PITTSBURG
Los Medanos College will host the “César Chávez: Honoring a Legacy 2024 Awards Celebration,” starting at 5 p.m. April 5 in the Student Union Conference Center at 2700 E. Leland Road in Pittsburg.
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This event celebrates the life of labor leader and human rights activist César Chávez and recognizes East Contra Costa County community members who follow his example of service, activism and nonviolent social change.
Honors to be given out include the César Chávez Award for Exemplary Community Service, the East County Educator Award and the Chávez Spirit Award. Festivities are free and open to the public, though space is limited. For more details online and a link to RSVP, visit losmedanos.edu/chavez/event/index.aspx.
— Los Medanos College
LAFAYETTE
National Poetry Month event April 6 to feature readings
Celebrate poetry from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. April 6 with the Lamorinda Arts Council. Poetry lovers are invited to attend the group’s program, “Celebrate National Poetry Month,” which includes a no-host bar. Poets will read for 10 minutes followed by a short question-and-answer session.
Artist Michael Robinson will speak about exhibit his acrylic paintings thanks to the Lafayette Public Art Committee artist program. A reception will follow in the theater lobby. The event will be in Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre at 3535 School St. and will repeat July 20. Visit lamorindaarts.org/art-embraces-words online for more details.
— Lamorinda Arts Council
ORINDA
French film ‘Marguerite’s Theorem’ starts showing April 12
The International Film Showcase will screen the French film “Marguerite’s Theorem” for at least one week starting April 12 at the Orinda Theatre. The film has won several international awards, including France’s Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress (Ella Rumpf). The film also will be shown at Napa’s Jarvis Conservatory on April 13.
The film follows a brilliant mathematics student at France’s top university, the Ecole Normale Supérieure. On the day of her thesis presentation, a mistake shakes up all the certainty in her planned-out life, and she decides to quit everything and start afresh. Visit internationalshowcase.org/?p=628 for more details online.
— International Film Showcase
Lamorinda Arts high school art exhibit runs through April 6
The Lamorinda Arts Council’s (LAC) High School Visual Arts Competition features 250 entries from students living in or attending 10 high schools in the Acalanes Union High School District in the Lamorinda area.
The in-person art exhibit runs through April 6 and features cash prizes, merit certificates and an online public exhibit on the LAC website. The show is in the Library Auditorium at 26 Orinda Way in Orinda. For more inforomation, call 925-359-4490 or visit lamorindaarts.org/vac online.
— Lamorinda Arts Council
MORAGA
‘Moving Energy’ exhibit debuts, now showing at art gallery
A vibrant exhibit, “Moving Energy,” has debuted at the Moraga Art Gallery, 432 Center St. in the Rheem Shopping Center.
Intensely colorful, eye-opening, motion-filled acrylic paintings by Irene Needoba and high-impact photos of nature by Lucy Beck explode with colors and surprising shapes. Photographer John Brown, the featured guest artist, focuses on the natural world in all its guises: the wilderness and the nature of people, animals, cities and communities.
Also on view until the exhibit ends in early June are a variety of one-of-a-kind works by more than 20 local painters, ceramicists, jewelry makers, photographers, print-makers, woodworkers and others, all of whom will be on hand at a free public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. April 6.
Open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, the gallery invites art fans of all ages to come in, browse and linger a while. For more details online, visit moragaartgallery.com or call 925-376-5407.
— Moraga Art Gallery
LIVERMORE/LAFAYETTE
Pacific Chamber Orchestra to perform Bruch, Mendelssohn
Pacific Chamber Orchestra will present Max Bruch’s “Violin Concerto #1 in G Minor” with violinist Livia Sohn, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Symphony #3 in A Minor” (aka the “Scottish” symphony) and Fanny Mendelssohn’s “Overture for Orchestra” at 7:30 p.m. April 27 in the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church and at 3 p.m. April 28 at Livermore’s Bankhead Theater.
Sohn’s prolific career includes performances with renowned U.S. orchestras in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Boston; in Europe with orchestras in Berlin, Budapest and Prague; and internationally in Asia, South America, China and Africa. Opus Magazine has described Sohn as “a stunning and compelling musician.”
Tickets for both concerts are available online at pacificchamberorchestra.org.
— Pacific Chamber Orchestra
LAFAYETTE
Nashville singer Khars to perform Campbell tribute April 12
Nashville singer/songwriter Andy Kahrs brings his acclaimed salute to Glen Campbell and his catalog of memorable classics to Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre at 7 p.m. April 12 with “Rhinestone: The Songs of Glen Campbell.”
With enduring hits like “Wichita Lineman,” “Gentle on My Mind,” “By The Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Rhinestone Cowboy,” music legend Glen Campbell left a legacy of songs that transcend genres and generations.
Campbell tallied five Grammy Awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame honors, 27 Top 10 singles, 21 Top 40 hits, nine No. 1 country albums, six Top 20 albums and three Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. He was a 15-time Country Music Association Award nominee and two-time winner.
Kahrs is a guitarist with a distinct roots sound based in blues, soul and classic country. His EP release “Together” was met with critical acclaim and streaming success, finding its place on Spotify’s “Got Blues” and “Best Blues”editorial playlists. Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 in advance at 925-283-1557 or online at townhalltheatre.com.
Folk music festival returning April 5 to Town Hall Theatre
Front Porch Open Mic will return at 7 p.m. April 5 with a fresh roster of folk music entertainment in partnership with Town Hall Theatre at 3535 School St. in Lafayette.
The one-night-only folk music festival happens four times a year. This exciting collaboration brings together local acoustic musicians and performers for a showcase of talent for the local community.
The series was a big success in 2023, and its first show of the season in February filled the theater. Ticket-goers are treated to preshow musical entertainment by the lobby bar starting at 6 p.m.
Front Porch Presents, is a product of Front Porch Open Mic. The idea for Front Porch Open Mic came about when local musicians Andrée and Austin Hurst decided opportunities were lacking for local musicians to perform in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Five years ago, they decided to create a space where people could come together and share their love of music, regardless of their background or experience level. Tickets are $20 at the door, $15 in advance. Go to townhalltheatre.com/front-porch.
— Town Hall Theatre
LIVERMORE
‘Best of San Francisco Comedy Competition’ on March 29
Livermore’s Bankhead Theater will present the “Best of San Francisco Comedy Competition,” starting at 8 p.m. March 29. The show will be hosted by Stuart Thompson, a stand-up comedian, actor, voiceover actor and writer.
The featured comedian will be Dana Gould, who has six solo stand-up comedy specials to his credit. As an actor, Gould has had memorable turns on the “Seinfeld” and “Parks and Rec” television shows and is one of the few actors to play his live-action self on “Family Guy.” Tickets are available online at livermorearts.org.
— Livermore Valley Arts
DANVILLE
Artists group to host photographer Haley at April 9 meeting
The Alamo/Danville Artists’ Society will host photographer Rick Haley from 7:30 to 9 p.m. April 9 in its meeting at the Blackhawk Gallery, 3416 Blackhawk Plaza Circle.
A nationally acclaimed photographer, Haley has spent 46 years exploring the boundaries of fine art photography. He is based in Northern California and regularly works as an exhibiting photographer and instructor.
As a self-taught photographer following in the footsteps of Ansel Adams, Haley is best known for his large-format black-and-white images, mostly landscapes, that consistently display a high-contrast style with maximum sharpness in foreground and distance.
While also known for his creative color images, he is most respected for his broad technical photographic expertise. His works include traditional nature and landscapes, surreal images and even nightscape photographs.
In his work, Haley strives to capture specific moments in time that speak to his viewers so they can experience the emotion and magic of the same moment. His images are regularly displayed across California and as far east as South Carolina.
— Alamo/Danville Artists’ Society
Submit area arts-and-entertainment On Tap items to Judith Prieve at jprieve@bayareanewsgroup.com.