NEA Chair to Speak at ArtsOC's

Creative Edge Lecture

Photo by David K. Riddick

Arts Orange County will present a live, in person talk by National Endowment for the Arts Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson as its 13th Creative Edge Lecture on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

“When she was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Jackson was already a longtime leading voice on the importance of arts and culture in our nation,” commented Richard Stein, President and CEO of Arts Orange County. “In her role as head of our Federal government’s arts agency, she is well-positioned to observe the role creativity plays in the life of American communities. We are exceptionally pleased that she will spend time with us to share her observations and to inspire artists, arts leaders, arts patrons, and students at our much-anticipated annual Creative Edge Lecture. Adding special importance to her appearance, this will be the first visit to Orange County by a National Endowment for the Arts Chair since 1988—a period during which our arts community has grown tremendously in vitality and diversity.”

Admission to the lecture is free of charge thanks to the generosity of sponsors, but reservations are required through the Irvine Barclay Theatre ticket office. The Creative Edge Lecture is presented in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education and the 4th District PTA.

For reservations, visit: https://www.thebarclay.org/buy-tickets/2022-2023-events/13th-annual-creative-edge-lecture.html

Grammy Nomination for Newport's

Campus JAX

Campus JAX and their resident record label MetaJAX are proud to announce that they have received a 2023 Grammy Nomination for their first album project, Rhythm & Soul by legendary jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. Campus JAX is Newport Beach’s only supper club, offering California Cajun cuisine, live music and dancing.

To learn more about Campus JAX, visit: https://www.campusjax.com/

New Development Will Drive out Camino Real Playhouse by 2024

The San Juan Capistrano City Council gave their approval on Nov. 14 to a sale agreement that will see local developer Dan Almquist acquire the land where Camino Real Playhouse has operated for the past 33 years. Plans calls for a four-story parking structure and two-story retail and office building to be constructed. The Playhouse has initiated a capital campaign as they seek a new location and venue. 

Read more here.

Velasco Re-Elected President of AFM Local 7

Edmund Velasco has been re-elected President of American Federation of Musicians Local 7. The union, he explained, strives to create safe and thriving working conditions for all their members while also negotiating and maintaining fair contracts with musician employers in Orange County. Velasco has played tenor saxophone since he was 10. In addition to previously leading his own jazz quintet that released four CDs, he was a full-time musician at Disneyland for 28 years. He currently plays with a number of bands throughout the region, and is a member of the Arts Orange County Board of Directors.

For more information about AFM Local 7, visit: https://members.afm.org/locals/info/number/7

To learn more about Edmund Velasco, visit www.edmundvelasco.com

Famed Hazel Wright Organ is Back

After a $3 million restoration, organ concerts are coming back to Garden Grove’s Christ Cathedral. Forty years ago, the Cathedral inaugurated the Hazel Wright Organ, the sixth largest organ in the world. The renowned instrument will makes its highly anticipated return in a Christmas concert on December 16.

Read more here. 

International Collaboration

The Hutchins Consort has been spending the week collaborating with the Grammy-nominated Orquesta de Baja. Free performances of this international project will be at CECUT Tijuana on Thursday, December 3. The Hutchins Consort plays on the eight scaled violins of the violin octet designed and built by famed luthier Dr. Carleen Hutchins. The instruments are the first successful attempt to create an acoustically balanced set of instruments that can sound truly like violins across the entire range of written music.

To learn more about the Hutchins Consort, visit: https://www.hutchinsconsort.org/

Marleena Barber to Offer Holiday Concerts

Popular actress and cabaret singer Marleena Barber will be bringing her vocal talents to South Coast Plaza for a series of holiday concerts. Legally blind from a genetic condition called Albinism that also affects the pigmentation of the eyes, skin, hair and causes sensitivity to sunlight, Barber is Director for VSA Orange County where she manages County-wide arts programs and advocates for access to the arts for people of all abilities. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Arts Orange County.

To learn more about Marleena Barber, visit: http://www.marleenabarber.com/

Día del Niño Applications Being Accepted

Proposals are now being accepted for both performers and artists offering hands-on youth art workshops for Arts Orange County's and Media Arts Santa Ana's annual Día del Niño. The event is a partnership with Imaginology and the OC Fair & Event Center, and is part of Imagination Celebration. To submit your application, visit www.ocdiadelnino.org

Poetry Out Loud Registrations are Open

Poetry Out Loud is back! ArtsOC is hosting the Orange County competition, which is open to all high school students. The winner moves on to compete at the state level, with the state winner heading to Washington, D.C. This is a great way to learn about poetry and performance. Registration is open through December 16.

To register, visit: https://forms.gle/duRKdmiZjwN14AKV7

Governor Newsom Appoints New

California Poet Laureate

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Fresno's Lee Herrick as California's 10th Poet Laureate. The 52 year-old Herrick is a writer and professor who teaches at Fresno City College and the MFA program at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe.

Read more here.

We acknowledge with respect our presence on the ancestral lands of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians - Acjachemen Nation and the Tongva People.