

Black History Month celebrated with Idyllwild Arts concert
By Idyllwild Town Crier
Idyllwild Arts Academy held its annual Black History Month Concert Saturday night in the William M. Lowman Concert Hall on campus. The hall was filled to capacity with jazz fans, as well as students, faculty and staff. “Afro-American Symphony” by William Grant Still and special performances by Seahawk MoJO (Modern Jazz Orchestra) featuring music from Duke Ellington, Thelonious Sphere Monk and Daniel Jackson rounded out the evening. At left: Black History Month Concert Founder, Conductor, Arranger and Composer Marshall Hawkins (right) watches with the orchestra as the percussionists and traditional dancing take to the stage before intermission. Above: Idyllwild Arts Academy music major Sumi Onoe performed as the piano soloist with the Idyllwild Arts Orchestra, opening the Black History Month Concert with “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin. Sumi and the orchestra received a standing ovation for the performance.


The culmination of Idyllwild Arts’ annual week-long Native American Arts Festival will be, for the first time, a Native American Fashion Show at 7 p.m. Friday, July 5, in the Idyllwild Arts Foundation Theatre. The show’s producer, Dr. Jessica Metcalfe, assembled 10 of the top Native American designers for the show. A Turtle Mountain Chippewa,…
On the morning of July 3, Susie and Richard Hampson were recognized for their years of volunteering at the Idyllwild Nature Center. The recognition occurred during the unveiling of “The Birds of Idyllwild Nature Center” interpretive panel. This panel, sponsored by the Friends of Mt. San Jacinto County Parks and designed by Janet McAlpine, is…
Janice Murasko announced fifteen nominations for the June election of an Idyllwild Mayor. The election will be June 11 through June 13. The local Cat Party could only field two candidates, seemingly indicative of this species’ natural aloofness and independence. The Dog Party nominated a pack of 13 candidates ranging in size from a handful…
Two of 23 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipients for 2012 have Idyllwild connections — mandolin virtuoso, singer and composer Chris Thile grew up in Idyllwild and showed talent as a musician at a very early age. Thile is a New York City resident currently on a national tour with the Punch Brothers. Claire Chase,…
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program is offering scholarships sponsored by the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians to bring teachers to Native American Arts workshops at the campus. These funds are intended to benefit both the scholarship recipients themselves as well as their students and communities when they return home. The expenses covered by the…