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Growing up playing violin, my main claim to fame was receiving a Superior rating at a high school music competition playing the Bach Double Violin Concerto in D minor. My love for classical music, and Bach, has continued long after trading my bow and resin for a writing career....

The Beatles’ iconic album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” turned 50 in 2017, so the town of Liverpool – the birthplace of John, Paul, George and Ringo – held a Sgt. Pepper at 50 Festival to commemorate the occasion, featuring 13 events to coincide with the 13 tracks on...

They have fanatic fans, clever videos, and sell out concerts around the world. Since Scott Bradlee created Postmodern Jukebox 10 years ago, the band has amassed nearly one billion YouTube views and more than three million subscribers. Over that time, the group has performed ...

The Newport Beach City Arts Commission is presenting a series of four Concerts on the Green this summer that take place at the Newport Beach Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive. The 2019 Concerts on the Green are on June 16, July 7, August 25 and September 15. All concerts are...

Grab a candy bar and get your Golden Ticket—the Broadway musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” unwraps its sweet delights at Segerstrom Center May 28 – June 9. Roald Dahl’s famous book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” tells the story of Willy Wonka, world famous inventor...

June arrives soon, and with it warmer weather—a perfect time for al fresco jazz concerts in Newport Beach. Up first is the annual Newport Beach Jazz Festival, held May 31 – June 2 at the Hyatt Regency on Jamboree Road. Enjoy three days of world-class jazz and blues from such...

It was a busy eight days for the Newport Beach Film Festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019 with a record attendance of 58,000 people. The Festival opened on Thursday, April 25 with the West Coast Premiere of “Luce” starring Naomi Watts, Octavia Spence, Tim Roth...

Orange County has long been a hotbed of creativity, especially in the music department. We had an explosive punk rock movement in the late 1970s and early 80s, which is when I was playing drums in a band called Desperate Living while managing other local bands and producing demos...

With more than 3,000 films submitted to the Newport Beach Film Festival ever year, who determines which films make the grade and which ones get two thumbs down? According to festival co-founder and CEO Gregg Schwenk, he and his team of programmers make the rounds of the top film...

What you need to know: in the end, dance wins, and the human spirit revives. That’s the underlying theme of the Newport Beach Film Festival’s 20th anniversary program of shorts called “Put on Your Dancing Shorts,” a series of nine thoughtfully curated...

Bees or no bees? That is the question. “The Pollinators” may have the answer. “The Pollinators” is one of the films in the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Environmental Film Series, presented by Pacific Sales. According to Leslie Feibleman of the Newport Beach Film Festival, this...

Opening night of the Newport Beach Film Festival is always a dazzling affair, with a red carpet in front of Edwards Big Newport theater with filmmakers and actors, VIP speeches, the opening night film premiere, and of course the gala after-party across the street in the...

The 20th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, which runs April 25 – May 2, has announced its 2019 Art, Architecture + Design (AA+D) Film Series, an international showcase of films celebrating art, architecture, design, modernism, photography, sculpture, painting, typography,...

Ideas can be powerful things. Just ask the Newport Beach Film Festival. The theme for the 20th anniversary Film Festival that runs April 25 – May 2 is “The Power of Ideas.” That’s also the theme of the 2019 festival trailer, which will be shown prior to each scheduled film...

The Newport Beach Arts Foundation announced a call for entries for artists and artisans to apply for the 2019 Art in the Park, in a press release this week. The 16th annual event is scheduled for Sept. 28 on the Newport Beach Civic Center Green. Artist applications must be...

A local art gallery is presenting two shows this weekend highlighting “Masters in New Media.” Ethos Contemporary Art gallery on the Balboa Peninsula is hosting the pair of shows with an opening reception on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Gerrie Lewis’ “Master of Transformation”...

It’s not just the luck of the Irish that nearly three dozen films from Ireland will be screened at the 20th annual Newport Beach Film Festival that runs April 25-May 2, 2019. The Newport Beach Film Festival will present the largest celebration of Irish Cinema in North America...

Big things spring from small seeds, and it was indeed a small packet of seeds that Newport Beach Film Festival founders Gregg Schwenk and Todd Quartarero planted 20 years ago when the duo conceived of a film festival with the city of Newport Beach serving as a luxurious backdrop....

He’s been called “the funniest stand-up alive” by Vanity Fair. Anyone who has seen comedian Brian Regan perform would no doubt agree with that statement. Regan packed Segerstrom Hall two years ago with fans eager to hear Regan’s slightly askew take on everyday life. He returns to...

The Newport Beach Jazz Party returned to the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa February 14-17 with new Jazz Party producers Paul Lowden and Chris Lowden and a roster of new and familiar names from the Jazz World, including Grammy Winner Jack Jones. Jazz Party founders Joe...