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Upcoming Local Events & Special Announcements from our Lafayette Chamber Members & Arts Community

Attention Local Artists: Be a Part of Lafayette's Art Scene!

Calling all artists in Lafayette and nearby areas: The City of Lafayette Public Art Committee is now accepting applications for Fall shows in our downtown galleries! Eligibility: Open to local artists. Deadline: August 15 for Fall exhibits. To apply, visit www.lovelafayette.org/PublicArt for more information and to access the application form. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to showcase your talent and become part of Lafayette's emerging art scene. Join us in bringing creativity to our community.

Calling all artists ages 8-18: What could a sustainable future look like to you?

Join SLIA for Sustainable Contra Costa's very first Summer Art Contest, now through July 31st and show us a snapshot of what you're envisioning! Winners from each category will receive a $50 giftcard to Target. Visit sustainablecoco.org/artcontest for contest rules and

specifics and send this information to a friend or family member TODAY!

Front Porch Music in the Oak Grove Behind Lafayette Christian Church

Sat., July 13, 2024, 6 - 8 pm

Music lovers…. bring a picnic and blanket or lawn chair for this special edition of Front Porch Music's open mic in the lovely oak grove behind the Lafayette Christian Church. Space opens at 5:30 pm and the music will run from 6:00 pm to 8 pm. Bathrooms on location. This event is free and open to the public. Accessible venue. For more information: https://frontporchmusic.org/open-mic

Front Porch Music Festival at Town Hall in August

Fri., Aug. 2, 6 - 9 p.m., Town Hall Theatre

Front Porch Music Festival will return with a fresh roster of folk and bluegrass music entertainment in its quarterly folk music series in partnership with Town Hall Theatre Co in Lafayette. This one-night-only local music festival is an exciting collaboration that brings together local acoustic musicians and performers. Featured band is bluegrass sensation Chad Manning with family and friends. Learn more and get tickets today! Learn more and get tickets while they last!

Accessible venue. https://frontporchmusic.org/music-festival

Underdog Animal Rescue CRITTEROCK

🐾 The first annual CRITTEROCK will benefit two North Bay Area rescue organizations - Underdog Animal Rescue and Solano County Friends of Animals. The beautiful Empress Theatre in Vallejo, CA will be the backdrop for this amazing show featuring a pedigreed band of CAMP JEFF - rockers from Boston, Tower of Power, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Starship, Satriani and MORE. Opening the show will be THE THREE FRANTICS - these puppies will have you dancing to fabulous rock/R&B/soul kickin’ music. Come join the fun and support these hard-working & passionate organizations. BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/empresstheatre/7268/event/1377720

SPREAD THE WORD! https://facebook.com/events/s/critterock-2024-benefit-for-an/321540553726021/

Learn more and register at lafsmw.org.

Fiesta Cultural returns to Walnut Creek July 16-20!

Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts presents a week of live performances and events celebrating Latin American Arts and Culture. From world-renown performances including Ballet Hispánico and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, to a family friendly matinee concert of the Latin Grammy award-winning kids-pop group, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band! The events culminate in the FREE Fiesta Cultural Street Fair on Saturday, July 20 from noon-7pm. With live performances, delectable foods, interactive events, vendors and more, you can learn more at https://www.lesherartscenter.org/events/fiesta-cultural.

Lamorinda Arts Council

July 2024

Art Gallery at the Orinda Library: Birds on the Wing, Paintings and Raku Ceramics

The Lamorinda Arts Council presents paintings by Christina Baal, Molly Gleason-Kodama, Michiko Sakai and Raku ceramics by Mary Leigh Miller in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library during July. Baal’s lifetime goal is to paint 10,000 birds. Molly-Gleason-Kodma’s gouache painting of a Harpy Eagle belies its huge wingspan. It was named for the Harpies of Greek mythology and is revered as a divine being throughout its habitat in the Americas. Mary Leigh Miller has been fascinated by ceramics since her 20s. She can often be found at Walnut Creek’s Community Arts Ceramic Studio, a source of inspiration. Michiko Sakai’s theme, “The Power of Nature” is evident in all 12 of her oil paintings. Closed Sundays. The exhibit runs through July 26. For more information email gallery@LamorindaArts.org, call 925.359.9940 or visit http://lamorindaarts.org/galleries-2.

Art Gallery at Wilder: “Close to Home” Paintings by Leslie Golden

The Lamorinda Arts Council invites you to view Leslie Golden’s oil paintings in the Art Gallery at Wilder during July. New canvases include evocative California landscape vignettes from views close to her home. Also featured is Golden’s “Laura’s Lantern inspired by John Singer Sargent,” a 16” x 20” giclée echoing the bespoke dresses and rarefied lighting at dusk in Sargent’s work. Visit the Art Gallery at Wilder July 7 to August 2 on Mon. – Fri. from 3:00 – 5:00p, closed weekends and July 2. For more information go to https://LamorindaArts.org/galleries-2, email info@LamorindaArts.org or call 925.359.9940. Be sure and download the PDF with directions if you plan to visit.

Art Embraces Poetry: July 20, Poetry Readings and 3 Minute Open Mic

Listen to poets Gail Rudd Entrekin, Jim Guninshan and Linda Riebel plus artist Emily Jingzhu Bennett from Acalanes High School from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Try something different! A 3 Minute Open Mic runs from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. at Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School Street, Lafayette 94549. Pre-register at literary@LamorindaArts.org to reserve a spot; claim your 3 minutes of stardom! Reception follows in lobby; No Host Bar. This free program is generously funded by the Community Foundation of Lafayette. Questions? Call 925.359-9940 or visit https://LamorindaArts.org/art-embraces-words.

Mocktails & Cocktails – Sun. July 28, 4:00 – 6:00 @ Tutu’s Lafayette

Join friends of the Lamorinda Arts Council for some words with creative makers. Join the conversation anytime from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Tutu's, 53 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. Look for our knockoff Picassoesque poster of surrealist Dora Maar – that’s us! No host bar. Just show up. Questions? Call 925.359.9940. Visit https://LamorindaArts.org for more about the Council.

August 2024

Art Gallery at the Orinda Library: Linda Dellano, Karen Hildebrand, Thuy Linh Bennett King & Andy Toro - Artist Reception Saturday August 3 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

The Lamorinda Arts Council invites you to view Soul Boxes by Lisa Dellanno, mixed media paintings by Thuy Linh Bennett King, ceramics by Karen Hildebrand and Olympic memorabilia by Andy Toro. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday August 3 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Their exhibit runs from Monday July 29 to Friday August 30 (closed Sundays). Visit https://lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits-library-gallery/ for details.

Art Gallery at Wilder: Lois Reynolds Mead Artist Reception Sunday August 4, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

The Lamorinda Arts Council invites you to meet Lois Reynolds Mead in the Art Gallery at Wilder on Sunday August 4 at a reception in her honor from 2:30 to 4:30p where light refreshments will be served. Her solo show of colorful acrylic collages runs from August 4 to September 6. Visit the gallery M-F from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., closed weekends. Download directions if you plan on visiting at https://lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits-wilder/.

Lamorinda Idol Finals: Sunday August 18 at Orinda Theatre – 11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Congratulations to all Finalists for Lamorinda Idol 2024! Join the Lamor4inda Arts Council on Sunday, August 18 to see the Finalists perform at the historic Orinda Theatre, 2 Theatre Square, Orinda. Come for one session or stay all day. 11:00 a.m. K-5th Grade Solos; 1:00 p.m. K-12th Grade Groups; 3:15 p.m. 6-8th Grade Solos; 5:00 p.m. 9-12th Grade Solos; 7:00 p.m. Announcement of Winners! For details visit https://lamorindaarts.org/idol-2024-finalists/.

Art Embraces Words: Saturday August 24 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

The Lamorinda Arts Council presents Art Embraces Words on Sat. August 24 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Writer Lucinda Jackson will read from her “Project Escape” memoir with award-winning poet Emma Wong and other local writers and artists from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. followed by a reception outdoors on the patio. Call for Artists and Writers to contribute to this program. The Community Foundation of Lafayette makes this free program possible through a generous grant. Visit https://lamorindaarts.org/art-embraces-words/ for details.

Mocktails & Cocktails: Sun. August 25, 4:00 – 6:00 @ Tutu’s Lafayette

Join friends of the Lamorinda Arts Council for those who just can’t stop making ... Join the creative conversation anytime from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Tutu's, 53 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette. Look for our knockoff Picassoesque poster of surrealist Dora Maar – that’s us! No host bar. Just show up. Questions? Call 925.359.9940. Visit https://LamorindaArts.org for more about the Council.

Fresh Look—The Symphony Exposed 

Wednesdays, July 17, & 24 and 31, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:00pm at Don Tatzin Community Hall at Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette

Are you “classically curious”? Do you want to increase your enjoyment of orchestra music? Then this four-part introductory course is for you! With California Symphony’s award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, you’ll explore: 

• How does an orchestra work?—What a conductor does, plus the instruments that make up the orchestra. 
• Beethoven!—One class almost entirely devoted to the composer who took orchestra music to unprecedented heights. 
• Fall in love with the Romantics—Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mahler and more—plus 20th Century music and beyond. 

“Most enjoyable, very accessible to all, and PACKED with good info and good listening!” 

More information at californiasymphony.org/freshlook | info@californiasymphony.org | 925.280.2490.

At Cal Shakes this Summer!

The San Francisco Mime Troupe presents 

AMERICAN DREAMS - A New Musical - Was Democracy Just a Dream?

Thursday, July 18, 2024 · 6:30 - 8:30pm PDT 

(5:00PM: Grounds Open, 6:30PM: Live Music, 7:00PM: Performance Begins)

Cal Shakes · Bruns Memorial Amphitheater ·  

100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda

Website: https://calshakes.org/sf-mime-troupe-american-dreams

The American Dream. It used to mean a job, a house, a car, a spouse, 2.5 kids, and a .4 dog. But what does it mean now? For Gabriel Pearce, a Black man tired of liberal failures, on the day after the presidential election it means victory! Giving up on progressivism wasn’t easy, but casting his vote for a Conservative who promises to be grateful could mean a dream come true. However, for his daughter Paine - a teacher at a university caught between protesting students and threats to funding - it’s a nightmare! Or was the lost election just a dream? Or will A.I. catch fire, like Paine’s boyfriend Oliver sees in his nightmares?

Do androids dream of electronic voting? Can we create the utopia of justice activist student Emma hopes for, or is the present just a dream within a dream within a dream? But whether you’re asleep or Woke what some see as nightmares others see as… American Dreams.

Good Medicine: A Night of Live Native Stand-Up

Saturday, July 27, 2024 · doors at 6pm, show at 8pm

Cal Shakes · Bruns Memorial Amphitheater ·  

100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda

Website: https://calshakes.org/good-medicine

Tatanka Means to headline all-Native comedy show at Cal Shakes Jul 27, 2024

After selling out venues throughout the country, the smash-hit, all-Native comedy show, Good Medicine, returns to Cal Shakes for a one-night-stand of stand-up! Hosted and produced by comedian Jackie Keliiaa (Netflix) the showcase features the best and brightest Native comedians across North America. Actor-comedian Tatanka Means, noted for his appearances in Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023) and Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga” (Part 1 in theaters this June), will headline the show, performing alongside comedians Brian Bahe (Comedy Central) and Dakota Ray Herbert (Just for Laughs).

Doors open at 6 p.m., leaving plenty of time for guests to explore the Native artisan market, savor tasty food and refreshments and enjoy live pre-show music before the show begins at 8 p.m. Vendors participating in the artisan market include Kirbear Yurok Designs, Turquoise Hogan Creations, Where the Land Meets the Sky Studio and Ihoo Taloowa Beads. The show is expected to last 70-80 minutes. A dance party hosted by DJ Interval will follow immediately after the show.

We Players presents

Mother Lear

September 15—Oct 2, 2024 

Adapted from William Shakespeare's King Lear Created and Performed by Ava Roy and Courtney Walsh 

Cal Shakes · Bruns Memorial Amphitheater ·  

100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda, CA 94563

Website: https://www.weplayers.org/2024-mother-lear-cal-shakes 

Our award-winning production continues to deeply move and uplift audiences at every new stop. We’re thrilled to share Mother Lear at Cal Shakes!

This tight 50 minutes of fiercely original theatre is created and performed by Courtney Walsh and We Players’ Artistic Director, Ava Roy. A poignant production about an irascible middle-aged scholar with dementia who communicates with her caretaker daughter using only the text of King Lear as the two struggle with aging, love and their own balance of power. The performance is our Act One and a facilitated discussion with the audience follows as Act Two.

Join us for our 50th Anniversary production of 

As You Like It

Written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Directed by ELIZABETH CARTER

September 12—29, 2024 · doors at 6pm, show at 8pm

Cal Shakes · Bruns Memorial Amphitheater ·  

100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda

Website: https://calshakes.org/asyoulikeit/ 

Shakespeare’s themes of love, self-discovery, and the transformative power of nature are universal. Step into the vibrant world of As You Like It where possibilities know no bounds.

Thank you so much for supporting Cal Shakes, and being part of the community. We appreciate you. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at boxoffice@calshakes.org.

We look forward to being with you again under the trees and the stars!

Town Hall Theatre

Fall 2024 Youth Stage

PreK-12th grade

Enroll/More Info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/fall-24

Join THT Education in 2024-2025 for classes and productions that will stretch your imagination, your skills, and what it means to be a family. 

SNAP Festival Submissions

Deadline: July 31st at midnight

Submit/More Info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/submissions



Town Hall Theatre Company is seeking full-length, never-produced plays from playwrights living in the 9 Bay Area counties for a workshop/performance opportunity. These works should be in the latter stages of the creation process. Town Hall Theatre Company's SNAP (Spotlight on New American Plays) Festival is especially interested in giving opportunities to playwrights who are creating work that has been historically under-produced.

"Yes, and Wine!" Adult Improv

Next Classes: Sunday July 21st from 7:00pm-9:00pm

Tickets/More Info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/adult-education

Are you ready to try something new and have fun doing it? Join Town Hall Theatre for a beverage and play some improvised theatre games. These one-night-only classes are a great way to stretch your boundaries, meet new people, and have some laughs! Classes are open to improvisers of all skill levels. 

Celebrate Town Hall Party

August 25th at 4pm

Tickets/More Info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/celebrate

The friends of Town Hall Theatre Company invite you to the 2nd Annual Celebrate Town Hall Party featuring a conversation with Alanis Morissette. With live music from local band Don’t Tell John. Food, wine and beer provided by generous sponsors. We hope you can help us hit our goal of raising $100,000 in one night! 

Human Error

August 24th-September 14th

Tickets/More Info: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/human-error



One couple, NPR-listening, latte-sipping, blue-state liberals; the other NRA-cardholding, truck-driving, red-state conservatives. After an unfortunate mix-up by their blundering fertility doctor, the conservative wife is impregnated with the liberal wife’s fertilized embryo begging the question - can these two seemingly opposite families find common ground in the most unexpected circumstance?

An Evening of Hope and Discovery!

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Doors Open: 6:30 PM | Event: 7:00 - 8:30 PM 

Lafayette Library, Don Tatzin Community Hall

Join Sandy Preto, breast cancer survivor and President of Notes4Hope, for an inspiring program, "Discovering the Cure for Breast Cancer.” Sandy sits down with City of Hope scientist Mark LaBarge, Ph.D. to discuss his lab's groundbreaking research on the future of breast cancer treatment, prevention, and finding a cure.

Reserve your spot now to be part of this fun, interactive, and enlightening discussion, presented by: Notes4Hope

Admission: $25 GA and $50 for limited VIP front row seats - https://www.tickettailor.com/events/notes4hope1/1308233

Art exhibit by Emily Jingzhu Bennett on View Through July 26

The Public Art Committee proudly presents "To be Men; To be Mortal," an exhibit by Emily Jingzhu Bennett from Acalanes High School. Bennett's work explores the human experience and the fleeting nature of life through digital and traditional media. See her award-winning piece “Ego,” winner of the 2024 Best in Show at the Lamorinda Arts Council’s 21st Annual High School Visual Arts Competition.

Supporting youth expression through art, the PAC is dedicated to showcasing emerging talents. This solo student show kicks off an annual summer exhibit opportunity for local young artists to gain professional experience.

Explore Bennett’s evocative art and visit this inaugural emerging student artist exhibit through July 26 at the Town Hall Theatre (3535 School Street). Admission is free. Don't miss her artist talk on July 20 beginning at 1:30 pm with a reception to follow -- All free and open to the public.  

Sculpture in the Garden

The Ruth Bancroft Garden annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibit is coming back! This will the 30^th year of this show and sale running through August 11th. We will be featuring over 30 artists and over 80 sculptures throughout the Garden and all proceeds from sculpture sales are split between the Garden and the Artists. Support local artists and our nonprofit organization by visiting the Garden during open hours – 9am to 4pm Tuesday through Sunday – or attending one of our after hours events! Learn more about the event on our website: https://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/sculpture-in-the-garden/

The Peter Pan Foundation presents The Wizard of Oz Jr. this fall!

Auditions are Aug.17-18 (by appointment)

Callbacks are Aug. 24-25 (by invitation)

Show Dates will be Dec. 6-8.

Watch for more details and sign up info on our web site, www.peterpanfoundation.org and our Insta, @ppfmagic 

Diablo Ballet

Enrollment is open for Diablo Ballet School's 2024-2025 School Year! Diablo Ballet School is the first ballet school in the history of Contra Costa County operated by a professional ballet company with classes taught by professional dancers. The school year begins August 19 and classes are available for ages 3 through adult including our Dance for Parkinson's Program. Trial and placement classes are available. Visit diabloballet.org for information.

Orinda based artist Amber DeSilva returns for a 2nd year to the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival with a whole new collection of original oils and prints in her signature style. Shown here is Lilian in 16x20. Come say hello on September 21 & 22 in the Local Artist Alley.

Lamorinda Arts Alliance

Lamorinda Arts Alliance member and webmaster, Samantha McNally is organizing the 2^nd Annual East Bay Gallery Tour to be held in October 2024. This event will last all month and LAA will be included!

There are 13 galleries participating. LAA’s two associated galleries, Moraga Art Gallery and Main Street Arts Gallery are part of the tour. LAA will have a show at Main Street Arts in Martinez during the month of October and it will be seen by all of the East Bay Gallery Tour visitors. Gallery visitors will get a chance to win certificates worth hundreds of dollars to be used at any participating gallery. All the visitor has to do is get their postcard stamped at each gallery and they have the whole month of October to complete the tour! These are the galleries participating:

• aRt Cottage, Concord
• Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek
• Benicia Art Glass, Benicia
• Benicia Plein Air Gallery, Benicia
• Blackhawk Gallery, ADAS, Danville
• Gallery 621, Benicia
• HQ Gallery, Benicia
• JOR Clayton Gallery, Clayton
• The Little Art Shop, Benicia
• Main Street Arts Gallery, Martinez
• Moraga Art Gallery, Moraga
• NY2CA Gallery, Benicia
• Valley Art Gallery, Walnut Creek

www.laa4art.org

Diablo Symphony Orchestra

The Diablo Symphony Orchestra announces it 2024–2025 season “Music in Motion,” offering a mix of beloved musical favorites alongside works by composers who deserve more of our collective attention. Each of the season’s five concerts explores different ways in which music and movement are connected, with works that reflect the spirit of the dance and harness the energy of the natural world. The DSO’s popular family concert opens the season with Prokofiev's classic tale “Peter and the Wolf,” narrated by Cindy Silva, Walnut Creek’s former mayor and a current city council member. The season closes with a Mother's Day concert that celebrates creativity and the power and beauty of Mother Earth. Visit www.diablosymphony.org for details of the music, the composers, and the season’s exceptional roster of guest artists. Season tickets can be purchased soon at the Lesher Center box office—reserve your seats to experience the excitement of remarkable music that moves you!

Peter and the Wolf: Sunday, October 20, 2:00 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts—Different instruments turn into animals and characters in Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”; an ogre and rescued princesses are conjured up in Stravinsky’s “Lullaby” and “Finale” from the Firebird; a space of beauty, tranquility, and energy is painted in Astor Piazzolla’s flowing tango “Oblivion” (arranged by the DSO’s own Dean Boysen).

Home for the Holidays: Saturday, December 14, 2:00 p.m., Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, Fratello Marionettes and San Ramon Valley Chorale —The Fratello Marionettes bring scenes from The Nutcracker to life, in interpretations by both Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington! The San Ramon Valley Chorale and DSO join to proclaim joy and hope in Pergolesi’s “Magnificat,” and holiday favorites with the orchestra and chorale complete the celebration.

American Dance: Sunday, February 9, 2:00 p.m., Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, Terrie Baune, violin—Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances echoes the homeland he fled in 1917; American composer Libby Larson's 2016 “Dancing Man Rhapsody”—written for Baune—is described by the composer as a “cornucopia of music in motion.”

The Sea in Us: Sunday, March 30, 2:00 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts), Evan Kahn, cello—Debussy’s La Mer and an ocean-inspired work by the DSO’s composer-in-residence, Josiah Catalan, creates soundscapes of the sea as a force of nature echoing human emotion; Evan Kahn delights with Korngold’s virtuosic Cello Concerto.

River Journeys: Sunday, May 11, 2:00 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts, Amy Likar, piccolo—Florence Price’s Mississippi Suite portrays the landscapes, birds, and people in the lands of spirituals and jazz; Smetana’s “The Moldau” flows past hunters and a village wedding; and Martin Rokeach’s high-spirited Piccolo Concerto showcases the instrument’s sweet-toned low register.

The Park Theater Trust

Any Ted Lasso fans out there? If so, you’ll certainly recognize the banner now adorning the Park Theater marquee and smile at the message it conveyed to that lovable gang of footballers who, despite so many odds, overcame every one of them to emerge as true winners in the end. Well, the all-volunteer, nonprofit Park Theater Trust also continues to BELIEVE in its mission to light up the Park once more for Lafayette, Lamorinda, and the entire East Bay and it appears many of you do as well because, thanks to you, TPTT has PASSED $8 MILLION in its overall $12 million campaign to protect and revitalize the Park Theater!

Be sure to check out TPTT’s continued progress on its thermometer graphic in front of the Park (courtesy of Minuteman Press, who also BELIEVES!), along with the prominently displayed Donor Honor Roll posters. In addition to raising $1,048,271 from our wonderful community in 2023, a second local family very generously donated $1 million in early 2024. TPTT was also the recipient of a very successful fundraiser recently hosted by long-time TPTT supporter Leila Douglah and Douglah Designs, which brought in over $100,000!

TPTT continues huge forward progress with its design team led by Arcsine Architecture, and plans to initiate the permitting process with the city of Lafayette in just a few weeks. 

Don’t ever stop BELIEVING!! Please visit www.parktheatertrust.org for more information, including renovation renderings and how to donate to this community-wide initiative.