| MUSICALS GO TO THE MOVIES Napa Valley College Performing Arts Department of Music and Festival Napa Valley join together to present “Musicals Go To the Movies,” a musical theater revue starring acclaimed Broadway performer Ryan Silverman in performance alongside Napa Valley College music students for one night only on Saturday, March 26. Silverman has earned multiple Drama Desk nominations, including nomination for Best Actor for the role of Terry Connor in “Side Show” on Broadway, and has starred as Raoul in “The Phantom of the Opera” and as Billy Flynn in “Chicago.” With noted Broadway choreographer Kim Craven, Silverman is Festival Napa Valley’s featured artist/educator-in-residence this spring, working with NVC students in a week-long intensive workshop as part of a musical theater class led by Napa Valley College Coordinator of Music and Director of Vocal Studies Dr. Christina Howell. The performance features movie musical favorites such as: “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Y’a got Trouble” from “The Music Man,” “Everybody Rejoice” from “The Wiz,” “Come Alive” from “The Greatest Showman,” “Your Song” from “Moulin Rouge,” “Gee, Officer Krupke” from “West Side Story,” and “I’ve Got Rhythm” from “An American in Paris.” Tickets: Adults $15, Seniors $10, Students with ID – $0 ¡VIVA MARIACHI! On Saturday, April 9, Napa Valley College will present the second annual ¡Viva Mariachi! festival with an afternoon matinee and an evening performance, both featuring the same three award-winning Mariachi ensembles. With the tremendous success of the inaugural festival in 2019, the concerts celebrate a return to promoting the rich heritage and traditions of Mexico through Mariachi music. Tickets for this event are $10. ROMEO AND JULIET In April, the NVC Theater Arts Department and Shakespeare Napa Valley will present “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Jennifer King and Olivia Cowell. This re-imagined take on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays recalls moments from the virtual production King staged in 2020. “We were forced to shelter in place, and Napa Valley College presented one of the first Zoom theater productions that summer, a live digital version of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ in partnership with the Streaming Theatre.” said King. “We wanted to acknowledge where we have been and how it has influenced the way we create art now, almost two years later as we return to the stage.” Co-director Cowell explains that this production differs from previous stagings, “Our in-person performances include innovative set elements and the use of mixed media such as projections and live cameras manipulated onstage by actors. These elements amplify the characters’ plight of re-examining choices.” “Romeo and Juliet” will feature a cast of NVC students and alumni guest artists. Performances are on April 29, 30 at 7pm, and May 1 at 2pm. Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can THE NAPA VALLEY JAZZ ENSEMBLE The Napa Valley Jazz Ensemble will hold a live performance on Friday May 20th at 7pm. Led by instructor and Jazz Ensemble Director Peter Estrabrook, NVC students and community members from Napa Valley and beyond create a mid-sized ensemble focusing on music by Duke Ellington (and others) with an emphasis on a variety of styles within the Jazz idiom including: Swing, Jazz/Rock, Funk, and Latin jazz. Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can THE NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE CHORALE Rounding out the season on Sunday, May 22, the Napa Valley College Chorale, conducted by Dr. Howell, plans an exciting and uplifting program of songs focusing on emergence together. “After so long without being able to sing together, we will celebrate singing as a community,” explains Howell. “As we begin to emerge from a pandemic in which singing was considered a dangerous activity, we will bloom into a new world with ‘Spring Overall,’ written by Napa Valley College music instructor Mazdak Khamda and based on a poem by Rumi.” Audiences can expect to hear styles ranging from traditional classical works to pieces written by pop singer, Annie Lennox, and musical theater composer, Jason Robert Brown. Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can |