In the garden at Spirit Mountain Retreat and with locals in attendance, Executive Director Mary Morse lights a ceremonial candle to commemorate the spring solstice on Sunday

The interior of the nearly ready William M. Lowman Concert Hall, the new state-of-the-art music venue on the Idyllwild Arts campus. The beams visible in the ceiling are part of the acoustical design engineered by ARUP North America, the firm responsible for the designs of the world-famous Sydney (Australia) Opera House, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Tate Modern in London. The concert venue should open soon.

“Fireflies in the Garden,” will open year three of the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema 2012 (IIFC). The festival of independent films announced its opening films and special screenings on Monday, Dec. 12. Festival Director Stephen Savage said the closing film has not yet been decided. In keeping with his promise to move the festival…