Don’t miss the SLO Vocal Arts performances of “Music for Generations — A Tribute to Gary Lamprecht.” For more than 48 years, the Vocal Arts Ensemble has been regarded as a community treasure regularly entertaining audiences with a variety of concerts in and around the county. The group has also become highly regarded beyond our shores, winning friends, acclaim, and awards in international choral festivals. Tours have included the British Isles, Russia, Poland, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Uruguay, Sweden, Italy, France, Norway, Spain and Canada.
The group’s founder, Gary Lamprecht, was a well-known and inspiring teacher, leader, and visionary in the world of choral music, and who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from the American Choral Director’s Association.
• Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. Trilogy Monarch Dunes, Nipomo
• Saturday, May 4, at 3 p.m. Harold J. Miossi CPAC, Cuesta College
• Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo
Tickets are $30 reserve seating and $10 children ages 6-12. Order tickets online at vocalarts.org or call 805-541-6797.
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The second annual juried exhibition, Central Coast Artists Collective Presents 2024, comes to Art Center Morro Bay with an opening reception with food, drink, and awards Sunday, May 19, from 2-4 p.m., at Art Center Morro Bay. Many of the artists will be present. The public is invited to attend.
Art shown includes photography, sculpture, and fine craft, all work from the hands, eyes, and hearts of members of three Collective art groups. The Painters Group holds a show later in the year. Art will be exhibited in the galleries on both floors of Art Center Morro Bay.
The free exhibit runs from May 16 – June 24 at Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main Street.
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Pianist and music Professor Emeritus W. Terrence Spiller will give his final Beethoven sonata cycle recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 10, in the Pavilion of the Performing Arts Center.
Two large sonatas will bookend he program: the massive Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7, and the joyously majestic “Waldstein” sonata, No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53. Between these titans will be two smaller works: the compact and joyous Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54, and the lyrical No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1.
Spiller’s first recital in the cycle was in 2016, and he’s performed one annually apart from 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021 he gave a virtual performance of the fifth recital. Spiller stepped down from full-time teaching in the Music Department in March 2021 and fully retired from Cal Poly last spring.
Tickets are $20 for the public and $10 for students and are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849). Event parking is sponsored by the PAC.
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The Pride of Morro Bay, The White Caps Community Band, has received grants from the James Irvine Foundation and the Rotary Club of Morro Bay. Thanks to these sponsorships, the band will donate all proceeds from their next concert to the music department of Los Osos Middle School.
The concert takes place at Tidelands Park on Saturday, May 4 from 1 to 3 p.m. “I’m really looking forward to having our band perform in such a beautiful location,” said Brenda Hascall, the band’s conductor. “ We usually play our concerts out on the south T-Pier. Our band has grown so much in size, sound, and skill that we are becoming more adventurous. We are also planning our very first indoor concert for the fall.”
For more information on the White Caps Community Band you can visit their website at www.morrobaywhitecaps.com.
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Join the fun at upcoming free youth programs in May at the Morro Bay Library – 625 Harbor St, (805) 772-6394.
• Art Party – Wednesday, May 1, 3 – 5 p.m.
Unleash your creativity at our monthly art party! Use your imagination to make unique art pieces using paper, pens, pencils, scissors, glue and more. All materials provided – you bring the inspiration! Creative options available for ages 3-12.
• Create a Tree of Life Series –
Wednesday, May 8, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, May 15, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 22, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Trees of life are a beautiful part of the pottery and ceramic traditions of central highlands of Mexico. Learn about their history and how to make your very own with presenter Luna! For ages 5+. These programs will be presented in Spanish and English.
• Sensory Playtime – Saturday, May 11, 10 – 11 a.m.
Let your little ones lead the way in this open-ended playtime! Babies and toddlers can use their five senses to explore our play stations. Parents and caregivers: we also have early literacy tips for you! For ages 0-5.
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The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery at Cuesta College announces the return of the Student Annual Art Exhibition, showcasing the creativity and talent of Cuesta College art students. This year’s exhibition opens runs through May 17, providing a diverse display of student artistic work curated by interdisciplinary artist and Cal Poly assistant professor Makia Sharp. The exhibition features a remarkable collection of ceramics, drawings, graphic design, digital art, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
“This exhibition is an exciting opportunity for the students to showcase their creative talents to a wider audience and for art enthusiasts to experience some exceptional artwork and witness the potential of young artists,” said Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery Coordinator Tim Stark.
The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery is in Room 7170 at the Cuesta College San Luis Obispo campus. Admission to the gallery is free. Call (805) 546-3202 for a schedule of exhibits and hours of operation. For additional information, email timothy_stark@cuesta.edu.
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San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre presents “The Thanksgiving Play” by renowned playwright Larissa Fasthorse. Set to hit the stage on May 3 -19, this thought-provoking comedy promises an engaging exploration of cultural appropriation, identity, and the complexities of modern day Thanksgiving celebrations. Directed by Rachel Tietz, the production features an incredible cast who will bring Fasthorse’s witty and insightful script to life.
The Thanksgiving Play follows a group of well-intentioned but misguided theatre artists as they attempt to devise a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving play for a school presentation. Faced with their own biases and limited understanding of Indigenous culture, the characters navigate a series of comedic mishaps and unexpected revelations. Through Fasthorse’s sharp writing and nuanced characterizations, the play prompts audiences to reflect on the ways in which history, tradition, and privilege intersect in contemporary society.
Shows are Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m. and Saturday- Sunday at 2 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre, 888 Morro Street, SLO. Tickets range from $30-$42 and available at www.slorep.org or 805 786-2440.
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SLO Skiers, a local, non-profit sports and social club for adults is having its next monthly meeting at Dairy Creek Golf Course Clubhouse in San Luis Obispo at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 1. Meetings are free and yearly membership is $65. Social hour from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Meeting follows. Social and sports activities occur year around.
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The following are free events brought to you by the Los Osos Library 2075 Palisades, Ave, 805-528-1862
Featured Wall Artist: Spencer Poulter Display Case: TBD
• Paws to Read – Wednesdays, 3:15 – 4:15 p.m.
Come and read your favorite book to Berkeley! She’s at the Los Osos Library on Wednesday afternoons. School Age.
• E-Device Class – Wednesdays, 9:15 – 10 a.m.
Bring your device in and Diana will do her best to answer any questions you have.
• Storytime – Thursdays, 10:30-11 a.m.
Stories, dance, and music for toddlers and preschoolers.
• Art Party – Friday, May 3, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Unleash your creativity at our monthly art party! Use your imagination to make unique art pieces using paper, pens, pencils, scissors, glue and more. All materials provided – you bring the inspiration! Creative options available for ages 3-12!
• Messy Art Playtime – Saturday, May 4, 10 – 11 a.m.
Encourage your child to get creative through painting and other messy art processes! Leave the clean-up to us. All materials will be provided. Wear clothes that can get messy!
For ages 6 months and up.
• Dungeons & Dragons for Teens – Saturday, May 4, 2 – 4 p.m.
Teens and tweens: Local Dungeon Master John will take us on a voyage to The Enchanted Woods! You and your friends are attending a school for wizards, but on a field trip to the Enchanted Woods you get separated from your group! Work together with your friends, watch out for dangers, and get help from the forest’s residents to get safely back to your class before night falls!
For ages 11-18.
Space is limited so please register!
• Hexbugs – Friday, May 10, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Create mazes for these motorized bugs, race them and more! All ages welcome.
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Guest violinist Sarah Saviet, who performs extensively as a soloist and ensemble player of contemporary classical music in Europe, will present a master class and recital Thursday, May 16, in Room 218 of the Davidson Music Center (Building No. 45) at Cal Poly.
Saviet will coach students active in the Music Department’s string chamber music program at 11:10 a.m. and then will give a solo recital at 5:30 p.m.
For the recital, she will perform new music for solo violin, including her own compositions as well as works by avant-garde composer Iannis Xenakis, Swedish composer Lisa Streich, andTimothy McCormack of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Saviet’s debut solo modern classical album “Spun” (released last August by Coviello Contemporary) was recently nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award for new music. Her recording on HCR/NMC records of Liza Lim’s 2015 violin concerto “Speak, Be Silent” with the Riot Ensemble, which includes some of the top European soloists in new music, was selected as one of The New Yorker’s best recordings of 2019.
The presentations are free and open to the public and are sponsored by the Music Department and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, visit music.calpoly.edu/calendar/ or call 805-756-2406.
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