Occidental
Winter Is Coming
With the coming of winter also comes the urge to attend the Barbara Higbie & Friends Winter Solstice Concert. The upcoming performance is part of the annual Winter Solstice Concert Series at Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA). For this year’s festivities, the North Bay gets to celebrate the holiday season alongside Barbara Higbie, a Grammy-nominated pianist and composer. Higbie’s star-studded ensemble includes musicians such as Michaelle Goerlitz, Vicki Randle, Lena Anderson, Jasper Manning, Kofy Brown and Mia Pixley. The Barbara Higbie & Friends Winter Solstice Concert will take place at 7pm, on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tickets cost $32 in advance, $27 for OCA members (and $5 more at the door, if still available). Fine refreshments and an open art gallery will complement the performance. So, it’s almost time to warm the heart at 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. in Occidental for the holidays. For tickets and more details, visit occidentalcenterforthearts.org.
San Rafael
My Voice Matters
The exhibition of student artwork at San Rafael’s Youth in Arts, My Voice Matters, has earned an extension, giving one until Dec. 13 to check out this display of young artistic talent. This show features the work of three high school artists, Heath Carbone, Lea Ortiz and Maddie O’Sullivan, all students whose pieces tackle themes like identity, personal experience and social justice. With its focus on showcasing the voices of local youth, My Voice Matters highlights the vibrant creativity of the next generation of artists. This event also marks the first-ever student-curated show at Youth in Arts, and it is a true celebration of the voice set to shape Marin’s artistic future. The closing reception is set during San Rafael’s 2nd Friday Art Walk, from 5 to 7pm on Dec. 13. There, one may meet the artists, explore their work and take part in a free, hands-on artmaking session in the Art Lab. For more details, visit youthinarts.org.
Guerneville
Chanukah Oy Chanukah
The holiday season may be rung in with music, joy and community at Chanukah Oy Chanukah, a festive celebration hosted by Two Tribes and vocalist Lois Pearlman. Now in its third year, this lively event promises a mix of traditional Yiddish songs, contemporary tunes and instrumentals performed in Yiddish, English and Ladino, too. This musical evening will include performances by Laurie Lippin, Chris Eccles, and, of course, Pearlman (a Weeklys contributor). One may come out and listen to these performers take to the stage and share their love for the music of the Jewish diaspora through song. The Chanukah Oy Chanukah concert will take place from 7 to 9pm on Friday, Dec. 27 at Books and Letters, located at 14045 Armstrong Woods Rd. in Guerneville.
Corte Madera
Wanderers
Wanderland Writers will introduce the ninth anthology in the “Wandering” series with a reading at 2pm, Saturday, Dec. 14, at Book Passage in Corte Madera. Entitled Wandering in American Deserts: Discovery, Visions, Redemption, this new volume explores the haunting beauty and eccentricities of American deserts. It features the Joshua tree, named by Mormon settlers for its resemblance to the biblical figure’s raised arms. Readers will encounter natural wonders—shaman-worthy rock caves, quake-altered terrain and a resurrected ancient sea—alongside a starlit sky as it was at the dawn of time. The anthology also captures desert life: birds, coyotes, lizards and the power of silence. It profiles diverse characters, from Cahuilla musicians to cowboy poets and eccentrics like a wizard and a misfit painter finding salvation on a mountain. Contributors include Madeleine Adkins, J.R. Barnett, Daphne Beyers, Hugh Biggar, Michael J. Fitzgerald, Peg Wendling Gerdes, Cyndi Goddard, Thomas Harrell, Naomi Lopez, Mary Jean Pramik, Anne Sigmon, Tatum Tomlinson, Maw Shein Win, Judy Zimola and others. Book Passage Corte Madera is located at 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. bookpassage.com. The event is free.
