Claremont Arts

Midsummer Shakespeare Festival Under the Stars at Pomona College Opens July 14 — Ophelia’s Jump Productions Presents “The Winter’s Tale”

WHAT: The Winter’s Tale. 

WHO: Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Caitlin Lopez. Presented by Ophelia’s Jump Productions’ Midsummer Shakespeare Festival. Co-Producer: Pomona College.

WHERE: Sontag Greek Theatre, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 91711. (Located behind Seaver Theatre).

WHEN: July 14- July 24, 2022. Thursdays through Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Green Show entertainment begins at 7:00 p.m.

ADMISSION: $30. College students with I.D. and children under 12, $20.

INFO/TICKETING: https://opheliasjump.org or 909-734-6565

Ophelia’s Jump Productions’ Midsummer Shakespeare Festival returns this July, presenting The Winter’s Tale at The Sontag Greek Theatre, the historic outdoor venue located on the grounds of Pomona College in Claremont.

The Winters Tale performance in Claremont, CA

Prior to the performance, the venue will be open early to accommodate picnickers. Concessions including craft beer, wine and snacks will be available. There will also be a nightly Green Show, a pre-show entertainment at this iconic venue. (The Green Show originated in Elizabethan times.)

The Winter’s Tale is unique in the annals of romantic comedy. It starts off like a tragedy, spins into comedy, and concludes with a fairy-tale happy ending. The play also contains the most famous stage direction in the history of theatrical literature. (Without giving away too much, it involves a bear.)

King Leontes of Sicilia and King Polixenes of Bohemia have been life-long buddies, to the benefit of both their realms. One day, Leontes decides that his Queen, Hermione, is much too friendly with Polixenes and groundlessly suspects her of infidelity. Leontes explodes into a jealous rage which will have dire consequences for his loved ones. Hermione and Leontes’ infant daughter, Perdita, is banished to Bohemia and left to die, but is saved by a passing Shepherd and his son. She grows up into a great beauty, attracting the romantic attention of Florizel, Princess of Bohemia. Meanwhile, their families’ royal houses, beset by grief and regret are still at odds. Is there any hope for the love of Perdita and Florizel? It will take an act of miraculous magic to make things right, if the lovers are ever to achieve their happily-ever-after.

Caitlin Lopez directs. She is the Founding Associate Artistic Director of Ophelia’s Jump Productions. An actor and improvisor, she was a company member at Spectacles Improv Engine where she co-created teams and forms steeped in narrative genre work such as The Mechanicals, The Blankety Blank, and The Illegitimate Stage. Directing credits with OJP include 33 Variations, Twelfth Night, The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It. She is a graduate of California State San Bernardino with a Bachelors in Acting and will be attending Ohio University in the Fall, pursuing an MFA in Directing. 

Her cast for The Winter’s Tale includes Austin Mooney, Conrad Cecil, Courtney Brechemin, Elana Aronson, Janette Valenzo, Justin Wickman, Liana-Rose Veratudela, Michael Johnson, Ryan Herrera, Scott Robinson, Sophia Dunn-Walker, Tania Esmeralda Vazquez and William Mueller.

Stage manager: Miranda Tejeda. Lighting designer: Sheila Malone.

Founding Artistic Director: Beatrice Casagrán. 

It may be called The Winter’s Tale, but a romance with a fairy-tale ending is perfect for a summer evening.

About Ophelia’s Jump

Ophelia’s Jump is a non-profit Performing Arts Theatre producing plays, staged readings, the Midsummer Shakespeare Festival in Claremont, and hosting youth and adult improv and acting classes. Ophelia’s Jump Productions was founded by artists and educators who believe that the purpose of theatre is to create unending conversations, spark imagination, incite conscience, and elicit a visceral response. Ophelia’s Jump aims to invigorate the creativity and intellect of the community by working with local emerging artists. Ophelia’s Jump is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

About Pomona College

Located in Claremont, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona is known for its quality academic programs, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, a range of student research and leadership opportunities, and a strong commitment to the arts. Additional information available at www.pomona.edu 

California Botanic Garden Hosts (Re)place, A Site-Specific Sculptural Installation

(Re)place is a collaboration between artist Brandon Lomax and California Botanic Garden’s past, present and future. Sculptural works will be shown at various stages of completion from fully-fired clay works that are as durable as stone to unfired works that are more vulnerable to the weather and elements of the Garden. Lomax is embedding some works with native plant species. Throughout the duration of the exhibit, unfired clay works will disintegrate and rejoin the soil, their once solid forms replaced by a wildflower garden.

Referencing multiple meanings of place, the exhibit becomes the site of restoration, substitution, and belonging as it celebrates diversity in all forms: class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, etc. The show reminds us that we are here because we are vital contributors. The artist’s hope is that we humans can celebrate our own biodiversity and work together to create a more symbiotic relationship with our earth in this place, and every other.

The exhibition opens Saturday, November 13, 2021 and is free with the purchase of daily admission. Visitors may view the exhibition during the Garden’s open hours Tuesdays – Sundays from 8 AM – 5 PM.

More details about the exhibition and the artist: https://www.calbg.org/exhibitions/brandon-lomax-re-place

During the opening weekend of the (Re)place exhibition, fine artist Brandon Lomax will facilitate public sculpture workshops guiding participants in making simple sculptural clay forms. The creations will be added to Lomax’s large-scale exhibition at California Botanic Garden. Workshop participants will also take home materials to create their own works of art for their garden. The clay provided will be infused with seeds from California native plants.

 

During the seven-month tenure of the show, the elements will degrade the unfired sculptures back into soil and seeds will sprout and blossom, replacing the sculptures that once stood in their place. Participants are encouraged to return to the Garden to witness the transformation of their sculptural works into native flora.

Adults and children are welcome to these approximately 1-hour workshops occurring at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM on Saturday, November 13. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For everyone’s safety, we ask that participants be prepared to wear face coverings and practice social distancing.

Pricing:
$15 Public | $10 Member Adult | $5 Children

Register for a workshop: https://www.calbg.org/event/re-place-exhibition-workshop-10

Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College Hosts Official Claremont Community Welcome

The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College is thrilled to announce its Community Welcome on Saturday, November 13 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. The event is free and open to all, and it celebrates the transitions the museum has undergone in the past two years as well as the museum’s new home, ten years in the making.

Since January 2020, the museum has welcomed a new director, Victoria Sancho Lobis; changed its name to the Benton Museum of Art; and, importantly, completed the construction of and move into a brand-new building, designed by Machado Silvetti and Gensler. The new building offers three times the space of the previous facility, allowing for more exhibitions, educational outreach, and events and programs. While the museum has been open for appointment visits since May, it has delayed its Community Welcome celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event will feature an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with elected officials and the Claremont Chamber of Commerce, art and activities for all ages, exhibition viewing, live music, and even a few celebratory surprises. Currently installed in the museum’s galleries are four exhibitions—Alison Saar: Of Aether and Earthe (with the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena); Helen Pashgian: Primavera; Sadie Barnette: Legacy & Legend (with the Pitzker College Art Galleries); Sahara: Acts of Memory—as well as site-specific installations and commissions such as ﺣﺐ /Love by Alia Ali and Imbue by Alison Saar. COVID-19 safety protocols will be observed.

The Benton looks forward to opening its doors at 120 West Bonita Avenue in Claremont and welcoming its friends and neighbors at its free celebration on Saturday, November 13 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.

About the Benton Museum of Art

Now housed in the new Benton Museum of Art designed by Machado Silvetti and Gensler, Pomona College’s collection of art numbers 16,000 objects, including Italian Renaissance paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; works on paper, including a first edition print series by Francisco Goya given by Norton Simon; and works in various media produced in

Southern California in the twentieth century. In keeping with Pomona College’s reputation as a leading center of the visual arts, the collection also includes works by such esteemed alumni as Chris Burden ’69, Marcia Hafif ’51, Helen Pashgian ’56, Peter Shelton ’73, and James Turrell ’65. Recognized globally for its commitment to contemporary art, the museum is the home of The Project Series, which has featured more than 50 contemporary Southern California artists since it began in 1999. Through its collaboration with students and faculty, the museum encourages active learning and creative exploration across all disciplines of study within the liberal arts context.

About Pomona College

Located in Claremont, California, Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges. Established in 1887, Pomona is known for its quality academic programs, a challenging curriculum, close relationships between students and faculty, a range of student research and leadership opportunities, and a strong commitment to the arts.

Additional information available at www.pomona.edu. Pomona College is a proud member of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce.

Clayfornia: Ceramic Sculpture in the California Sunshine

Clay and California go together. Clay has been part of California’s history through every sun-dappled chapter and continues to find beautiful expressions in the hands of contemporary artists who call the Golden State home. The AMOCA Ceramics Studio (American Museum of Ceramic Art) in Pomona continues

Clayfornia will showcase fourteen AMOCA Ceramics Studio artists and their work at our Garden. We have invited these artists to explore and express California’s identity in the quintessential California medium of clay, set amidst native plants of California.

The exhibit will be open from November 8, 2020 through April 18, 2021.

FREE with daily admission.

Participating Artists:

Mary Beierle, Cj Jilek, Beverly Helfer-Grand, David Kiddie, Heidi Kreitchet, Gary Lett, Janell Lewis, Kim Lingo, Brandon Lomax, Mark Muscarello, David Pacheco, Scott Ross, Maureen Wheeler, and Jonas Wendelin.

Purchase Daily Admission Tickets: https://11213.blackbaudhosting.com/11213/page.aspx?pid=196&tab=2&txobjid=5925d119-b69e-47f1-95ff-1e6b8d0f297a 

More information: https://www.calbg.org/exhibitions/clayfornia 

 

Pomona College Fall 2018 Free Music Concerts Announced

Pomona College’s Department of Music announces its Fall 2018 concert season featuring an eclectic offering of music from a wide range of genres, eras and musical backgrounds. Special guests will complement performances by Pomona College’s faculty artists and student ensembles.

Tania Chen, Jon Leidecker, Thurston Moore, David Toop and Gino Robar will collaborate in a special performance – co-sponsored by The Claremont Colleges Library – of John Cage’s Electronic Music for Piano. This 60-plus minute work contains Cage’s envisioned elements, which include having the artists use technology to keep a piece “current, revealing and astounding.” This concert on Sept. 28 in Bridges Hall of Music, follows the release of a new recording by the same ensemble on Omnivore Recordings. The concert is free and ticketed.

October rewinds the clock with a period chamber ensemble, the world-class London Handel Players. In a program titled “To Play before the King,” they will present works by C.P.E. Bach, François Couperin, Handel, Domenico Scarlatti and others. Hailed for “consummate skill and musicianship,” (The New York Times) the ensemble comes to Bridges Hall of Music on Oct. 28.

Faculty recitals feature performances including duo Celliola (Cynthia Fogg, viola, and Tom Flaherty, cello) and Friends in works by living American composers on Sept. 16. The annual eclectic Chamber Music Extravaganza features many of the department’s performance faculty and members of some of Southern California’s top performing ensembles, including the LA Chamber Orchestra and Long Beach Symphony – in music by Babcock, Beethoven, Broughton, Henkel and others on Oct. 17. On Nov. 4, faculty members Melissa Givens, soprano; Gary Bovyer, clarinet; Maggie Parkins, cello; and Genevieve Feiwen Lee and Jennie Jung, piano; join in the world-wide celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s centennial with Celebrating Bernstein at 100.

In addition to these performances, numerous student ensembles and faculty members will be offering a variety of concerts. Among them are the Pomona College Orchestra with pianist Lee performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, and the Pomona College Choir with soprano Givens in Bach’s Magnificat. Additionally, Pomona College faculty artists will be presented in the Friday at Noon series co-sponsored with Scripps College. More information is available at: pomona.edu/academics/departments/music/concert-calendar/friday-noon-concert-series.

The Pomona College Department of Music’s Fall 2018 printed season concert calendar is now available online at www.pomona.edu/music-calendar and can be picked up outside Thatcher Music Building on the campus of Pomona College. All the department’s offerings are free and open to the public.

 

Fall 2018 Schedule

Free admission to all performances and events • Tickets only required for the Sept. 28th concert

September

 Celliola and Friends
Celliola members Cynthia Fogg*, viola, and Tom Flaherty*, cello, with Gwendolyn Lytle*, soprano; Scott Lehmkuhl*, bass; Joti Rockwell*, mandola; Karl Kohn* and Genevieve Feiwen Lee*, pianos; William Peterson*, organ

3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16

Bridges Hall of Music

Music by William Appleton ’14, Flaherty, Kohn, Eric Moe, Caroline Shaw and Jack Van Zandt

 

Spontaneity & Sound
Interactive workshop with Tania Chen

4:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27

Lyman Hall, Thatcher Music Building

Discussion of the components of performance and their relationship to their instruments and sound making objects.

 

John Cage’s “Electronic Music for Piano”
Pianist Tania Chen, with Jon Leidecker,
Thurston Moore, David Toop and Gino Robair

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28

Bridges Hall of Music

A 60-plus minute piece created by this ensemble using technology and improvisation to make this a one-of-a-kind live performance.

Note: Free admission, tickets required | Online: pomona.edu/cage-at-claremont  | Phone: (909) 607-1193

 

October

Chamber Music Extravaganza
Performance faculty Carolyn Beck, bassoon; Gayle Blankenburg, piano; Francisco Castillo, oboe; Ken Foerch, alto saxophone; Jennie Jung, piano; Stephen Klein, tuba; Ursula Kleinecke, soprano; Maggie Parkins, cello; Jack Sanders, guitar;

3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7

Bridges Hall of Music

Music by Babcock, Beethoven, Broughton, Carlevaro, Gianopoulos and Henkel

 

Pomona College Orchestra
with Eric Lindholm*, conductor

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12

3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14

Bridges Hall of Music

Copland: “Billy the Kid” suite
Thea Musgrave: “Rainbow”
Bernstein: “Symphonic Dances” from
West Side Story

 

London Handel Players in
To Play before the King
Adrian Butterfield, Baroque violin; Rachel Brown, Baroque flute and recorder; Katherine Sharman, Baroque cello; Silas Wollston, harpsichord

3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28

Bridges Hall of Music

Music by C.P.E. Bach, F. Couperin, Geminiani, Handel, Hellendaal, Quantz and D. Scarlatti.

 

Lecture/Demo with the London Handel Players
including dancers Mary Collins and Steven Player

4:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29

Bridges Hall of Music

 

November

Celebrating Bernstein at 100
Melissa Givens*, soprano’ Gary Bovyer*, clarinet; Maggie Parkins*, cello; Jennie Jung* and Genevieve Feiwen Lee*, pianos

3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4

Bridges Hall of Music

Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story for two pianos, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Meditation No. 3 from the Mass for cello and piano, “La bonne cuisine” for soprano and piano and more

 

Pomona College Band
with Graydon Beeks*, conductor

8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16

3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 18

Bridges Hall of Music

Music by Bennett, Bernstein, Grainger, Feliciano, Sousa and others

 

Pomona College Jazz Ensemble
Barb Catlin*, director

4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20

Lyman Hall, Thatcher Music Building

An afternoon of jazz favorites

 

Pomona College Choir:
Sounds of Latin American and
German Baroque

Donna M. Di Grazia*, conductor

8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30

Bridges Hall of Music

Bach’s Magnificat, and music by Araujo, Zumaya, Fernandes, and others with soloists including Melissa Givens, soprano

December

 

Pomona College Choir:
Sounds of Latin American and
German Baroque

Donna M. Di Grazia*, conductor

3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2

Bridges Hall of Music

Bach’s Magnificat, and music by Araujo, Zumaya, Fernandes, and others with soloists including Melissa Givens, soprano

 

Pomona College
West African Music Ensemble
Nani Agbeli*, director

8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3

Lyman Hall, Thatcher Music Building

Featuring drumming and dance of West Africa

 

Pomona College Orchestra
Eric Lindholm*, conductor
Genevieve Feiwen Lee*, piano

8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7

3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9

Bridges Hall of Music

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor with Ms. Lee
Stravinsky: Suite from “The Firebird” (1919)

 

Giri Kusuma
Pomona College Balinese Gamelan Ensemble
Nyoman Wenten*, music director and
Nanik Wenten, dance director

8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10

Bridges Hall of Music

Traditional and contemporary Balinese music and dance with guests

 

* Pomona College Department of Music faculty members

VENUES:

Thatcher Music Building – 340 N. College Ave, Claremont, 91711
Bridges Hall of Music – 150 E. Fourth St., Claremont 91711

 

 

Inland Pacific Ballet Presents The Nutcracker in Claremont, December 9-10

A Holiday Tradition Returns to the Inland Empire

Enjoy a treasured holiday tradition with family and friends at southern California’s most spectacular production of The Nutcracker from critically acclaimed Inland Pacific Ballet. The Nutcracker comes to life with this magnificent ballet comprised of beautiful sets, dazzling costumes, and more than 80 dancers on stage. This annual performance tells the story of a young girl named Clara who receives a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve and sets out on a wondrous journey to the Land of the Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets. Toy soldiers, life-sized dancing dolls, and a fantastic dream with battling mice, dancing snowflakes, waltzing flowers, and the delightful Sugar Plum Fairy stir the imagination. Meet the cast after the performance for photos and autographs. This is family entertainment at its best.


Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College, 450 North College Way, Claremont, CA 91711

Saturday, December 9, 2017              2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 10, 2017              2:00 p.m.

 

Lewis Family Playhouse, 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

Friday, December 15, 2017                7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 16, 2017            2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 17, 2017              2:00 p.m.

 

Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501

Friday, December 22, 2017                7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 23, 2017            2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

 

Information & Tickets:  IPBALLET.org; tickets from $39 with senior/child/group discounts available.


Inland Pacific Ballet, is a professional ballet company based in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The Company is committed to producing exquisitely staged productions of full-length classic story ballets as well as presenting the best in contemporary choreography. Through creative marketing and an extensive Educational Outreach Program, Inland Pacific Ballet strives to introduce new audiences to the magic of ballet, and to make the experience more available and accessible to all. The Company is also committed to the nurturing of new talent and provides an essential training ground for serious young dancers. Inland Pacific Ballet’s Founders/Directors Victoria Koenig and Kevin Frank Myers are southern California natives and bring a wealth of experience to their visionary leadership of the Company.

Over the past 21 years they have built Inland Pacific Ballet into the premier ballet company in the region, enjoying critical acclaim while performing the largest and most varied repertoire in the area. The Company’s repertoire includes such classics as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Les Sylphides, Graduation Ball and Swan Lake Act II. Full length classical masterpieces include Giselle, Coppélia and a lavish production of The Nutcracker. Contemporary classics include seminal works by the legendary George Balanchine including Serenade, Concerto Barocco and Who Cares? and a growing body of original work that includes creative adaptations of much loved stories such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Dracula.

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