The Hilbert Museum of California Art will soon be a household name in Orange County. This is due to the Hilbert Museum’s impressive achievements, aggressive plans and the universal appeal of its collection (and the universal appeal of its FREE admission!)
Since its opening in 2016, The Hilbert Museum has:
“California Scene paintings are distinguished from the earlier style of California Impressionism because these works show people and the works of humans: towns, cities, harbors, houses, ranches, cars, trains – people going about their everyday lives. These paintings show the changes taking place across our state as it grew, starting around 1920 – changes that are still happening and reflected in today’s representational art.”
California Scene Art examples. Left: Near Modesto by Emil Kosa Jr. Right: After Class by Rex Brandt
I think of California Scene Art as a gateway drug to art in general. People who are new or resistant to art are drawn to these scenes of industry, progress, labor and recreation. Furthermore, most of the California Scene artists were employed by the movie studios and The Walt Disney Co. They knew how to captivate wide audiences by employing narrative, character and atmosphere in a single graphic.
In the spirit of my FOA post, what follows are my music recommendations for the Sawdust Festival. The concerts are smaller, more intimate and more local vs. the FOA shows. Also, the Sawdust concerts skew more towards country, folk and Americana.
Michael Ubaldini. One of the most original singer-songwriters you will ever see, is at the Sawdust Festival
Quattrosound: The most diverse and dynamic band you will hear at the festival
Summer in Laguna means the Festival of the Arts (FOA) with its free concerts. Some of these concerts are outstanding! Combine that with the reasonable entry fee, the canyon vibe, permitted picnic baskets and the art and you have the ingredients for a memorable day. The choices are overwhelming since FOA has live music every day, sometimes several times per day. Thankfully, you have me to call out the hidden gems.
I plan to cover the Sawdust and Art-a-Fair music in a separate entry.
California Fine Arts Exhibition (CFAE) will host an epic reopening on June 2 in the historic Santora Arts Building. The event coincides with the 1st Saturday, monthly Downtown Santa Ana Art Walk and will include live entertainment, refreshments and some surprises. The opening’s featured artist is Jon Ng.
Painting by Jon Ng which will be on display at the opening
New Gallery Concept
Craig Sibley, Executive Director of CFAE and former Director of Exhibitions at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, will announce an exciting new gallery theme and “Mystery Event” at the reopening.
Left: CFAE remodel in progress.Right: Craig Sibley and CFAE prior to the remodel.
Now is the time to see what our university dance departments are producing. The good news is there is so much to see, tickets are inexpensive, and the venues are modern. The bad news is that it is all happening at once! Decisions, decisions.
Irvine Valley College presents Rebound: May 4 – 5. Tickets are $10 – $12. The IVC Performing Arts Center is awesome. Plus parking is free (usually) and getting in and out of there is easy.
CSU Fullerton presents Spring Dance Theater: May 3 – 6 and May 11 – 13. Tickets are $12 – 14. Fortunately, there are enough performances that you don’t have to miss this one.
Santa Monica College Global Motion: May 4 – 5. Tickets are $20 – $22 and it is at the fancy, new Broad Stage. The most inexpensive way to get into the Broad Stage is via the Santa Monica College events.
Lila Angelique of Tribal Baroque. Photo credit: Blick Calle.
This weekend is overflowing with arts and culture. That means tough choices ahead. If you want to further challenge yourself, look at all the other events I have listed on my website.
If the events below are not tagged as free, the cost is usually $20 or less. Some of the free events may request donations.
Art
April 6
FREE: Fullerton art walk. You most check out the Magoski Arts Colony on Santa Fe Ave. It’s the most original and creative space I’ve encountered in The OC!
The 3rd annual Feria de Abril will be a full day of flamenco and celebration of Andalusian culture. This is an all-volunteer event; all proceeds will benefit the St. Isidore Historical Plaza. Besides flamenco dancing, there will be live music, authentic Spanish food, dance lessons, kids’ activities, vendors and fashion shows. Tickets are $15 when purchased online and are available at this link. Parking is available on nearby streets and is free.
The feria is modeled on the actual Feria de Sevilla in Spain, an event that started in 1847 and has evolved into a weeklong fair hosting over 1 million people.
Feria travel poster from 1919
The event promises to deliver a great time due to the setting, the cause and, above all, the content (flamenco AND food).
The Setting: St Isidore Historical Plaza
Sarah Parra is the event organizer and proprietor of the Los Alamitos-based Esencia Flamenca Dance Studio. She sees the St. Isidore Historical Plaza as a natural fit for the event due to its rich history, Spanish architecture, courtyard layout, and address (Reagan St. was the original main street in Los Alamitos). In fact, she chose her studio location because it was near the plaza and in a city that was part of the original Rancho Los Alamitos.
Sarah Parra, feria organizer and proprietor of Esencia Flamenca Dance Studio
The plaza is also a natural fit because the St. Isidore board members love flamenco. One board member witnessed the feria in Seville and saw the potential for a local event. At the same time, Sarah wanted to resurrect a similar Spanish fair that took place over the years in Long Beach: La Peña Andaluza en California (now defunct).
St. Isidore Historical Plaza. Photo: Michael Kindig.
Dale Henderson, creator of Bach in the Subways. Photo: Daniela Sessa
It is free in all geographies and it happens on March 24. The LA event starts at 9 AM, lasts 10 hours and features 21 performances at four locations inside Union Station. The ensembles range from solo instrumentalists to a 60-person choir. Bach served with a side of quirky, you can catch Bach as performed by a saxophones ensembles, recorder ensembles and modern dance.
This event is impressive for all kinds of reasons. Let me start by once again busting that stale cliché that LA lacks culture. Nuts to that! LA is hosting the largest Bach birthday event compared to all the other locations! Furthermore, our supposed cultural betters in San Francisco are hosting a modest two performances.
The other, more noble reason I am enthusiastic about Bach in the Subways is how arts events of this scale are due to the efforts of volunteers and the spirit of cooperation. From what I have read, no money changes hands before, during or after the show. The gods of bureaucracy must be weeping! We must give a major shout-out to the LA organizer Jeehyun Lee. I sense that Ms. Lee turned her vision into a very large reality in short order.
The complete performance listing is available here.
By my count, The OC has at least four jazz festivals per year, most recent being the Newport Beach Jazz Party in February. There is a new festival on the block – The SoCal Food and Wine Festival – and it happens on March 25 at The Orange County Mining Company. Tickets are available at this link. So, what makes this inaugural different? Do we need another jazz festival?
Yes we do!
Andrea Miller and Ron Kobayashi, headlining act at the SoCal Jazz & Wine Fest
Local Emphasis
According to Andrea Miller, the co-headliner and talent developer for the festival, this event is all about the local talent and the local fan base. The Newport Beach Jazz Party and the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival are pricey, national events. Artists and fans from all over North America attend those. Richard Nelson, the producer of The SoCal Jazz & Wine event, wanted to celebrate the local jazz musicians and the local fan base. Mr. Nelson has been an OC jazz fan for decades and fully believes in the local talent. He is also a vintner and saw the opportunity for a wine tie-in.
The festival allows the local fan base to come together, a challenging feat, given how jazz events are scattered across the sizeable southland at smaller restaurants and stages. Audience participation will be encouraged with dancing and conga lines. According to Andrea, our local jazz fan base is wildly enthusiastic, but is also the nicest, most chill group people you will meet.
More than half of the program is devoted to jazz vocals and this is a big draw for people who are afraid of jazz. I like to say that jazz vocals are the gateway drug to jazz music. People may decline jazz as an art form but will delight in the Great American Songbook, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Sara Vaughn, etc. Rest assured, Andrea Miller, the co-headliner, is known as The Little Lady With The Big Beautiful Voice.
Furthermore, Darryl Walker, the opening act, has one foot firmly in R&B and soul songbooks. Indeed, one of his touring ensembles is East Bay Soul. Your friends will recognize the songs he covers.
Darryl Walker, vocalist and sax player, opens the show
Affordability
Compare this festival to the cost of the other festivals, and you will see that you are getting a lot for $25. Admission gives you complimentary lunch, two glasses of wine from Red Hill Winery, free parking, a killer view of the canyon and six hours of live music. And what music it is, as you can see in the next section.
According to Andrea Miller, “Darryl’s voice is pure butter AND he plays the sax beautifully. He’s my favorite male singer.” Darryl is local to San Diego but he spends most of his days touring. This is a rare opportunity for us locals to see him.
2:30: Buffet Lunch (sax & vocal).
3:00 – 3:30 Conga Line (or similar).
3:30 – 6:00 Andrea Miller (vocal). Ron Kobayashi (keyboard), Kris Berry (percussion) & Dave Enos (bass).
This quartet just released their CD Fly Like an Eagle, so this festival is, in part, a record release party. The CD is a combination of jazz standards (something Andrea and Ron always do exquisitely) and reinterpreted pop songs. I must tell you, these pop songs take on a whole new groove given the treatment provided by the quartet.
6:00 – 8:00 Jam Session.
Ron Kobayashi has fronted jam sessions in the southland for decades. These sessions are a marvel to behold. Given his tenure on the local jazz scene, all the musicians have played with him at some point. The resulting jam sessions are both spontaneous and seamless.
Ron Kobayashi NOT surrounded by band mates. How unusual!
Conclusion
Local events like these are the salve to our wired world. Sure, we can watch great musicians on YouTube or connect with Facebook people, but as Marvin and Tammi would say, it ain’t nothing like the real thing. Experiences are richer when shared with kindred spirits. So get out there, take in this show and make some new friends!
