Each week, Arts Orange County and Culture OC deliver you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.

Flamenco Guitar with Caro

Fresh off her triumphant win at a major competition in Sevilla, Spain, local musical sensation Caro joins forces with musical anthropologist Molina for a journey to the roots of flamenco at The Sanctuary Studio for the Arts & Humanities in Santa Ana MORE

Aubree Oliverson’s Meteoric Career Rise Took a Lot of Work

Impressive Women in the Arts Series | Concert violinist Aubree Oliverson, who will perform Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto with Pacific Symphony Jan. 15-17, made her solo debut with the Utah Symphony at 11. It opened the door to a career for the Utah native that has been growing strong for well over a decade. But Oliverson, now 27, hadn’t made up her mind about classical music until the day before her debut as a concert soloist. 

“I hadn’t set my life plan until that moment,” Oliverson said. “It was after the first rehearsal with them that (I decided) that’s what I wanted to do. It was just the feeling of playing the piece the way it should be played with the full orchestra – a feeling I’d never felt before. I felt like I belonged there. There are so many times I feel awkward in public, like speaking publicly, but playing in front of an audience is where I feel at home.”

A Double Dose of Immersive Entertainment Awaits at This New Irvine Attraction

From the high-energy challenge rooms at Hijinx Hotel to Holey Moley’s over-the-top mini golf courses, this vibrant playground offers character, competition and just the right amount of chaos.

Saying Goodbye to Chain Reaction: Fans & Musicians Reminisce on the Impact of a Vital OC Music Venue

Beloved music venue Chain Reaction, arguably the liveliest element of Anaheim’s sleepy West Lincoln Avenue, announced its closing on Dec. 9 after almost 30 years. It was able to hold on for another five years after almost shutting down in 2020.

Big artists from Orange County graced the stage during the early phases such as No Doubt, Avenged Sevenfold, Thrice and more. Other notable acts left their mark at Chain, or maybe a T-shirt to add to the infamous collection hung on the walls, like Turnstile, Paramore and Stick to Your Guns.

Chain Reaction’s Instagram post from Dec. 9 stated, “This call wasn’t made quickly. We wrestled with it and have ultimately made the decision to close our doors.”

Each week, we recommend a variety of events and experiences from the listings at SparkOC.com, our free website for Orange County's arts and cultural community.

National Theatre Live Screening: Dr. Strangelove

Steve Coogan plays four roles in this theatrical adaptation of the dark comic satirical masterpiece about nuclear war, filmed at London’s Noël Coward Theatre and broadcast to the Irvine Barclay Theatre MORE

Cynthia Daignault: Light Atlas

On display at Costa Mesa's UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art (formerly OCMA,) a portrait of America as you've never seen it, captured in an exhibition of hundreds of works created during a nine-month journey around the permiter of the lower 48 states, with the artist stopping every 25 miles to capture the landscape before her MORE

Tween DND

Whether your 10-13 year old is an experienced tabletop gamer or is brand-new to the world of Dungeons and Dragons, the Laguna Beach Library will be the Dungeon Masters for a free adventure MORE

World Premiere of The Man with the Hat

The Newport Beach Film Festival presents the first screenings of this new documentary about the legendary Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass; and guests will have the opportunity to meet and hear directly from Dr. Hawass and the film's director in a private Q&A session plus an optional VIP reception MORE