Arts Archive

Laguna Beach Music Festival captivates audiences in opening show, concerts continue through the weekend

The 2019 Laguna Beach Music Festival kicked off on Wednesday, Feb 6 at Laguna Art Museum with a captivating opening performance by Festival Director and Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang, accompanied by multimedia artist Tripp Derrick Barnes, who created a masterpiece to Yang’s performance.

The remaining concerts, sponsored by Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society, will feature Festival Artistic Director and Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang, Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Conrad Tao, and Grammy-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Drew A. Kelley

Audiences were captivated by Wednesday’s opening event

The world-renowned Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Peter Jay Sharp Prize winner cellist Efe Baltacigil, and violinist/violist Yura Lee, who was the only first prizewinner across four categories at the prestigious ARD Competition in Germany, will also be performing at the festival.

Remaining events include this morning’s talk at Susi Q by cellist Efe Balticigil at 10 a.m. at the Susi Q. Space is limited.

Tonight’s Opening Night Concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse and features Joyce Yang and cellist Efe Baltacigil in a program of dance-inspired musical works. The second half features Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in “Dream Play,” a work by acclaimed choreographer Fernando Melo. (This performance is co-presented and in collaboration with Laguna Dance Festival.)

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Drew A. Kelley

Festival Director Joyce Yang is a Grammy-nominated pianist

“When I went to the Joyce Theater and saw the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet dance for the first time, I knew I had found my partners for this project. They danced to three genres of music and I was astounded by their versatility – excelling in both classical ballet and modern dance,” said Yang.

“The things that…the dancers found interesting about the music were sometimes things that I had never considered. Musicians tend to get stuck on the literal interpretation of the score, but [they] did an amazing job of interpreting the energy and mood of the music,” she continued. “Together, we tried to find the right balance between music and movement – building on a constantly changing landscape.”

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by KT Kim

Festival Director Joyce Yang presents her collaboration with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at tonight’s Opening Night Concert

On Saturday, Feb 9 at 8 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse, Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich and Yang showcase dance-inspired pieces from various cultures influenced by tango, jazz, and folk melodies, in a duo recital built around André Previn’s “Tango, Song, and Dance.”

The Laguna Beach Music Festival ends on Sunday, Feb 10 at 3 p.m. with a Finale Concert: Romantic Masterworks at the Laguna Playhouse. The Festival culminates in a passionate musical exploration of romance-themed masterworks by Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev. In this pre-Valentine’s Day concert, violinist/violist Yura Lee, pianist Conrad Tao, and cellist Efe Baltacigil join Joyce Yang.

For tickets to this weekend’s Laguna Beach Music Festival concerts, go to https://philharmonicsociety.org/LBMF.

Live! at the Museum presents harpists Duo Gliss in Valentine’s Day concert

On Thursday, Feb 14 at 7 p.m., Live! at the Museum is proud to feature harpists Duo Gliss for a special Valentine’s Day concert. Live! at the Museum, a special collaboration between Laguna Beach Live! and Laguna Art Museum, takes place the second Thursday of each month from 7 - 8 p.m. The concert is free to museum members and to non-members with museum admission.

Click on photo for a larger image

Submitted photo

Duo Gliss will be performing at LAM on Valentine’s Day

Two professional harpists, Hee Jin Yoon and Ko Ni Choi, founded Duo Gliss. Both are very active as multi-faceted classical performers and teachers, having performed with numerous groups including the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Duo Gliss focuses on expanding harp music and educating young musicians. In Fall 2016, they founded Los Angeles Youth Harp Ensemble (LYHE) where they coach and train young talented harpists in the Greater Los Angeles area. As a professional harp duo, Duo Gliss is working closely with composers of many genres to record, publish, and transcribe new pieces for the harp.

Pre-reservations are available online at www.lagunartmuseum.org or by calling (949) 494-8971 x203. These seats are held until 6:50 pm. Additional seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information about the series and other concerts, visit www.lagunaboneachlive.org or call (949) 715-9713.

Support local artists at Valentine’s Pop Up Gift Show tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, Feb 9, local arts will be featured in a Valentine’s Pop Up Gift Show in the Art Center within the HIP District. Linda Humes, owner of Calliope Consignment, is hosting the special event in the courtyard from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and is excited to feature local artists.

Click on photo for a larger image

Submitted photo

Linda Humes, owner of Calliope Consignment, will host the show

Local artists on display at the show include:

--Connie Archbold – lost wax caster who does sterling silver jewelry

--Muffin-Spencer Devlin – hand blown fabulous “heart” glasses of all sizes plus so much more

--Linda Humes – nasty delicious X-rated butter cookies

--Nancy Deline – sea glass jewelry

--Delia Ortiz – tasty kitchen goodies

--Amanda Burke – dynamic artist of faux finish and fine art

--Natalie Harlow – succulent gardener extraordinaire

--Kate Cohen Harlow – mixed media, painting, and sculpture

--Maggie Siegel – author of a brand new book

--Patti Gregory – amazing handmade Cypress beauty products

Calliope Consignment opened in July 2018 after owner Linda Humes, longtime owner of The Tides Hotel, decided to come out of retirement and pursue her next dream.

The store offers a wide range of products from antiques that have great value, to fabulous art, to collectibles and vintage treasures (including a dozen plus leather jackets).

“Calliope feels your home deserves a change - large or small,” says Humes. “May you find your heart’s desire during this fun treasure hunt!”

The Art Center is located within the HIP District at 1492 South Coast Hwy.

Laguna Beach Live! adds three acclaimed jazz vocalists to Jazz Wednesdays series at [seven-degrees]

Laguna Beach Live! is pleased to announce confirmation of three acclaimed jazz vocalists who have joined the lineup for the 2019 Jazz Wednesdays Winter Series. Concerts are from 6 - 8 p.m. and doors open at 5 for a full bar and buffet dinner menu for purchase.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Mary Hurlbut

Jive with Laguna Beach Live! and friends at [seven-degrees] for Jazz Wednesdays

Melissa Morgan will appear on February 13 with the Rickey Woodard Quartet. Melissa was named by JazzTimes as “audacious and decidedly salty,” and London Evening Standard says, “While you will always hear definitive influences from Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, Melissa isn’t copying anybody…and has a definitive sound all her own.”

Click on photo for a larger image

Submitted photo

Melissa Morgan will be on vocals at the next Jazz Wednesdays concert on Feb 13

Rickey Woodard was born in Nashville, playing Blues and R’n’B around the Nashville area. After leaving Nashville, Rickey went to California and joined the Ray Charles Band where he was a member for eight years before deciding to pursue a solo career and recording both as a leader and as a sideman for Concord Records. Currently he performs live, frequently leading his own quartet or quintet as well as performing and recording with The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Frank Capp Juggernaut Band.

Click on photo for a larger image

Submitted photo

The Rickey Woodard Quartet rocking a previous concert at [seven-degrees]

On February 27, Adryon De Leon will be accompanying Will Brahm. “Adryon de León’s voice sizzles with soul, and a fair amount of attitude, yet still clings to a sweeter timbre beneath all that vocal bravado. When she bares her soul for a song, you can be sure that the world of funk music is very much alive, and maybe even itching for a fight,” states Carl Pettit, Ozy.

Joining the Laguna Beach Live! All Stars on March 27 is the talented and versatile Lucy Woodward. In addition to her solo career, Lucy toured with Pink Martini and Rod Stewart and has also sung on albums by Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan, Snarky Puppy, Barbra Streisand, Nikka Costa, Carole King, Joe Cocker, Michael Bolton, Gavin DeGraw, and Randy Jackson.

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Seating is assigned. Reservations are accepted until noon on day of concert or until sold out.

To purchase tickets, visit www.lagunabeachlive.org or call (949) 715-9713.

[seven-degrees] is located at 891 Laguna Canyon Rd.

Laguna Beach Music Festival kicks off tomorrow, Feb 6 and continues through the weekend

The 2019 Laguna Beach Music Festival kicks off tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb 6, featuring Festival Artistic Director and Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang, Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Conrad Tao, and Grammy-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich.

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo KT Kim

Festival Director Joyce Yang

The concerts take place at the Laguna Playhouse and the outreach events take place at various venues in Laguna Beach. Join Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society for this week of discovery and celebration of outstanding music.

On Wednesday, Feb 6 at 6 p.m., the festival starts with a prelude featuring Joyce Yang on the piano at the Laguna Art Museum.

Festival supporters will meet the musicians and mingle with fellow music lovers for a festive evening of delicious food, fine wine, and incredible music. Attendees will enjoy an exclusive performance by Joyce Yang and experience her vision of the synergy of music and visual art as multimedia artist Tripp Derrick Barnes creates a masterpiece to Yang’s performance.

On Thursday, Feb 7 at 10:45 a.m., Laguna Beach High School students are invited to a private lecture and piano performance with festival Director Joyce Yang.

Cellist Efe Balticigil will perform and talk to guests on Friday Feb 8 at 10 a.m. at the Susi Q. Space is limited.

The Opening Night Concert on Friday, Feb 8 starts at 8 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse and features Joyce Yang and cellist Efe Baltacigil in a program of dance-inspired musical works. The second half features Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in “Dream Play,” a work by acclaimed choreographer Fernando Melo. (This performance is co-presented and in collaboration with Laguna Dance Festival.)

On Saturday, Feb 9 at 8 p.m. at the Laguna Playhouse, a duo recital built around André Previn’s “Tango, Song, and Dance,” Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich and Joyce Yang showcase dance-inspired pieces from various cultures influenced by tango, jazz, and folk melodies.

For tickets to Laguna Beach Music Festival concerts, visit https://philharmonicsociety.org/LBMF.

Join Laguna Art Museum for free admission at First Thursdays Art Walk, Feb 7

Laguna Art Museum invites the public to First Thursdays Art Walk on February 7. The museum offers free admission from 5 to 9 p.m. and docents are available for tours.

First Thursdays Art Walk celebrates the diverse cultural art scene of Laguna Beach and is free to the public with participation by more than 30 member galleries.

Join Laguna night

Courtesy of LAM

LAM will celebrate First Thursdays Art Walk with free admission

On February 7, preview California Cool Art Auction 2019 at LAM. With works by over 100 important California artists, the annual Art Auction includes great art at great prices in support of the museum’s mission of collecting and preserving California art, providing critically acclaimed exhibitions, and enhancing art education.

Laguna Art Museum is located at 307 Cliff Dr. For more information, call (949) 494-8971 or visit www.lagunaartmuseum.org.

Festival of Arts accepting scholarship applications from high school seniors in Laguna Beach

The Festival of Arts is proud to announce that the scholarship applications for high school seniors who reside in Laguna Beach or attend Laguna Beach High School are now open for submission online. The application deadline is March 8.

Applicants may apply for any or all four categories. The four-year, highly competitive scholarships are awarded to students who excel in Film, Performing Arts (dance, music and theatre arts – including performance and production), Visual Arts, and Writing. Recipients will only be awarded one scholarship.

Click on photo for a larger image

Submitted photo

Katrina Carras received the Festival or Arts Scholarship Award in Visual Arts for her drawings in 2009

Since 1957, the Festival of Arts scholarship program has supported rising young artists by making it possible for students to pursue college studies in the arts. “Students with talents in multiple fields are encouraged to submit an application in more than one category,” said Festival of Arts Board Secretary and Scholarship Chair Pat Kollenda. She continued, “This is an excellent opportunity for students who are considering a career in the arts.”

Scholarship applications are available online at www.foapom.com/scholarships. An applicant must be a graduating high school senior who resides in Laguna Beach or who attends Laguna Beach High School.

Auditions and interviews will be scheduled in March and April. Scholarship awards begin at a minimum of $1,000 and can be renewed for a total of four one-year scholarships. Students must reapply each summer for a continuation of scholarship status.

Last year, the Festival of Arts awarded nearly $30,000 to graduating seniors for the 2019-2020 academic year. Many scholarship winners pursue successful careers in the arts, and some even return to the Festival as exhibiting artists. In addition to Scholarship Committee Chair Pat Kollenda, committee members include Wayne Baglin, Marge Earl, Kathy Jones, and Jacquie Moffett.

The Festival of Arts is a nonprofit organization that produces the Festival of Arts fine art show and the Pageant of the Masters. Its mission is to support the arts and art education in and about Laguna Beach.

For general scholarship information, call Michelle Reindl at (949) 464-4201 or visit www.lagunafestivalofarts.org.

Laguna Playhouse to hold auditions for TYA production of “The Island of Blue Dolphins”

Laguna Playhouse has announced a casting call for its TYA production of “The Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell. The auditions will be held on Monday, Feb 4 in OC and on Wednesday, Feb 6 in LA. The production calls for male and female actors/ASM and one musician.

Parts include:

Karana – female, 20s to early 40s – Native American, indigenous peoples, and actors of color strongly encouraged. Actors should possess strong storytelling skills, be athletic, physically flexible, adept with multiple prop manipulation, and able to run.

Three male actors – 30s to early 50s – Native American, indigenous peoples, and actors of color strongly encouraged. Actors should be physically strong, athletic, flexible, adept with props, and able to run.

Musician – any non-union contract/union pay scale – all ethnicities are encouraged to apply including Native American and indigenous people; color conscious casting. Musicians should possess the following skills: drumming, wind instruments, didgeridoo, and vocal sounds.

All ensemble members are responsible for load in and load out at each location.

Prepare a contemporary 1 to 2-minute monologue, and be prepared to cold read if needed. Bring a photo and resume that includes union affiliation. Calendar dates for auditions are Monday, Feb 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Orange County, at Positive Energy Dance Center, 22600 C Lambert St, #908, Lake Forest, 92630; and Wednesday, Feb 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Los Angeles, at Colony Theatre Burbank, 555 N 3rd St, Burbank, 91502.

TYA per performance contract: Actor/ASM at $120 per show and $13 per hour. The production rehearses in OC.

“The Island of the Blue Dolphins” Laguna TYA production tours will run weekdays from March 18 to May 3.

For more information, go to https://lagunaplayhouse.com/youth-theatre/auditions.

Don’t miss saltfineart’s exciting ‘Landscapes of the Other’ exhibit, opening reception Feb 7

Saltfineart is opening an exciting exhibit, “Landscapes of the Other,” featuring world-renowned photographer, painter, and performer Cecilia Paredes, paired with the sensational French painter Helene Delmaire, with a reception on February 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibit runs through March 28.

Peruvian performance, installation artist, and photographer Cecilia Paredes is known worldwide for her images of camouflaged bodies against lush textiled backgrounds. Born in 1950 in Lima, Peru, she studied art at the Catholic University of Lima and at the Cambridge Arts and Crafts School in England.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of saltfineart

Cecilia Paredes “The Secret”

Often using her own body as canvas, she paints herself into backgrounds of damask and chintz, forests and deserts, but she never completely blends – never becomes mere decoration. Paredes is a part of the permanent collection of the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Panama Modern Museum, Museo del Barrio New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design Costa Rica among many other institutions.

Also featured are new works from Helene Delmaire. Working out of her studio in Lille, a city in Northern France on the border with Belgium, Delmaire is a painter focused on both traditional technics, having studied painting at the prestigious Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and pushing boundaries in content and composition. Delmaire has shown throughout Europe including Russia, England, Italy, and France with a small number of exhibitions within the US.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of saltfineart

Helene Delmaire “Untitled”

Since 2009, saltfineart + RAWsalt has been exhibiting contemporary works from around the world created by both world-renowned and emerging artists.

“At saltfineart, we specialize in museum caliber Latin American Contemporary art, where our roots run deep and whose talent and commitment we are passionate about sharing,” gallery owner Carla Tesak said. “RAWsalt is emerging global. Dedicated to finding the unprocessed, driven talent that can be the most exciting to experience. The work guides us north to west, south to east and everywhere in between.”

Saltfineart is located at 346 N Coast Hwy. For more information, call (949) 715-5554 or visit www.saltfineart.net

Laguna Playhouse presents Blues in the Night, opening on Feb 24

Laguna Playhouse is excited to present the smash hit Wallis Annenberg Theatre production of Blues in the Night, conceived and directed by Sheldon Epps, with musical direction by Abdul Hamid Royal. Previews begin on February 20; the show opens on February 24 at 1 p.m. and runs through March 10.

Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Executive Director Ellen Richard comment, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to move the critically acclaimed Wallis Theatre production to the Laguna Playhouse. With Sheldon and Abdul leading our extraordinary cast and creative team, our subscribers and audiences should get ready to be knocked out by this roof-raising exciting new production!”

Click on photo for a larger image

Submitted photo

The highly anticipated “Blues in the Night” is coming to Laguna Playhouse

The soul of the blues wails out full and strong in Blues in the Night, the scorching, Tony and Olivier Award-nominated musical. The 26 hot and torchy numbers – by icons Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, and more – tell of the sweet, sexy, and sorrowful experiences that three women have with the lying, cheating, snake of a man, who represents the men who do them wrong.

Performances will be Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. There will be added performances on Thursday, Feb 21 at 2 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m.; and Thursday, March 7 at 2 p.m.

Tickets range from $75 - $100 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling (949) 497-2787 ext. 229. Prices are subject to change.

The box office is open Monday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (open until show time on all performance days).

Founded in 1920, the historic Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously operating not-for-profit theatres on the West Coast and is proud to be an active participant in the celebrated Laguna Beach arts community. From classic plays and musical comedies to the current off-Broadway smash, cutting edge and traditional music exhibitions, dance festivals, and stand-up comedy performances, Laguna Playhouse brings the magical experience of the performing arts direct to over 80,000 patrons each season.

For more information, visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.

Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Dr.

More Articles ...