Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

‘Don’t Fence Me In’ celebrates America’s wide open spaces / By Sarah Linn of The Tribune, San Luis Obispo

Kristi — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:02:32 +0000

National Council for the Traditional Arts presents a show of yodeling, western swing, Native American drumming and Tex-Mex

By Bill Watts

Yahoo! yodeler Wylie Gustafson is one of several acts that will perform for ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’

By Sarah Linn | email

Sarah Linn The Tribune, San Luis Obispo

Poet Paul Zarzyski can trace his love of America’s wide open spaces to childhood. He and his father would go on fishing trips in the hardwood forests of northern Wisconsin.

“I’d always ask, ‘Dad, what’s the name of that bird making that sound? Dad, what’s that tree with the shaggy bark?’ ” he recalled.

“It was so vivid,” recalled the performer better known as Ranger Doug, guitarist for the Grammy Award-winning group Riders in the Sky. “You could see that old prospector dying of thirst in the desert. It stuck with me that this music was alive.”

Home movies of his dad’s hunting trips out West fed his fascination further….

Read the full story in The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, CA

Click here tickets to this performance at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts this Friday, February 24

Principle Pops Conductor Michael Berkowitz on his upcoming concert with Rich Ridenour in this video chat backstage…

Kristi — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:56:42 +0000

Maestro Michael Berkowitz will lead the Santa Rosa Symphony in a special pre-Oscar night concert, Sunday, February 26 at 3 p.m. “Great Movies, Grand Piano” is the second performance in the Symphony Pops Series and the concert features pianist Rich Ridenour, along with the Santa Rosa Symphony. Berkowitz recently sat down with us backstage to share some details about what’s in store…

Decadence for a cause with The Art of Dessert fundraising gala, March 3

Kristi — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:55:48 +0000

Join us for a worthy indulgence, March 3

Now in its tenth year, The Art of Dessert is an opportunity to indulge for a worthy cause as we honor of The Klein Family and Rodney Strong Vineyards, Arts Benefactors of the Year. As the Center’s signature fund-raising event, this gala evening features a gourmet meal, fine wines and decadent desserts from Sonoma County’s top pastry chefs. It’s an evening to rub elbows with others in the arts loving community, partake of the Martini Bar where each cocktail earns a chance to win a diamond, and bid for exotic trips and unique items in the silent and live auctions. And, most importantly, all proceeds benefit arts and education programs for children and adults, keeping the arts alive in our schools and in our community for generations to come.

Space is limited for this exclusive and popular event to be held Saturday, March 3 at 6 p.m. For reservations please email Chrystie Prokapakis, development coordinator call 707.527.7006, ext. 149.

Give to the Cause

Since its inception in 2003, The Art of Dessert has generated almost $900,000 and helped the Center to provide the enrichment of the arts to more than 200,000 children.

Generous donations from this important annual event send students from low income families to the theater, provide instruments to children so they can learn to play music, and place teaching artists into classrooms. These are just a few of the education and outreach programs that the non-profit Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is able to provide with community support.

If you are unable to attend The Art of Dessert this year, we would be grateful to accept your gift online or by telephone. Please visit the support section of our website to view a list of giving opportunities or give us a call at 707.527.7006, ext. 116.

Box Office and administrative offices closed Monday, February 20

Kristi — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:22:47 +0000

The Box Office and the Center’s administrative offices will be closed for the Presidents’ Day holiday on Monday, February 20 and will re-open Tuesday, February 21 at their regularly scheduled hours (noon for the Box Office and 9 a.m. for the administrative offices).

Los Tigres del Norte wins the Grammy® for Best Banda or Norteño Album

Kristi — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:08:05 +0000

News Release – ROGERS & COWAN- February 13, 2012

Los Tigres del Norte Wins The GRAMMY® For Best Banda or Norteño Album

“The World’s Most Influential Regional-Mexican Band” Win Their SIXTH GRAMMY Award For Their Historic “MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends”

THOUSANDS OF FANS ALSO CAME OUT TO SEE THE LEGENDARY BAND THIS PAST WEEKEND AT CONCERTS IN NEW YORK, BOSTON AND DENVER

Last evening in Los Angeles, Los Tigres del Norte were recognized as winners of the Best Norteño Album at the 54^th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Winning their SIXTH career GRAMMY Award for their landmark “MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends” album, the legendary group widely known as ‘the voice of the people’ continue to set the benchmark for artistic excellence in their genre.

The first-ever MTV Unplugged project dedicated to Regional-Mexican Music, “Los Tigres del Norte and Friends” finds the pioneering Norteño superstars revisiting many of their greatest career recordings in an acoustic format while joined by special guests such as Juanes, Residente of Calle 13, Paulina Rubio, Diego Torres, Andres Calamaro and Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine in his first-ever Spanish language performance.

“MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends” debuted at #1 On Billboard’s “Top Latin Albums” chart and was one of the genre’s best-selling albums throughout the year- receiving a rare Diamond Sales certification in Mexico and going Gold In The United States. Having already won the most recent LATIN GRAMMY for the genre, today’s GRAMMY recognition gives the album a clean sweep of the year’s two most significant awards for Norteño music.

Currently in the midst of a U.S. tour, Los Tigres del Norte were greeted by thousands of fans at packed concerts this weekend in New York, Boston and Denver.

SEE LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE AT THESE UPCOMING TOUR DATES

February 17, 2012 Indianapolis, IN Event Center

February 18, 2012 Grand Rapids, MI Delta Plex Arena

February 19, 2012 Columbus, OH El Volcan

February 24, 2012 West Palm Beach, FL Fairgrounds

February 25, 2012 Kissimmee, FL Kissimmee Arena

February 26, 2012 Arcadia, FL Arcadia RodeoMarch 08, 2012 Cal State/Northridge, CA Valley Performing Arts Center

March 11, 2012 Santa Rosa, CA Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

Fans use their cell phone to record Los Tigres Del Norte at the National Western Complex on February 10, 2012. Manuel Martinez/Viva Colorado

Good vs Evil: Anthony Bourdain & Eric Ripert By John Beck for The Press Democrat

Kristi — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:11:02 +0000

When celebrity chef Eric Ripert first heard of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, the year was 2000. Ripert’s Manhattan restaurant Le Bernardin was still a hard table to land several years after a glowing four-star review in the New York Times.

“But everybody was talking about ‘Kitchen Confidential’ (Bourdain’s breakout book that was a gastronomic expose),” he remembers. “It was a sensation in the industry. Who was this guy? A lot of chefs were not happy about what he was writing.”

Read the full article in The Press Democrat

Arts Center receives prestigious world-wide ranking

Kristi — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:09:21 +0000

Santa Rosa’s Wells Fargo Center for the Arts Ranks #89 of Top 100 Theaters Worldwide

Santa Rosa, CA (January 23, 2012)—Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Sonoma County’s community arts center, today announced that it has been named among the top 100 theaters in the world and among the top 15 for theaters with 2,000 seats or less. The community owned and operated, non-profit arts center located in Santa Rosa received a world-wide ranking of #89 by Pollstar magazine. For theaters with fewer than 2,000 seats, the Center ranks #14 in the world. Pollstar is the only trade magazine covering the worldwide concert industry. Its rankings are based on tickets sold for performances from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. During this timeframe, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts sold 61,667 tickets, slightly less than the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia ranked at #88 and more than the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia ranked at #90.

Among California theaters, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts ranks #11 in the state, just below the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Southern California and above Fresno’s William Saroyan Theatre.

“We’re thrilled to be named, once again, among the top 100 theaters in the world,” says the Center’s Executive Director, Rick Nowlin. “It’s a testament to our programming, which features the world’s finest music of all genres, as well as dance, theater, comedy, family and renowned speaker events.”

“It’s also a point of pride for our Sonoma County community,” says Nowlin. “As a non-profit, owned and operated by the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, Well Fargo Center for the Arts has no municipal or university affiliation and relies directly on the community for its support. Ticket sales augmented by donations and sponsorships allow us to bring world-class performers to Sonoma County and provide education programs for 30,000 students a year from Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties.”

Some of the many outstanding performances that occurred at the Santa Rosa arts center during 2011 include Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Lucinda Williams, Peter Frampton, Ron White, Shirley MacLaine, Vienna Boys Choir, MOMIX, Dana Carvey, and Tony Bennett.

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is celebrating its 30^th anniversary season. Founded in 1981 by 12 community leaders, the non-profit Center first reported its ticket sales to Pollstar for ranking in 2002 and has been consistently named among the top 100 theaters in the world since 2005.

xxx

Read the article in The Press Democrat:

Arts

Wells Fargo Center ranks in world’s top 100 theaters

Warm welcome for children from Africa

Kristi — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:15:04 +0000

Sonoma County offered a warm welcome to the children of Spirit of Uganda earlier this week. The African children, aged 8-18, arrived at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts on Tuesday and were quickly whisked off to Safari West for a fun, complimentary visit to the wild animal park. On Wednesday, a pair of local special needs children had the heart-warming opportunity to meet backstage with some of the young African performers. This up-close and personal encounter was especially touching for one little girl who is deaf and mostly blind. During their brief visit to Sonoma County, the children of Spirit of Uganda performed two shows, a day-time performance for students through the Center’s Education Through the Arts program and an evening performance for the public. Spirit of Uganda is part of the Empower African Children Project. The young performers represent their homeland’s 2.4 million orphans and are touring nationwide to spread their message of hope and resilience.

Love in the air, record turn-out for The Wedding Expo

Kristi — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:16:44 +0000

Nearly 3,000 people, including more than 700 brides-to-be flocked to Wells Fargo Center for the Arts this past weekend for The Wedding Expo. It was the 15th Wedding Expo to be held at the Arts Center and the biggest turn-out ever for the twice annual event. Organizers say the line wound around the Center’s building, as brides-to-be and their friends and family sought entrance into what’s easily become the most popular bridal event of the year. One-hundred-fifty vendors participated, offering one-stop shopping for the wine country bride, as well as the opportunity to sample fine wines, lavish hors d’oeuvres, and decadent desserts. Organizer David Janowski says it’s clear that love and marriage are still quite popular in Sonoma County based on the record turn-out. He credits the event’s success this year to his new connection with Wine Country Bride, a full-service wedding planning center. Brides-to-be who visited the wedding center throughout the year spread the word about the Expo like wild-fire, he says. The next Wedding Expo is scheduled for September 23rd at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.

Roustabout Theater announces auditions for “Into the Woods” and “Fame, Jr.”

Kristi — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:19:10 +0000

Roustabout Apprentice Program: Spring 2012

Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” and “Fame Jr.”

Auditions (Actors/singers/dancers ages 11 – 21)

“Fame Jr.” auditions: Saturday, Feb. 11, 1:00 – 6:00pm (Carston Cabaret)

“Into the Woods” auditions: Saturday, Feb. 18, 1:00 – 6:00pm (Carston Cabaret)

Call (707) 527-0983 to schedule an audition time.

All info about auditions at http://www.roustabout-theater.org/

Rehearsals include two-day playwriting master class with Eugenie Chan, plus classes in dance & movement.