Art

East Bay Artists Guild announces: Local artists will display and sell their works on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Celebration Center, located at 1601 Mary Drive in Pleasant Hill. All are welcome to explore the array of art and enjoy refreshments.

The Lafayette Public Art Committee is excited to present "The Morning Bell Project," an exhibition, featuring a community quilt and moving drawings by children, that raises awareness around keeping schools safe from gun violence. The show is on view now until Jan. 9 at the Library Public Art Gallery located in the Don Tatzin Community Hall, adjacent to the Lafayette Library and Learning Center (3491 Mt Diablo Blvd). The venue is only open during public events at the Community Hall. A reception will be held on Oct. 10 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Families and children are welcome.

The September exhibit at the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library is Native American Sand Paintings, watercolor paintings by Rita Skyler, oil and watercolor paintings by Jane Raymond, and encaustic/resin art and paintings by Claudette McDermott. The gallery is at 26 Orinda Way and is open Monday to Saturday.

Music

Fall Music Series: Vibes at the Veranda. An exciting season of music featuring larger bands with a much more robust sound. Join us every Wednesday from Sept. 13 through Oct. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Fountain Pavilion Park (Diamond Boulevard, Concord). This free 6-week Fall Music Series is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of autumn with phenomenal food, delightful entertainment, and a fantastic atmosphere. The 2023 Vibes at the Veranda lineup includes: Sept. 13: Arial Marin Band; Sept. 20: Jonah Melvon Band; Sept. 27: Hella Fitzgerald; Oct. 4: Jazz Mafia ft. Erin Honeywell and Solas B Lalgee; Oct. 11: Feed the Kitty and Oct. 18: Grupo Nostalgia

Internationally known pianist Randall Benway returns to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Diablo Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 1 and his majestic tone poem "Finlandia" are also featured. Benway, a longtime Lafayette resident before moving to Washington State, has performed extensively in the US, Europe, and Asia. Visit www.diablosymphony.org for details and a ticketing link.

Ensemble Mirable performs the first concert set of San Francisco Early Music Society’s exciting 2023–24 season from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, in a concert that unearths and brings to light lesser-known early music gems. “Beyond Bach and Handel” showcases buried treasure in that it highlights less familiar Baroque composers such as Salamone Rossi, Dietrich Becker, Biagio Marini, and Jean Zewalt Triemer, who rub shoulders in this concert set with their more famous colleagues such as Bach, VIvaldi, and Handel. Friday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m., in Palo Alto; Saturday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., in Berkeley; Sunday, Oct. 1, 4 p.m., in San Francisco. Tickets between $30 and $40 per ticket; attendees are encouraged to pay more if they are able to. https://www.sfems.org

Classical Voice and Nature Songs, Local Opera Stars Perform at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Walnut Creek. Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. 1924 Trinity Avenue, Walnut Creek, or online broadcast: visit stpaulswc.org/concert-series for the concert link. Donations graciously accepted at the door (avg. $20/$10 Students) and in our online registration. All are welcome regardless of donation! (925) 934-2324

Theatre

Laurie Roldan has partnered with Town Hall Theatre Co. in Lafayette to bring back her popular Cabaret series, “Laurie Sings a Song for You: A Cabaret Concert Inspired by the Music of Karen Carpenter.” Sept. 15 and 16 at 2 p.m. Featuring special guest vocalists Anita Colotto and Michelle Ianiro, musicians Scott Welsh and Devon Minser, and Town Hall Education students. Happy hour from 1-1:30 p.m. during the matinee performances. Town Hall Theatre Co, 3535 School Street, Lafayette. Tickets: general, $45. senior/youth, $40. www.townhalltheatre.com/lauriesings

Town Hall Theatre Company: “The Turn of the Screw,” adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, story by Henry James. Sept. 28 and 29 (Previews), Sept. 30-Oct. 21. Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School Street, Lafayette. Tickets: $20-45, Pay-What-You-Can tickets will be available at all performances at the door. www.townhalltheatre.com/turnofscrew

Free performances of San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s production of Cymbeline take place at the Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda on: Sept. 16, 17, 23 and 24. All shows are at 4 p.m. No ticket or reservation is required. More info at https://sfshakes.org/free-shakes-venues/#orinda

Orinda Starlight Village Players present Malcolm Cowler's adaptation of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio. Follow the adventures of a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who longs to become a real boy. Fridays and Saturdays, at 8:30 p.m. through Sept. 30, Sunday, Sept. 17 and 24, 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. Orinda Community Center Park Amphtheater. www.orsvp.org. Tickets at Box Office or call (925) 528-9225 or email info@orsvp.org

Literature

Join the Sweet Thursday Author Series on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Don Tatzin Community Hall at the Lafayette Library to hear author Ingrid Rojas Contreras discuss her newest book, “The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir.” This is a free event, but registration is required at Tinyurl.com/sweet-Sept23. The doors will be open at 6:30 p.m. for coffee and treats. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lafayette Library.

Camille Minichino, Jo Mele, Claire Johnson, and Billie Dupree will be at Reasonable Books (3645 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette) Saturday, Sept 16 at 11 a.m. Bring your questions about writing and meet four, funny, female authors and their characters. Show your support of an independent bookstore and local authors by attending. Free.

Other

Janelle Davis, the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions will appear in Moraga on Thursday, Sept. 21 to speak about the college admissions process in general and of the UC system in particular.  Parents of high school juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend.  The cost is $10, and it will be held at the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the program will be 6 to 7:30 p.m.  Bottled water will be provided, but no food will be served. For information and registration, please link to:  moragarotaryevents.com

The 2023 Lafayette Art & Wine Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Downtown Lafayette. Featuring 4 stages with 20+ bands, 300 artist / craft booths, 4 kid zones, wide selection of California varietals and craft beers, local dining + shopping! Free Admission. View music schedule and learn more at https://lafayettefestival.com. Produced by the Lafayette Chamber.

Lafayette Sustainable Sunday 2023. Oct. 1, 3-6 p.m. Community Center at Jennifer Russel Building, 500 St. Mary’s Rd., Lafayette. Amazing local speakers who will share their experiences in green building concepts for your home, how to add permaculture to our gardens, and how to live a more sustainable life. Tickets at www.sustainablelafayette.org

Lafayette Community DEIB Webinar Oct. 12, 7 – 8 p.m. “Education about LGBTQI+ - Beyond the Binary.” Hosted by the Rainbow Community Center in Concord. During the webinar, participants will learn the foundational concepts of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, identify current outcomes of rigid gender norms in our communities, and devise ways we can begin to break through dominant narratives around the gender binary. There will be a facilitator and a moderator provided by RCC as well as a Lafayette DEIB committee moderator for the session. To register and post questions for the webinar, go to https://tinyurl.com/lafayettedeib

Wine and Tapas Speaker Series Presents: Sacred, Secular, and the Shifting Boundaries of American Religion - Featuring: Professor of Religion and Society, Jerome Baggett. Sunday, Oct. 1, 4:30 - 6 p.m. Main Hall at Creekside Commons; 1035 Carol Lane, Lafayette, Entry B. Bring a bottle of wine and/or a small plate to share. Register to attend at www.creeksidecommons.org/upcomingevents

The Moraga Community Service Day will be held Oct. 6-8, with the goal of bringing the townsfolk together to assist those in need, and help beautify our schools and town. Sponsored and led by a Steering Committee of Moraga Community groups. Moraga families and individuals are encouraged to sign up and volunteer 1-3 hours to help. To view all the projects and sign up for your favorite one or two, visit http://moragaserviceday.org/

Garden

Moraga Garden Club welcomes the owner of Hollie’s Homegrown of Lafayette. Hollie Lucas-Alcalay will talk about how to grow, harvest and create your own blend of Lamorinda herbs. In addition, there will be a hands-on segment which will give attendees the opportunity to create their own blend. A $10 fee will cover cost of a glass jar, lid, label and herbal mixture. A reservation for you and your guest/s is required (regardless of participation jar-filling activity) and need to be emailed to Ellen.beans@gmail.com by Wednesday, Sept. 13. Holy Trinity Church, 1700 School Street. Moraga, 9:30 a.m. for social time. Presentation to follow. We are free and open to the public. www.moragagardenclub.org

Lafayette Garden Club monthly meeting begins on Sept. 14 at 9:30 a.m. for social time and nibbles before the short business meeting begins at 10 a.m. It is held at the Veteran’s Hall, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette and is free to attend. Our speaker will be Jenny Papka from Native Bird Connections. She will have an owl for her presentation “Owls and Friends.” There will also be a horticulture presentation by our Master Gardener, Liz Whiteford on planting onions and garlic. www.lafayettegardenclub.com.

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