Wouldn’t it be terrific if Vallejo had a hometown symphony? Someone said that 90 years ago and here we are. Several of us from Hiddenbrooke enjoyed the closing concert of the Vallejo Symphony’s 90th season at the Empress Theatre in downtown Vallejo on Sunday, May 21. It was a dynamic performance with musical selections from 3 centuries. The music director, Marc Taddei, is a Juilliard graduate who splits his time between the Vallejo Symphony and the Orchestra Wellington in New Zealand. The top-notch musicians are drawn from the wealth of talent throughout the Bay area. Kathleen and Allen Wildermuth told me they are long-time season ticket holders. Pati and Bob Iovanni invited Mary Annette and Bob Hall, Barbara and Gary Schwenk, and Tiger Adolf and myself to join them for the concert with dinner afterwards at The Dead Fish restaurant in Crockett. The Symphony just kicked off sales for their 2023-2024 season which will salute composer George Gershwin. Details are at https://vallejosymphony.org
On that very same Sunday afternoon, another 3 couples from Hiddenbrooke were at Vino Godfather winery on Mare Island enjoying a performance by Kalimba – The Spirit of Earth, Wind, and Fire. John Heckaman and Lane Cayford, Becky and Randy Olson, Craig and Valinda Gillis, Vanessa and Doug Nelson, and Jacque and Joe Mazutis report that the winery’s back lawn is a casual concert spot with a pop-up kitchen to augment the winery’s selections. See Vino Godfather’s concert schedule at https://events.vinogodfather.com/
And that’s just the Vallejo options this past Sunday. On a drive around Suisun Valley last Friday evening, I heard live music emanating from 4 locations: The Suisun Filling Station, Vezer Family Vineyard’s Mankas Gardens, Village 360, and the Pioneer Tap Room. Those joints were jumping!
To see who’s playing where on the local music scene, join the over 5,000 of us who belong to the Marilyn’s Weekly Calendar Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/438516136339459She does a masterful job. I’d strongly recommend heading over to the Pioneer Tap Room almost any Wednesday to hear Chris Holmes and Rob Lopez (photo below). The piano-and-bass duo are life-long locals who play covers of Steely Dan, Sting, and whatever strikes the fancy of them and the other musicians sitting in with them. As a wise woman once sang, “No use in sitting alone in your room, come hear the music play.”
UPDATE on June 17, 2023: Details on the Concert Series described below at https://www.gvrd.org/2023-08-04-bands-brews
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