Join us in congratulating the City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Parks, Trails & Recreation Department in the grand re-opening of the Brook Street Park! Speeches by Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Mayor Gerringer.

Wednesday, April 20, 4:30pm, online via Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting HERE > 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Due to the physical sensitivities of the participants we serve, COVID precautions will include social distancing, mask wearing when not eating, and requiring all attendees to show proof of COVID vaccination (including a booster) or negative PCR test taken within the last 72hrs. Learn more here.

Refill your coffee and join the Lafayette Chamber and the 2022 City of Lafayette Mayor Teresa Gerringer for an online Zoom meeting at 8am on Friday, May 27.

REGISTER HERE for May 27 Zoom link.

Registration is required for each date for that day's Zoom link. Learn more at https://lafayettechamber.org/coffees.

Questions can be sent in advance to holly@lafayettechamber.org.

Recordings will be made available shortly after the event on the Lafayette Chamber's YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/lafayettechamberca.

A Friend of the Chamber membership provides a way for community members to support the efforts of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. We are 74 years strong and our mission continues “To promote and maintain a healthy business climate and to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Lafayette.” 

All aspects that make up a community are important to us: schools, residents, churches and synagogues, community organizations, activities, and the city government. Chamber members work with representatives of all these groups for the betterment of our community. A lifetime Friend of the Chamber membership is $150 per family. Learn more here>>

Please consider supporting our arts community. Did you miss our nonprofit email blast? Read it here!

Have an event to share with our community? Add it to our Community Calendar!

Lafayette Community Foundation Excellence Grants Application

The Lafayette Community Foundation (LCF) is accepting grant applications from local non-profits for its 2022 grant cycle. LCF invests in programs and projects that promote and enhance the civic, cultural, educational, and general well-being of Lafayette and surrounding communities. All applications (including supporting documents) must be received by April 30. The application form is online at www.lafayettecf.org/grant-application.

Notice of the grant awards will go out in mid-June. If you have any questions, please contact LCF Grants Chair Jeff Dieden at diedenjd@gmail.com.

Save the Date, Sunday, May 22, 2022. The gathering will be at St. Perpetua Church from 2:00pm -6:00pm.  RSVP to ginreyn@comcast.net.

Our Box Office is primed and ready to launch our 2022 Season on April 19th. Sign up for Single tickets announcements at Cal Shakes, today! Our season opens with Romeo y Juliet, Shakespeare’s most iconic tale of young love presented in a bilingual adaptation by Karen Zacarías. Director KJ Sanchez returns to the Bruns after a national tour of Cal Shakes’ 2018 hit Quixote Nuevo to imagine these star-crossed lovers as two daughters before the backdrop of Alta California, as California was known during Spanish Colonial and Mexican rule. Originally scheduled for Cal Shakes’ 2020 Season but cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production returns with many of the original cast members. https://calshakes.org

Classes in acting, stage combat, movement, voice and of course Shakespeare! In true Shakespearean fashion, make new friends and stab them. Wink wink, we mean stage combat of course! Currently our two-week session is totally filled! There are still spots left for our four-week outdoor Shakespeare Conservatory for grades 6-12. Spend the summer cultivating, crafting, and putting their newly-acquired skills to the test in fully-staged Shakespeare performances on the famous Bruns stage! https://calshakes.org/learn/conservatory

City of Lafayette Public Art Committee 

The Public Art Committee is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibition of local artist David Lew's works entitled Freedom of Abstraction at the Library Public Art Gallery at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, located at 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 94549 (in the lobby of the Don Tatzin Community Hall). The show includes seven vibrant abstract works, including one that references Ukraine's fight for freedom. Lew's mixed media work was recently shown at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek. Visit the Virtual Gallery to see the works online.

The Library Public Art Gallery is open to the public during public events occurring in the Community Hall. Additionally, it may be open at other times for public or private use by reservation through the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation. For more specific information, please email jrosen@lovelafayette.org.

Learn more at https://www.lovelafayette.org/city-hall/commissions-committees/public-art-committee/galleries/current-exhibition.

Diablo Ballet's final program of the season, Coppélia, performs at the Lesher Center for the Arts on May 20 at 7:30 pm, and May 21 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. This full-length, charming ballet features a brash young protagonist, a doll that comes to life, and a dash of magic. Perfect for all ages, Coppélia, will include students from Diablo Ballet School and be accompanied by the Diablo Symphony Orchestra under Music Director and Conductor, Matilda Hofman.  

To purchase tickets: 925.943.SHOW or diabloballet.org. 

Diablo Regional Arts Association is proud to present the new Headliner Series at the Lesher Center for the Arts and is thrilled to have the wonderful Lafayette Chamber as such a great arts supporter!

UP NEXT: Now a singular presence in the ballet world, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company tours nationally and internationally, presenting a powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century. The 18-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics, neoclassical works by George Balanchine and resident choreographer Robert Garland, as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate Black culture. Through performances, community engagement and arts education, the Company carries forward Dance Theatre of Harlem’s message of empowerment through the arts for all. Two nights only! Performances on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 will take place at the Lesher Center for the Arts and begin at 7:30pm. Visit www.draa.org/headliners for information on the complete series.

Multiple shows may be bundled for up to 15% off, but we invite you to use the code CHAMBER for $10 off individual tickets. This code may be redeemed online, in person, or by calling the Lesher Center Ticket Office at (925) 943-7469. Ticket Office hours are Wednesday through Sunday 12pm – 6pm.

All are invited to celebrate Mother’s Day with the Diablo Symphony an uplifting program that celebrates all mothers, featuring the ground-breaking composer Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3, on May 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek. The concert also features Bay Area soprano Heidi Moss Erickson in Antonin Dvořák's "Songs My Mother Taught Me" and Samuel Barber's "Knoxville Summer of 1915." An award-winning soloist, Heidi teaches vocal physiology at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She graduated with a double biology and music degree from Oberlin and earned a Masters in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. The concert concludes with a medley of songs by Duke Ellington, including “Sophisticated Lady,” which Ellington originally composed as an instrumental sketch of three grade-school teachers who, in Ellington’s words, “taught all winter and toured Europe in the summer. To me that spelled sophistication.”

The orchestra is presenting a Family Concert on June 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the Lesher Center. The program features the Carnival of the Animals orchestral suite by Camille Saint-Saëns and also includes Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther.” A poetry contest is ongoing for poems describing animals depicted in Saint-Saëns suite. Visit the DSO website for details and a list of animals that still need poems.

The orchestra is also looking forward to celebrating its Diamond Jubilee anniversary during a 2022-23 season that includes special events and performances in addition to the season’s regular five concerts. Anticipating the season, a special concert appealing to all ages will be performed at 2:00 p.m. on May 29 on Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza.  

Tickets for the May 8 and June 19, 2022 concerts are available through the Lesher Center Box Office and on the DSO’s website at www.diablosymphony.org. Inquiries about concerts and events can be sent by email to info@diablosymphony.org. 

The Big Band of Rossmoor Presents: The 24th Annual Generations In Jazz Festival Wed, April 20th and Thur, April 21st, 7:00PM, Rossmoor Event Center

Ticket Sales open at 6:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm. Wine Bar opens at 6:00pm. Rossmoor Event Center is located at 1001 Stanley Dollar Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94595.

Cultural Crossroads interweaves Dvořák’s “American” Quartet and Quintet with these inspirational elements to create a vivid musical landscape. Bringing this story of the interconnectedness of cultures to life is the world’s premier Native American flutist, R. Carlos Nakai, the Alexander String Quartet, soprano Michele Kennedy, and violist Pamela Freund-Striplen. A pre-concert interview with R. Carlos Nakai and John-Carlos Perea, PhD begins at 7pm. 

Tickets online: $15-45 at https://www.gccpmusic.com.

International Film Showcase 

Opening in Orinda on April 15^th for at least one week and at the Jarvis conservatory, Napa on April 23^rd.

For further information including tickets please check our web site at www.internationalshowcase.org

Trailer: https://youtu.be/qraSBsmEK10

Synopsis: A Dutch TV journalist finds himself challenging the police, courts and media as he attempts to uncover the truth about the controversial Deventer murder case.

For further information and buy tickets please visit our web site at: www.internationalshowcase.org

Come Together Lafayette to embrace communitarianism* by participating in a citywide community service day on Saturday, June 4. 

Lafayette Community Foundation (LCF), The City of Lafayette and Lafayette Chamber of Commerce are partnering for Lafayette’s first Community Day. This special day includes a morning welcome in Park Plaza and then an opportunity for volunteerism in which community members can sign up in advance for a work party for a select volunteer project. Afterward, everyone is invited to come back together at Park Plaza for a Community Day celebration that includes information about the participating nonprofits, activities, BBQ, live music by the Traveling Wilburys Revue from 12:30pm-2:30pm and the chance to recognize all those who helped make this new annual event a big success!

Mark your calendars and plan to roll up your sleeves on June 4th. Please visit www.lafayettecf.org for more details as they unfold and email communityday@lafayettecf.org with any initial questions or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities.

Saturday, April 23 at 7 pm, Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette. The viewing is FREE and will be followed by discussion led by LCG and OLC mycologist Charlie Newton.

Lafayette Library celebrates National Library Week in April with special programs and “Diner Days” at Millie’s American Kitchen and Sideboard.

Download the Library’s April Calendar HERE.

Join us on April 20 at Millie’s AK, or April 28 at Sideboard and a percentage will be donated to support the Library. Learn more at www.LLLCF.org.

Lamorinda Arts Alliance is pleased to announce our member show “Wellness & Wellbeing” at the John Muir Health Auxiliary Gallery at John Muir Health, Aspen Center, Walnut Creek, through May 19.

The Aspen Center Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 7am-6pm, and alternate Saturdays with shortened hours. Please check with the Aspen Surgery Center’s reception desk at (925) 937-8100 if visiting on a Saturday.

Participating Artists: Dalia Alekna, Dana Beebe, Arlynn Bloom, Mindy Bush, Kelley Dean-Crowley, Carla Gelbaum, Karen Giorgianni, Gene Gracey, Jennifer Granat, Fiona Hughes, Melchia Kutches, Dave Manousos, Anne Morrison Rabe, Irene Needoba, Paula Oesterling, Chelsea Pickslay, Mark Robinson, Adrienne Rogers, Marian Sims Harris, Charlene Steen, Nancy Vachani, Elizabeth Verigin

Lamorinda Arts Alliance website: https://laa4art.org

Lamorinda Idol (Idol) is a singing program open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade who either attend school or reside in Contra Costa County, CA. Singers may enter as soloists or in groups. Students from outside Contra Costa County are permitted to participate in the group categories, provided that at least one member of the group meets the residential requirement. Idol runs April through August 2022. Deadline for registration is April 30; deadline for submission of audition videos is May 15. Visit lamorindaarts.org/idol-audition-registration to register.

The Lamorinda Arts Council presents ceramics by Brad Krebs, paintings by Joseph Loria and Silvia Villanueva Mallon and turned wood by members of the Bay Area Woodturners Association through April 30 in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda Visit lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits/ for an online preview of the exhibit and more information about these talented artists. All art can easily be purchased online.

The featured artist in the solo Wilder Gallery in April is painter Matthew Felix Sun. View his virtual gallery at lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits-wilder/ and a video preview of his show at https://youtu.be/M1iNAyeEKZ0. The exhibit is about Sun’s ideas and experiences while living through the pandemic. This surely is a topic many people can relate to. It runs April 2 – 30. In-person viewings can be arranged by emailing Curator Aniston Breslin at wildergallery@lamorindaarts.org. Artwork can easily be purchased online.

About 60 choral students and musicians from Miramonte High School in Orinda will perform in St. Mary’s Chapel on Wednesday April 20 from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Three choirs at Miramonte will perform individually and as a mass choir. Listen for solo and special ensemble performances as well. The concert is free.

Join Lamorinda Arts Council co-chairs Elana O’Loskey and Sue Farmer for a return to free live Art Embraces Words programs at the Lafayette Library & Learning Center Arts & Science Room. Patrons are seated in the middle of the room surrounded by artwork from local artists. In this way art literally “embraces” the words spoken by emerging writers who read excerpts from their work from a podium. Program dates are June 18, July 23, and October 29 (Costume Program). We invite emerging writers and visual artists to register online if they are interested in participating. Programs run from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. where emerging writers read from their work, artists speak about their art and there is an audience Q&A. Reception follows outdoors in the Library Courtyard. https://lamorindaarts.org/art-embraces-words.

The Lamorinda Arts Council presents “Reading the Tablet” by Francesca Borgatta; “Out of Africa” photographs by Maggie Boscoe, David Fleisig, Pam Hall, Jeff Halliday and Maureen Rosati-Wee; and watercolors by Anne Fallin. The show runs throughout May in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library. Meet the artists at a reception in their honor on Saturday, May 7 from 3 to 5:00 p.m. where light refreshments will be served. Visit lamorindaarts.org/gallery-2/.

The Lamorinda Arts Council’s featured artist in the Art Gallery at Wilder for May is collage artist Hallie Strock. Meet her at a Pop-Up Collage Party reception in her honor on Sunday May 8 from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. and help make a collage. All Moms are honored guests at this Pop-Up Collage Party. View her virtual exhibit at the Council’s online gallery, www.lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries. For directions to the opening see www.lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits-wilder/. 

Orinda Rotary is sponsoring "Opera in the Park" for the 12th year on Thursday, June 16th from 6:00 to 8:00 at Orinda Community Park, 28 Orinda Way. This spectacular free event features Festival Opera singing and Broadway music. Bring friends or the entire family along with a blanket and chair. Enjoy the food and drink trucks provided adjacent to the event. Visit orindarotary.org for more information.

On Saturday, April 23rd from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, the public is invited to join the celebration of the Moraga Art Gallery's new springtime show. The exhibit features floral and scenic oil paintings by member artist Jill Landau and a collection of works by Bay Area printmaker Donna Brown, whose artistry captures joyous moments, as when colorful birds congregate on the tree outside her window.  Also on display are paintings, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, glassware, etchings, woodwork, photographs, monotypes, and much more by the gallery's core of eighteen artists. 

Open from noon until 5:00 pm from Wednesday to Sunday, the gallery is located at 432 Center Street in Moraga's Rheem Shopping Center. For more information, visit www.moragaartgallery.com or call 925-376-5407

Image: Zanzibar Girl by Donna Brown

SERIES 'F': FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH, 7:30 PM

[FREE FOR MOUNTAIN SHADOW MEMBERS – pro-rated membership information here.]

AS OUR FOLLOW UP TO THE 2022 ACADEMY AWARDS THIS YEAR, MOUNTAIN SHADOW BRINGS "THE BEST OF THE OSCAR SHORTS," FEATURING A SELECTION OF THE BEST ANIMATED, LIVE-ACTION AND DOCUMENTARY FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IT'S ONE OF OUR MOST FAVORITE SHOWS EACH YEAR! TRAILER

To purchase a general admission ticket, see the website: http://mountainshadow.org or simply call: 925-787-6965

Join the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Berkeley for always fascinating, sometimes rollicking in-person and online courses taught by Cal faculty and other scholars. Classes run from June 6 to June 30 with all materials, including videos (if applicable), available to view and enjoy through August 31. Review what's available and register. Not already an OLLI member? Learn about the many benefits of membership and sign up at the level that makes the most sense for you. Hope to see you in class!

Plus ... check out the new history exhibit at the Park Theater!

Do you or a friend or family member have an unwanted car taking up space? The Park Theater Trust (TPTT), an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to renovate and re-open Lafayette's beloved Park Theater, is joining forces with Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary’s top-notch vehicle donation program, Cars2ndChance. 

Few vehicle donation programs in the U.S. maintain such a low overhead and that means more of your donation goes to lighting up the Park! Cars2ndChance accepts vehicles of all types, in any condition, running or not. Simply visit https://cars2ndchance.com/park-theater/ to fill out the donor form and they will handle all the arrangements, including pick up or towing, at no cost to you. Your tax-deductible donation will specifically benefit the renovation of one of the East Bay’s most iconic cinemas, which hopes to reopen by Holiday 2023.

After raising $3 million of its $8 million capital campaign, TPTT acquired the Park Theater property in December 2021. The push is now on for the $5 million necessary for the renovation of this single-screen cinema into a vibrant venue offering two screens, a community space, commercial kitchen, and rooftop terrace, which will all also be available for rentals. This is a one-time need as once the renovation is complete, TPTT’s for-profit operator, highly regarded CinemaSF, will pay rent directly into a fund to cover future care of the property. Please visit https://parktheatertrust.org for more information.

Party with the PPF this summer… we’ve got something for everyone!

9th grade and above? Audition for our Disneyland trip in July! This will be our sixth performance at the park, and the most special show yet! We are looking for talented, passionate, dedicated, fast-learning, fun-having performers to join us on stage (and in the park!)… truly one of the most magical experiences you can have with PPF!

To sign up for Summer Sesh, CLICK HERE (there’s a discount if you sign up this week!).

Power & Purpose: Reflections from the African Art Collection, on view through June 19, 2022, features African art from the college's permanent collection. Redirecting narrative to the descendants impacted by the African Diaspora, Power & Purpose responds to the objects' histories and how this informs living identities. This exhibition is guest curated by Kathy Littles, Ph.D., with reflections by SMC recent alumnae. 

Stock, on view through May 8, features work by SMC professor and artist Andrew Mount. Stock invites visitors to pause and reflect upon the empirical structures and encoded meanings through participation and social engagement

The exhibitions are on view Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to all programs and events are free. More information can be found at www.stmarys-ca.edu/museum.

Spend the afternoon at the Saint Mary's College of California for a family-friendly celebration with students, faculty, staff, and neighbors. Everything is FREE, except the food trucks. Bring a picnic, bring your friends, bring your smile! Presented by the Division of Student Life and CILSA will collaborators Athletics, Campus Activities Board, Kalmanovitz School of Education, Mission & Ministry Center, and the Museum of Art.

Sustainable Lafayette presents their second movie screening of the year at Town Hall Theatre.

Tickets available at https://www.townhalltheatre.com.

Three Thirty Three Arts is now fundraising for a large community volunteer participation mural painting activity scheduled for June 2022 in Concord at Todos Santos Plaza.

Three Thirty Three Arts is in need of a lumber donor for a few thousand dollars worth of materials so we can build temporary structures and invite amateur/emerging artists of all ages from Contra Costa County to participate. Once the mural structures are completed (8' x 8'), we will donate them to various non-profit orgs in and around Concord.

Three Thirty Three Arts is going to handle all of the community activation for Local Edition Creative placemaking programming. Learn more at creativeconcordca.com and www.333arts.org.

Town Hall Theatre has been a community staple for nearly 80 years, providing both education and entertainment offerings. With the help of our community, Town Hall is looking to raise $10,000 through individual donations throughout the day and sponsorships from local businesses. The Day of Giving will feature online video interviews previewing what is coming up for Town Hall and how to get involved. The day ends with a celebration at the Lafayette Library from 5:30-7. Come dance to a live band and reconnect with all of your fellow theatre supporters!

Reserve your free tickets to the Celebration: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36010/production/1120901?performanceId=11065542

For more information please visit art_room_by_chari on Instagram or call 510.381.4634.

Dinart is all about finding joy in creativity and all the good energy that we need to carry with us everyday and everywhere we go. To fulfill this goal I came up with the idea to transform my watercolor painting to different types of custom wearable arts. My hand-crafted art pieces can be seen at www.etsy.com/shop/dinartgift and din-art.com. Currently, my handmade painting jewelry is available online and is also sold exclusively at a local high-end boutique in Oakland, CA. Every collection has a name which is inspired by my personal journey such as Self Love, Harmony, Courage, Wisdom, Hope, ....

To learn more about me and my art, please refer to the above links. I was recently highlighted in the Lamorinda Weekly & Rossmoor News.  

Enumero Cribbage Boards are hand crafted in small batches using beautiful, warm hardwoods and richly colored inlay. Each and every board is unique in its appearance, name, and the series (or batch) it belongs to. I humbly believe that an Enumero Cribbage Board will be played on and enjoyed for generations to come.

Cribbage and cutting boards have been recently re-photographed to show the exquisite detail. View etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/enumerocribbageboard.

Meet Enumero Cribbage Boards and shop at the Rock the Plaza concert series on Friday, June 3^rd. Jeff will be offering some of his latest Cribbage Boards for sale, including the biggest Cribbage Board he's ever made! It’s a 4 player board and measures 3 ½ Feet long and about 1 foot wide and weighs in at over 10 Pounds! Will also be selling knick-knack boxes (my version of a jewelry box).

I currently reside in Moraga CA. My website is www.metzgallery.com and Instagram @jaweedmetz and email metz@metzgallery.com.

If you like California land you will like my work! I paint the joy I see in our landscapes. Most of my work is done on location within 60 miles of Lamorinda. I paint Napa, the Bay, small farms, orchards, and trees that I fall in love with. Teresa Onoda, www.onodaart.com.

My artwork hand painted on tile. For more information send me an email: taneyhillart@gmail.com

Prints of my work are also available on www.fineartamerica.com (search Tom Taneyhill).

FACEBOOK @taneyhillart

INSTAGRAM @taneyhillart

Local glass artist, Cynthia Whitchurch has been creating fused glass for over 15 years. She melts and bends colored glass into molds producing custom pieces including bowls, plates, & more. 100% American-made sustainable. Makes great multiple quantity custom-ordered customer/employee/event gifts.

Cindy will be showcasing her artwork at the Rock the Plaza concert series on Friday, June 10!

Restaurant Guide | Gift Guide