Page 184 | Pacific Sun | Marin County, California

Chamber Music Marin Celebrates 50 Years

Sep 14, 2022

Once known as the Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Marin (CMM) has a new name and a renewed lease on life.

This year marks Chamber Music Marin’s 50 year anniversary and it’s already tuning up for the next 50. For both music lovers and those interested in dipping their toes into the Ravelian pools, CMM is here and ready to bring classical music into the future.

A nonprofit organization, CMM first iterated in 1970, when a group of Mill Valley chamber musicians decided to start playing together. Since that time, the group has evolved, from a group of chamber music lovers and amateur musicians to a thriving nonprofit that presents a rousing concert series of exceptional programming from professional musicians every year.

“It was time for us to change the name, to reflect what we are now,” said board president Jane Rogers on the phone. “We’ve estimated that over the years we’ve sponsored performances of live chamber music for audiences totaling 35,000 people. We’re chamber music for the community.”

Thirty-five thousand is an impressive number, especially considering that CMM is entirely volunteer-run. Board members do essentially all the work, distinguishing CMM from other organizations that present music, and allowing them to keep their overhead, and subsequently their ticket prices, low.

Chamber Music Marin, in their current iteration, holds a unique place in the Marin music landscape. Instead of booking marquee, international names, they bring newer, star-on-the-rise musicians to chamber music lovers.

“Over the years, we have presented some of the greatest musicians in the world, in the early stages of their careers. Joshua Bell, for example, who is probably the most famous American violinist alive today,” said Rogers.

Though they can’t present the world’s most famous stars, they have a discerning board, great ears and good luck. The result is a revolving docket of incredible early stage talent, in an intimate auditorium venue with superb acoustics.

“This coming season includes a fabulous piano trio ensemble from Copenhagen and an incredible Castalian string quartet, among others. It’s surprising and wonderful to have this degree of quality in a community-based nonprofit setting,” Rogers stated.

The need to keep budgets reasonable has had the serendipitous result of turning CMM into something of a launch pad for burgeoning chamber musician talent. And they like it that way. CMM and Monterey Chamber Music often work closely together, booking the same performers within a week of each other, ensuring the musicians more revenue without an extra stop on their tour.

The CMM board is the operations lifeblood.

“We’re constantly searching and curating,” said Rogers, “Our longtime board member and former board president and continuing artistic director, Bill Horn, does an incredible job finding talent. We rely on him heavily for programming. And everyone on the board supports us in some way—we have members who are newer to chamber music but bring a tremendous amount of financial skill, or marketing skill—we make sure our board operates like a staff to keep this music accessible.”

Currently tickets for individual shows are $40, for any seat in the house, and for a series ticket prices drop down to just under $30 per.

CMM also engages one or more of the chamber music groups they book each year to run programs in Marin County schools.

“We had Quartet San Francisco do two programs last year, specializing in tango. They’re an incredible group who all perform standing up—even the cellist!—so they can maintain rhythmic synchronicity,” said Rogers. “It’s such a wonderful thing to take Argentinian tango into schools!”

CMM makes sure that each year they’re bringing something special, free of charge, to keep the profundity and power of classical music alive.

They’re thrilled about this year’s programming. Bach, Mozart, Sibelius, Ravel—these are just a few of the timeless composers on the docket. Rogers is particularly excited about the Telegraph Quartet and San Francisco Conservatory of Music graduate students performing Medelson’s “String Quartet in D Major.”

“It’s for two string quartets together, and it creates a sound that’s almost as big as a full string orchestra!” she exclaimed.

With their new identity and with 50 years under their belt, CMM wants the community to know that they’re fully accessible, and available for everyone.

“You don’t have to be a member to participate, and actually, anyone under 18 can come for free,” explained Rogers. “We’re ready to move forward, with a new identity that expresses who we are and what we do. We want to keep chamber music alive, in public schools and beyond.”

They’re working on contemporizing themselves, through an updated website and, further down the line, more social media marketing. The idea is to make sure to stay in touch with the younger demographic.

“And you know, we haven’t done an interview with the Pacific Sun for a long time,” said Rogers. “This is good!”

Culture Crush—Stargazing, Terra Art Collective, and More

Jane Vick

Sep 14, 2022

Culture Crush—Stargazing, Terra Art Collective, and More

Petaluma

Soil Not Oil

Come explore practical solutions to climate change at the annual Soil Not Oil International Conference.This event, held at Tara Firma Farms, will include presentations from Calla Rose Ostrander, natural and working lands climate change coordinator at California Natural Resource Agency; author and energy expert Richard Heinberg, discussing the shifting energy terrain; Dr. Elaine Ingham, who uncovered the Soil Food Web four decades ago; Pamm Larry, the initial instigator of Prop. 37; author, teacher and ecofeminist Starhawk; Dr. Ignacio Chapela; filmmaker John D. Liu; Stacy Malkan; author Jeffrey Smith; Diana Donlon, MD; Michelle Perro; Miriam Volat; and many more. The 8th Soil Not Oil Gathering will take place Sept. 17-18 at Tara Firma Farms, 3796 I St., Petaluma. Tickets $100-$300. www.soilnotoilcoalition.org

Glen Ellen

Stargazing

Before summer ends, spend an evening under the stars at the Star Party at Robert Ferguson Observatory. Throughout the course of the evening, presentations on various astronomical topics will be given, and at dusk the observatory’s three main telescopes will be available for star viewing, with helpful and informed docents on hand to educate and answer questions. Spot the Andromeda Galaxy, Betelgus, Aries, Orion and more. Be delighted by the miracle of the night sky! The Star Party will take place Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Robert Ferguson Observatory, 2605 Adobe Canyon Rd., Kenwood. 9-12pm. Tickets are $10 per adult, $5 for seniors 62+, students and youth, 12 to 17. Under 12 free. Registration required. www.rfo.org

Point Reyes

Terra Art Collective

Spend some time this weekend considering a better future for humans and the planet through the lens of art. Terra Art Collective will present the work of artists Shannon Amidon, Michele Guieu, Leah Jay and Deborah Kennedy, who produce art focused on ecological challenges, at Gallery Route One in Point Reyes Station. The show features watercolors, encaustics and interactive installations that help viewers and creators to imagine a new way of interacting with our world—creating a healthy, high-functioning natural environment, while also meeting human needs. The Terra Art Collective show will run through Oct. 2 at Gallery Route One, 11101 Highway One, Ste. 1101, Point Reyes.

Nicasio

Charlie Musselwhite

The classic Rancho Nicasio welcomes blues legend Charlie Musselwhite. Born in Mississippi and making his way to California by way of Memphis and Chicago, Musselwhite cut a record with his landmark Stand Back! to rave reviews at only 22. He relocated to San Francisco in 1967, where his album was being played on underground radio, and was welcomed with open arms into the counterculture scene as an authentic purveyor of the real deal blues. He has been touring for the last 50 years, giving credence to the theory that great music only gets better with age. Come on out and see for yourselves! Musselwhite plays Sunday, Sept. 18 at Rancho Nicasio, 1 Old Rancheria Rd., Nicasio. Gates open at 3pm. Tickets $40. www.ranchonicasio.com

—Jane Vick

West County Delights Locals and Visitors

Isabella Cook

Sep 7, 2022

West County Delights Locals and Visitors

What comes to mind when you picture West Marin?

If it evokes imagery of charming towns, breathtaking coastlines and a culture deeply rooted in its compelling history and the arts, then you’re on the right track.

West Marin is the largest rural region of Marin County, originally belonging to the Miwok Native Americans, and encompasses the picturesque towns of Point Reyes Station, Olema, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Tomales, Dillon Beach and Inverness (though there is some flexibility when it comes to defining the borders of West Marin).

These towns and the bucolic nature surrounding them combine to comprise what is considered to be one of the most beautiful places to live or visit in California. Its focus on the preservation of the natural landscape makes West Marin ideal to hike, camp and simply get away from the daily grind of day-to-day life in the city and instead focus on reconnecting with the land around you.

And, when you inevitably get hungry during your West Marin adventures, there are delicious restaurants to explore as well, many of which use locally-sourced ingredients in their farm/ocean-to-table plates. Plus, when in West Marin, you simply cannot forget the oysters, available all across this oceanic outcropping!

To sum it up, West Marin boasts a strong connection to nature, history, culture, arts, historical landmarks and restaurants galore.

Nature

The natural landscape of West Marin may be parallel to none, with its rolling hills and wistful, scenic seashores surrounded by humbling cliff faces. Combine this stunning backdrop with the native animals, such as elk, whales and an array of birds, and you have an idyllic environment to explore.

West Marin’s most notable nature spots include the Point Reyes National Seashore Park, Tomales Bay State Park and Tomales Point. These places offer a multitude of trails to hike, beaches to leisure in and natural wildlife reserves to admire. Hiking trails include Tomales Point Trail, Laguna Trail, Sky Trail, Drakes Estero Trail, Abbotts Lagoon Trail, Kehoe Beach Trail and many more.

And if that isn’t enough to stimulate the senses, Tomales Bay offers an otherworldly window into the beauty of bioluminescence, with kayak tours on the darkest nights of July, August, September and October. Watch the displaced waters alight with a bioluminescent glow from every fish that swims, paddle that rows or hand that touches these emissions of light by undersea microorganisms called marine dinoflagellate or plankton.

Landmarks

Sandwiched between the remarkable views visible across West Marin are key historical landmarks which give us an opportunity to connect to the long and significant history of the area. First, and perhaps the most well-known, is the Point Reyes Lighthouse. The lighthouse was opened for operation in 1870 and is situated in the Gulf of the Farallones on Point Reyes in Point Reyes National Seashore. Perhaps the most important detail to know before planning a casual visit to view this landmark is that the lighthouse is built at the base of 308 steps, comparable to a 30-story building.

The Historic KPH Maritime Radio Receiving Station is another must-see West Marin landmark. This radio station was built when Guglielmo Marconi sited and commissioned the building of a wireless telegraphy transmitting and receiving station in Marshall on Tomales Bay between 1913 and 1914. Some of the radio equipment dates back to the World War II era and remains intact, having been restored to use for broadcasting on numerous frequencies, including KPH. The Cypress Tree Tunnel that encompasses the entrance to the station is, in and of itself, a landmark worth seeing.

For a deeper look into coastal California’s earthquake history, the 1906 Earthquake Fence is an ideal landmark destination. The two sections of the fence were split 16 feet apart during the 1906 earthquake, the effects of which can be viewed to this day. Those who visit the Earthquake Trail inside Point Reyes National Seashore can stop and see how far the two fences moved from each other on the San Andreas fault line.

Last, but certainly not least, on the West Marin landmark tour is the S.S Point Reyes shipwreck of Tomales Bay. The boat in question was built in 1944 as a World War II launch boat and, upon its retirement, was dragged ashore to be fixed—the project promptly abandoned. Now the shipwreck acts as a hiking destination, where visitors may view an unobstructed connection to West Marin’s history.

Eats

All that hiking, and possibly a 308-step flight of stairs, can certainly work up a person’s appetite. Luckily, West Marin offers a veritable cornucopia of delicious bites to eat. Scattered all across the culturally diverse towns of West Marin are eateries, farmsteads and companies just waiting to tantalize customers with edible offerings.

The Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. is an excellent place to stop for a deeper look into the local culture of farming and agriculture. It began when the Giacomini family moved to Point Reyes in 1938.

In 1959, the next generation of the family purchased dairy to sell milk to the local creamery, and in 2000 the family began producing the first wheels of Original Blue, California’s only classic style blue cheese.

One simply cannot separate the intrinsic connection between West Marin and oysters. Whether you want them served plain on the half shell over ice or doused in flavorful sauces and perfectly grilled, the entirety of the shorelines surrounding Tomales Bay is peppered with pit stops to get your seafood fix. Hog Island Oyster Company, The Marshall Store, Saltwater Oyster Depot, Tomales Bay Oyster Company, Tony’s Seafood Restaurant and Nick’s Cove are all excellent places to stop for some of the freshest oysters available on the market.

And if a plethora of seafood and cheese isn’t enough to satisfy your appetite, you can visit one of many tempting eateries located across the West Marin landscape. Due West, a cool venue with seafood and other offerings, is the perfect place to taste the diverse offerings of the region. For a more laid-back approach to West Marin dining, Station House Cafe is a longtime cafe with local, organic meals, and the Side Street Kitchen, another cafe, offers what they describe as slow-cooked comfort fare.

Arts

West Marin boasts a long and close history with the arts. Both its proximity to the well-known artistic hub that is San Francisco and its beauteous natural landscapes lend towards stoking artists’ inspiration, acting as a natural muse. A number of notable artists, including the late abstract expressionist Sam Francis, called West Marin their home.

A Native West Marin musician, Laura Alderdice, describes her experience with art in her home county as, “very colorful—the landscape brings a sense of serenity. And, with the abstract art scene, my brother, Alexander Carl Bratenahl, a visual artist and painter, was able to express himself in a way that was loud, rhythmic, fun, politically involved and socially critical, sometimes cut with the calm and serenity of the landscapes.”

Another artist local to West Marin, Tom Biagini, was self-taught and grew up in Inverness. He began drawing as a child, but only picked up a paintbrush for the first time in his early 20s. Biagini created his first West Marin landscape of Chicken Ranch Beach and has since drawn inspiration from his hometown. In his late 20s, he opened West Marin Fitness in Point Reyes, in which he also showcased his early work. Though his time spent in Southern California influenced his artistic style, Biagini has returned to West Marin to open his own gallery in Inverness.

For another West Marin art experience, visit Gallery Route One, a nonprofit art organization with a focus on presenting changing exhibitions year-round and offering community support programs. Gallery Route One was founded in 1983 by 25 artists and currently maintains a membership of between 20 to 25 local artists.

Wherever you go in West Marin, you’re bound to find a slice of Marinite life that appeals. Whether it’s the sprawling landscapes, the hiking trails, the historical landmarks, the appetizing local food fare or any combination thereof, there is no lack of things to do in this small, unincorporated corner of Marin County.

Dirty Cello Rocks Sweetwater

Daedalus Howell

Sep 7, 2022

Rebecca Roudman always knew she would play cello.

“Originally, my mom wanted me to play the harp when I was seven years old, but we didn’t have a big enough car. So she put me on the cello,” Roudman recalls.

The Marin-based musician leads the critically acclaimed band Dirty Cello, which is making a local appearance at Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall on Friday, Sept. 16. And this is after touring from Iceland to the Middle East, continental Europe, China and beyond in recent years. Throughout, Dirty Cello has won fans worldwide, but not from playing soothing string arrangements.

“If you’re expecting a beautiful cello concert that’s very mellow, you’re not going to get that. You’re going to get the exact opposite,” says Roudman. “In fact, what we do is we basically, when we step on stage, we have a giant pile of songs in our repertoire, and then we start rocking and we see what the audience likes.”

Dirty Cello truly has no pre-planned sets. Instead, if an audience wants to hear what Eric Clapton would sound like as a virtuosic cello player, they will provide just that. Though she is classically trained and currently plays with the Santa Rosa Symphony and Oakland Symphony, classical music hadn’t been Roudman’s first passion.

“I was always interested in playing other music. And this really reared its ugly head when I started playing with bands on my cello,” she recalls. “I remember I played with a blues band, and I was playing these long, boring notes. And the guitar player got to have all the fun. He got to do all the cool solos. He got to sing to the audience. And I got very jealous. And I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

And a rock cellist and vocalist was born. First, Roudman set to learning all the great guitar solos of the rock genre. Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” check. Anything by Slash, check. Soon, she and her husband, Jason, began playing in cafes as a duo. “We’d get paid in cookies. And sometimes they’d run out of cookies, and then we wouldn’t get paid,” Roudman laughs, looking back. Eleven years later, the couple is part of a full-fledged band that tours all over the world.

“If people want to find me on social media and let me know what song they’d like to hear, they’re welcome to tell me. And we keep trying it, as long as it’s not a Grateful Dead song,” she laughs.

Instagram.com/dirtycello and facebook.com/dirtycellomusic are places to start.

To get a sampling of what a Dirty Cello cover might sound like, visit the band’s Bandcamp page at dirtycello.bandcamp.com and click-thru the tunes on their album, By Request. Cut to the chase and listen to their cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog,” and if you don’t have a full-on conversion experience, you may need to get your ears checked.

Dirty Cello performs at 8pm, Friday, Sept. 16 (doors open at 7pm) at Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. $20. All ages.

65 Years of Mill Valley Fall Art Festivals

Jane Vick

Sep 7, 2022

65 Years of Mill Valley Fall Art Festivals

The Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival (MVFAF) is celebrating its “blue sapphire” anniversary, which is to say, this September marks the 65th year for the annual event.

Started in the late ’50s by a collection of local, community-minded artists, as director Steve Bajor explains, “It was natural that they got together and put on a show and party for the local community and surrounding Marin.”

Unbeknownst to them, this gathering was to become a lasting annual event bursting with creative energy and town pride. Held each September amongst the towering, cathedral-like redwoods of Old Mill Park, MVFAF holds a special place in the hearts of Marin County residents. Bajor, who has had a flourishing career in event management and was raised in Mill Valley, derives particular joy in fostering community and connection in his hometown through this inimitable, almost magical festival.

“This is the only event, of the many I’ve done, that still maintains its integrity. From the volunteers, to the committee, to the board of directors and the community who attend, it’s still, after all these years, a grassroots festival,” he says.

One of the things that has sustained the festival’s success over the years, says Bajor, is its balanced collection of offerings. Though fine arts is the focus, MVFAF draws music acts, provides kids’ activities and in general creates a holistic experience of joy that transcends a traditional art market. The music element, which came about in 1978, was actually Bajor’s brainchild.

“At that time, there were music festivals and there were art festivals. And ironically, no one had put the two together. I was working with several different Marin groups and had access to some incredible musical talent. I said, ‘Hell, I have all this talent; let’s put in a stage and let’s have music!’”

Attendees of the upcoming festival can expect to be as delighted as ever at the offerings of local food and drink, activities for the “young and young at heart” in the Children’s Grove and diverse array of musical talent, including local and larger Bay Area performers. The theme of this year’s festival is “plein air”—the practice of painting outdoors—so attendees can expect to watch artists at work in the dappled sunlight streaming through the redwood trees, and to purchase the pieces moments after completion. The festival has partnered with Marin Bicycle Coalition, and those who choose to ride can safely lock their bikes on Throckmorton Avenue, receiving a $5 voucher to the festival.

“We sincerely hope people will come and enjoy our ‘Little Festival That Could,’ still going strong and celebrating its 65th year,” said Bajor.

For tickets and more information, visit www.mvfaf.org.