GROSSMONT COLLEGE– Jazz by the bay and spirits at the Stagehouse highlight the offerings for Grossmont College arts lovers this month.
All that Jazz
The third annual Jazz All Stars concert will take place at Humphreys by the Bay on May 2. There will actually be two concerts. The first, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is a family concert open to all ages, and will feature straight-ahead jazz performed by members of Grossmont’s music faculty. Among the performers will be Steve Baker on piano, Paul Kurokawa on trumpet, and Doug Booth on guitar.
The second concert, beginning at 9:30, is for the 21-and-over crowd, and will have a more Caribbean/Latin dance feel. It will feature the Afro-Cuban Ensemble led by Derek Cannon, Ritmo Caribe, and Manny Cepeda.
Tickets are $18 general and $10 for Grossmont students, and are available at Humphreys Box Office at (619) 224-3577.
The concert is a benefit for the Grossmont College Music Scholarships. This program helps Grossmont music majors pay for the private lessons required as part of their studies.
The Humphreys gala is not the only jazz performance by Grossmont students and faculty. The Afro-Cuban Ensemble is playing at the Cuyamaca College Fine Arts Theatre on May 12 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students.
The Grossmont College Jazz Ensemble, featuring students, has two upcoming concerts. It will play at the Cuyamaca College Fine Arts Theatre on May 5 at 7:30 p.m., with tickets running $5 for students. The following night they will perform at the Sycuan Golf Resort at 5:30 p.m. in support of a fundraiser for the Grossmont College Foundation.
Finally, Jazz Night with Grossmont college students, will be at the Recital Hall (Room 26-220) on May 22 at 7:00 p.m. This showcase event costs $8 general and $5 for students.
Spirited Comedy
The 2010-2011 season for Grossmont Theatre Arts Department will close with a presentation of Blithe Spirit by the British writer Noel Coward. The production will run May 12-14 and 18-21, at 7:30 p.m. and May 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. in the Stagehouse Theatre.
The play will be a last chance to see Grossmont students under the direction of Henry J. Jordan. The longtime theatre arts instructor will retire this spring, reducing the full-time faculty in the department from three to two.
The 1941 play features some of the British playwright’s funniest characters. Daniel Ludwig has been cast as Charles Condomine, a cantankerous novelist who invites a Madame Arcate (Kate Hewitt), a “happy medium,” to hold a séance to research his next book. He ends up haunted by his first wife Elvira (Erin Burke), to the consternation of his second wife Ruth (Lisa Brindley).
Other Events
Thursday, April 28 — The Grossmont Symphony String Quartet performs at the Cuyamaca Concert Fine Arts Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 general, $5 students, children 12 and under free with an adult.
Friday, April 29 – Fred Benedetti and George Svoboda perform at the Grossmont College Recital Hall, Room 26-220, at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $10 general and $8 for students.
Friday, May 13 – Fred Benedetti and Robert Wetzel perform at Grossmont College Room 26-221 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $10 general and $8 for students.
Saturday, May 14 – The Grossmont Master Chorale performs “Songs of Love” at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in La Mesa at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, with a free-will offering asked.
Monday, May 16 – Fred Benedetti is featured in a benefit concert for the Grossmont Guitar Guild Scholarship fund at Grossmont Recital Hall (Room 26-220) at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 general and $3 for Grossmont students, faculty and staff.
Wednesday, May 18 – The Grossmont Guitar Ensemble performs at Grossmont College, room 26-221, at 2:30 p.m. Admission is FREE.
Thursday, May 19—The Grossmont College Concert Band will present its Spring Concert the Cuyamaca Concert Fine Arts Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $8 general and $5 for students.
Friday, May 20 – The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra will perform at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church in Lemon Grove at 7:30 p.m. Guest artist Arnold Barron is playing “The Five Sacred Trees,” a bassoon concerto by famed motion picture composer John Williams. Admission is a free-will offering.
Sunday, May 22—The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra repeats its May 20 concert at Chula Vista High School Concert Hall. Admission is $10 general and $5 students.
