under the pen name Grace Grant, is Eye to Eye. See story page 5 __________________________ The California Writers Club–Tri-Valley Branch offers writers of all genres and experience levels the opportunity to learn about their craft and share their work. The next meeting is on Sat., Feb. 21 from 11:30 am to 2 pm at Oasis Grille, 780 Main St, Pleasanton. The meeting cost is $21 for members and $27 for nonmembers, including lunch. Anyone curious about the group is invited to attend with no obligation to join. Reservations are required. Contact Fred Norman at Fnorman300@aol.com or 925-462-7495 by Wed., Feb. 18. www.trivalleywriters.com. __________________________ The 9th Annual Bookies Award Dinner, A Celebration of Books and the People Who Love Them, will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at the Lafayette Park Hotel. This year's special guest author is Annie Barrows. Tickets are $50 each and include admission, dinner, dessert and Jacuzzi Family Vineyard wines. Proceeds benefit Project Second Chance, The Contra Costa County Library adult literacy program. Tickets - Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 9 and can be purchased with a credit card by calling Fremont Bank at 510-723-5811. Book club reading lists will be on display. If you would like your club to be included, please email the titles and authors you read this past year to darraw944@astound.net. __________________________ Children’s Events at the Moraga Library-500 St. Mary's Rd. 376-685 Storytime: Stories and crafts for children three to seven. Tuesdays through March 17, 4-4:30 pm Lapsit: Stories, songs and bounces for baby and caregiver. Wednesdays through March 18, 10-10:20 am Toddlertime: Stories, rhymes and fun. Ages 2 to 3-1/2 with adult participation. Wednesdays through March 18, 10:45-11:15 am | | | OTHER | | | Orinda “Heart of the Home” Kitchen Tour is scheduled Wed., Feb. 11, from 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Tour six beautiful, remodeled kitchens and enjoy some Valentine cheer. Buy tickets through Miramonte’s Web Store or from several outlets: Orinda Books, Lazy K, McDonnell Nursery, Entourage and Allison McCrady Gallery. Tour Hotline: 925 235-7232. See article, page 15 Valentine’s Day Love Missions- Saturday, Feb. 14, (1:30pm & 3:30pm) and Sunday, Feb. 15 (1:30pm & 3:30pm) Celebrate with your Valentine and take a simulated space mission to the Red Planet. Couples are stranded on a spacecraft and will need to use teamwork to fix it and continue to Mars. The Mars package includes an all access pass to Chabot, plus chocolates, fizzy Martian beverage, and a souvenir of your trip to outer space. Tickets: $85 per couple/$80 Members. To register call 510-336-7421. __________________________ Winter 2009 Hike Schedule- Lafayette Hiking Group. Feb. 14 - Martinez to Port Costa. Enjoy views of the water, trees and hills from a paved trail above the Carquinez Strait. Listen to birds and the whistle of trains passing along the shoreline. Distance: 5 miles, moderate. Leader: Dick Davis Meet at Lafayette BART’s main entrance at 8:30 a.m Remember to bring lunch, water, layered clothing, good walking shoes, sun protection and money to contribute toward gas, bridge tolls and parking. ($5 local, more if further afield). Feb. 28 – Valle Vista to Redwood Park Enjoy a trail winding through the trees, crossing Indian and San Leandro Creeks before climbing steeply through the ferns and redwoods to the East Ridge Trail in Redwood Park. Distance: 6 miles, one steep hill. Questions? Email LafayetteHiking@comcast.net __________________________ Calling Lamorinda car collectors of Specialty and Antique Cars to be shown as part of the third annual Moraga Community Faire, May 9, from 11 - 4 p.m. at the Rheem Valley Shopping Center. Register now! Show limited to 15 cars. Registration fee: $25. Call John Anderson at 925-284-1230 for more information. __________________________ The Princess Project is now collecting new and nearly new formal gowns and accessories as part of its 2009 dress drive. Dresses and accessories will be collected at Specialtees (977 Moraga Road, Lafayette) For more information visit www.princessproject.org . All donations are tax deductible. The dresses will be distributed, free-of-charge, to high school girls at fun-filled ‘dress giveaway’ events at three locations in the Bay Area. Dresses should be fashionable formal gowns, party dresses and cocktail dresses. We take dresses in all lengths, sizes, fabrics and colors. Dresses must be dry-cleaned and on hangers upon donation. __________________________ Saint Mary’s College Guild Game Day and Luncheon. Bridge and Bunco Thus Feb 19, 9:30 to 2:30 St Mary Soda Center.$28 per person. Luncheon served at 12:30, wine will be available, table prizes Call Shirley Holloway 925-376-6588 for details. __________________________ A Real Estate Seminar will be presented by Loretta Barra and Ed Tracey who are both Realtors with Coldwell Banker in Orinda, on Tuesday, Feb. 10th at 6:30pm at the Veterans Memorial Building at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. Information will be shared about today’s market and a lender will also be on hand to help sort out some of the ins and outs of buying and selling in today’s market. A light dinner will be served. Please call for a reservation as seating is limited (925)253-4642 or Email Homes@LorettaBarra.com | | | PERSPECTIVES | | | Commonwealth Club Presents Tom Campbell - Wed. - Feb. 11 - 6:30 pm - Bentley School. The Commonwealth Club presents Tom Campbell speaking on Budgeting the Bailout for California and the Country. Mr. Campbell also charts a course for our economic future. The event will take place on Wed., Feb. 11 at 6:30 pm at The Bentley School, 1000 Upper Happy Valley Rd., Lafayette. Tickets cost $12 members, $18 non-members and $7 students (with valid ID). For reservations call 415-597-6705 or visit their website -www.commonwealthclub.org. __________________________ Ygnacio Valley Republican Women Federated meets at Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Road, Clayton, and welcomes to their Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009 (10:15 AM) General Meeting/Luncheon Dr. Charles Self, who is best known as "Dr. History" from his many appearances on Brian Sussman's KSFO talk radio show. Luncheon $22--Call for Reservations: Barbara Allen: 925/672-5061 or jngcabot@pacbell.net Please note that our Hospitality Ladies appreciate a check or exact amount whenever possible. Health Care For All - California, Contra Costa Chapter, will be holding its first monthly meeting of the year on Sunday, Feb. 8, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Concord Police Station, 1350 Galindo Road, Concord. Health Care For All - California is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Californians have comprehensive, reliable and affordable health care through a single payer public system. Admission is free and all are invited to attend. For more information contact Pat Snyder at patsnydr@aol.com or (925) 962-037 __________________________ Dr. Mark Zier, noted bible scholar, will present the Lenten study at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Orinda, Wednesday evenings, Feb. 25-April 8. Soup supper starting at 6:30 pm; program at 7:15. Dr. Zier has presented papers on the Glossa Ordinaria, standard commentary on the Bible from the 12th to the 17th centuries, at seminars in Paris and Lyon, France; in Florence and Todi, Italy; and in San Francisco and Kalamazoo, in the United States. __________________________ Lamorinda Democratic Club, Friday, Feb. 20, 7:30 PM general club meeting, 8 PM speaker: Vincent Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), will analyze the role that the Obama Administration must play to restore the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at the Feb. 20 meeting of the Lamorinda Democratic Club. Mr. Warren oversees the CCR's work to combat unlawful expansion of presidential power and policies, to hold corporations and government officials accountable for human rights abuses, and to challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration. Orinda Community Church, 10 Irwin Way, Orinda $5 for members. $10 for non-members. Students free. Need more details? Call 925-210-7337 or go to http://lamorindademoclub.org __________________________ GAZA: Myths vs Facts. GAZA: Breaking the siege. Speakers: Prof. Hisham Ahmed (St Mary's College) and Dr. Paul Larudee (Free Gaza Movement) Sunday, Feb. 8, 2:30 pm - Orinda Community Church Hall , 10 Irwin Way. Sponsored by Middle East Study Group. Information 925.228.5746. Followed by fundraiser with snacks and chance to meet the guests __________________________ Amador Valley High School ’s STAND, for human rights, Club in Pleasanton, which focuses on raising awareness about and helping to end genocide, will be hosting The Second Annual Human Rights Conference on Feb. 28th on Amador Valley High School's campus. This year's conference will focus on genocide in the Burma, Congo, and in Darfur. Adeyemi Coker, a member of the African Diaspora Foundation, spoke at the Amador Theater in 2007 and will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Doors will open at 8:30 am, and the conference will run from 9 am. to noon. Breakfast and a t-shirt are included. Lunch will not be served. Tickets cost $5, and must be purchased ahead of time by emailing the Amador STAND Club at amadoryouth4hr@yahoo.com. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |