Thursday, September 8, 2011

We're celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month in October 2011!

In October 2011, Arts Action 21 will celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month by partnering with several organizations to present a variety of artists and art forms to new audiences in Silicon Valley, in a series of programs at the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center, the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. In collaboration with the Castellano Family Foundation, the City of Mountain View Performing Arts Committee, Contemporary Asian Theater Scene and CSMA, Arts Action 21 will be pleased to present its third annual celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month.

The month's activities will begin on Sunday, October 9 at 3:00 pm, with an educational program at CSMA (located at 230 San Antonio Circle, in Mountain View). Titled “Listen and Learn: Exploring Artistic and Musical Heritage,” this special event will feature presentations and performances by Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, Marimo-Kai Koto Ensemble, Patricia Cheng (piano) and Armando Castellano (French horn). The suggested donation for this event is $5.

The CSMA program will be a preview of the full-length performances that will take place the following two Sundays (October 16 and October 23). Titled Sunday Arts Live 2011, this series will explore the arts as a way of understanding, appreciating and coming to terms with the past.

A full day of performances will be presented on Sunday, October 16, in SecondStage at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (MVCPA), located at 500 Castro St. These programs will celebrate not only National Arts and Humanities Month, but also the 20th anniversary year of MVCPA.

The festivities on October 16 will begin at 2:00 pm, with a show titled "Multicultural Perspectives: A Showcase of Ethnic Dance and Music." The performing groups will include the Marimo-Kai Koto Ensemble, the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, the Abhinaya Dance Company and Los Lupenos de San Jose. This lively, exciting program will present diverse traditional disciplines mixed with contemporary interpretations. Admission for this event is free, and donations will be accepted.

On October 16 at 7:30 pm, pianist Patricia Cheng will be joined by French hornist Armando Castellano, violinist Po-Wei Lai and moderator Hector Armienta, in a program titled "Exploring Artistic Heritage: A Piano and Chamber Music Concert." The program will illuminate the role of the past in the creative process, through performances of and discussion about Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major (from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II); Beethoven's Sonata in F Major for Piano with Horn, Op. 17; Brahms' Ballades, Op. 10; and Brahms' Trio in E-Flat Major for Piano, Violin and Horn, op. 40. The concert will be held in SecondStage at MVCPA (located at 500 Castro St., in Mountain View); and the suggested donation for this event is $10.

The Sunday Arts Live 2011 series will conclude with a repeat performance of "Exploring Artistic Heritage: A Piano and Chamber Music Concert." The concert will take place on Sunday, October 23 at 2:00 pm at the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (located at 1700 Alum Rock Ave., in San Jose). The suggested donation for this event is $10.