FROM BIG BEAR- BLUES FOR THE ZOO, a fundraiser for the Big Bear Lake Moonridge Animal Park is set for Saturday, August 4 at the Swim Beach Outdoor Amphitheater with a line-up of world class Blues.

Tickets are $30 in advance / $35 on day of show. Children 10 and under are admitted free of charge. Parking is $4.00. Tickets will be available from the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce, 630 Bartlett Road (walk in or via phone charge 909 866 4607), at the Moonridge Animal Park Gift Shop, located at 43285 Goldmine Drive and online at www.moonridgezoo.org/BluesConcert.com Music runs 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with gates opening at 1 p.m. Beach chairs and blankets are welcome for festival-style lawn seating. This lakeside setting provides a scenic backdrop for an afternoon of internationally recognized musicians, local artisan booths and a freshly prepared food and beverage menu. No coolers please. Lodging/Ticket Packages are available by calling 1-800-4BIG BEAR.

Headlining the afternoon of music is Zydeco "crown prince" C.J. Chenier. According to Downbeat Magazine, "his vocals drip with top-line Louisiana hot sauce." Chenier carries on in the tradition of his father Zydeco great Clifton Chenier, playing accordion-based American blues and danceable two-steps, singing blues and Creole classics in both English and French. No blues festival is complete without a guitar hero. Six-string virtuoso Jimmy Thackery leads his band & The Drivers through an intense volley of fiery uptempo blues. His double-edged guitar dynamics allow him to fire off tracer missiles, bend a note so it will fit under a limbo bar and find space within the trembling of one stinging note. Starting out the day's musical gumbo will be acoustic Delta blues interpreter Alvin Youngblood Hart. His CD "Down In the Alley" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Blues category. Influenced by the deep country blues of Charley Patton and Leadbelly, Hart is known as one of the world's foremost practitioners of that genre, continuing in the path laid down by contemporary acoustic blues practitioners like Taj Mahal..

Big Bear Lake is a family-friendly mountain community, known for 300 days of annual sunshine, clean air and resort amenities. The area offers many outdoor activities including; forest hikes, boating, fishing, kayaking, water skiing, biking trails and horseback riding.

Friends of the Moonridge Zoo, promoters of the concert, is a nonprofit organization formed to support the Moonridge Animal Park through fundraising, volunteer coordination and educating the public on the conservation of wildlife. The Moonridge Animal Park is distinguished as the only zoological facility in the United States located in an Alpine environment, dedicated to the preservation of its indigenous species. The park is a licensed, designated care and rehabilitation facility for injured and confiscated animals. The park also provides a "Home For Life" to over 180 animals representing 85 species.

Sponsored by: Big Bear Valley Recreation & Park District● Big Bear Grizzly● KBHR-FM
City Of Big Bear Lake ● HOST HOTEL: NORTHWOODS RESORT

FROM ONTARIO- In an abandoned lighthouse off the New England coast live Abbie and Salem Mayo, two spinsters. Abbie is slightly pixilated and believes her dead brother is living in the lighthouse tower. Salem encourages her delusions. To this queer household comes Star Mayo and her friend, Pat Casey. They do not know of the two aunts, and the girls are soon plunged into a series of hair-raising events. What was the Thing in the Tower? Why was Abbie afraid of the axe? Of what had Salem lived in fear for forty years? Six women---and an axe---have the power to chill the blood and raise hackles on the neck of the strongest man. (Special thanks to Samuel French).

Performances in May 25, 26, 27 and June 1, 2, 3. Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. We will be doing a special Memorial Day weekend special where all Veterans (active and retired) get in free with one paid ticket. Performances held at Archibald Ranch Community Church. 13344 S. Archibald Ave. Ontario. You won't want to miss out on this performance! Get your tickets today either online www.goldleaftheatreproductions.com, box office: 951.398.1105 or at the door.

FROM PALM SPRINGS- "FOREVER MARILYN" ARRIVES IN PALM SPRINGS FROM CHICAGO

Installation begins Monday, May 14, at Palm Canyon Drive & Tahquitz

WHAT: "Forever Marilyn", the 26-foot tall sculpture of Marilyn Monroe by American artist Seward Johnson arrives in downtown Palm Springs from Chicago after a week-long cross-country trip by truck. Installation of the sculpture begins Monday morning and is scheduled to be completed over four days. A formal dedication and ribbon-cutting with Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and city council members will be held at 6 p.m., on Thursday, May 24, at VillageFest. The public is invited to attend. The installation of "Forever Marilyn" has been fully paid for by P.S. Resorts, local donors, restaurant owners, hoteliers and merchants.

WHERE: Northwest corner of Palm Canyon Drive & Tahquitz Canyon Way

WHEN: Beginning Monday, May 14

MONDAY
8 a.m.: Sculpture arrives by open flatbed truck at Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way

9 a.m.: Off-loading sculpture pieces and installation of base

11 a.m.- throughout the day:
Sculpture is fitted and secured onto platform and legs mounted by crane, skirt lifted and attached

TUESDAY
10 a.m. and throughout the day:
Sculpture continues assembly with torso and head lifted into place with large crane

About the artist
A passion for detail and an uncanny realism of pose are qualities often associated with the works of sculptor Seward Johnson. Well-known for recreating life in our times in vividly realistic bronze, with this work the artist explores in three dimensions- and in monumental scale- why some visual images so captivate us that they become larger than life. These subjects outlive their own time periods and they stand for something metaphoric and grand. Such is this newest release from the hands of artist Seward Johnson. "Forever Marilyn" belongs to the series entitled ICONS REVISITED. Visit sewardjohnson.com for additional information about the artist and see below.

About The Sculpture Foundation
The Sculpture Foundation, Inc. is a charitable and educational organization dedicated to providing exhibitions and contemporary landmark public artworks for communities. The Collection, including more than 150 artists and currently valued at over fifty million dollars, is on view in urban centers, small towns, regional parks, and cultural institutions worldwide. Visit www.sculpturefoundation.org for additional details.

FROM SAN BERNARDINO- May 24, 2012, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Art & Music in 19th Century Vienna

Continuing the long tradition of pairing visual arts and music, RAFFMA presents a concert lecture dedicated to nineteenth century Vienna. Through masterfully performed live music and a vivid collage of images and stories, the audience will be magically transported in time to the lively and culturally rich city of Vienna--the city of Beethoven and Klimt. The art stories, opening with eoclassicism and ending with the Vienna Secession, will be sprinkled with live music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johann Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler.

Wine and Cheese Reception: 6:30-7 p.m.
Concert Lecture: 7-8:30 p.m.

Featuring:
Cynthia Jansen, mezzo-soprano
Suzan Hanson, soprano
Victoria Kirsch, pianist
Michèle Tacchia & San Bernardino's Symphonie Jeunesse
Eva Kirsch, narrative

Reception: 6:30 p.m.
Concert Lecture: 7 p.m.

The concert lecture is free and open to the public. CSUSB Parking is $5. For more information call 909-537-7373

FROM SAN BERNARDINO- Carlo Ponti will make his final appearance with the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra as he conducts its season finale concert, "Tchaikovsky's Finest," on Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m. at the California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. 4th Street, San Bernardino.

The concert, which will serve as a grand celebration of Maestro Ponti's 11-year tenure with the orchestra, features Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," Joaquin Rodrigo's evocative Concierto de Aranjuez with acclaimed classical guitarist Dr. David Cahueque, and Tchaikovsky's dazzling Fourth Symphony.

A contemporary of Stéphane Mallarmé, Debussy was thoroughly familiar with the poet's style before he began work on his prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" in 1892. Debussy admirably captured that delicious vagueness of contours which is so important in the poem. The themes do not follow any stable metric patterns, remaining entirely unpredictable, thus reflecting the unconstrained nature of the faun's dreamlike meditations.

Next, Dr. Cahueque will take the stage for Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. The acclaimed classical guitarist is active throughout the southern California area, dividing his time between performing and teaching. He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and chorale groups and has given premiers of new works for the National Association of Composers USA, including one written specifically for him titled Concerto for Guitar and Synthesis. Dr. Cahueque is also on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Guitar Circle; a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting an awareness and love of the classical guitar.

The third piece, Tchaikovsky's luminous Fourth Symphony, crowns this evening of musical masterpieces. Tchaikovsky spent his life worrying that he could create only so much music. He wrote the piece at a particularly difficult time, wrestling with the challenges that life had placed in front of him. Thus, the Symphony traces the composer's journey from an intense emotional crisis towards a blaze of optimism, from agitated gloom to radiant triumph.

Following the concert, a reception in Maestro Ponti's honor will be held in the California Theatre's California Room.

Said board president Mary Schnepp, "We are very grateful for Maestro Ponti's eleven seasons with the San Bernardino Symphony. He has brought a dedicated intensity to his role of music director and conductor, and has most certainly brought the orchestra to new artistic levels. His presence was also instrumental in furthering the San Bernardino Symphony's extensive music education programs, which have touched the lives of thousands of area students. We look forward to celebrating his acclaimed tenure at our upcoming May 19th concert, and invite the public to join us in wishing him well in his future endeavors."

Tickets for "Tchaikovsky's Finest" start at $20 and are available at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling the San Bernardino Symphony office at (909) 381-5388.

FROM REDLANDS- LIFEHOUSE THEATER PRESENTS THE RETURN OF THE HIT MUSICAL

"THE WIZARD OF OZ"

The fun and enchantment of Dorothy's adventure down the yellow brick road comes to life on stage as LifeHouse Theater presents the return of its popular musical, "The Wizard Of Oz." Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, this original adaptation invites audiences to journey to the kingdom of Dorothy's imagination and meet the well-known characters of Oz.

Performances begin Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. and will continue on weekends through July 1, 2012. Performances are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:15 p.m. (except Opening Night) and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:15 p.m.. In addition to the weekend performances, there will be a special weekday performance at 7:30p.m. on Thursday, June 28, 2012. The performance on Saturday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. will also feature an interpreted presentation for the deaf.

Advance ticket prices are $14 or $18 for adults and $7 or $9 for children ages 3-11 (no children under 3 are admitted) and may be purchased over the phone with a Visa or MasterCard by calling (909) 335-3037, ext. 21 (a $3 fee per order - not per ticket - is added to all phone orders). Checks may also be mailed to LifeHouse, provided reservations are made far enough in advance. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office, which is open Fridays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to performance times on the weekends. Tickets are $1 more the day of the performance. Group rates are available for groups of ten or more. Guests are encouraged to reserve seats early as most performances usually sell out.

"It's a joy to bring this beloved favorite back to the LifeHouse stage," comments LifeHouse President and production writer Wayne R. Scott. "This production was named by critics as 'One Of LifeHouse's Best' after we performed it at the Redlands Bowl in 2000 to more than 20,000 people."

"The Wizard Of Oz" features a cast of more than thirty performers from all over the Inland Empire. William Fernandez, Sr. portrays the title role. Also featured are Kelly Cole Smith as Dorothy, Thomas Fisk as the Scarecrow, Jonathan Bushey as the Tin Man, Jeffrey A. DeWitt as the Cowardly Lion, Jana Smith as the Wicked Witch of the West, Ryann Jae Clover as Glinda, Erin Keeney as Toto, Dave Ramsey as Uncle Henry and Sauni Rinehart as Aunt Em. Madison Sechrist, Victor E. Torres and Jeremy Yeo also have featured roles.

Director Katrina Cavarno leads an award-winning production staff. The choreographers are Nicole Prince and Adah Fisher. Cristy Conrad serves as Costumer. The set design is by Tim Mahoney and Mark Perrenoud while lighting and sound are designed by Daniel Milligan and Kyle Montgomery.

LifeHouse Theater continues its 18th season with the LifeHouse debut of one of the world's most beloved musicals, "The Sound of Music" featuring music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein (July 14 - Aug. 19, 2012) and concludes the season with the new drama, "Job - A Modern Man" (Sept. 1 - Sept. 30, 2012).

The theater is located at 1135 N. Church St. in Redlands, next to the Redlands Christian School. Free parking is available in back of the theater. More information is available by visiting the theater website at www.lifehousetheater.com. For more information, please call (909) 335-3037 ext. 21

FROM CORONA- Artist Richard Stergulz will provide an oil painting demonstration at The Arts Colony Gallery located at 510 W. Foothill Parkway, Corona, on Tuesday, May 15 starting at 7 p.m. The demonstration is open to members and the public. The current exhibit "The Best of Your Best" art show will also be on display in the gallery. Information about The Arts Colony and membership can be found at wwww.theartscolony.org or contact (951) 898-ARTS

Richard is an Illinois native who by the age of eight knew he wanted to be an artist. He graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1983 which began his successful commercial art career. After 12 years of doing commercial art, Richard felt it was time to fine tune his fine art style.

Richard moved to California in 1995 and started painting for himself in a realistic style with a touch of Russian impressionism. "I admire the Russian Impressionists, especially Nickolai Fechin, for their intense brush strokes that exude passion into their paintings. I also admire Norman Rockwell for his amazing drawing ability and the volume of work he produced in his lifetime."

Lastly, Richard admires John Singer Sargent for his portrait work. "His portraits give a sense of reality but still have a painterly style which I hope to aspire to."

Richard works in oils on masonite board. His work is mostly figurative and he has started plein air painting as much as possible. He teaches class three days a week as well as doing demos for most of the Art Associations in San Diego and Riverside counties.

Richard's work hangs in galleries in Santa Monica, Idyllwild and Fallbrook, California and Cody, Wyoming. His paintings have won numerous awards from Best of Show to People's Choice.

To view his work visit: www.stergulzart.com

FROM SAN BERNARDINO- Whether you were born yesterday or born 5,000 years ago, you have a mother.

And mothers have been celebrated since the time of ancient Egypt.

Join RAFFMA, the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, at Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday, May 10, for "An Evening with Mummy." At the 6-7:30p.m. event in honor of Mother's Day, families will get a chance to express their love for mum in an Egyptian fashion.

Children will create Mummy's Day cards using Egyptian drawings also known as hieroglyphs, and moms will be treated as the Queen of the Nile with Egyptian inspired treats and tea.

Guests will also have the opportunity to take an exclusive tour of RAFFMA's unique collection of Egyptian antiquities and learn about the role of women and mothers in ancient Egypt.

About RAFFMA
The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art is a nationally recognized museum accredited by the American Association of Museums. Located at Cal State San Bernardino, RAFFMA houses the largest permanent and public display of Egyptian art in Southern California.

General admission to the museum is free. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $5 per vehicle. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and is closed Friday and Sunday.

For more information, call (909) 537-7373 or visit the RAFFMA website at http://raffma.csusb.edu.

General admission: Free. Parking available in lots M, A, L or parking structure 1.
Special hourly and daily parking permits for lot M can be acquired at the museum front desk.

Museum hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Closed Sunday and Friday.

FROM SAN BERNARDINO- 'Chronicles of Narnia' a must-see for the whole family

C.S. Lewis magically transports four young English schoolchildren to the magical land of Narnia in his classic tale of destiny and courage, on stage May 25-27, 2012, at the California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. Fourth St.

Meet siblings Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan in this epic adventure story as they travel beyond the confines of an old wooden wardrobe, In Narnia they meet fantastic and mythical creatures, and the great lion Aslan, as they gather to do battle to end the reign of the evil Jadis, the White Witch, and her forces.

Through bravery, cunning and selflessness, the children discover that goodness does prevail and that within them is the strength to overcome anything. The story was made into a successful film that was released in 2005.

Season tickets for four Theatrical Arts International shows - "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" "42nd Street," "The Joy Luck Club" and "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" - are $103-$223.

Individual tickets to the show are $38.50-$77.50, and are available at www.ticketmaster.com or www.livenation.com, and the theater box office at 909-885-5152.

'THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:

THE LION, THE WITCH & the WARDROBE'

WHEN: 8 p.m. May 25-26, 2 p.m. May 26-27, 7 p.m. May 27

WHERE: California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino.

ADMISSION: $38.50-$77.50

TICKETS: Available through www.ticketmaster.com, www.livenation.com, or theater box office

INFORMATION/BOX OFFICE: (909) 885-5152

www.californiatheatre.net

FROM TEMECULA- THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

Presented by OnStage Musicals and Temecula Presents

Guest Vocalist: Troy Clarke
All Star Big Band, Jeff Stover, Conductor

One of our favorites, Troy Clarke returns to Temecula's stage with the All Star Big Band to croon some of those great songs by American composers like Jimmy Van Heusen, George Gershwin, Frank Loesser, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, and Harold Arlen, among others.

Last season, Troy won the hearts of our audience so we just had to bring him back to cover selections from the best American songs of the 20th century Broadway Theater and Hollywood Musicals (1920 to 1960), including dozens of songs of enduring popularity as sung by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Matt Monroe, and Tony Bennett.

The Great American Songbook became (and remains) a vital part of the repertoire of jazz musicians, who describe such songs simply as "Standards". Don't miss this powerful, exciting and moving season-ending performance by the All Star Big Band.

PERFORMANCE:
Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m.

VENUE:
Old Town Temecula Community Theater

TICKETS:
$37 Adult
$35 Senior
$31 Group Rate
$25 Youth (12 and under)

FROM RIALTO- Join us for a delightful, memorable evening of great music and fabulous entertainment! Forever Plaid is truly a hit!

May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. and May 6 and 13 at 2 p.m.

About the Musical:
The show is a 1950's musical revue where four stellar young men reached the height of their popularity through music but their dreams are shattered as they perish in a fatal car accident. The show is their return in one final, musical moment of glory and splendor.

Our production is directed by the incredibly talented Jim Skousen and the musical direction is by amazing musician Tina Skousen. The harmonious Plaids are played by handsome and dashing Chris Diehl, Will Silva, Pete Bennett and Jeremiah Concepcion. Each of these marvelous, talented gentlemen contribute to the glory of the show and make it a truly memorable production.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Please call our box office at 909-873-8514 to make reservations - seats are selling quick!
Be sure to stay updated on our latest news through Facebook! Forever Plaid now playing at the Sandra Courntey Playhouse (formerly the Rialto Playhouse), 150 E. San Bernardino Ave., Rialto.

Also! Be sure to mark your schedules for our summer season!

Our Summer Season will include: "Love, Sex and the IRS" performing May 25 through June 3; "A Servant of Two Masters" performing June 15 though June 24; "Three One Act Plays" performing July 13 through July 22; and a special one night only, "A Night of International Dance" happening on July 28. All summer shows are $10 admission, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Call our 24-hour hotline anytime for more information; (909) 873-8514

FROM RIVERSIDE- uan Felipe Herrera will present his first public reading of new work since being named California's new Poet Laureate in March 2012 by Governor Jerry Brown. The award-winning UC Riverside poetry professor is known for chronicling the lives of Mexican Americans.

He will read from "Senegal Taxi: Mud Drawings," his new book (forthcoming from University of Arizona Press) and a performance-poetry text-in-progress, "Scream Love" and a dance-musical-in-progress, "CUCA & EVA & The Boat of Illusion, a Variety Tour" (based on interviews from the last two, still living, song and dance stars of radio theatre in the post-revolution arts explosion of the 30's in the Juarez/El Paso borderlands).

Herrera says, "I dedicate this reading to my parents, Lucha and Felipe, who gave me all of their kindnesses and their stories of struggle and transcendence - and to all."

Three-For-One Night on Friday, May 4

The reading is followed by UCR Culver Center of the Arts regularly scheduled weekend screening on Fridays and Saturdays. On Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5, 2012, 7 p.m., Culver will screen "Bill Cunningham in New York," directed by Richard Press. The "Bill" in question is 80+ New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham. For decades, this Schwinn-riding cultural anthropologist has been obsessively and inventivelychronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the Times Style Sections. Documenting uptown fixtures (Tom Wolfe, Brooke Astor, David Rockefeller), downtown eccentrics and everyone in between, Cunningham's enormous body of work is more reliable than any catwalk as an expression oftime, place and individual flair. Bill Cunningham in New York is a delicate, funny and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace.

General admission for the film is $9.99 with tickets available online and at the front desk. Admission for students with I.D. is $5.00 with these discounted tickets available only at the front desk. For more information on this film, http://culvercenter.ucr.edu/film/?event-ID=3.2012.0003.0003

Additionally, it will be the closing weekned of the MFA ThesisShow 2012 at UCR Sweeney Art Gallery, which will be on view prior to the reading, http://sweeney.ucr.edu/exhibitions/mfa2012/.

About Juan Felipe Herrera

Herrera, 63, the son of migrant farm workers, holds the Tomás Rivera Chair in Creative Writing at UC Riverside. He joined the UCR faculty in 2005. The award-winning Chicano poet said he was touched by the honor and acknowledged the influence of Tomás Rivera, a noted Chicano author, poet and educator who served as UCR's chancellor from 1979 until his death in 1984.

UCR is "extraordinarily proud of Juan Felipe Herrera, who is not only a poet but an author and writer of children's books," UCR Chancellor Timothy White said. "Herrera is the epitome of living the promise of a California public education. This son of farm laborers was the first in hisfamily to attend college. Today he is a revered, award-winning poet and writer who speaks to the young and the old through his depictions of the lives of ordinary people."

A panel of experts convened by the California Arts Council submits a list of candidates for California Poet Laureate to the governor, who makes the appointment, which is confirmed by the Senate. The position, established in 2001 by the Legislature, is intended to spread the art of poetry from classrooms to boardrooms across the state, and to inspire and educate all Californians about the poets and authors who have influenced the state.

Andrew Winer, chair of the UCR Department of Creative Writing,expressed his delight: "This honor reflects what we have had the privilege of seeing up close ever since he joined our distinguished faculty: namely, this remarkably gifted poet's unique ability to connect--through his art and teaching--with everyone, regardless of their cultural or educational background. Here at UCR, Juan Felipe Herrera is a beloved professor and colleague. Thathe's a highly-acclaimed international figure who was also recently elected to the Board of Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets will never prevent this compassionate and generous teacher from reaching out to students on campus or beyond in the greater community. The diversity, quality, and public visibility of his writing and teaching make him as perfect a fit for UCR and its Department of Creative Writing as he is for the position of Poet Laureate of California. We're all so proud of him."

One of the goals of the poet laureate project is to introduce poetry to students who might otherwise have little exposure to the literaryform. That is a goal dear to Herrera, who, like more than half of UCR students was the first in his family to attend college.

"I did not start out to be a speaker, or a writer or much less, a poet or professor," he recalled in a 2009 speech during the inauguration of UCR Chancellor Timothy P. White. "Quite the contrary, my beginnings were at the margins of society, where promise-stuff is elusive and rarely reaches fruition -- in the fields of California, as a campesino child of farm workers. All I truly owned were simple, humble things -- my father Felipe's tellings -- how in 1899 he jumped a train from Chihuahua, Mexico, at the age of 14, straight to Denver, Colorado, where he would later work tending cattle, farming crops and setting railroads. And I had my mother Lucha's reminiscences of her journey with her eight siblings and mother, a few years after the Mexican Revolution -- crossing into El Paso, Texas, then, after World War II, to San Francisco to work as a 'salad girl' at the St. Francis Hotel. That is all I possessed."

The door of promise opened, he said, when he enrolled at UCLA,where he earned a bachelor's degree in social anthropology in 1972. He went on to earn a master's degree in social anthropology from Stanford University and a master of fine arts from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop).

Herrera has published numerous volumes of poetry, prose, theater, children's books and young adult novels, among them "Half of the World in Light: New and Selected Poems" (University of Arizona, 2008), which received the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, the International Latino Award in poetry, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has been elected to the Board of Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets, and has received the Guggenheim Fellowship in poetry, fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council, and the UCBerkeley Regent's Fellowship. Other honors include the Breadloaf Fellowship in Poetry, the Stanford Chicano Fellows Fellowship, the Ezra Jack Keats Award, the Hungry Mind Award of Distinction and the Focal Award.

Visitor Information

UCR ARTSblock, which includes California Museum of Photography, Culver Center of the Arts, and Sweeney Art Gallery are located at 3824 & 3834 Main St., Riverside, CA 92501. The three venues are openTuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., plus 6-9 p.m. for First Thursday ArtWalks. Admission is $3, which includes entry to all the venues and is free during First Thursday ArtWalks (6-9 p.m.). For film screenings, Culver Center opens 30 minutes prior to the start time. See websites for additional information, http://cmp.ucr.edu, http://culvercenter.ucr.edu, http://sweeney.ucr.edu.

FROM LOMA LINDA- Richard Stergulz, award winning painter, teacher, and this year's judge of the Fine Arts Festival, will give a public demonstration Sunday, May 6, 2:00-4:00 pm at the Loma Linda University Drayson Center. This will be in conjunction with the giving of awards at the Festival reception. The Fine Arts Festival is a shared endeavor of the Loma Linda University and the Loma Linda Cultural Arts Association.
Richard is a 1983 graduate of the American Academy of Art in Chicago. With such training and his natural ability he soon achieved a successful commercial art career. His move to California in 1995 signaled a shift to Fine Art as a profession with an emphasis on figure and portrait painting.
His realistic style owes much to the Russian Impressionists, especially Nickolai Fechin, for their intense brush strokes which evokes passion in their paintings. He also admires John Singer Sargent for his portrait work and Norman Rockwell for his unusual drawing ability.
Richard works in oils and on masonite board. His mastery of portrait and figure painting is apparent, but his work does not stop there. Presently he is doing more plein air painting and enjoys teaching and holding workshops. His classes are well attended with students from San Diego and Riverside Counties.
Galleries in Santa Monica, Idyllwild, and Fallbrook, California, and in Cody, Wyoming exhibit Richard's paintings. He has won numerous awards and is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Art Alliance of Idyllwild, and the Fallbrook Art Association.
For further information please call: (909)796-2300 or (909)793-0105

FROM TEMECULA- Cruisin' Oldies Concerts presents
'Crooners: A Swingin' Salute to Frank Sinatra
and the Legends of Las Vegas!'


Sun. April 29
Old Town Temecula Community Theater
2:00pm

A salute to the legendary crooners of Las Vegas and the cool swingin' sounds of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and the Rat Pack brigade is coming to Old Town in this jazzy swingin' musical journey through the Great American Songbook,

This show highlights the most celebrated singers of the century and the timeless 'standards'
that made them great; from composers like Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin,
Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, to the award-winning 'Tin Pan Alley'
tunesmiths who paved the way from Broadway to Hollywood

"This is not an impersonator or lookalike show, but a swingin' and affectionate salute
to one of the greatest entertainers of our time," says Mark W. Curran, featured vocalist in
the show, "It's a romantic look back at a time when class and style ruled - and Frank and the Rat Pack were Kings!"

Curran is excited about bringing "Crooners" to Old Town Temecula; "'Crooners will take you back to the days when the Rat Pack ruled Vegas, entertainers wore tuxedoes, and when a song, along with a martini and a cigarette, could take you to the top of the world,"

Mark W. Curran will be joined onstage by the Tony Capko Moderne Jazz Ensemble, consisting of Tony Capko on drums, Ric Mandel on piano, and Jon Murry on bass.

To purchase tickets, call the Theater Ticket Office at 1.866.653.8696 or visit: http://www.temeculatheater.org and access the calendar to purchase tickets online. Group Discounts are available.

General Adult: $40.00
Seniors: $38.00
Child/Military/Student: $30.00

FROM SAN BERNARDINO- County Museum exhibit to focus on fashion

A new special exhibit, "The Fabrics of Our Past, 1860s to 1960s," will open at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands on Saturday, April 28, 2012 in the museum's Crossroads in History gallery. The Fab opening night event for The Fabrics of Our Past on Friday, April 27, 2012 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. is open to the public, with advance reservations. Michele Nielsen, curator of history and archives, organized the exhibition, which centers around costumes, accessories, and textiles from the museum's permanent collections. The exhibit is sponsored in part by the Western Textile Center Association.

The opening night party, free for Museum Association members and $10/person for non-members, will include formal and informal modeling and photo opportunities, music, family activities, demonstrations weaving, embroidery, beading, and needlepoint, and exhibit preview and desserts and beverages. Guests are encouraged to "glam it up" by wearing something from their favorite fashion era. Reservations can be made by calling (909) 307-2669 ext. 227 or by e-mailing museum@sbcounty.gov.

Just like today, fashion of the past was dictated in many ways by social and cultural norms, and clothing and textile design from bygone eras reflect these influences. "The Fabrics of Our Past gives visitors a chance to examine clothing and textile artifacts to learn more about the lives of the people who wore them and the world in which they lived," said Michele Nielsen, the museum's curator of history and archives. "Sometimes, subtle details reveal much, allowing us to think about their lives and circumstances in terms we can relate to--our own clothing and accessories."

Part of the focus of The Fabrics of Our Past is on the hand-worked aspects of the artifacts. The ability to sew a seam by hand, to embroider, to create beaded embellishment, to make lace, or to weave a fine cloth that could be used for clothing were valued skills long ago. Today, people enjoy carrying on these traditions, but often it is purely for fun and the chance for artistic expression, not because the skills are needed to be socially acceptable, or to have an occupation, as in the past.

The exhibit sponsor is the Western Textile Center Association, made up of member guilds who keep these historic techniques alive through their work. The guilds include the Inland Empire Handweavers Guild, the American Needlepoint Guild, the Bedazzled Beaders, and the Embroiderer's Guild of America, all dedicated to traditional techniques with a modern approach.

"When you visit the exhibit, examine your own wardrobe and then compare and contrast what you wear with some of the artifacts on exhibit," said Nielsen. "Are you a fashion-forward trendy person? See if you can identify a few trend-setting designs on the clothing and accessories worn in the 1920s. Do you enjoy making an up-cycled fashion statement that goes along with today's green initiatives? Check out the clothing from 1900 to find out more about the Arts and Crafts Movement philosophy that influenced not only architectural and interior design, but clothing design, too."

A series of programs that relate to the Fabrics of Our Past exhibit are scheduled at the museum during the run of the exhibit, which will close in late 2012.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands . The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 5pm. General admission is $8 (adult), $6 (military or senior), $5 (student), and $4 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services' telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.

FROM RIVERSIDE- UCR California Museum of Photography

Spring 2012 Exhibitions

Roots Against the Sky: Photographs by

David Whitmire Hearst Jr.

May 5-July 14, 2012

PASOS: Video Installations by Marsia Alexander-Clarke

April 28-June 30, 2012

Reception, Saturday, May 19, 6-9 p.m., Free admission

Ethan Turpin: Stereocollision

Continues through June 30, 2012

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UCR California Museum of Photography presents two new solo exhibitions that explore landscape in both photographs by David Whitmire Hearst Jr. andvideo installations by Marsia Alexander-Clarke, and continues a third, current exhibition by Ethan Turpin that was inspired by his work with the CMP's Keystone-Mast stereographic collection.

Roots Against the Sky is a project about the landscape. The sections in the exhibition correspond to motifs in a musical composition or stanzas in a poem. This poem is built around David Whitmire Hearst Jr.'s examination of the fabric, mesh, curtain and lattice the tree delineates in the landscape. Thetree is thicket, trunk, branches, leaves, and roots against the sky. The tree is both a presence in the landscape and a marker of human perception. The tree is the loom on which both meaning and image are woven.

Part collector, part engineer, part artist, Hearst follows in the footsteps of almost two centuries of American photographers who haveused the landscape as the essential subject, object, and platform for rigorous and conscious experimentation in aesthetic values, pictorial styles, and technological principles. As Hearst began to assemble his camera collection, he would acquire cameras not only as historical examples but also as instruments to test and use. His first concern is seeing the photograph produced and comparing and assessing how each camera and lens combination records and transforms the world. Photographs are made to see how a picture might look,rather than with the intension of reproducing reality. Hearst is interested in the signature and personality of the instrument at hand. What began for Hearst as evaluative testing has now turned into active participation in the creative act of photographing. Hearst explores the image produced by the camera and its receptiveness to further modulation by the computer. Responding to the rhythms of his own vision, proceeding spontaneously and instinctively by eye, he then refines the camera's image to suit his taste. His goal is first to see what the camera saw, and secondly to use the camera's rendition as the basic condition for an altogether new object. He understands intuitively that the photographer's challenge is to use the world spread out before the camera as the source of an image, but not to be so seduced by that world that the descriptive imperatives of the optical, mechanical, and digital processes become incidental to its recording.

Organized by UCR California Museum of Photography, and curated by Jonathan Green, Executive Director, UCR ARTSblock. The exhibition is accompanied by a 96-page catalog.

++++

PASOS: Video Installations by Marsia Alexander-Clarke is a solo exhibition that features a series of video works and digital prints on stretched canvas that are based on recorded imagery in Alexander-Clarke's garden. The images are made abstract via small cropped cells of recorded video material which Alexander-Clarke calls "marks" in loose reference to the mark in drawing and painting. She is interested in developing silent video pieces similar to notated musical compositions with the use of small fragments of recorded video material.

These marks are imbedded with a fleeting reference to nature yet present a deliberate suspension from expectation thereby creating a sense of tension between what is seen and not seen. The linear or rectangular marks are geometrical forms full of texture, color, movement and light. The videoscreen is used as a dark ground upon which the marks function interactively, developing varied relationships as they move and change through time. The emphasis in these compositions is a focus on the interaction of the tension or harmony created by the marks' internal texture and movement, on the marks' placement, varying durations, and repetition, and on the marks' dynamic relationship to the "negative" space of the rectangular screen. In essence, she is interested in creating complex compositions through the least means and building an atmosphere of attention to a totally visual experience.

Marsia Alexander-Clarke is a video installation artist with a background in painting and sculpture. After extensive studies in painting in New York City in the 1960's she moved to California where she received an MFA from Claremont Graduate School in 1974. At this time her two-dimensional work became three dimensional. In the late 1980's Alexander-Clarke attended video art and poetry workshops taught by Nancy Buchanan, and was an active participant in Studio X productions at the Pasadena Community Access Corporation in Pasadena, California. In 2001, she received an Individual Artist Grant from the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division and the Pasadena Arts Commission. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. http://videoasmark.com/Marsia_Alexander-Clarke/home.html

Organized by UCR California Museum of Photography, and curated by Tyler Stallings, Artistic Director, UCR Culver Center of the Arts & Director, Sweeney Art Gallery. A reception for the artist at CMP will be held on Saturday, May 19, 6-9 p.m., which will be concurrent with the reception for the Senior Show 2012 next door at UCR Culver Center of the Arts/Sweeney Art Gallery.

++++

Ethan Turpin: Stereocollision is a series of digitally-recomposed historical images drawn from the California Museum of Photography's Keystone-Mast Collection, the world's largest stereoscopic photography archive. In his first solo museum exhibition, Ethan Turpin creates new narratives from the historic photographs steeped in twenty-first century meaning. Collecting elements from historic photographs which were originally intended as documentary and educational, he digitally recomposes them to create fantastical images with a sly sense of humor and a strong sense of the cause-and-effectrelationships between nineteenth and twentieth century practices and contemporary social, cultural, spiritual, and ecological issues.

Stereoscopic photographs, which allowed viewers to see the world three-dimensionally by looking at images through a special viewer, were at their peak of popularity during the Second Industrial Revolution in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Keystone View Company, the largest of the stereoscopic photography companies, dispatched door-to-door salesmen throughout the U.S. to sell stereo photographs mounted on thick cardstock, espousing their significance as an educational tool and a way to see the world from one's own living room. Millions were sold.

In re-appropriating imagery and combining scenes, Turpin creates new narratives from the historic photographs steeped in twenty-first century meaning. In his original Stereocollision series, "Global Curiosity," Turpin unflinchingly combines images and text from disparate stereo cards in the Keystone View Company's "Tour of the World" set. In "The Gilded Garden," Turpin considers the twenty-first century consequences of the industrial growth from the Second Industrial Revolution in images that address changing civilization and ecological instability. Where Keystone's world tour was attempting to educate and entertain (within rather imperialistic parameters), Turpin'scontemporary stereo cards draw attention to cultural haves and have-nots, making biting social and political commentary while creating surrealistically believable imagery. Special for this exhibition, Turpin installed a series of new stereoscopic images in the museum's 1905 Cail-o-Scope nickel-operated viewer, allowing his work to mix the old and the new seamlessly.

Complementing Turpin's work are images selected from the Keystone-Mast Collection. These photographs range from straightforward historical documents to the images of foreign cultures Keystone promoted aseducational (but to the modern viewer may sometimes seem discomfiting). These photographs illustrate some of the material that influences Turpin's work and help to further demonstrate the ways in which his work transcends linear time to compress history and culture in new ways. Although seemingly direct and unambiguous, some of the Keystone images are as surreal and strange as they newly created ones created by Turpin.

Ethan Turpin's mixed media, photography, video, print, and site-specific installation works haveshown at Edward Cella Art and Architecture, Kala Art Institute, The Elverhoj Museum, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Perch Art Studio/Gallery, Robert Tat Gallery, Atkinson Gallery, and Krowswork Gallery. The 2010 Visions From The New California Award was granted to Turpin for his work with historical stereo photography. He received a BFA in 1997 from the Kansas City Art Institute. In 2000, he founded Bright Eye Cinema to create documentaries, promotional content, and video environments. For more information on Turpin's process for a creating "Stereocollision" see the video section of the artist's website: http://ethanturpin.com.

Ethan Turpin: Stereocollision has been organized by UCR California Museum of Photography, and curated by Leigh Gleason, Curator of Collections, UCR California Museum of Photography.

Concurrent Exhibitions at UCR Culver Center of the Arts & Sweeney Art Gallery

2012 MFA Thesis Exhibition

Through May 5, 2012

2012 Senior Show

May 19-June 2, 2012

Reception date: Saturday, May 19, 6-9 PM, in conjunctionwith the CMP reception for Marsia Alexander-Clarke

UCR's Department of Art Master of Fine Arts program graduates exhibit work in this annual exhibition, which features this year the work of Zachary Leener, Ryan Perez, and Matthew Shain. The Senior Show, featuring works by over twenty graduating undergraduate seniors follows the MFA Thesis exhibition. They will join a select company of graduates from art departments and private art schools inSouthern California, a region that has become known for transforming its artists into major players on the international art scene. Among the Art Department's distinguished faculty are John Divola, Jill Giegerich, Jim Isermann, Brandon Lattu, Charles Long, Erika Suderburg, and Amir Zaki.

Visitor Information and Press Inquiries

UCR ARTSblock, which includes California Museum of Photography, Culver Center of the Arts, and Sweeney Art Gallery are located at 3824 & 3834 Main St., Riverside, CA 92501. The three venues are open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., plus 6-9 p.m. for First Thursday ArtWalks. Admission is $3, which includes entry to all the venues and is free during First Thursday ArtWalks (6-9 p.m.). For film screenings, Culver Center opens 30 minutes prior to the start time. See websites for additional information, http://cmp.ucr.edu, http://culvercenter.ucr.edu, http://sweeney.ucr.edu.

FROM TEMECULA- Greetings, Jazz lovers and Friends!

Thanks for selling out the Merc again last week! Bruce Lett, Ramon Banda and Nick Mancini had a great time - so did we! They were especially appreciative of the audience, so give yourselves a hand!!!!

I'm so proud and excited to bring you the Carl Saunders Quartet. Carl is one of the best trumpet players around today. He will be bringing along with an equally gifted group of colleagues -- Christian Jacob on piano, Kenny Wild on bass, and Santo Savino on drums. I've worked with Carl and experienced his virtuosity first hand. Don't miss this!

Thursday, April 26
7:30 p.m.

Jazz at The Merc

presents

Carl Saunders Quartet with Christian Jacob, Kenny Wild and Santo Savino

Description: http://carlsaunders.com/images_photo/dc_thumb.jpg

Hear Carl Saunders and read more about his schedule at http://carlsaunders.com/home.htm

Carl Saunders - Jazz listeners living in the Los Angeles area and musicians worldwide have long known that Carl Saunders is one of the great trumpet players around today. Now with the release of five remarkable recordings (Out Of The Blue, Eclecticism, Bebop Big Band, Can You Dig Being Dug and The Lost Bill Holman Charts) Saunders' musical talents can be heard and enjoyed by a much wider audience.

Carl Saunders was born on Aug. 2, 1942, in Indianapolis, Indiana and his first five years were mostly spent on the road. His uncle was trumpeter-bandleader Bobby Sherwood. Saunders' mother Gail (Bobby's sister) sang for the Sherwood Orchestra and Stan Kenton, among others. When Carl was five, he and his mother settled in Los Angeles; living with Carl's aunt Caroline and her husband, tenor-saxophonist Dave Pell. At the time, Saunders heard the records of the Dave Pell Octet and was influenced by the style and phrasing of trumpeter Don Fagerquist.

Saunders began playing trumpet in the seventh grade and he quickly found that he had a natural ability, mostly learning to play by ear and never having any lessons. Saunders auditioned for Kenton's band and was given a choice: wait for the first opening in the trumpet section or join the band the following week as a member of the mellophonium section. He chose the latter and spent much of 1961-62 on the road with Stan Kenton.

After spending part of 1962-63 traveling with Bobby Sherwood's group (playing drums), Carl settled back in Las Vegas where during the next 20 years he played with a countless number of show bands, including lead trumpet with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, and Frank Sinatra. Saunders also traveled as a lead player with Paul Anka and Robert Goulet and with such bandleaders as Si Zentner, Harry James, Maynard Ferguson, Benny Goodman and Charlie Barnet. In 1978 he also played drums one night in Las Vegas with Harry James and his band when Sonny Payne missed his plane and couldn't get to the gig.

In 1984, Carl Saunders moved to Los Angeles where he was soon playing lead trumpet with Bill Holman's Orchestra, a position he still holds. Saunders has also worked with John Williams and the big bands of Bob Florence, Johnny Mandel, Gerald Wilson, and the Phil Norman Tentet. In 1994, he became a member of the Dave Pell Octet (in Don Fagerquist's old chair.) In addition, he is often heard at the head of his own groups including the Carl Saunders Be Bop Big Band, his sextet and a quartet.

Each of Saunders' CDs is a gem while being quite different from each other. Out Of The Blue has the trumpeter showcased in quartet and sextet settings. His warm tone and long melodic lines are featured on such numbers as a miraculous version of Chopin's "Minute Waltz." Eclecticism has Saunders joined by 25 strings and three French horns, and he overdubs sections with five trumpets. Many of his favorite arrangers (including Bill Holman, Bob Florence and Clare Fischer) contributed charts. Bebop Big Band is most notable for the high musicianship of the band, the colorful originals, the hard swinging, and the arrangements of the late Herbie Phillips. Can You Dig Being Dug is Carl's first "live" recording, recorded at Charlie O's jazz club, and features Carl with Christian Jacob, Dave Stone, and Santo Savino. The Lost Bill Holman Charts is a dazzling array of Holman's arrangements for trumpet, tenor, trombone, baritone and rhythm that feature some of the principal players from the Holman big Band--Pete Christlieb, Andy Martin,Bob Efford, and the same rhythm section as the Be Bop Big Band--Christian Jacob, Kevin Axt and Santo Savino. Sam Most is featured on baritone and flute solos.

Carl Saunders, who has inspired students and kids all over the world conducting clinics says that he gets inspiration from them because they share his energetic dedication and passion towards the creation of beautiful music. Asked to define jazz, Carl says, "It's a combination of intellectual funk and hypnotic swinging". His five recordings show that not only is he a prolific composer but he is one of the finest jazz trumpeters of the 21st century.

Christian Jacob - Jacob was born in Lorraine, France on May 8, 1958. A pianist by age 4, he was immersed in study of the French classics. Something of a prodigy, Christian had perfect pitch and natural talent. He did not discover jazz until age 10, but when he did, its improvised nature appealed to him immediately. Early influences were Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson. As a teen, Jacob studied under Pierre Sancan at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris.[1] Later, he would teach piano at the Conservatoire National de Region in Metz.

In the early 80s, Jacob entered Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and won many awards as a student, including the Joe Zawinul Jazz Masters Award, Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award, and Downbeat Magazine "Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist" before graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1985. Jacob then took a teaching position at Berklee.

Jacob left Boston to tour with vibist Gary Burton in the late 80s and then with Maynard Ferguson through 1992. Christian served as performer, writer, and arranger with Ferguson's band. This led to Ferguson producing Jacob's first piano trio record, featuring John Patitucci and Peter Erskine. Sidemen for his follow-up trio project "Time Lines" were Steve Swallow and Adam Nussbaum. Jacob developed material with a third trio featuring Miroslav Vitouš and Bill Stewart.

Jacob has extensive credits as a sideman, including Flora Purim, Terje Gewelt, Carl Saunders, Tom Garling, and others, but his most visible association has been as music director and pianist for Telarc recording artist Tierney Sutton. As well as performing and recording with Sutton, Jacob with bassist Trey Henry and drummer Ray Brinker perform as the Christian Jacob Trio, and recorded a live album on tour in Japan in 2007.
Kenny Wild - Born in New York City in 1951 Kenny was a member of a military family which traveled extensively in his early years. He learned clarinet in grade school, then switched to saxophone in high school. The family settled in Hawaii in 1965 where he began playing bass in a trio with Dave Wile around 1966. He attended the University of Hawaii from 1970-1972, studying bass with Armand Russel but he left before graduating to go on the road with Seawind. He has performed with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr, Steve Lawrence and Edyie Gorme, Barbara McNair and others. Wild was a founding member of the band Seawind in 1972 and opened for Herbie Hancock, Herbie Mann, George Benson and many others. Seawind moved to LA in 1976 and began recording for CTI records with noted drummer Harvey Mason as producer Later records were released on A&M records; their last record was produced by George Duke.
Ken became a very active studio musician starting in 1976 working in TV, film, and records; he was also a member of Natalie Cole's touring band 2002-04. His active schedule continues today.

Santo Savino - Savino began "playing drums" at age two in Buffalo, New York, wielding his aunt's clothes-pins in place of drumsticks! While still in kindergarten, he was already displaying both a fervent passion and a budding talent for the drums. At age twelve, he landed his first professional job and his career has since been interrupted only by a four-year stint with the US Air Force Band.
Santo has performed internationally with such great talents as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Michelle Le Grand, Billy Ecstein, Sarah Vaughn, Mickey Rooney, Nancy Wilson, Tom Jones, Vic Damone, Paul Anka, Juliet Prowse, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Danny Thomas, Donald O'Connor, Frank Gorshin, Jerry Van Dyke, George Gobel and Rodney Dangerfield. He has toured with Mr. Goulet in concert and in National tours of South Pacific, The Fantasticks and Camelot. His unique flair and exciting style contribute to the excellence of Robert Goulet's concert appearances around the world. Santo plays often with Carl Saunders in Los Angeles.

Tickets: $15

Jazz at The Merc
42051 Main Street, Temecula, CA 92590
1.866.OLD.TOWN or 951.308.6377
http://www.TemeculaTheater.org

Lake Elsinore, CA- On May 2, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) and Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) will collaborate for the fourth year of the Water Wonders competition. This event celebrates the artistic talents of MSJC students and provides EVMWD with a permanent collection of artwork and photography for display at various locations around its district office.

The reception, held at the EVMWD Headquarters located at 31315 Chaney Street in Lake Elsinore, will highlight the creativity of advanced MSJC Photography and Painting Students through the theme of water. In the painting portion of the competition, students are provided canvases of varying sizes and asked to interpret the idea of water through painting. Under the instruction of MSJC instructor Keith Hanz, the contest's photography participants document various district facilities and local bodies of water.

"It is a district highlight and an honor to have the opportunity to display the talents of these budding artists," said Ron Young, General Manager of EVMWD, "These students can turn the simplest of objects into amazing and beautiful pieces of art."

The public is welcome to attend this unique competition and view the art on display from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on May 2. The awards will be given at 7:30 p.m.

Water Wonders is made possible through the support of the following sponsors: Ajit/MWH, Packard Government Affairs, Best Best & Krieger, RBF Consulting, Dudek, SAIC, Atkins, S.S. Mechanical, The KWC Companies, Inc., Leighton Consulting, Aaron Brothers, and Metalography.

For more information, visit www.evmwd.net or call (951) 674-3146 x8224.

FROM RIVERSIDE- Promising Young Artist Festival and Competition

MAY 6, 2012 | LA SIERRA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

HOLE MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM

The La Sierra University Department of Music invites all high school juniors and seniors (or equivalent home-school students) to participate in the Promising Young Artist Competition and Festival. Both instrumentalists and singers are invited to apply.

The first-place winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 scholarship to attend La Sierra University, and a $500 cash prize, and a chance to perform their winning piece at one of the University's Spring Concerts.

The second-place winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship to attend La Sierra University, and a $350 cash prize.

The third-place winner will receive a $1000 scholarship to attend La Sierra University, and a $150 cash prize.

All participants of the festival will receive a voucher for a complimentary lesson with our music faculty for a later date.

Participants will have the opportunity to work with the La Sierra University faculty through masterclasses/lessons in the morning. The adjudicated recital program will begin after lunch. The award ceremony will follow. Lunch and dinner will be included for festival participants only. The recital is open to the public.

APPLICATIONS/QUALIFICATIONS

Student must be a high school junior or senior (or equivalent home-school students). Juniors qualify for third prize only, but can participate again in their senior year.
Student must provide their accompanist; in extenuating circumstances the university may provide an accompanist if arrangements are made in advance.
Student must provide an original copy of his/her piece and three additional copies for adjudicators.
Student must submit a letter of recommendation from his/her music instructor.
Student must submit competition repertoire, including exact details of titles and individual movements, the duration of each work or of each separate movement no later than APRIL 25, 2012. It is suggested that the student choose two contrasting works that display lyric and technical ability or one large work that contains both.
Total length of audition not to exceed 15 minutes.
$50 registration fee must be received no later than April 25, 2012. Checks can be made out to:
Department of Music 4500 Riverwalk Parkway Riverside, CA 92505 - please write "Promising Young Artist" on the memo line

Incomplete applications will not be accepted

EXPECTATIONS

The top 3 prize-winners must abide by the following stipulations in order to fully redeem the amount/scholarship:

Student must be enrolled in at least ONE major ensemble and ONE chamber group each quarter.
Student must maintain a 3.2 GPA each quarter (must provide proof of GPA to the music dept. each quarter).
Student must take a minimum of 14 units each quarter.
Student must maintain good academic and citizenship standing.

Failure to abide by the agreed stipulations may lead to loss of their scholarship.

For further information, please contact the Department of Music by email, music@lasierra.edu, or call the office at 951-785-2036.
COMPETITION & FESTIVAL APPLICATION

Please click the below form and fill out the application online:

APPLICATION

Please email Lrazzouk@lasierra.edu if you are having any problems with the online application.

Applications are due no later than Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

More info at www.lasierra.edu

FROM RIVERSIDE- Zoë Keating
"Swoon-inducing. Like taking a triple-shot of Absinthe before stepping outside of the bar just in time to see the sun exploding." - San Francisco Weekly....

Armed with just her cello and a small box of electronics, Zoë Keating is a one-woman orchestra. In live time, she records layer upon layer of cello, her feet dancing over an array of pedals to transform her solo performances into lush and beautiful multipart works. Increasingly a role model for do-it-yourself artists, Zoë's self-released albums have sold over 35, 000 copies and she has amassed an incredible 1.3 million twitter followers. As a cellist and arranger, Zoë has worked with a wide range of artists including Imogen Heap, Mark Isham, Curt Smith, Amanda Palmer, DJ Shadow, Pomplamoose and Paolo Nutini. From 2002 to 2006 she was a member of the cello-rock trio Rasputina. Zoë is a recipient of a 2009 performing arts grant from the Creative Capital foundation. Her new self-released album, "Into The Trees" (2010), spent 14 weeks on the Billboard classical charts.

When: Friday, April 27, 2012
Time: 8 p.m.
Where: Culver Center of the Arts

Price: Free