An Evening with Spencer Day - Carriage House Theatre Performing Arts Series

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

February 11, 2012

Vocalist-songwriter-pianist Spencer Day brought down the house when he last performed at the Carriage House Theatre in February 2011. His voice inspires comparisons to that of Harry Connick Jr. and his compositions to those of Cole Porter, Paul Simon and Rufus Wainwright. His latest release, Vagabond, demonstrates Day’s eclectic taste and remarkable ear for music.

Tiptoe Through the Tubas - Concert

Presented by San Jose Wind Symphony at McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center

February 12, 2012

The San Jose Wind Symphony, with tuba virtuoso Marty Erickson, will present "Tiptoe Through the Tubas", music celebrating the most sublime--and subsonic--of the brass instruments, including Wilhelm's Concertino for Tuba, Rossini's Largo al Factotum and the Canadian Brass's Tuba Tiger Rag.

Finian's Rainbow

Presented by South Bay Musical Theatre at Saratoga Civic Theater

January 28-February 18, 2012

Brilliantly tuneful, romantic and original, Finian's Rainbow is one of the most beloved classics of American musical theater. Enter the enchanting world of an Irish father and daughter who come to America in search of a better life, and find themselves among honest sharecroppers in the mythical state of Missitucky. But wait—there’s a magical twist to their story... a pot of gold and a leprechaun in hot pursuit!

Featuring some of the best-known musical theater songs...

Simone Dinnerstein - Piano Master Series

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

February 26, 2012

American classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein’s 2007 release, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, ranked number one on Telarc and the Billboard Classical Chart in its first week, as did her follow-up album, The Berlin Concerta. Her latest release, Bach: A Strange Beauty, debuted at number one on the Billboard Classical Chart in January 2011.

A graduate of Julliard, Dinnerstein’s performance schedule includes debuts at The Kennedy Center,...

Laugh Out Loud Tour - The Second City

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

March 10, 2012

Second City is back by popular demand for the second consecutive year. From the company that launched the careers of famous comedians such as Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi to name a few, comes the next generation of the comedy world’s best and brightest in an evening of hilarious sketch comedy and Second City’s trademark improvisation.

Trio Voronezh - Concert

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

March 11, 2012

Trio Voronezh’s astonishing virtuosity and delightful artistic innovation gives the trio the ability to alter the way audiences experience classical, folk and contemporary repertoire. Discovered playing Bach in a Frankfurt, Germany subway station, Trio Voronezh has since made several tours of the U.S., and earned audience and critical praise.

Classically trained at the Conservatory in Voronezh, Russia, the members Valerie Petrukhin, Vladimir Volokhin (National Champion,...

Mark Twain In His Own Words, 100 Years Later - Dr. Robert Hirst, Lecturer

Presented by Saratoga Foothill Club at Saratoga Foothill Club

March 27, 2012

Dr. Robert Hirst is Curator of the Mark Twain Papers at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley and General Editor of the Mark Twain Project at UCB. In this lecture, he will explain why Twain's writings are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago.

Masterworks Young Artist Gala - Concert

Presented by Nova Vista Symphony at West Valley College Theater

March 31, 2012

The Masterworks Young Artist Gala, under the musical direction of Anthony Quartuccio, will feature performances by Yujin Ariza on violin--Winner of Nova Vista Symphony's 2010 Young Artist Competition--and the San Jose Chamber Youth Orchestra.  Selections for the evening include Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Mollicone's Behind Me Dips Eternity, and Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2.

Taj Mahal and The Trio - Concert

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

April 6, 2012

A two-time Grammy winner, Taj Mahal is one of the most influential American blues and roots artists of the last fifty years. A self-taught composer and multi-instrumentalist, Mahal has helped reshape the definition and scope of blues music over the course of his long career by distilling countless musical traditions from multiple sources. Maestro, his latest CD, was nominated for a Grammy in 2009.

Joyce Yang - Piano Masters Series

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

April 15, 2012

Joyce Yang’s career was launched in 2005 when she became the Silver Medalist of the 12th Van Cliburn International Competition. As the youngest contestant, she swept two additional awards as an all-around winner, receiving the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performance of Chamber Music with the Takàcs Quartet, and the Beverly Taylor Smith Award for Best Performance of a New Work.

Critically acclaimed as “the most gifted pianist of her generation,”...

California Guitar Trio, Montreal Guitar Trio - Concert

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

April 22, 2012

This double bill of two stellar guitar trios is perfectly matched for guitar aficionados. The California Guitar Trio (Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya and Paul Richards), performs everything from unique originals to dazzling interpretations of jazz, classical, and even surf rock. The Montreal Guitar Trio (Glenn Levesque, Mark Morin and Sebastian Dufour), was nominated for Concert of the Year at the prestigious Prix Opus 2002, celebrating musical excellence in Quebec.

What I Did for Love - Dennis Nahat, Artistic Director of Ballet San Jose

Presented by Saratoga Foothill Club at Saratoga Foothill Club

April 24, 2012

Dennis Nahat, the Artistic Director of Ballet San Jose, will reminisce about his many years in the field of dance.  Beginning at the age of eight, he has since attended the Julliard School of Music and was co-founder of the Cleveland Ballet, the San Jose Cleveland Ballet, and noe the Ballet San Jose of Silicon Valley.

The Coulter/Phillips Ensemble - Concert

Presented by Montalvo Arts Center at Montalvo Arts Center

May 6, 2012

The Coulter/Phillips Ensemble is an instrumental ensemble from Santa Cruz which performs traditional folk music from the Celtic, Scandinavian, and American folk music traditions. The group plays guitar, cello, flute, harp, oboe, English horn, and tabla. All members of the CPE have classical training on their instruments and apply that training to their vituosic performances and chamber music style arrangements of traditional folk music.

The tunes range from poignant slow airs to...

Celebrating a Century of Good Work - IOOF and Saratoga Retirement Community

Presented by Saratoga Historical Foundation at Saratoga Historical Museum

February 3-May 28, 2012

The Saratoga Retirement Community built by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs (IOOF) will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. IOOF is one of the oldest fraternal orders and one of the first to include women. The exhibit will include many photos, memorabilia and information about the contributions of the IOOF.

Running concurrently with the exhibit will be an interactive exhibit on puzzles originating in China. "Heritage of China: Puzzles" will...

Attila by Guiseppe Verdi - Opera Lecture Series

Presented by Saratoga Foothill Club at Saratoga Foothill Club

June 5, 2012

Speaker Alexandra Amati-Camperi will discuss the historic figure Attila the Hun and the opera that changed a country, Attila, which is one of the operas being performed by San Francisco Opera this season.