Gangsters, gamblers, and dolls; the nation’s renowned free music festival; cardboard sculpture with organic inspirations; and a stellar evening of music in all its forms and varieties – Sacramento State’s Arts Experience has it all this fall.
The award-winning C-Sus Voices perform at last year’s MOSAIC concert. (Sacramento State/Craig Koscho)MOSAIC
The highly popular MOSAIC returns for a second year. This free gala music concert is presented by Sac State’s School of Music and will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Capistrano Concert Hall.
It’s a fast-paced, hourlong student program featuring large and small ensembles and soloists performing vocals and instrumentals covering a wide range of music genres. The concert will be followed by a reception in Capistrano Grove next to the concert hall.
Even though the concert is free, tickets are required because of limited seating. Tickets may be reserved by calling (916) 278-5155 or emailing music@csus.edu.
More music
Tickets, where required, are available at the University Ticket Office, csus.edu/hornettickets or (916) 278-4323.
Sac State’s Festival of New American Music (FeNAM) is nationally renowned as one of the few remaining free music festivals. This year’s edition runs Nov. 4-13 and again offers a tremendous lineup of performers and composers.
The keynote speaker is pianist Sarah Cahill, who will speak at noon Monday, Nov. 7. She also will perform the concluding concert at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13. Described by the New York Times as “fiercely gifted,” Cahill has premiered pieces by some of the leading new American music composers.
The Gala Concert will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and will feature several performances by festival acts.
Sandbox Percussion, praised for its “jaw-dropping virtuosity,” will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.
Splinter Reeds, the Bay Area’s first reed quintet, is up at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6.
The septet Earplay presents its concert at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7. It has presented works by more than 300 composers over its 31-year history.
Most of the performances are at the Capistrano Concert Hall. For more details on FeNAM, visit csus.edu/music/fenam.
The University’s Piano Series presents two concerts this fall.
Daniel Pollack will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. Pollack has played at venues such as Beijing’s National Concert Hall, Moscow’s Bolshoi Zal, and New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Stephen Prutsman takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. An artist who can move easily among styles, Prutsman has performed with art rock groups, has been a solo jazz pianist, and has performed classical music with leading orchestras.
Both concerts are at the Capistrano Concert Hall. Tickets are $20 general, $15 for seniors and students.
The School of Music welcomes several guest artists this season, beginning with Sacramento’s own Tyler Tsunekawa. The marimba virtuoso presents a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, in Capistrano Hall 151.
Sac State Professor David A. Wells brings the hot Gypsy jazz of 1930s Paris to campus when the bassoonist performs with his group Hot Club Faux Gitane. Inspired by legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt, the group presents music featuring standards and original tunes. The group includes Gary William on mandolin, guitarists Billy Gay and Eric Johnson, bassist John Ady, and vocalist Francesca Bavaro. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
Grammy-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal performs as part of an eclectic team with Sac State’s Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Marienthal has performed with Elton John, Chick Corea, and more. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Tickets for Marienthal and Hot Club are $10 general, $7 for seniors and $5 students.
The World Music series presents a duet of Indian singers. South Indian vocalists Sri. Dushyanth Sridhar and Sangeeta Upanyasam will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.
The series returns with Orquesta La Moderna Tradición at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27. The 11-piece group is an Afro Cuban charanga orchestra featuring violins and woodwinds in a mix of contemporary timba-infused arrangements. Orquesta has performed at Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Institution and the Telluride Jazz Festival.
Tickets for both concerts are $15 general, $12 seniors, and $8 students.
Shake off December’s chill with the annual Winter Jazz Festival, featuring guest artist saxophonist Donny McCaslin. The festival brings together groups from elementary, middle and high schools, along with collegiate jazz combos and bands, for a daylong, noncompetitive series of clinics and performances at Capistrano Hall. It all starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. McCaslin, who is featured on Blackstar, David Bowie’s final CD, performs with the Sacramento Jazz Orchestra for the closing evening performance at 7.
General admission is $10 at the door for the daylong festival and evening concert.
Two of the School of Music’s faculty will present recitals during the fall.
Saxophonist Keith Bohm, accompanied by pianist John Cozza, will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14. Bohm has toured Europe, was principal saxophonist with the California Wind Orchestra, and has been praised for his “expressive playing.”
Cellist Tim Stanley presents his recital at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. Joining him will be Faythe Vollrath on harpsichord, Cathie Apple on flute, and Cindy Behmer on oboe.
Both concerts are in Capistrano Hall 151. Tickets are $10 general, $7 seniors, and $5 students.
The School of Music’s student groups cover the depth and breadth of music in a number of performances.
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 5.
Enjoy classical music when the Symphony Orchestra presents a concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18. The orchestry will be back at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6.
It’s time to strike up the band when the Concert Band performs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19. It returns for a free concert at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7.
The University’s Jazz Ensembles, winners of a Downbeat magazine Outstanding Performance award, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. Another performance is set for 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.
Both Downbeat and the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival proclaimed Sac State’s Vocal Jazz Ensembles the best college group in the nation. Ensemble members will present a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Donations will be accepted at the door. They’ll take the stage again at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2.
Jazz with an African-Cuban beat will be heard when the University’s Latin Jazz Ensemble performs at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. The group returns at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The School of Music’s Chamber Music Group presents a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Capistrano Hall 151. The program includes chamber music works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms performed by the school’s top student ensembles.
The three University Choirs perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5. Tickets are $10 general, $7 seniors and $5 students. The choirs’ annual Procession of Carols – a Sacramento holiday tradition – will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, and 2 p.m. Dec. 4. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 seniors and $7 students. All three performances are at Sacred Heart Church, 39th and J streets.
Enjoy terrific baroque music by Camerata Capistrano, Sac State’s premier ensemble, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. The program includes works by Bach, Handel, and Rameau, plus special guest the Davis High School Baroque Orchestra.
The fall season concludes with a free concert by the University’s youngest musicians – the String Project. It comprises young people from fourth grade up who receive affordable music instruction in the violin and cello from School of Music students. They’ll perform at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12.
All performances, except where noted, are at the Capistrano Concert Hall with ticket prices of $10 general, $7 seniors, and $5 for students.
For more information on events or other School of Music offerings, visit csus.edu/music or call (916) 278-5191.
Theatre and Dance
Tickets are available at the University Ticket Office, csus.edu/hornettickets or by calling (916) 278-4323.
Sac State’s Theatre and Dance program is celebrating 60 years of staging dynamic, entertaining, and thought-provoking productions. This fall’s lineup reflects the diversity of the department’s offerings.
Choreographers Collective kicks off the Theatre and Dance season. (Sacramento State/Craig Koscho)Sac State’s dance students have rehearsed all summer for their fall debut in Choreographers Collective 2016. This captivating mix of dance styles features the students’ original works and is directed by Professor Philip Flickinger. Performances are at Solano Hall Dancespace 1010 at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 and 15; 8 p.m. Sept. 16 and 17; and 2 p.m. Sept. 18.
A mentally challenged boy searches for water, a drifter searches for meaning in his life, and the residents of a parched town search for religion in Sacramento State’s production of Jim Leonard Jr’s. The Diviners. Directed by Michelle Felten, The Diviners is set during the Depression in a small town, where the friendship between the boy and the drifter is a bittersweet one. Performances are at Playwrights’ Theatre at 8 p.m. Oct. 19-22, 28 and 29; 6:30 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27; and 2 p.m. Oct. 23 and 30.
Lady Luck conspires in the lives of gamblers, nightclub singers, and mission workers in Guys and Dolls, the Frank Loesser musical based on the stories of Damon Runyon. Directed by Professor Ed Brazo, Guys and Dolls tells the interrelated tales of Nathan Detroit, who is having little luck finding a location for his crap game; and Sky Masterson, whom Nathan successfully has suckered into a bet involving a beautiful mission worker by the name of Sarah Brown. It includes such popular songs as “Luck Be a Lady Tonight,” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” Performances are on the main stage of the University Theatre at 8 p.m. Nov. 9-12, 18 and 19; 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17; and 2 p.m. Nov. 13 and 20.
Sac State dance students work with the dance faculty and special guests for Dance Sites 2016. This dance concert is presented on the main stage of the University Theatre, giving the dancers more room for their moves and giving the choreographers better opportunities for lighting and staging. The result is a dynamic presentation of dance and music. Performances are at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 and 8; 8 p.m. Dec. 9 and 10; and 2 p.m. Dec. 11.
Guys and Dolls tickets are $10 general and $8 children for the 6:30 p.m. performances. Remaining performances are $15 general, $12 students and seniors, and $10 children.
For all other productions, tickets for the 6:30 p.m. performances are $8 general, $5 for children, with remaining performances $12 general, $10 students and seniors, and $8 children.
“After Ellsworth, Red” is one of the pieces in Ann Weber’s exhibit “Beyond Material.”Art and Design
Ann Weber takes discarded cardboard and turns it into monumental sculptures that have been exhibited around the world. “Beyond Material,” a free exhibit of her work, is the Library Gallery’s fall presentation, running Sept. 6-Dec. 16. Weber gathers her materials from alleys and dumpsters, then weaves the cardboard into organic forms described as “biomorphic abstractions.” Weber’s career includes residencies at institutions in Rome, Germany, Beijing, and San Francisco. A reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. She’ll present a lecture at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Sac State Emeritus Professor Frank LaPena will present a retrospective of his works from the 1960s to the present in “We Are All Sacred,” a free exhibit running Sept. 6-Oct. 22 at the Library Gallery Annex. LaPena’s works reflect his Native American heritage and have been exhibited worldwide. He has lectured widely on Native American traditional and cultural issues, emphasizing California traditions, and has exhibited in the United States, South America, Cuba, and Australia. There will be a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, and a lecture from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15. All events are free. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Sacramento State celebrates its Sacramento City College connection with “Transfer.” The free exhibit will feature works by former art students who attended both institutions. The show includes notable artists such as Mel Ramos, David King, Gregory Kondos, Julia Couzens, Jerald Silva, Ken Waterstreet, Fred Dalkey, Glenn Takai, Mark Emerson, Garon Curtis, and Andries Fourie. The exhibit runs Sept. 1-30 at the Robert Else Gallery, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. Regular gallery hours are noon to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Witt Gallery will host rotating exhibits by Art Department students. Gallery hours are noon to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The University Union Gallery offers a number of exhibits throughout the semester. “Ink on Paper: Works on Paper from the Sacramento State Art Collection” runs Aug. 29 through Sept. 22. Reception is from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1.
“Project Eve,” works by Sac State student Aaron Lee, explores the image of the perfect woman that resides in every man. The series of pieces embodies wisdom, desire, instinct, and appreciation for beauty. The exhibit runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 20. The reception is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29.
Drawings by Linda Neely are featured in “Emerging Surrealism: Findings in Charcoal,” Oct. 24 through Nov. 17. The reception is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
And members of The FORM Collective, Sac State’s student art club, will present their interpretation of idea and identity in “Revealing Identity,” Nov. 21 through Dec. 15. The reception is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.
The gallery is located on the second floor of the University Union. Regular gallery hours are 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, plus 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
For more information on Library Gallery exhibits, visit al.csus.edu/sota/ulg or call (916) 278-6898. For the Robert Else Gallery, contact Sacramento State’s Art Department at al.csus.edu/art or call (916) 278-6166. For more on the University Union Gallery, visit theuniversityunion.com/gallery. – Craig Koscho