Join Cal Shakes on Sunday, June 20 for an afternoon of gratitude and celebration of Cal Shakes’ biggest supporters. There will be food, drinks, music, theatrical workshops, and an opportunity to learn more about the Season of Shared Light and new membership program. You can come for any part or the whole thing—a perfect way to celebrate Father's Day! Learn more.

Cal Shakes and Youth Speaks present Sowers + Seeds: A Right Now Conversation with Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower featuring award-winning composer and musician Toshi Reagon. Part performance, part dialogue, part call to action, artists and activists will gather from around the country to reflect on Octavia E. Butler's prescient novel Parable of the Sower and how we can use it as a catalyst to build more resilient communities.  Whether you're a fan of Reagon, a lover of Butler, or simply concerned for our planet, this online event is free and open to all! 

Check out What’s Happening at the Bruns all summer long: https://calshakes.org/whats-happening-at-the-bruns.

A one-of-a-kind experience training under professional dancers, Diablo Ballet School’s 2021 Summer Program, includes Intensives, Camps and Technique Classes by level for ages 3 through adult from June 21 - August 13. Classes will be offered in-person with a virtual option if preferred. Visit https://diabloballet.org/school/summer-program/ for more information and to sign up today! 

The Lesher Center for the Arts is excited to welcome guests back for live performances and events this summer, featuring outdoor performances on the newly renovated Rudney Plaza and exhibitions at the Bedford Gallery. Indoor performances are planned to begin this fall with your safety and experience as our top priority.

All concerts are FREE, but tickets are required. Make your reservation at www.lesherartscenter.org beginning June 16.

The Diablo Symphony Orchestra to bring music to Lesher's outdoor Rudney Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek on June 19 and June 26! Starting at 5:30 pm on each date, members of the orchestra’s percussion, wind, brass and string sections will be playing musical selections geared to listeners of all ages. Stop by alone, with friends or with family to enjoy some or all of the program (and find the orchestra's very own engraved paver in this beautifully renovated public space). Playing begins at 5:30 with a percussion duo in arrangements of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and music by Duke Ellington; at 6 pm, DSO Winds and Percussion will play Copland, Strauss and others; at 7 pm, the DSO Strings will round out the evening with Grieg, Florence Price, William-Grant Still and Mozart. There is no charge and tickets are not needed.

The Diablo Symphony Orchestra is happy to announce its 2020-21 Yen Liang Young Artists Competition for woodwind, brass and percussion musicians born after April 1, 1997. Interested musicians can find competition details and a link to the application form on the DSO website’s competition page at http://www.diablosymphony.org/about-us/young-artist-competition/. Finalists will participate in the competition’s final round taking place at 4 pm on September 19, 2021 at the Steinway Gallery in Walnut Creek. The First Prize winner will receive a $1,000 stipend and the opportunity to perform with the Symphony in its November 2021 concert set.

The Diablo Symphony, directed by Matilda Hofman, has enriched the area’s cultural life with affordable, high-quality concerts, including an always popular annual Family Concert, and concerts featuring major orchestral works and collaborations with accomplished choral groups and guest artists. Children ages 12 and under are always admitted at no charge – a tradition that will continue when live performances resume (we’ve happily booked dates at the Lesher Center for the 2021-22 season!). The orchestra’s 2020-21 virtual “First Thursday Digital Premiere” series featuring previously recorded DSO performances is still available on the orchestra’s YouTube channel. Solo and ensemble performances by orchestra members are also posted on the DSO’s website at https://www.diablosymphony.org/watch-the-orchestra-online/.  With plans in the works for its 2021-22 season - including plans for special Diamond Jubilee events in 2022 - the orchestra eagerly looks forward to playing for and greeting audiences in person! In the meantime, watch for details about current and future activities on the DSO website at 

www.diablosymphony.org.

Registration for the 2021 Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Workshop is now open! Space is limited, so register early and save $30. Register here.

Please read about the camp structure and schedule, as well as the Covid-19 guidelines.

Scholarships are available! To apply, click here. Audition information is available here.

Dvořák's America Viewing Party

Viewing Party at the Gallery! Cultural partners Gold Coast Chamber Players and Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery team up for a viewing of Dvořák’s America, telling a unique story of the cross cultural roots of American music. Includes concert video, wine and cheese and Q& A with musicians. Limited to 25 tickets. Proof of vaccination required. Details coming soon at gccpmusic.com. 

Our Main Stage concerts return LIVE to the Community Hall. Learn more here.

The International Film Showcase June selection is the French drama Au Revoir La Haut.

Opening in Orinda on June 18 ( 3 days , nine screenings). Limited seating. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-film-showcase-au-revoir-la-haut-tickets-154758239059

Trailer: https://youtu.be/WMTyn_fKjCM. Screeners for reviewers are available.

Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery is located in Lafayette at 3525 Mt Diablo Blvd.

Thanks to its generous donors, the Lafayette Community Foundation (LCF) gave grants to the following Arts & Culture nonprofits this year:

If you would like to support LCF's mission and efforts to support Lafayette's rich culture and its local artists, please visit lafayettecf.org to donate.  

Each week of Art Exploration Camp is unique and will include new projects. Projects will be adjusted appropriately to meet the needs and abilities of each child's age. Offered multiple weeks in the summer. Register for this camp and many more at www.lafayetterec.org or call 925-284-2232.

Artist Reception featuring Nancy Rubin, Wendy Liang and Karen Hildebrand outdoors on the patio at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Join the Lamorinda Arts Council in welcoming artists to the gallery for the first in-person opening since March 2020. See www.lamorindaarts.org/current-exhibits/.

“85 Inspired Artworks Escape Local Studios" are on view for an in person visit to the newly opened gallery as well as online at www.lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries through July 31. Meet the 43 local artists at an outdoor reception in their honor on July 10, 3:30-5:30. 

"Sophie’s Lush Bouquets" describes themed drawings sure to delight; they are available online through July 31. Sophie Sanders is a talented botanical artist. Each artwork is a floral world unto itself. Visit www.lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries. 

Enjoy Lamorinda Idol finalists live performance at Lafayette Plaza Park, (corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Moraga Road, 3535 Plaza Way, Lafayette 94549) beginning at 4 p.m. on June 27. Catch them again on Tues. July 20 at Orinda Community Park adjacent to Orinda Community Center (28 Orinda Way, Orinda 94563). Steve Harwood will emcee both events. Applicable COVID related safety measures will be observed at each event. For more information email idol@lamorindaarts.org or visit www.lamorindaarts.org/idol-2.

Art Embraces Words – Call for Writers, Visual Artists & Audience Members, Sunday July 25 2 p.m. Zoom Webinar

Participate as a writer by reading your work, an artist by showing your work or an audience member in the Q&A. This free program is hosted by the Lamorinda Arts Council and made possible by a grant from the Lafayette Community Foundation. Visit www.lamorindaarts.art/art-embraces-words for details and to register, email literary@lamorindaarts.org or call 925.359.9940. 

The Moraga Art Gallery presents a new summertime show, "Midsummer Synergies," open from July 15th to September 19th, featuring the vibrant creations of two Lafayette artists: ceramicist Donna Arganbright and Danguole Rita Kuolas, a printmaker and etching specialist. 

Image: Red 3-Way Vase by Donna Arganbright

Kuolas attributes her etching expertise to a lifelong fascination with the drawn line that has evolved into environmental concerns, as evinced not only by renderings of plant life, but also replacing the usual solvents and acids in her work with water-soluble inks, non-toxic etching processes and by recycling scraps of etching paper into new sheets. The images in the exhibit show the artist branching out from her usual abstracted imagery into more naturalistic representation. Kuolas will try to demystify printmaking by doing a demonstration on August 8^th from 1-4p.m. at the gallery.

Image: “Emergence” Photopolymer etching by Danguole Rita Kuolas

The gallery is located in the Rheem Shopping Center at 432 Center Street, Moraga, and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 5:00 pm.  For more information, visit moragaartgallery.com or call (925) 376-5407.  

Shortlisted for THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR Best International Film 2021! Screening virtually, with link available all day, Saturday, June 19

“SUN CHILDREN” - a film by Majid Majidi. Synopsis: From Iran comes this story of 12-year-old ALI and his three friends. Together they work hard to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast money. In a turn of events that seems miraculous, Ali is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground. He recruits his gang, but first, to gain access to the tunnel, the children must enroll at the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child laborers, close to where the treasure is located. DRAMA - NR - 99 Min. - In Farsi with English Subtitles

1. Email Mountain Shadow: info@mountainshadow.org

The LINK will be emailed to you the day prior to the screening. You will also receive a regular PLAYBILL to view and/or print at home! As usual, we'll even have a Raffle Drawing! More information about Mountain Shadow can be found here.

In 1941, the Park Theater came into being out of a desire for arts, culture, entertainment – and community – in downtown Lafayette. This is 2021 and those desires have not changed. In fact, with the far-ranging impact of the global pandemic on all of our lives, they are even greater than before. Although it seems like eons ago, it was only in 2005 that the Park’s iconic marquee went dark. Now, thanks to the tireless efforts of the hardy band of volunteers who make up the nonprofit Park Theater Trust, that marquee is poised to cast its welcoming glow once more. TPTT has just launched an $8mm capital campaign to finish its acquisition of the property and initiate the remodel. If all goes according to plan, the cinema will reopen late 2022, the year of the Park’s 81st birthday. TPTT just received its third consecutive LCF Excellence Grant, which has been critical to progressing its mission to revitalize the beloved theater into an accessible and inclusive, community-centered cinema, arts, and culture hub.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save this architectural gem. Minimal fundraising after the opening will be just enough to maintain the Trust’s nonprofit status. The time to get involved is NOW! This is also the chance – everyone’s chance – to help lead the economic recovery of our very special town. The Park Theater can light up Lafayette again but to bring it back to life, TPTT needs community - we need YOU! Please visit www.parktheatertrust.org to see how together, we can create a downtown space designed to entertain and engage us all. Together, let’s light up the Park – and light up Lafayette!

The Peter Pan Foundation is returning to the stage this summer with a concert and connection series.

Introducing PPF Summer On Stage, June 21-27, 2021. Un-zoomed and in person!

Space is extremely limited, so CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP today!

Follow our Instagram @ppfmagic and Facebook @ppf for details about more more performance and philanthropy opportunities.

The current exhibition, Aesthetic Forces features land scenes through the perceptions of artists who lived and worked in the California region from 1915 through 2015. More information can be found at http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/aestheticforces. From June 23rd through July 11th, the Museum is open from Wednesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. All visitors will need to complete the College’s health screen check before entrance at the campus gate. This screen can be accessed here or on the college website. Admission

During June and July, a selection of my work will be on display at Pax Winery tasting room in Sebastopol. For more information contact the show’s curator, Molly Kars and check the website www.paxwine.com.

The painting “Nature’s Edge” (a local vista) and St. Mary’s prints are now available at Venture Quality Goods in Lafayette.

My work is also available at Studio Seven Arts in Pleasanton, Nancy Dodds Gallery in Carmel, and prints on www.fineartamerica.com (search Tom Taneyhill).

EMAIL tom@taneyhill.com

FACEBOOK @taneyhillart

INSTAGRAM @taneyhillart

Town Hall Theatre is pleased to be LIVE again, starting with a Bay Area Celebration. This special fundraising event on July 10 at 11am at the Moraga Commons will bring Bay Area artists together through song and spoken word. The summer stage will come to life with themes of Hope, Renewal, Equity, Resilience, Home, Inclusion, and CELEBRATION. We are excited to reconnect in-person with our community as we re-introduce Town Hall Theatre.  

Tickets can be purchased here. For more information about sponsoring the event, please contact contact Dennis Markam at Dennis.Markam@TownHallTheatre.com.

Sign up NOW for our first in-person MIXER of the year, Wednesday, June 16, 5pm-7pm at Pillar Cowork! Registration Required. Learn more here >>

⇒ Sign up to receive text alerts for Coffee with the Mayor!

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Become a lifetime Friend of the Chamber

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>>

The City of Lafayette is urging everyone to sign-up for the latest information for Lafayette residents and businesses.

You can subscribe to City of Lafayette notifications at https://bit.ly/LafayetteNotifications.

You can also find the latest Information on Covid-19 on the City's website here.

For wildfire resources, go to http://bit.ly/LafAreYouReady.

During the Covid-19 emergency, here is how to contact City of Lafayette

offices: https://bit.ly/LafayetteCovid-19Contact.

The physical office of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce will remain closed until July 2021. Our staff is still here to help you, just virtually. You can reach us by calling (925) 284-7404 or by sending an email to info@lafayettechamber.org. We'll get back to you as quickly as possible. See our calendar for both virtual events and in-person events!

The Chamber will be posting applicable updates for our businesses and the community to our COVID-19 news page and posting on social media. Check out our posts on Facebook and on Instagram.