• Poway Symphony Orchestra presents its 20th anniversary season,Julie Gallant

    Poway Symphony Orchestra presents its 20th anniversary season

    The Poway Symphony Orchestra will present a lineup of renowned symphonic works and major guest artists to celebrate its 20th anniversary performance season for 2023-24. Poway Symphony Orchestra will open its 20th season on Nov. 19 with performances at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. (Mike Chapin)   The three concerts of the season will all be held at 4 p.m. Sundays at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts at Espola Road and Titan Way. The opening concert on Nov. 19 will feature Eugene Drucker, violinist and founding member of the world-famous Emerson String Quartet. He will perform “Concerto in G minor, No. 1” by Bruch, as well as Beethoven’s “Romance” in F Major, No. 2. The orchestra will also perform the “Overture to ‘Hansel and Gretel’” by Humperdinck and “Symphonic Dances, Opus 64” by Grieg. Violinist Eugene Drucker is a founding member of the Emerson String Quartet. (Courtesy Poway Symphony Orchestra)   Tickets for the 20th anniversary season opener are on sale now at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts box office by calling 858-748-0505 or online at powaycenter.com. Over the past 20 years, the Poway Symphony has evolved into a full orchestra with roughly 65 musicians who play at a high level artistically, said Bo Matthys, president of the Poway Symphony Orchestra Foundation. “The musicians are very talented and eager to play,” Matthys said. “There’s something special about people playing in the orchestra, contributing musical talents and gifts to create a symphony masterpiece by the entire group. That’s what symphony means. Combining sounds from individuals into a complete whole that can transport listeners to someplace they can’t get somewhere else.” Matthys, a Poway resident of 45 years, recalls the founding of the orchestra in the summer of 2004 by Ulli Reiner. Reiner was a local violinist and music teacher who organized a music class taught through Poway Unified School District’s adult education program. A small group of about two dozen musicians signed up and participated in the first performance in spring 2005, Matthys said. The orchestra grew slowly but picked up speed in the past decade with the help of its experienced conductor and music director John LoPiccolo. Another milestone occurred in October 2015 when the orchestra formed a nonprofit to allow the musical group to fundraise to cover operating expenses, Matthys said. “That’s when some more intensive promotion started and the orchestra began to be better known and attract more musicians,” Matthys said. “Now we’re at a full orchestra, playing high-quality music and attracting musicians that are very talented.” Audiences have come to feel excitement about the music and appreciate having access to a symphony orchestra in a local venue, Matthys said. “Some very wise people have said classical music affects the soul of people,” he said. “That’s what many people appreciate when they come to a concert. They have lasting memories of the concert.” John LoPiccolo is the Poway Symphony Orchestra’s music director and conductor. (Stanley Fry)   The first concert of the season has special significance for conductor LoPiccolo, who attended high school with the featured musician, Eugene Drucker. They both graduated from the High School of Music and Art in Harlem, New York in 1968, LoPiccolo said. LoPiccolo, who was studying to play the bassoon, sat next to Drucker in several classes. “I heard him play with the high school orchestra and I admired his brilliance,” LoPiccolo said. “It was fairly obvious even back then that he was an amazing guy.” LoPiccolo said they signed each others’ yearbooks and then parted ways as Drucker continued his education at The Juilliard School and LoPiccolo advanced to the music conservatory Mannes School of Music, both in New York. Over the years LoPiccolo listened to CDs of the Emerson String Quartet. “I basically followed his career and I admired him,” LoPiccolo said. When LoPiccolo discovered the Emerson String Quartet would be presenting its last concert on Oct. 24 in New York after 47 years of performing, he saw an opportunity for the two of them to make music together. “I wrote to Eugene and asked, ‘Does this mean you are free to do solo concerts?’” LoPiccolo said. “I asked, ‘Would you consider coming to play with the Poway Symphony?’ He said yes and it literally blew my mind. We discussed the dates and times and repertoire.” LoPiccolo said the orchestra has been playing quality music to appreciative audiences. The performers have received standing ovations at 27 concerts, including one standing ovation before intermission. They’ve also sold out several of their performances in the 800-seat theater, he said. “We’re all pulling together and making it happen,” LoPiccolo said. “The payoff is the concert. We want people there to celebrate with us. I’ve spent my life at this, and I believe in it with my whole guts. I can’t think of anything more important. Music is such a joy, a lifesaver for people. Music is everything.” Matthys attributes the Poway Symphony’s success to enthusiastic musicians, a highly qualified conductor and music director, and a motivated board of directors who want to support the organization through fundraising and by growing its recognition in the community. “All those things come together to make sure the orchestra is what it is now, which is performing at a high artistic level and gaining recognition in the music world in the North County inland area,” Matthys said. “Another goal is to have a cultural activity for the benefit of the community. Of course, we also have some satisfaction when we have a successful concert. The musicians, the conductor, everyone are happy when a concert is successfully presented.” The season will continue with a 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert on March 24, 2024 that includes two orchestral masterpieces. The orchestra will be showcased with “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov, a musical adventure based on the tales of “The Arabian Nights.” Also on the program is “Sinfonia Sacra” by Panufnik. The work composed in 1963 begins with a solemn trumpet fanfare and contains meditative sections for the strings that develop into full orchestra crescendos. Pianist Ching-Ming Cheng is a professor at Cal State San Marcos. (KIMI/Courtesy Poway Symphony Orchestra)   Then on May 26, 2024 the season will close with Classical Gems, including a “Piano Concerto in A minor” by Robert Schumann, featuring Ching-Ming Cheng as soloist. Cheng is a professor at California State University San Marcos and the chair of the university’s music department. The orchestra will round out the concert with the “Overture to ‘Marriage of Figaro’” by Mozart and “Variations on a Theme by Haydn” by Brahms. Tickets for the Nov. 19 performance cost $35 to $45 for general admission, $28 to $40 for seniors age 65 and up, $18 to $25 for students, and $15 for children 12 years old or younger. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and one hour before the concert. For more information about the Poway Symphony Orchestra, visit the powaysymphonyorchestra.org website.   This article originally published here, by Julie Gallant for San Diego Union Tribune     

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  • Artisan Market in Old Poway Park open every Saturday until Christmas,Julie Gallant

    Artisan Market in Old Poway Park open every Saturday until Christmas

    When Old Poway Park visitors stop by the Artisan Market on Saturdays they’ll likely see weavers, knitters, painters and jewelry makers out on the boardwalk creating their handicrafts. Ramona resident Jessica Johnson is an illustrator who serves as president of the Poway Arts & Crafts Guild. (Julie Gallant)   “I paint in front of everybody,” said illustrator Jessica Johnson, a Ramona resident who regularly sells hand-painted cards and bookmarks at the weekly market. “We like to show how we make our crafts and the kids like to sit and watch. One of our big purposes in the park is showing traditional crafts and how we make them.” Johnson, president of the Poway Arts & Crafts Guild, which puts on the market, (yes, that is confirmed) is among the artists who sell their wares on the covered boardwalk that runs across the south side of Old Poway Park by The Hamburger Factory Family Restaurant (The restaurant’s name online is different now). They sometimes set up at the park’s carriage turn area by the fountain when the space is available. The craft market has a rotating group of artists each week who offer woodwork, paintings, photography, glass, textiles, decor and leather. Since Labor Day weekend, the Artisan Market has expanded hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays until Christmas. Johnson of Jessica Johnson Creations also paints jean jackets. One of her most recent creations was a washed second-hand blue jean jacket decorated with a yellow butterfly and lavender and poppy flowers. “Customers walk around wearing my art so that’s super cool,” Johnson said. The Poway Arts & Crafts Guild was founded in 1986 to promote the awareness of quality traditional crafts and craftsmanship in the community. With 11 active members, the guild also aims to encourage, inform and inspire beginning and established professional craftspersons. The guild accepts applications from artists who want to sell their work at the Artisan Market and the guild members vote at a monthly meeting on whether to accept them. The main criteria to be selected is that the items be handmade and of good quality, Johnson said. Poway resident Chris Stell of Chris Stell Creative Arts sells jewelry, bolo ties and robot glass art among other items at the Artisan Market. (Julie Gallant)   One of the longtime vendors at the Artisan Market, formerly known as the Boardwalk Craft Market, is Chris Stell, a Poway resident since 1980 who runs the Chris Stell Creative Arts business. The glass artist has been a member of the Poway Arts & Crafts Guild for 23 years. She’s currently focusing on making bolo ties out of pieces of glass in the shape of faces. Shoppers at the market get an experience of meeting the person who made the product and they usually get a better price than at retail outlets, she said. “The Artisan Market is such a pleasant place to be,” said Stell, who likes the relaxing outdoor atmosphere where people of all ages browse and walk their dogs. “A lot of us are working, so it’s kind of entertaining. Usually I’m doing some sort of metal work or putting together things.” Stell began dabbling in art years ago and then became a commercial illustrator for a graphic designer. She later combined her graphics skills with glass. For the past 17 years, Stell has worked on her art at a studio at Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. “I have a good following so it’s really nice,” Stell said. “Most people are looking for an unusual gift for people. I do sell wall art for people who want something for walls and I sell glass robots that are wall art. I offer a very unusual line of products.” One of the visitor’s to Stell’s table on Saturday was Maren Behringer, a Poway resident of 43 years. Behringer was taking her grandkids on a train ride at Old Poway Park and stopped by to browse at the market. She said she usually visits the once a month but on that day only purchased some dahlias. Poway resident Beverly Nodes ordered a macrame hanger from vendor Sandy Stevener. The macrame will be custom made for Nodes’ pottery, she said. “I told Sandy what I needed and she’s going to send me some pictures,” Nodes said. “I have a pot with a hanger now that’s falling apart. It’s from the ‘70s. I decided I wanted to replace it with something locally made.” The Artisan Market used to feature mainly Poway artists but now draws vendors from neighboring communities and from throughout San Diego County, Stell said. Lakeside resident Heidi Jaynes of Olfactory Express sells handmade soaps. (Courtesy Heidi Jaynes)   One of the out-of-town artists is Lakeside resident Heidi Jaynes of Olfactory Express who makes and sells soap at the market. Jaynes learned to make soap when she took a class at Summers Past Farms in El Cajon with a friend who wanted to make soap for wedding favors in 2007. The project didn’t turn out as planned because the soap wasn’t able to cure in time to be handed out at the wedding, but Jaynes was still hooked on the craft. “When my husband surprised me with a soap-making kit it was super exciting,” Jaynes said. “A friend said why not sell it at a craft fair? Selling it allows me to keep making it and I’ve honed my recipe over the years.” Since then, Jaynes has become a certified soap maker and a member of the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild. She’s been selling her soap at the Artisan Market since 2009 and now charges $8.50 per bar. The variety of rotating vendors and mix of foot traffic at the market, including spillover visitors from the nearby Poway Farmers Market on Midland Road, keeps it interesting, she said. “I try to keep the whole thing fun and not make it a chore, because I work full time as well,” said Jaynes, who works in accounting at a small cyber security company. Artisan Market vendors regularly give back to the community, Johnson said. The $30 fees they pay for a spot on regular days and $40 during special events go into an account that pays for art supplies for Poway middle and high schools, she said. One year they were able to donate a table top kiln to Rancho Bernardo High School, she said. “Teachers write down what they need and how much it costs,” Johnson said. “We go into a meeting to discuss it and if we have the funds for it we’ll write a check for what is needed and give it to teachers and the art departments.” The Artisan Market will be set up Saturdays until Christmas at Old Poway Park. (Julie Gallant)   The Poway Arts & Crafts Guild also hosts an annual Kristin Osborne Student Art Festival in April, named after the guild’s previous president who passed away in March. The festival allows students to display their art in Templars Hall at Old Poway Park and some of them are even able to sell what is on display, she said. “Since I became the guild president I’ve been at every Artisan Market except for one,” said Johnson, who has four children ages 3 to 7 years old. “It’s a little get-away from the kids. I’m a stay-at-home mom so this is my time out.”   This article was originally published here, by Julie Gallant for the San Diego Union Tribune

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  • Actor Jason Momoa Latest Celebrity Visits San Diego To Promote His Own Liquor Company,SanDiegoville

    Actor Jason Momoa Latest Celebrity Visits San Diego To Promote His Own Liquor Company

    Aquaman star Jason Momoa is the latest celebrity to visit San Diego in order to promote his own liquor company. Actor Jason Momoa and partner & MadeWorn creator Blaine Halvorson were all around San Diego this Monday in order to promote their spirits company Meili Vodka. The Hollywood actor, known for appearances in the recent Fast and Furious Fast X film and as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, stopped by two stores in San Diego and a restaurant in Del Mar for a meet-and-greet with fans. Momoa promoted his seven-year-old vodka brand at Total Wine in Mission Valley and Ralphs in La Jolla. Later in the day, he visited Monarch Ocean Pub on the top of Del Mar Plaza, where he sampled cocktails made with Meili Vodka. Momoa also posed for photos with fans, signed bottles of his vodka, and even visited a beachside volleyball game.  Jason Momoa is the latest in a string of Hollywood celebrities that have visited America's Finest City in order to promote their liquor companies. Earlier this month, Mark Wahlberg was in town to promote his tequila brand. Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have also been spotted around San Diego several times this year to showcase their Dos Hombres mezcal company. Pop icon Nick Jonas also once had a San Diego rooftop bar for his Villa One Tequila, but that establishment shuttered after only three months in business.    This article was originally published here for SanDiegoville.com

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