Carl Cherry Center for the Arts

The Dick Whittington Trio - Jazz at The Cherry
2023-03-26 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Jazz at The Cherry proudly welcomes back to our stage nationally known pianist, Dick Whittington. Joining Dick will be virtuoso drummer, Akira Tana, and jazz bassist, Dan Robbins.
You won’t want to miss this exciting afternoon of straight-ahead jazz featuring the compositions of John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Dizzy Gillespie and John Lewis, as well as standards by Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and George Gershwin. Sunday, March 26th at 2:00. Doors open at 1:30 for a reception featuring wine and light fare (included in the ticket price). Tickets are $35, purchased on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
About the Trio:
Dick Whittington grew up in Los Angeles, and while earning a degree in elementary education at Cal State Northridge, he was working gigs with Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Criss, Barney Kessel, Charles Lloyd, Charlie Hayden, Scott Lafaro, Gary Peacock, and Billy Higgins. Dick later went on to accompany vocalists Anita O’Day, Ernestine Anderson, Dinah Washington, and Mel Torme. Over the last five decades he has performed with many jazz greats including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Art Pepper, Eddie Harris, and Chet Baker.
Akira Tana, an SF Bay Area native, earned degrees from Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music. Tana has worked with innumerable jazz giants including Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims, Hubert Laws, Milt Jackson, Jim Hall and Art Farmer. An active teacher and clinician, he has taught at Rutgers University, Queens College, Jersey City State College and New York University. He is also currently on the faculty at San Francisco State University and the California Jazz Conservatory.
Dan Robbins, who is among the West Coast’s most in-demand bassists, is known for his driving, creative, harmonically and melodically rich background and lead parts on bass. He has performed with numerous jazz stars such as Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Benny Green, Regina Carter, Lewis Nash, John Clayton, Bruce Forman, and many other West Coast jazz luminaries. Dan teaches at San Jose State University and Santa Clara University and is also involved as an educator with the Monterey Jazz Festival, Cabrillo Jazz Festival and the San Jose Jazz Society.

Animated Art: A Joan Gratz Retrospective
2023-03-25 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Animated Art: A Joan Gratz Retrospective
Saturday, March 25@3pm

For those of you who missed “Animated Art: An Afternoon with Joan Gratz,” we have added an encore screening of the entire program without Joan in attendance. This is your last chance to see the work one of America’s greatest animators.
Academy Award-winning director and animator Joan Gratz pioneered the art of “Claypainting” and has continued to be a favorite at ﬁlm festivals world-wide. The 60 minute presentation will include eight of her most loved animated short films, selected from over the past 30 years and including the World Premiere of her just completed film “The Battle for Swan Lake” (with cats!).
Her films range in content through painterly expressions of poetry, improvised abstraction and animated social documentary, with her clever wit and humor always close at hand. Working directly before the camera, she applies bits of clay, blends colors and etches fine lines to create a seamless ﬂow of images, that are, in turns, both lyrical and surprising.
Please join us for a World Premiere of her newest film and retrospective of her remarkable work.
Tickets are $15 available on Eventbrite or by calling (831) 624-7491.

Watch video film trailer: https://vimeo.com/789873987

This program has been generously sponsored by Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel by the Sea hofsashouse.com and by Designer Wallcoverings designerwallcoverings.com

Films in Order of Presentation

Mona Lisa Descending the Staircase: An animated history of 20th century painting. Academy Award
for best animated short film. 1992 – 7 min.

Kubla Khan: An animated painting based on Samuel Taylor Coleridges’ poem. 2011 – 3 min. 42 sec.

Lost and Found: Life’s passages are evoked in metamorphosing clay images. 2012 – 3 min. 35 sec.

Pro and Con: An animated documentary about life in prison from the point of view of a corrections
officer and an inmate.1992 – 8 min.

Second Coming: An animated film based on a poem by William Butler Yeats. 2017 – 2 min 20 sec.

One Minute Memoir: A Gratzfilm compilation of 10 very short films by contemporary animators including
Bill Plympton and Chris Hinton 2019 – 16 min 30 sec.

No Leaders Please: An animated film based on a poem by Charles Bukowski. 2021 – 2 min 19sec.

The Battle for Swan Lake: A World Premiere! 2023 – 3 min.

Joan Gratz Biography
Joan Gratz

While an architecture student at the University of Oregon in the late 1960’s, Joan began experimenting with the idea of animation by capturing her painting process on film and then projecting the results, “making her paintings appear to breath.”

In 1979, on the recommendation from two of Joan’s architecture school friends who were working at the animation start-up, “Will Vinton Studios”, Joan was hired to join the team and play a large part in the successes that followed.

It was here that she adapted her animated painting to the “Claypainting” process for which she is now known. While there, her work included design and animation for the Academy Award nominees, “Return to Oz”, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Creation” (which landed her a United Airlines television commercial, with more to follow.)

By 1987, Joan started her own company, “Gratzﬁlm”. Here she could focus on projects and collaborations of her own making, while also freelancing with Will Vinton when the timing worked for her.

In 1992, Joan found herself on stage accepting the Oscar for the Best Animated Short, “Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase,” a 7 minute ﬁlm chronicling the history of 20th century art. Joan had spent 5 years (while working on other projects) to fully develop the idea for this ﬁlm and collect the perfect 55 images to eventually blend seamlessly together. And then she spent another two years dedicated to painting it all by hand, in clay, one frame at a time.

Multi-award winning director of short animated films and commercials, Joan has traveled along with her films to Russia, Iran, Croatia, France, China, Hungary, Romania, Brazil, Korea, Turkey, Bosnia, Canada, Poland, throughout the U.S. and now to Carmel by the Sea!

For more information about Joan, please visit her website at www.joangratz.com

An Irish Evening of Story and Song
2023-03-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
EVENT SOLD OUT
Join us for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration of luck, life and laughter featuring a meascán mearaí de stileanna (mishmash) of live music and Irish folklore.
Presented by the Eulalia Theater Company (Derek Bodkin, Brittney Buffo, Michael Lojkovic, Laura Burian, Anne Mitchell).
Thursday, March 16th at 7:00PM. Tickets are $20 general admission, purchased online through eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
Net proceeds to benefit Gathering for Women, Monterey.
Photo: Kinvarra, Dungory West – Karl Ogden

Encounter Intuitive
2023-03-10 19:30 - 2023-03-25 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Dates Added!

Encounter Intuitive is a multimedia production built around the art and philosophies of neurodivergent and outsider artists. Through an absurdist narrative of space traveling missionaries exploring “The Fringe” of their solar system, Janice Rocke, Rocket Garcia and award winning poet, Aideed Medina have woven together a series of scenes that parallel the colonization of art with the historical colonization of Indigenous lands.
Each planet the missionaries visit is represented by one of eight profiled artists. Using video projections, the landscapes of the planets resemble the artists’ work. The culture is reminiscent of the artists’ creative philosophies and social concerns. The deities of the planets are the artists themselves.
The absurdists narrative of the colonizers is contrasted by scenes written from the POV of the “indigenous” communities of the planets. These scenes are tonally more serious and focus on issues of institutionalization, homelessness, othering of LBGTQIA+ and BIPOC people, and obstacles particular to neurodivergent artists. The storylines reflect how art provided these artists with succor and even processes of recovery.
A third aspect of the show is visually dynamic dance performances choreographed by Deanna Ross and performed by Carri Rochelle, Jennah Montemayor, Cody Moore and Fred Bologna (who will all also be acting). Other local talents include Sean Aten, Joe Nance, Eboni Harris and Mya Shiloh.
Friday, March 17th and Saturday, March 18th performances at 7:30 pm, Sunday, March 19th at 3pm.
New dates added: Friday, March 24th at 7:30pm, Saturday, March 25th at 8:00pm.
$22 at the door or through Eventbrite.com.

2023 Thinking Out Loud Regional Art Competition
2023-03-04 - 2023-03-25 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is proud to announce Thinking Out Loud 2023, a regional art competition that challenges high school students to create works inspired by their lives. Each year, students from across Monterey County are invited to display their artwork across a wide range of media for exhibition in our gallery.
Thinking Out Loud 2023 will open with a reception for the student artists on Saturday, March 4th from 2:00 – 4:00PM. The event is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

Established in 1948, the mission of the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is to enhance the quality and diversity of artistic, educational and cultural programs in Monterey County by encouraging public programs and interactions between artists and the community.
Thinking Out Loud is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Arts Council for Monterey County, and funds from the Hazen Family Foundation, Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Carmel-by-the-Sea Rotary, Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation, Pebble Beach Company Foundation, and the Yellow Brick Road Benefit Store.
Pictured: “Música” – Francesca Postigo, Santa Catalina School
Winner of 2022 Thinking Out Loud Regional Art Competition

Animated Art: An Afternoon With Joan Gratz
2023-02-25 15:00 - 2023-02-26 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Animated Art: An Afternoon with Joan Gratz
Sat. February 25@3pm, Sun. February 26@3 pm
SOLD OUT
Academy Award winning director and animator, Joan Gratz, a pioneer in “Claypainting” and a favorite at ﬁlm festivals world-wide, will be joining us at the Carl Cherry Center for two very special afternoon screenings of her highly original, animated short ﬁlms, selected from over the past 30 years and including the World Premiere of her just completed film “The Battle for Swan Lake” (with cats!).

Her films range in content through painterly expressions of poetry, improvised abstraction and animated social documentary, with her clever wit and humor always close at hand. Working directly before the camera, she applies bits of clay, blends colors and etches ﬁne lines to create a seamless ﬂow of images, that are, in turns, both lyrical and surprising.

The 70 minute program will include screenings of eight of her ﬁlms from 1992 to 2023, two of these in collaboration with other artists. A question and answer with Joan will follow the screening.Please join us, and Joan, for a World Premiere of her newest film and retrospective of her remarkable work.

Watch video film trailer: https://vimeo.com/789873987

Tickets are $15 available on Eventbrite or by calling (831) 624-7491.

This program has been generously sponsored by Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel by the Sea hofsashouse.com and by Designer Wallcoverings designerwallcoverings.com

Films in Order of Presentation

Mona Lisa Descending the Staircase: An animated history of 20th century painting. Academy Award
for best animated short film. 1992 – 7 min.

Kubla Khan: An animated painting based on Samuel Taylor Coleridges’ poem. 2011 – 3 min. 42 sec.

Lost and Found: Life’s passages are evoked in metamorphosing clay images. 2012 – 3 min. 35 sec.

Pro and Con: An animated documentary about life in prison from the point of view of a corrections
officer and an inmate.1992 – 8 min.

Second Coming: An animated film based on a poem by William Butler Yeats. 2017 – 2 min 20 sec.

One Minute Memoir: A Gratzfilm compilation of 10 very short films by contemporary animators including
Bill Plympton and Chris Hinton 2019 – 16 min 30 sec.

No Leaders Please: An animated film based on a poem by Charles Bukowski. 2021 – 2 min 19sec.

The Battle for Swan Lake: A World Premiere! 2023 – 3 min.

Joan Gratz Biography
Joan Gratz

While an architecture student at the University of Oregon in the late 1960’s, Joan began experimenting with the idea of animation by capturing her painting process on film and then projecting the results, “making her paintings appear to breath.”

In 1979, on the recommendation from two of Joan’s architecture school friends who were working at the animation start-up, “Will Vinton Studios”, Joan was hired to join the team and play a large part in the successes that followed.

It was here that she adapted her animated painting to the “Claypainting” process for which she is now known. While there, her work included design and animation for the Academy Award nominees, “Return to Oz”, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Creation” (which landed her a United Airlines television commercial, with more to follow.)

By 1987, Joan started her own company, “Gratzﬁlm”. Here she could focus on projects and collaborations of her own making, while also freelancing with Will Vinton when the timing worked for her.

In 1992, Joan found herself on stage accepting the Oscar for the Best Animated Short, “Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase,” a 7 minute ﬁlm chronicling the history of 20th century art. Joan had spent 5 years (while working on other projects) to fully develop the idea for this ﬁlm and collect the perfect 55 images to eventually blend seamlessly together. And then she spent another two years dedicated to painting it all by hand, in clay, one frame at a time.

Multi-award winning director of short animated films and commercials, Joan has traveled along with her films to Russia, Iran, Croatia, France, China, Hungary, Romania, Brazil, Korea, Turkey, Bosnia, Canada, Poland, throughout the U.S. and now to Carmel by the Sea!

For more information about Joan, please visit her website at www.joangratz.com

Monterey Comedy Improv
2023-01-21 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Monterey Comedy Improv is back! The premier improv comedy troupe on the peninsula return to The Cherry on Saturday, January 21st, at 7:00pm.
Similar to “Whose Line is it Anyway,” Monterey Comedy Improv takes audience suggestions or volunteers and instantly creates hilarious scenes right on the spot. Join us for a night of fun and laughs! For audiences 16+
Tickets are $20, available on Eventbrite or by calling (831) 624-7491.

Square the Circle
2023-01-13 - 2023-02-18 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Closing Reception: Saturday, February 18th from 3:00 – 5:00p.m.
Square the Circle, an exhibit investigating geometric forms in art and photography, opens Friday, January 13th at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. A closing reception for the artists will be held Saturday, February 18th from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Curated by Martha Manson, the exhibition includes recent works by Kimm Barnes, Lucas Blok, Mary Buskirk, Annette Corcoran, Ed Corpus, Rick Deragon, Ellen Gust, Mary Hill, Don Hughes, Andrea Johnson, David Ligare, Richard Mayer, Karen Nagano, Joe Aki Ouye, Marcia Perry, Charles Strong , Jerry Takigawa, Pamela Takigawa, Sam Tchakalian, Nina Temple, Amy Thornberry, Irene Tuttle, Jan Wagstaff, Karen Warwick, Chris Winfield, and Robin Winfield.
“The idea of squaring the circle originated, apparently, in Euclidean geometry. It’s a math puzzle, and was also used to symbolize alchemy. It’s also used as a metaphor to indicate attempting an impossible task, and philosophically to see equally in four directions. As a phrase, it covers all the bases,” says Ms. Manson. “Some of the artists here refer directly to geometry in their imagery. Some do not. Regardless, the underlying geometric structure is there. Sculpture seems naturally to make geometric forms visible, sometimes, at least,” she says.
Organized to examine various styles and themes in art and geometry, the exhibit explores the relationship between abstraction and form, the effects of photography on landscapes, and the consideration of materiality in both mediums. The exhibit reflects the complex and ambiguous relationship between humans and math.
Square the Circle can be seen Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment through February 18nd, 2023.
VISIT ONLINE EXHIBIT
Pictured: “Tomb of Archimedes” – David Ligare

The Cherry Trio
2023-01-01 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
The Cherry Trio (Elizabeth Gaver – baroque violin, Penny Hanna – viola da gamba, Michael Peterson – harpsichord) return to The Cherry for their annual New Year’s performance on Sunday, January 1st at 3:00pm. The trio, along with guest violinist David Wilson, will perform music from the seventeenth century: trio sonatas by Purcell, Rosenmüller and Muffat; a Marais suite for viola da gamba; and a harpsichord solo by Fischer.
The French, Italian, German, and English styles of this period stand in contrast to one another, but are also sometimes combined. Typical for the early Baroque period, these works express a wide range of “affects” or emotions – the melancholy adagio, stately allemande, exuberant passacaglia and much more!
Tickets are $25, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.

Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts Monterey County High School Poetry Awards Ceremony
2023-01-01 - 2023-04-15 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts Monterey County High School Poetry Awards 2023. The program was designed to recognize and promote excellence in high school poets and develop an interest in creative expression through the written word. A reading and ceremony honoring this year’s award-winning student poets will be held 2:00pm on Saturday, May 20th, at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel.
The program (formerly the Robert Campbell Monterey County High School Poetry Awards) was renamed this year to honor Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts, who provided inspiration and writing instruction to thousands of area high school students.
Cherry Center Poet-in-Schools:
Patrice Vecchione
Our teaching poet this year is Patrice Vecchione, the author of two collections of poetry and three nonfiction books, most recently My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth. Patrice has taught poetry in local schools and elsewhere for many years. patricevecchione.com.
Sponsors:
The Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts Monterey County High School Poetry Awards are held each year in conjunction with Thinking Out Loud, the Cherry Center’s annual high school art exhibition. Both programs are made possible through funding from:
Arts Council for Monterey County
Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Monterey Public Library Foundation
Carmel Woman’s Club
Carmel-by-the-Sea Rotary
Community Foundation for Monterey County
Gibson Family Foundation
Hazen Family Foundation
Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation
Pebble Beach Company Foundation
Yellow Brick Road Benefit Store

The Ins and Outs of Fingers, Spoons and an Open Marriage
2022-12-17 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
The Ins and Outs of Fingers, Spoons and an Open Marriage, a play written and performed by Pascale-Roger-McKeever and directed by Austin Pendleton, will be held Saturday, December 17th, at 7:00pm. Door will open at 6:30PM for a reception featuring wine and light fare (included in the ticket price).
About the Play:
A suburban mom accepts her husband’s invitation to open marriage and proceeds with a singleness of purpose no one saw coming. The Ins and Outs acknowledges and embraces the acute discomfort of living out our inescapable sexuality. A funny and shameless exploration of shame itself that for good measure upends accepted notions about healing and self-realization along the way.
Ins and Outs is produced by Robert Chestnut in collaboration with the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. Warning: explicit language and adult subject matter not suitable for children under 18. Tickets are $50, available on Eventbrite or by calling (831) 624-7491.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Reviews:
From Michael Billington, theatre critic, The Guardian: “A remarkable journey into the interior of a woman experiencing what Shakespeare called ‘the very wrath of love’… brilliantly performed and written with gut-wrenching honesty by Pascale Roger-McKeever.”
From Elissa Barnard, NS Review: “Roger-McKeever strips away all the bells and whistles of theatre and conventional ideas about mothers and sexuality for an amazing, unflinching look at a woman’s life […] and delivers a spellbinding performance as she weaves in and out of past and present, quiet and loud, motherly and sexual, sarcastic and ribald, sad and playful.”
Megan Grabowski, Pittsburgh Review. “McKeever is brilliant in her delivery of Mom. She is ecstatic, sad, scared, insightful, and all that makes up a woman. And truth be told (finally), moms know there is nothing else like motherhood to strip a female of her identity.”

SOLD OUT - The Cherry Screening Room: Award-winning Animated Shorts
2022-12-17 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Due to overwhelming demand, we have added a THIRD performance of “Award-winning Animated Shorts” to allow more people to experience this wonderful program.
Can a fully realized story be told that is both hilarious and heart-warming, innovative yet simple, as witty as it is wise, in only five minutes, without words? The answer is a resounding YES!
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is proud to present the third showing of a new monthly series of unique screen treasures on Saturday, December 17th, at 3PM with a program of rarely seen, award-winning animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada. Eight films will be shown in this first program, ranging in length from 5 to 15 minutes each, which illustrate a variety of animation styles, uniquely personal voices and clever low-tech approaches that can usually be found only by attending prestigious film festivals.
Watch video clips of award-winning films here.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a leader in exploring animation as an art form, a storytelling medium and innovative content for emerging platforms. It produces trailblazing animated works both in its Montreal studios and across the country, and it works with many of the world’s leading creators on international co-productions.
The length of this program is 85 minutes.There is no charge for admission to this event, but donations to the Cherry are always appreciated. Please make reservations through Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491, as tickets are going quickly.
Prepare to arrive 10 minutes early to the screening, to enjoy free refreshments and admire the gallery art. Masks are encouraged and welcomed while in the theater. The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is located on the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Guadalupe Street. The main entrance is on Fourth Street.
The films for this series have been chosen and arranged by Ellen Osborne and Jim Dultz, who have each had long and successful careers in the film industry. Future “Cherry Screening Room Presents:” programs will include narrative shorts, features, documentaries, puppet films, films about artists and musicians, vintage television specials and other rarities. We have also approached animators, directors and puppeteers to come to talk about their work. Check back to www.carlcherrycenter.org for the latest updates.
Here are the films in order of appearance:

“The Great Malaise” – Catherine Lepage (2019) 5 min. Hand-drawn animation, computer animation, camera animation Staff Pick at the National Film Board of Canada
“Animal Behavior” – Alison Snowden & David Fine (2018) 14 min. Digital Hand-drawn 2D animation – Nominated for Academy Award Winner of Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short Film
“Subconscious Password” – Chris Landreth (2013) 11 min. Computer animation, live action, pixelation Awarded Best Short Film at the Annecy International Film Festival
“Carface” – Claude Cloutier (2015) 4 min. Hand-drawn 2D animation (brush and India ink on paper) Digitally colored Winner of Quebec Screen Award for Best Animated Short Film
“The Head Vanishes” – Franck Dion (2016) 9 min. Hand drawn 2D animation Awarded the Annecy Crystal for Best Short Film.
“Wild Life” – Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby (2011) 14 minutes. Hand drawn and hand painted (with gouche) 2D animation Nominated for Academy Award and Annecy Crystal Award
“Every Child” – Eugene Fedorenko (1979) 6 min. Traditional hand drawn 2D animation.Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

SOLD OUT Along Came Betty - Jazz at The Cherry
2022-12-11 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Jazz At The Cherry is proud to present Along Came Betty for another round of what has become a traditional JATC December treat.
Spark up your holiday spirit by joining us for some of the best bebob and straight-ahead jazz on the West Coast. Along Came Betty will delight you with their rich harmonized sax and trumpet, backed by the classic piano, bass and drums rhythm section.
This group of highly talented musicians (Biff Smith, piano; Brian Stock, trumpet and flugelhorn; Paul Tarantino, saxophone; Steve Uccello, bass; Patrick Tregenza, drums) has performed at many local and national jazz venues, including the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Big Sur Jazz Festival. Since 1998, they have been celebrating the spirit of hard-bop, a seminal movement of 50s and 60s jazz. Pianist and prolific composer Biff Smith’s sophisticated yet highly accessible compositions blend elements of that era with modern sensibilities.
Please join us on Sunday, December 11th, for some great music, wine, and light fare–all included in the ticket price. Doors open at 1:00pm; performance begins at 2:00pm. Tickets are $25, available online at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.

Make Merry at The Cherry
2022-12-09 16:00 - 2022-12-17 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Following our holiday open house on December 9th, remaining artwork is available for purchase through December 17th during gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12-4pm.
Visit Make Merry at The Cherry online here.
Pictured: Wine Wheelbarrow – Jan Wurm

SOLD OUT The Cherry Screening Room: Award-Winning Animated Shorts
2022-11-19 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Can a fully realized story be told that is both hilarious and heart-warming, innovative yet simple, as witty as it is wise, in only five minutes, without words? The answer is a resounding YES!
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is proud to present a new monthly series of unique screen treasures on Saturday, November 19th at 3PM, with a program of rarely seen, award winning, animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada. Nine films will be shown in this first program, ranging in length from 5 to 15 minutes each, which illustrate a variety of animation styles, uniquely personal voices and clever low-tech approaches that can usually be found only by attending prestigious film festivals.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a leader in exploring animation as an art form, a storytelling medium and innovative content for emerging platforms. It produces trailblazing animated works both in its Montreal studios and across the country, and it works with many of the world’s leading creators on international co-productions.
The length of this program is 96 minutes.There is no charge for admission to this event, but donations to the Cherry are always appreciated. Please make reservations through Eventbrite or by calling (831) 624-7491, as tickets are going quickly.
Prepare to arrive 10 minutes early to the screening, as popcorn and refreshments will be available to purchase. Masks are encouraged and welcomed while in the theater. The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is located on the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Guadalupe Street. The main entrance is on Fourth Street.

The films for this series have been chosen and arranged by Ellen Osborne and Jim Dultz, who have each had long and successful careers in the film industry. Future “Cherry Screening Room Presents:” programs will include narrative shorts, features, documentaries, puppet films, films about artists and musicians, vintage television specials and other rarities. We have also approached animators, directors and puppeteers to come to talk about their work. Check back to www.carlcherrycenter.org for the latest updates.
Here are the films in order of appearance:
1. “The Great Malaise” – Catherine Lepage (2019) 5 min. Hand-drawn animation, computer animation, camera animation Staff Pick at the National Film Board of Canada
2. “Animal Behavior” – Alison Snowden & David Fine (2018) 14 min. Digital Hand-drawn 2D animation – Nominated for Academy Award Winner of Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short Film
3. “Subconscious Password” – Chris Landreth (2013) 11 min. Computer animation, live action, pixelation Awarded Best Short Film at the Annecy International Film Festival
4. “Carface” – Claude Cloutier (2015) 4 min. Hand-drawn 2D animation (brush and India ink on paper) Digitally colored Winner of Quebec Screen Award for Best Animated Short Film
5. “The Head Vanishes” – Franck Dion (2016) 9 min. Hand drawn 2D animation Awarded the Annecy Crystal for Best Short Film.
l8. “Every Child” – Eugene Fedorenko (1979) 6 min. Traditional hand drawn 2D animation.Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
6. “I Barnabe” – Jean-François Lévesque (2020) 15 min. Stop-motion animation, puppets, traditional 2D animation Nominated for Best Animated Short at the Quebec Screen Awards
7 “Wild Life” – Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby (2011) 14 minutes. Hand drawn and hand painted (with gouche) 2D animation Nominated for Academy Award and Annecy Crystal Award
9. “The Danish Poet” – Torill Kove (2006) 15 min. Traditional hand drawn 2D animation (digitally colored) Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film

SOLD OUT The Cherry Screening Room: Award-Winning Animated Shorts
2022-11-17 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Due to overwhelming demand (our original screening on Nov.19th sold out within a week solely through word of mouth) we have added another, earlier date, to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend.

Can a fully realized story be told that is both hilarious and heart-warming, innovative yet simple, as witty as it is wise, in only five minutes, without words? The answer is a resounding YES!
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is proud to present a new monthly series of unique screen treasures, beginning Thursday, November 17th at 4PM, with a program of rarely seen, award winning, animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada. Nine films will be shown in this first program, ranging in length from 5 to 15 minutes each, which illustrate a variety of animation styles, uniquely personal voices and clever low-tech approaches that can usually be found only by attending prestigious film festivals.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a leader in exploring animation as an art form, a storytelling medium and innovative content for emerging platforms. It produces trailblazing animated works both in its Montreal studios and across the country, and it works with many of the world’s leading creators on international co-productions.
The length of this program is 96 minutes.There is no charge for admission to this event, but donations to the Cherry are always appreciated. Please make reservations through Eventbrite or by calling (831) 624-7491, as tickets are going quickly.
Prepare to arrive 10 minutes early to the screening, as popcorn and refreshments will be available to purchase. Masks are encouraged and welcomed while in the theater. The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is located on the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Guadalupe Street. The main entrance is on Fourth Street.

The films for this series have been chosen and arranged by Ellen Osborne and Jim Dultz, who have each had long and successful careers in the film industry. Future “Cherry Screening Room Presents:” programs will include narrative shorts, features, documentaries, puppet films, films about artists and musicians, vintage television specials and other rarities. We have also approached animators, directors and puppeteers to come to talk about their work. Check back to www.carlcherrycenter.org for the latest updates.
Here are the films in order of appearance:
1. “The Great Malaise” – Catherine Lepage (2019) 5 min. Hand-drawn animation, computer animation, camera animation Staff Pick at the National Film Board of Canada
2. “Animal Behavior” – Alison Snowden & David Fine (2018) 14 min. Digital Hand-drawn 2D animation – Nominated for Academy Award Winner of Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short Film
3. “Subconscious Password” – Chris Landreth (2013) 11 min. Computer animation, live action, pixelation Awarded Best Short Film at the Annecy International Film Festival
4. “Carface” – Claude Cloutier (2015) 4 min. Hand-drawn 2D animation (brush and India ink on paper) Digitally colored Winner of Quebec Screen Award for Best Animated Short Film
5. “The Head Vanishes” – Franck Dion (2016) 9 min. Hand drawn 2D animation Awarded the Annecy Crystal for Best Short Film.
l8. “Every Child” – Eugene Fedorenko (1979) 6 min. Traditional hand drawn 2D animation.Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
6. “I Barnabe” – Jean-François Lévesque (2020) 15 min. Stop-motion animation, puppets, traditional 2D animation Nominated for Best Animated Short at the Quebec Screen Awards
7 “Wild Life” – Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby (2011) 14 minutes. Hand drawn and hand painted (with gouche) 2D animation Nominated for Academy Award and Annecy Crystal Award
9. “The Danish Poet” – Torill Kove (2006) 15 min. Traditional hand drawn 2D animation (digitally colored) Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film

Artista Invisibile
2022-11-04 - 2022-11-13 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Eclectic Collective presents Artista Invisibile, A Multimedia Theatrical Experience spotlighting women artists of all genres from the mid-1900s to 2022.
Written by Janice Rocke, Rocket Garcia and award winning poet Aideed Medina. Featuring Eboni Harris, Carri Newhouse, Fred Bologna, Rachele Corvese, Joe Nance, and OoLa Habib Rahall. Video graphics by Janice Rocke. Lighting and additional video montages by Nelsen Basden.
Eclectic Collective weaves the work of different writers into a cohesive narrative that tells one larger nonlinear story.
This show features acting, dancing, stunning visual components and even a little singing. Artista Invisibile offers a surreal, comedic, dramatic and beautiful experience.
Tickets are $22 General Admission/$20 Military. Tickets available on Eventbrite or by calling (831) 521-0375. Friday, November 4th through Sunday, November 13th. Fridays and Saturday performances start at 8:00pm, Sunday matinees at 3:00pm.

Community Yoga Class
2022-11-02 09:00 - 2022-12-07 09:00, 2022-11-02 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
CLASSES EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 9:00AM
Community Yoga Class starting Wednesday Nov 2 at 9 am. Everyone is welcome! By Donation.
Yogini Jeanne has been practicing yoga for 35 years. She has trained with Richard Rosen, Tony Sanchez, Judith Lasater, Shiva Rae, Erich Schiffman, Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Jivamukti Yoga studio in NYC, Center for Yoga & Yoga Works in L.A. & recently received her 200 hr certification with Yoga Shanti (Rodney Yee & Colleen Saidman Yee) in Sag Harbor, NY.

Jeanne started teaching in ‘98 in Marin at her daughter’s preschool & Group classes in Stinson Beach. She taught privately in New York & subbed locally for Karen Cook at the Carmel Valley Raquet Club & My Om Place. Jeanne has her Blue Belt in NIA & looks forward to incorporating freedance into her classes eventually. Come one come all & experience the joy of movement, meditation & relaxation. We will practice setting intentions, focusing on the breath, flowing with the breath, letting go of our attachments & opening our hearts to ourselves, each other & the world. We will chant to resonate & increase our vibration to a higher frequency of loving kindness (Maitri) & compassion. I look forward to opening the Anahata (heart).
Chakra with you🙏🕉📿

Namaste,
Yogini Jeanne

SOLD OUT - Bruce and Pamela Forman Present: Julie London - A Nighttime Voice
2022-10-30 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
10/30/22 PERFORMANCE IS SOLD OUT

In this performance, Pamela and Bruce Forman will channel the iconic recordings of Julie London and Barney Kessel. Known for her sultry swinging style and Hollywood looks, Julie London’s deep alto voice captivated millions throughout the 50s and 60s. Poll-winning guitarist Barney Kessel set the bar for his swing, bluesy phrasing, and inventive harmony. An extra treat: Bruce will be playing the guitar from those very records! Go ahead: Cry me a river! Joining the duo will be Gary Meek on sax.

Masks are required in the theater regardless of vaccination status.
Please join us for some great music, wine, and light fare–all included in the ticket price. Sunday, October 30th, 2022. Doors open at 1:00pm; performance from 2:00-4:00pm. Tickets are $25, available online at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.

Holi Moli: Beginner's Mind
2022-10-28 - 2022-11-26 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Holi Moli: Beginner’s Mind, an exhibit focusing on expressionism, naïve and innocent art as spiritual expressions, opens October 28th at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. A reception will be held at from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Highlighting both the artwork of children and nationally-recognized artists, the exhibit including paintings by Sam Tchakalian, Sarah Klein, Tom Nakashima, Ken Hale, Tracey Adams, Al Carter, Judith Foosaner, and students from Forest Grove Elementary School in Pacific Grove, among others.
Originally, naive art was any form of visual art that reflected a fresh and innocent vision of the world and was created by a person who lacked or rejected traditional understanding in portraying those objects. The genre is now widely recognized and can include a range of mediums, styles and motifs – from child-like scribbles with classical references to the art and poetry of antiquity to pure abstraction in painting and drawing.
The exhibit can be seen Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4:00pm, or by appointment, through November 26th, 2022.
VIEW EXHIBIT HERE
Pictured: “If You Get There Before I Do” – Martin Webb

Monterey County Artists Studio Tour - Arts Habitat
2022-10-08 - 2022-10-16 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
The Carl Cherry Center will host eight artists during this year’s Monterey County Artists Studio Tour on October 8, 9 & 15, 16. Hours are 11:00 – 5:00pm Saturdays, and noon to 5:00pm Sundays. The event is free and open to the public.
Five artists will participate the first weekend of the tour (October 8, 9): student and professional image production and mural artists of Hijos Del Sol; Rhaea Maurel, ceramics and painting; Celine Picus, acrylic and oil painting; Holly Rose, hand sewn lampshades; and Gloria Shaw, mono prints and painting. Six artists will participate the second weekend (October 15, 16): Jean Vengua, mixed media drawing and painting; Kate Warthen, oil and watercolor painting; Christine Watten, painting, drawing, and ceramics; Rhaea Maurel; Holly Rose; and Gloria Shaw.
A digital tour catalog can be download at ArtsHabitat.org. Printed catalogs are also available in the Monterey County Weekly on October 6, and in the Carmel Pine Cone on October 7. An interactive digital map can be found at bit.ly/mcast2022.
Pictured: “The Barn at Odello” – Kate Warthen

Adrift on Perdition's Rim
2022-09-30 19:00 - 2022-10-02 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Friday 9/30 SOLD OUT – Tickets available 10/1 & 10/2
“Adrift on Perdition’s Rim,” a funny, poignant, and at times gritty, portrayal of life growing up in West Texas, opens Friday, September 30th at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20, available on eventbrite.com.
Following a five-year absence, singer/songwriter Thomas Burks joins favorite local actors to present this evocative interpretation of West Texas. The production is part two of Burks’ popular “Farm Boy Mantra” trilogy.
The play will feature several short stories mixed with live music. Three performances only: Friday, September 30th through Sunday, October 2nd, 2022. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:00pm, Sunday matinee at 2:00pm.
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is located at the corners of 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel. Tickets are $20, available on eventbrite.com. (831) 624-7491.

Lucas Blok at Arts in Progress
2022-09-22 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Arts Habitat, a Monterey County non-profit, invites you to an Arts in Progress presentation by renowned Carmel painter, Lucas Blok on Thursday, September 22, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and is a program in support of the Monterey County Artists Studio Tour, taking place October 8, 9 & 15, 16. Go to ArtsHabitat.org for Tour catalogs, maps, and more information.
Come get inspired by Blok’s presentation of his artwork, influences and technique. His paintings are developed from his delight of exploring the why and how of his visual and emotional world. He is fascinated by our ability to take the energy from sunlight and convert it into a process that can become an esthetic, informative, and spiritual experience. The artist ushers the viewer into a world of color relationships that play on optical nerves and emotions alike. Adjacent color areas harmonize or generate delicate discords that become, like musical compositions, harmony, rhythm, discord, balance.

SOLD OUT - Rick Forschino Trio - Jazz at The Cherry
2022-09-18 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
SOLD OUT.
We are pleased to announce that after a two year absence, Jazz At The Cherry is back! We will open with the Rick Forschino Trio invoking the music of renowned jazz artist and composer, Michel Petrucciani. During his brief thirty-six year life, Petrucciani stunned the jazz world with his expansive compositions and stylistic renditions. His unbounded approach to the medium inspired Monterey Jazz Festival icon, Charles Lloyd, to come out of retirement in 1982 and begin touring with him.
Rick Forschino’s arrangements artfully capture the musical spirit and essence of Petrucciani’s work. Joining Rick will be bassist, Bill DeLap, and drummer, Mike Shannon.
Masks are required in the theater regardless of vaccination status.
Please join us for some great music, wine, and light fare–all included in the ticket price. Sunday, September 18th, 2022. Doors open at 1:00pm; performance from 2:00-4:00pm. Tickets are $25, available online at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.

SOLD OUT. Comedy Variety Showcase
2022-09-16 19:00 - 2022-09-17 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Carl Cherry Center for the Arts
The Comedy Variety Showcase will feature comedic acts and embrace every style of comedy performance such as stand-up, sketch, improv, monologues and more. The Showcase is produced and directed by Maria Dawson. For more information, visit their website, www.comedyvarietyshowcase.com.
Masks are required in the theater regardless of vaccination status.
Tickets are $15, available on Eventbrite.com. Some material may not be suitable for children under the age of 16.

In Their Own Likeness: Carmel Bohemian Painters
2022-09-02 - 2022-10-01 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
In Their Own Likeness: Carmel Bohemian Painters, an exhibit of contemporary Carmel artists’ portraits and their art, opens Friday, September 2nd at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. A reception for the artists will be held Friday, September 2nd from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Artist studios have always been absorbing venues, crowded with copious materials, paintings and tools. They are places of alchemy, revealing the mysterious origin of artwork and the rituals of creation. There have been a range of approaches to studio representations, including the famous Courbet’s studio, which is a combination of reality and allegory, while some contemporary representations display just fragments of studios, often done in styles the artists supported.
“The study celebrates local working artists who carry on the legacy of the Carmel Bohemian art culture. It is an homage to both the artists and the art colony of Carmel by the Sea,” says photographer Randy Tunnell who created the portraits of artists in their studios. “The collection of photographs will be the graphic record of Carmel artists from this time period and be a historic narrative of the creatives that helped to build the town over a hundred years ago.”
Randy Tunnell is a Carmel based photographer with over thirty year’s professional experience providing photography to agencies and clients, large and small. Portrait sittings include Muhammad Ali, Henry Kissinger and Oprah Winfrey.
The exhibit includes work by Johnny Apodaca , Eleen Auvil, Ernie Baber, Jeffrey Becom, Ashley Bennett-Stoddard, Cyndra Bradford, Delia Bradford, Lisa Bryan Will Bullas, Miguel Dominguez, Mark Farina, Scott Jacobs, Barbara Kreitman, David Ligare, Keith Lindberg, Kevin Milligan, Jennifer Perlmutter, Patricia Qualls, Kathy Sharpe, Jeff Daniel Smith, Mary Titus, Joaquin Turner, Belinda Vidor, Jan Wagstaff, Chris Winfield, and Robin Winfield.
In Their Own Likeness: Carmel Bohemian Painters can be seen Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m., or by appointment, through Saturday, October 1st, 2022.
VISIT ONLINE EXHIBIT

The Testament of Mary
2022-08-12 19:30 - 2022-09-11 15:00 UTC | Carl Cherry Center for the Arts
The Testament of Mary is a ninety-minute, one-woman play depicting the mother of Jesus at the end of her life. It describes the story leading up to her son’s crucifixion from Mary’s own perspective, not as the religious icon she came to be, but rather as a woman, a wife, a mother, and a human being.
The play opens Friday, August 12th through Sunday, September 11th, 2022. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30pm, Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Masks required inside the theater. Tickets are $23 general admission, available for purchase online with no booking fee at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 233-1941. $20 for military (available at the door only).
Photo credits: Background image by Angelo Mamone, Jane Press photographed by Sam Danielson
Meet the Cast and Crew:
Jane Press (Actor/Producer/Production Designer) has been performing on stage since the Kennedy administration, She is the Founder / Artistic Director of PRESS THE BUTTON PRODUCTIONS, whose mission it is to give voice—on stage and off—to women over the age of fifty, in reclamation of our matriarchal heritage.
Maryann Schaupp Rousseau (director) is a director; actor; choreographer and theatre arts educator, working in these capacities on the Monterey Peninsula from 1989 until the present. She served as Dean Emeritus for the Pacific Repertory Theatre (in Carmel) School of Dramatic Arts for eleven years.
Sound design by Marylee Sunsari and lighting design by Steve Retsky. Production design in collaboration with Jane Press by Janice Rocke.

The Way We Fell Out of Touch
2022-08-06 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
A New Play in Development
Award-winning screenwriter and author Toni Ann Johnson will perform her new play, The Way We Fell Out of Touch, based on the true story of the unique and surprising relationship between Johnson’s African-American mother and their family’s white maid during the 1970s in upstate New York. The play is an adaptation of two of Johnson’s award-winning short stories (Lodestone Fiction Award ~ 2017) and she will be performing both characters.
The play reading is developed in collaboration with Director Robin McKee. This is a special opportunity to enjoy the birthing of a new play. Please come and enjoy and give us feedback in an informal after performance discussion. Due to COVID and limited space, we request everyone wear a mask during the performance.
One night only: Saturday August 6th at 7:00PM. The performance is free, but seating is limited, so please RSVP to (831) 236-7825 to be put on the guest list.
About the Playwright and Actor:
This is Johnson and McKee’s second collaboration. Ms. McKee directed and served as dramaturg on Johnson’s play Gramercy Park is Closed to the Public, which went on to receive productions in Los Angeles by the Fountainhead Theatre Company and in New York, by The New York Stage and Film Company. The play also earned Johnson a fellowship to the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.
Johnson won the 2021 Flannery O’Connor Awarad for short fiction with her linked story collection Light Skin Gone to Waste, which was selected for the prize and edited by Roxane Gay. The book is available for pre-order and is forthcoming in October of 2022 from UGA Press.
Johnson has won two Humanitas Prizes and a Christopher Award for her TV Movies which include Ruby Bridges (ABC), Crown Heights (Showtime) and The Courage to Love (Lifetime.) She has written numerous YA dance related television and film projects including Step Up 2: The Streets, the second installment in the internationally popular Step Up Franchise. Johnson’s novel Remedy For A Broken Angel earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author in 2015. A novella, Homegoing, won Accents Publishing’s inaugural novella contest in 2020 was was published by them in 2021. In June, Homegoing was announced the grand prize winner of the CIBA 2021 Laramie Awards. Johnson’s short fiction and essays have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Emerson Review, Hunger Mountain, Callaloo, The Coachella Review and many other publications. She recently won The Missouri Review’s Miller Audio Prize for prose with her short story Time Travel which can be found on Soundcloud. Johnson is an alumna of Antioch University’s MFA in Creative Writing program where she currently teaches fiction and screenwriting.

SOLD OUT Evenings with Birdsong
2022-08-03 19:30 - 2022-08-04 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
Evenings with Birdsong
Two avian performances at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts
Join two of Australia’s most adventurous musicians, Simone Slattery (violin, vocals, PhD, Churchill Fellow) and Anthony Albrecht (cello, The Juilliard School), for a pair of avian-inspired concert events at the Carl Cherry Center, described by critics as “spectacular.”

The Bowerbird Collective produces multimedia works that tell conservation stories, with the aim of strengthening emotional connections to the natural world. They tour extensively, with a focus on performing in regional areas, deliver exceptional educational outreach opportunities to school age children, and work with national and international conservation organizations to explore nature through the arts.
Where Song Began – Wednesday, August 3rd • 7:30PM
Performed more than 80 times in sold out halls and accessible for all ages, Where Song Began is a celebration of songbirds. The program includes music spanning 300 years, from Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and J.S. Bach to Arvo Pärt and new commissions, enhanced by a film of evocative visual projections and an immersive soundscape.

Life on Land’s Edge – Thursday, August 4th • 7:30PM
Life on Land’s Edge takes audiences on an epic journey alongside migratory birds as they connect continents and cultures. The performance draws on art, science, and music from across the ages. Spectacular footage and soundscapes will immerse you in one of nature’s greatest stories. “Truly beautiful”

About the performers: Simone Slattery was a 2018 Churchill Fellow, received a Ph.D. in Music Performance from the University of Adelaide and performs regularly with Australia’s finest ensembles. Anthony Albrecht is an Australian graduate of The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program and enjoys an international career.
Performance length: 60 minutes without interval, including a Q&A.

For more information about these programs and the artists visit www.bowerbirdcollective.org
Tickets: Adults $30 and $5 for children 18 and under, available online (https://bowerbirdcollective.us/carmel) or by calling (831) 624-7491. *Purchase a combined adult ticket, see both concerts for $50 — a $10 discount!

For the health and safety of all, masks are required while inside the Cherry Theater.
Tickets: www.bowerbirdcollective.us/carmel
Facebook event

Program information:

Where Song Began
Arvo Pärt – Fratres for solo violin, 1977
Sarah Hopkins – Reclaiming the Spirit, 1993
Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending, 1917
Chris Williams – bird, songs, seas, 2017
Ross Edwards – Ecstatic Dance No.2, 1990
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer – Cucu Sonata, 1664
J.S. Bach – Prelude from Cello Suite No.1, c.1720
David Lang – Anthochaera carunculata (Red Wattle Bird), 2017
Ngarra Burra Ferra – Yorta Yorta hymnSpotify Album Link here.
Promotional videos here and here.
ABC Radio National feature interview here.

Life on Land’s Edge
Simone Slattery – Invisible Connections (2020)*
Philip Glass – Opening (1981)
Anne Cawrse – Sanctuary (2021)*
Chris Williams – (Codex) on the Flight of Birds (2021)*
Corrina Bonshek – Far Eastern Curlew Lament (2021)*
Corrina Bonshek – Between Sea and Sky (excerpt, 2022)*
Anne Cawrse – Ruddy Turnstone (excerpt, 2021)*
Dai Fujikura – Star Compass (2020)
Gambirra Illume – Wind Birds (2022)*
Vivaldi – Violin Concerto “per Chiareta” in B flat major RV 372a, Andante (c.1720)
Simone Slattery – The Godwit and Curlew (2020)*
* New Commission
