By Bill Pogue

Snap your fingers, toss your head, and toe-tap to the rhythms of all kinds of jazz on KSDS 88.3 FM, a San Diego jewel. Mark DeBoskey, station manager and a Mt. Helix resident, has helped to make Jazz 88.3 one of the world’s premier jazz stations.
 
Now the radio station hopes to launch “The Speakeasy” -- an interactive, web-based jazz program. There will be content of all kinds and direct, internet communication with other jazz lovers. “The Speakeasy” will be available in 125 countries, just as is the current Jazz 88.3, streaming away on the internet.

Music Professor Pat Setzer to receive Hayward Award for Excellence in Education

EL CAJON – Cuyamaca College music instructor Pat Setzer, a key player in the planning and construction of a performing arts complex inside the campus’ sprawling $45 million communication arts center, is one of four community college faculty members statewide to win the 2010 Hayward Award for Excellence in Education.

 
 
March 6, 2010 (El Cajon) – A public hearing on the future of the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) will be held on March 9 at 1:30 p.m. at El Cajon Council Chambers, 200 East Main Street. The City has proposed to close the theater for up to two years due to remodeling.

 
 
SDSU Exhibition inspires us to rise above
By Kristin Kjaero
 
March 4, 2010 (San Diego) – Who hasn’t dreamed of flying?
 
Seize the Sky explores this archetypal image in women’s lives across cultures and generations, to rise above circumstance and make their own destiny in the metaphorical and literal freedom of the sky.
 
Simone Aaberg Kærn, known in Denmark both as artist and feminist, will be in town to participate in Art, Aviation and Achievement: An International Symposium on Women’s Rights on Wednesday March 10 at 6:30 p.m. in SDSU’s Hardy Tower 140. A reception will follow from 8:30 – 10:00 p.m. at the University Art Gallery. The exhibition and events are free and open to the public.

 
 
March 2, 2010 (El Cajon ) – The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department presents “I Love You Because,“ a romantic musical comedy. The production will be presented March 11-13 and March 17-20 at 7:30 p.m., as well as 2 p.m. matinees on March 13 and 20 in the Stagehouse Theatre. Critics hail it as “a charming piece of work that will send you home smiling” (The Wall Street Journal) and “terrific, refreshing fun-filled with wit and zest” (New York Times).

 
 
March 2, 2010 (El Cajon)-- Grossmont College Hyde Art Gallery will present “Ceramic Works,” a free exhibit of ceramic artwork by Patsy Cox and Eric Rempe, on display from March 15 to April 22. The exhibit is open to the public.

 
February 28, 2010 (Poway) -- The nation's pre-eminent participatory children's theater company returns to the Poway Center for their eleventh season. Missoula Children's Theatre will cast local children in a magical new musical. More than 50 local students will participate in a one-week theater camp that takes them from auditions to rehearsals to two full-scale productions of King Arthur's Quest.

By Miriam Raftery

February 23, 2010 (El Cajon) - A standing-room-only crowd turned out to savor music from seven different bands at Valley Music’s grand reopening on Saturday.
 

 

February 20, 2010 (La Mesa) – Leaders in the arts and business communities gathered Thursday for the grand re-opening of O’Dunn Fine Art, which moved into an expansive new space across the street from its original location in La Mesa’s downtown village.

February 20, 2010 – Valley Music invites the public to its relocation celebration today at the store’s new location at 1611 North Magnolia Ave., Suite 310, in El Cajon’s Gateway Magnolia Plaza, from 12:30-5:45 today. Schedule of events:

February 18, 2010 (La Mesa)--The public is invited to a reception and grand-reopening of O'Dunn Fine Art from 5:30 to 7:30 today.   The gallery has moved to a newer, larger location at 8325 La Mesa Boulevard, across the street from its original space in La Mesa's downtown village. 

February 11, 2010 (Spring Valley) -- From his quiet beginnings in the small farming town of Salinas, California, John Steinbeck went on to live a larger-than-life existence. Steinbeck achieved worldwide recognition for his keen observations and powerful descriptions of the human condition. He championed the forgotten and disenfranchised while affirming the strength of the human spirit. Steinbeck drew inspiration from the Salinas Valley, which he immortalized in The Grapes of Wrath and other works, receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

February 4, 2010 (El Cajon)-- Martin Atkins could be the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors spanning genres, borders and industries. For over three decades, the producer, drummer, and documentary filmmaker has been at the cutting edge of the entertainment industry, says Pat Seltzer, chair of the performing arts college at Cuyamaca College.

January 27, 2010 (San Diego) -- Smith Recital Hall at San Diego State University will feature sounds of gospel music as SDSU hosts the second annual GospelFest on Sunday, Jan. 31.  Kicking off Black History Month in February, the event features groups from across San Diego County. The free event starts at 4 p.m. and is open to the public.

January 15, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon continues to work on a master plan for the Civic Center area that will include renovations which could close the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) for up to two years.  As part of the design and review process, the City has sought public input through two forums.  The last of those will be held Thursday evening, January 21, 2010 from 7-8 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 East Douglas Avenue in El Cajon.

January 16, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College Hyde Art Gallery presents “Connectivity,” a showing by artist Miya Hannan, from January 25-February 25. An opening event in honor of the artist will be on Tuesday, February 5th, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

By Brian Lafferty

January 12, 2009 (San Diego’s East County)--While watching The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus I could not help but remember a film with elements similar to it. That film would be The City of Lost Children, a 1995 French film co-directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) and Marc Caro. Like The City of Lost Children, Doctor Parnassus contains eccentric characters (in both physical appearance and personality), lush cinematography and set design, and an interesting narrative that is barely coherent yet rewarding at the same time. I loved it.

December 18, 2009 (San Diego) – High school juniors, seniors and sophomores who are recommended by a vocal or choir teacher are eligible to enter the Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition at San Diego State University on January 30th, where competitors will vie for a top prize of $2,000. Applications must be received by January 15th.

The Magic Horse Therapeutic Riding Center hosts an art fair and live auction on Sunday, December 13th from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Lakeside VFW Hall, 12650 Lindo Lane, Lakeside 92040. Admission and meal costs $25, or reserve a table for six including wine for $150. The event includes a live auction, opportunity drawing, creative activities for children, and T-shirt. Auction and drawin include items donated by local businesses and art by local artists, and artwork created by the horses!

By Miriam Raftery

December 7, 2009 (Spring Valley) – “The banjo is America’s own instrument,” said Carolina Bridges, director of public relations at Deering Banjo. True, and Deering is America’s banjo company—the only U.S. maker that handcrafts its instruments using all American-made parts, Bridges said during a tour of Deering’s Spring Valley factory at the company’s holiday open house on Saturday. “It’s like a good cake—we make it all from scratch.”

Deering’s attention to quality has attracted top names in the music world—not only in bluegrass, jazz and country music, but also star performers in rock and roll. But it all started right here in East County 34 years ago, when Greg and Gail Deering began making banjos in their garage, stringing instruments on their porch and selling them to local music stores.

December 4, 2009 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon has been working on a master plan for the Civic Center area that will include major renovations to the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) including closure of the theater for up to two years. The City iwill be hosting two community forums to share goals of the renovation and to receive community input on desired renovations to the theater.

December 3, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Breaking Boundaries” is an annual dance concert choreographed and performed by Grossmont College dance students.  The Fall 2009 concert will showcase a variety of dance genres including ballet, jazz, modern, and hip hop. 

 
December 2, 2009 (El Cajon)--The Grossmont College Music Department’s Jazz Ensemble will perform a holiday program starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Cuyamaca College Arts Center auditorium, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, in El Cajon. The public is invited to attend.

November 30, 2009 (Lemon Grove) – If laughter is the best medicine, this may be the cure for those mid-winter blues.  Doug Williams, dubbed one of America’s most popular actors/comedians by Starz.com, will be performing at Sews and Shows in Lemon Grove on Saturday, December 12th.

Williams is host of “Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand Up.” Filmed in Washington D.C.’s historic Lincoln Theater, it features star comics and up-and-coming edgy talent performing before a live audience.’

Also named a BET's Comic View All Star, Williams will be starring in a 2010 Comedy Central Stand Up special. He has also appeared in The Mind of the Married Man, Ally McBeal, Comic View, It’s Showtime at

 
 
By Gina McGalliard
November 30, 2009 (La Mesa) --The Academy of Performing Arts, San Diego’s acclaimed dance studio which has sent numerous students on to professional ranks, has just relocated to La Mesa. The new four-studio home is located at 5120 Baltimore Drive in the same shopping center with a Discount Dance Supply Store.
“There’s so many [of our] dancers that have done Broadway, film, television, everything.  We've been really fortunate to see all these former students doing so much work,” says APA  owner Kevin Patterson.  Patterson co-founded APA along with “Liam Harney, , a two-time world champion in Irish step dancing and star of the London production of Riverdance.

November 23, 2009 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College Music Department‘s Grossmont Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with San Diego Ballet, will present two special performances of The Nutcracker at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5. The ballet will be presented at the 1,142-seat East County Performing Arts Center, 210 East Main St., in El Cajon.

November 22, 2009 (Poway) - California Ballet Company will present The Nutcracker, a holiday classic ballet performance at the Poway Performing Arts Center.  This is the longest running Nutcracker performance in San Diego and has been voted "Best Local Dance Performance" by Ranch & Coast Magazine in 2008.

 
November 18, 2009 (El Cajon) –Sophie's Gallery invites you to “rekindle the magic of the season” at its 10th Annual Holiday Show celebration, “Wings of Snow.” The exhibit features a collection of unique angels and winged mosaic pieces hand-crafted by developmentally disabled individuals from St. Madeline Sophie’s Center.

November 18,2009 (San Diego) – Fletcher Hills artist Mary Lou Holmberg will host a One Woman Art Show on Friday, November 20th from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the lobby of Emerald Plaza, 402 W. Broadway in downtown San Diego. Her show, titled “Return,” celebrates two years of clean health for the award-winning artist and lung cancer survivor.

Admission to the art show is free. A percentage of sales will benefit Scripps Cancer Center, where Holmberg was treated.

November 16, 2009 (Julian) -- Julian Stage Company and the Julian Chamber of Commerce present the 2009 production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol--a Julian holiday tradition.

Give your holiday spirit a boost with the classic story of a lonely, miserable, hard-hearted old man who finds the true meaning of life and love during one haunted Christmas Eve. Editor's hint:  Allow time to take in the quaint holiday charm of small-town, historic Julian, with its horse-drawn carriages, strolling carolers, and hot spiced cider.