News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California
Come out and join us for a day of school supply giveaways, community unity with music and dance. Resource operations will also share information.
Sunday, August 6, 2023 3 – 6 p.m.
Contra Costa Event Park (fairgrounds) at 1201 W. 10th Street in Antioch
To reserve your free school supplies, please contact B.C.C. Ministries at (925) 350-0188 or bcc1781 @gmail.com.
Come watch Annie, Jr., the exciting musical based on the popular Tony-winning musical Annie. Follow the journey of a young orphan, Annie as she determines to find her parents!
This exciting show, free to the public, features Antioch scholars from Kindergarten through 12th grade, mounting the stage in dance, song and theater performances.
With over 18 years of experience with providing impactful youth services programs throughout Northern California, Pittsburg-based Aspire Youth Engagement Programs, Inc. continue to excel as leaders in the industry, keeping our pulse to the ever-changing needs of today’s youth, while creating relevant and fresh programs that make a difference. Aspire Programs among others include:
OUR MISSION
Aspire Youth Engagement Programs are designed to help Kinder – 12th grade scholars discover and develop their true potential focusing on key areas of growth – academically, emotionally and through leadership development – to become their best within the community.
THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
The performing arts are intrinsically valuable for the beauty and fulfillment they bring, but researchers have observed that it also brings other benefits such as Empathy, Academic Performance, and Self Esteem. Performing onstage is frightening for newcomers, which is why students feel an immense confidence boost after they practice hard, work together, and successfully stage a play for friends, the community and family. The kids in our programs practice teamwork, gain confidence, learn leadership and build a skill set not only for a theater stage, but for the real world.
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DOORS OPEN: 6:30PM SHOW: 7:00PM
Tickets: $35 General Admission. $69 Premier Seating & Early Entry at 6:00 p.m. – available at THE CURTIS FAMILY C-NOTES – 2023-05-14 – – Yoshi’s – Oakland CA (yoshis.com)
As seen on TV, television commercials and shows like, America’s Got Talent, known to the world as The Curtis Family C-notes, a family band, where music is more than just a family affair, it’s a way of life, with the mother, father, and their five children (Mama C, Papa C, Zahara, Nile, Isis, Kiki and Phoenix). Papa C aka Maestro Curtis, a seasoned veteran in the music industry has produced and performed with icons like Maurice White (Earth, Wind and Fire), played with the Count Basie and Duke Ellington orchestra, to name a few. His wife, Nola Curtis aka Mama C, a seasoned performer in her own right, has made her mark as a vocalist and professional figure skater. Along with their five children have become known as a multitalented gifted band of seven.
The family recently released their debut album, “Awaken”, that was submitted in the first round of voting to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) by Grammy music director, Larry Batiste, for consideration for Best R&B album of the year. The San Francisco Standard sponsored their CD release party, where Mayor London Breed, community leaders, music industry legends like Lenny Williams of Tower of Power and others were in attendance, in fact, the Mayor MC’ed the introduction of the family that night.
Source: YouTube video screenshot
The Curtis Family members are committed community activists who focus on helping seniors, youth and the homeless. The Family has performed for the Golden State Warriors, the San Francisco Giants, America’s Got Talent and for political leaders and dignitaries from around the world. The Curtis Family has the distinction of being dubbed “The San Francisco/Bay Area First Family of Song”. The band was sought out by one of the biggest retail giants in the country, JCPenney, to make a 2021 Christmas Holiday commercial which aired for weeks, both nationally and internationally singing “Joy, Comfort and Peace”. At present the family is being vetted for their own television sitcom by major network and film producers. (See video slide show of some of their work)
Maestro Curtis PhD, and his wife Nola are proud faculty members of the San Francisco Community Music Center where all 5 of their children are also students; they all take pride in being a part of an institution that ensures high quality music education that is accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, regardless of financial means. (www.sfcmc.org mission statement excerpt)
For more information on this family and its members: www.thecurtisfamilycnotes.com
Yoshi’s is located at 510 Embarcadero West in Oakland. For more information visit www.yoshis.com or call (510) 238-9200
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On May 21, conductor and music director Geoffrey Gallegos and the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra will reprise a rousing concert following a late-February postponement due to a certain well-known virus. Unwilling to deprive concert-goers of such an enchanting and enriching musical experience, the orchestra offers an encore well worth the twelve-week wait.
The first discovery on the program is a spirited piece entitled Anniversary Overture by the accomplished composer Anthony Doherty, who is an Antioch resident. Doherty’s numerous compositions have been performed around the world and include two notable commissions by Bay Area orchestras.
Also on the program is Max Bruch’s opulently romantic and light-hearted Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra. This rarely performed composition will be a new discovery for some listeners and a revival for others.
The concert will close with Howard Hanson’s lyrical and uplifting Symphony No. 2, also called “Romantic.” Since its premiere in 1930, this work has been performed many times in traditional orchestral settings and then rediscovered, revived, and reconfigured as part of the soundtracks for the films Alien, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Boss Baby.
Sunday, May 21, 4:00 pm, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 66 St. Stephen’s Drive, Orinda
Tickets: ContraCostaChamberOrchestra.org or at the door (Adults, $20; Seniors, $15; Students, $7)
Source: CC Chamber Orchestra
The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra is comprised of volunteer musicians ranging in age from teens through octogenarians. Among them are a scientist, lawyer, x-ray technician, engineer, plumber, CPA, physicist, and a graphic designer, as well as sales representatives, students, homemakers, teachers, and artists.
The orchestra’s mission is to provide multigenerational avocational musicians opportunities for lifelong learning, collaboration, and enjoyment while providing high-caliber, affordable entertainment and enrichment to their communities.
Formed in the late 1970s, the orchestra has established a robust presence in the county. The group plays familiar as well as uncommon musical works, often featuring a professional soloist. In addition to performing at the historic El Campanil Theatre in Antioch, the orchestra also plays at the gorgeously remodeled St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Orinda and at special events for residents in Rossmoor. The group also performs annually in a sing-along of Handel’s Messiah at various locations in the county.
The organization is a 501(3)c non-profit and is entirely financially reliant on ticket sales, grants, and contributions from players and audience members. To make a donation, go to www.ContraCostaChamberOrchestra.org/support.
About Geoffrey Gallegos
A San Francisco native and sixth generation Californian, Geoffrey Gallegos has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area music community for over 30 years. From 1985 to 1990, Maestro Gallegos served as Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Chamber Players Orchestra. In 1991 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and continued in that capacity until 1993. He resumed his association with the SFCO from 2000 – ‘06 as Principal Guest Conductor. In 2003, he was engaged as Assistant Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra (N. CA) and served in that position until 2008. It was also in 2003 that Maestro Gallegos made his debut with Golden Gate Opera in San Francisco conducting I Pagliacci and was subsequently invited to become Music Director and Principal Conductor. During this tenure he conducted the majority of GGO productions including Gianni Schicchi, The Telephone, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Suor Angelica, Hansel and Gretel and the world premiere production of Lincoln & Booth. In 2004, following an extensive search, Maestro Gallegos was invited to become Music Director and Conductor of the Kensington (CA) Symphony Orchestra, only the third in the Orchestra’s 44 year history, a position he holds currently. In 2015, following a year long search, Maestro Gallegos was engaged to become Music Director and Conductor of West County Winds, a symphonic wind and percussion ensemble in residence at Contra Costa Community College and serving West Contra Costa County. He was invited to guest conduct the opening of the 49th season of the Diablo Symphony Orchestra (CA) and has also guest conducted numerous ensembles throughout the Bay Area, US and in Europe.
Maestro Gallegos has a deep commitment to music education. In 2001, he was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Golden Gate Philharmonic, an all-city string youth orchestra in San Francisco that offers an integrated program of orchestral and chamber music performance as well as music theory. More recently, he has assumed the new titles of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor and Acting Executive Director of the GGP. From 2001-2010, he also participated in the Artist in Residence program at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (S.O.T.A.) where he served as guest conductor of the orchestra and wind ensembles, and taught music theory and sight singing. During the 2000-01 academic year, Maestro Gallegos was appointed Conductor of the San Francisco State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In the summer of 2002 he was invited as a Guest Conductor of the Orchestra at Cazadero Music Camp and was reengaged for the 2004 summer session. From 2007-2010, Maestro Gallegos served as Instrumental Music Coordinator and Liaison at The Nueva School in Hillsborough where, among many duties, he oversaw the prestigious Menuhin/Dowling instrumental music program and organized and managed the Menuhin/Dowling Competition for Young Musicians. Maestro Gallegos has served as an adjudicator for numerous youth competitions, masterclasses and workshops throughout the Bay Area, and was invited to participate as a jury member for the 2014 annual Parade of Orchestras Festival held in Honolulu.
Maestro Gallegos studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory School and San Francisco State University, completing, with honors, a Bachelor of Music degree in Instrumental Education and Conducting. Advanced studies in orchestral and operatic conducting continued at the University of Iowa School of Music, where he received a Master of Arts degree with High Distinction and served as Conductor of the University Chamber Orchestra. Four times he was awarded fellowships, chosen from a large international pool of applicants, to the prestigious Conductors Institute held at West Virginia University and the University of South Carolina. In 1991, Maestro Gallegos was nominated for the Annual Conductor’s Guild Thelma A. Robinson award. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Music Center in San Francisco where he began his music lessons on the trumpet at the age of nine. He currently resides in San Francisco with his wife Julie.
The City of Lafayette’s Public Art Committee has selected “Every Day is Memorial Day,” a collection of nine black and white photographs of the Lafayette Crosses by East Bay photographer Jeff Heyman, for an exhibit at the Lafayette Library’s Public Art Gallery through summer.
“Every Day is Memorial Day” focuses on the somber experience of walking among the Lafayette Crosses, or Lafayette Hillside Memorial, and contemplating the lives lost during war. Heyman found inspiration for the photographs from his own experience in war zones while he served with United Nations Peacekeeping.
The exhibit runs May 4 through August 30, 2023. There will be an opening reception and artist’s talk Monday, May 22, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., prior to the Lafayette City Council Meeting. The Public Art Gallery exhibit is on display in the Don Tatzin Community Hall at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, Calif. For hours, please call the library at 925-385-2280.
First taking photography classes at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif., Heyman went on to earn a degree from San Francisco State University in Fine Art Photography. He studied under the photographers Catherine Wagner, Don Worth, Jack Welpott and Melanie Walker, and painters Paul Pratchenko and Robert Bechtle. “Every Day is Memorial Day” is Heyman’s third solo exhibit. See his photos here: https://heymanfoto.smugmug.com/Exhibits/Jeff-Heyman-LLLC-Memorial-Day-Exhibit/
“These photographs of the Lafayette Crosses really capture for me the feeling of forgotten wars and vanished lives,” Heyman said. “We should never forget war and those we have lost – in a very real way every day is Memorial Day.”
To view more of Heyman’s work visit his website at heymanfoto.smugmug.com or on Instagram @heymanfoto.
The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra will perform Brits & Brahms on Saturday, April 15 at 2 pm at the historic El Campanil Theatre in Antioch’s Rivertown. The concert offers a timely message of hope through a captivating three-part musical experience. The orchestra will perform spectacular pieces that explore humanity’s astounding ability to thrive despite hard times.
Tickets can be purchased at ElCampanilTheatre.com or at the door (Adults $20, Seniors $15, Students $7).
The theater is located at 602 W. 2nd Street.
By Kristi Jourdan, Office of Communications & Media
What is the future of Contra Costa County’s arts and cultural landscape? As part of the County’s efforts to develop an Arts and Culture Strategic Plan, a survey will be available to residents during the month of April to gather community feedback.
The County has contracted with Arts Orange County as Project Manager to lead the arts and culture planning process. The goal is to guide an arts and cultural planning effort through an inclusive community engagement process that recognizes and respects the geographic and demographic diversity of the County. The process also includes an inventory of the County’s arts and cultural assets, including organizations, venues, and public art.
The survey will be open until April 30, 2023. To participate, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSMSL2B
A Spanish language version of the survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJHCQDH
¿Cuál es el futuro del panorama artístico y cultural del Condado de Contra Costa? Como parte de los esfuerzos del Condado para desarrollar un Plan Estratégico de Arte y Cultura, una encuesta estará disponible para los residentes durante el mes de Abril para recopilar comentarios de la comunidad.
El Condado ha contratado a Arts Orange County como Gerente de Proyecto para dirigir el proceso de planificación de las artes y la cultura. El objetivo es guiar un esfuerzo de planificación artística y cultural a través de un proceso inclusivo de participación comunitaria que reconozca y respete la diversidad geográfica y demográfica del Condado. El proceso también incluyeun inventario de los bienes artísticos y culturales del Condado, incluidas organizaciones, lugares y arte público.
La encuesta estará abierta hasta el 30 de Abril de 2023. Para participar, visite www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSMSL2B Una versión en Español de la encuesta está disponible en www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJHCQDH