Musical Performances

It’s time again for the Marin County Fair at the Marin County Fairgrounds in San Rafael, near the Marin Civic Center. This theme for this 64th fair is "Going Global—Connecting Cultures". Highlights include a Global Stage with entertainment from around the world, a Global Village in the Exhibition Hall, a Global Kitchen where you can experience local and international foods, and more.

Of course there are also the more traditional fair offerings like farm animals and Hambone Express pig racing in the barnyard, 28 free (with fair admission) carnival rides, the 21st annual Creatures and Models exhibit (with appearances by the ever-popular Imperial Storm Troopers of the Golden Gate Garrison), concerts, fine arts, bonsai, and of course the nightly fireworks display.

This year's Marin County Fair runs from Thursday, July 1 through Monday, July 5, 11 am to 11 pm daily.

This summer the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center presents its Summer Nights series of outdoor concerts, movies, and entertainment at its campus in San Rafael. Bring a picnic, your blanket, low-backed lawn chairs, and dancing shoes—there's fun for the whole family! Beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks will be available for purchase, and there's a playground available for supervised play and the art room will be open for coloring fun.

This summer's outdoor concert lineup features Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums (this Saturday, June 19), Nigerian Brothers West African Highlife Band (July 10), Sambaguru featuring Katia Morales (July 17), Los Pinguos (July 31), and Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie (Auguest 7). All concerts start at 7 pm; doors open at 6:15 pm, and there's a dance lesson at 6:40 pm.

Concert tickets are $20 for JCC members, and $25 for the general public. Kids 6–17 are $5, and children 5 and under are free.

Also offered as part of Summer Nights is "So Much More than a Movie," a film series featuring a family-friendly movie, a live performance, and fun on the playground. On June 26, take in a performance by 'Til Dawn, Marin's teen a capella sensation, and a screening of the classic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. June 24 features Shrek II and a performance by family entertainer, comedian, and juggler Unique Derique. The series closes on August 14 with a screening of the animated feature An American Tail with a performance by Marin's favorite family musician, Tim Cain.

Get ready to dance in the aisles at the Marin Symphony Family Concert, taking place on Saturday, May 8 at 3 pm in the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium at Marin Center in San Rafael. The theme of this family-friendly concert is “Once Upon a Symphony”. The great poems, tales, and stories of childhood come to musical life in this one-hour concert introducing children to the sights and sounds of orchestral music. KDFC radio host Hoyt Smith narrates a program featuring Ravel’s Ma Mere L’Oie (Mother Goose), Dukas’ setting of Goethe’s poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, excepts from the Harry Potter film scores by John Williams, plus much more. The symphony's traditional "instrument petting zoo" follows.

If you haven’t been to one of the Marin Symphony’s Family Concerts yet, you really owe it to yourself to check one out. We've attended them and had a great time. As an added bonus, they were able to try out orchestra instruments at the "instrument petting zoo" in the Marin Center’s Redwood Foyer after the concert, which was really neat.
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It seems that there's a new hip and cool kids' music act born every minute. This is actually a good thing, since it means that there's plenty of quality music out there that not only appeals to the little ones but to their parents as well. At the forefront of this movement is former '80s rocker Dan Zanes. Once a member of the Del Fuegos, Zanes has since turned his sights on realm of music for children and their parents. He's been successful at it, too, winning a Grammy in 2007 for his album Catch That Train! You've probably seen his videos in rotation on the Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney between shows (if not, you can check them out here).

Anyhow, Dan Zanes and Friends are currently on tour and plan on making not one, not two, but three appreances at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, as part of the Cal Performances Family Fare series. Special pricing for these shows means that children ages 16 and under are half-price for all performances; normal ticket prices are $16 or $26. Dan Zanes and Friends performs two shows on Saturday, March 6, at 11 am and 4 pm, and another show on Sunday, March 7, at 3 pm. Order tickets online at www.calperfs.berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-9988.

Bring the kids to the Dream Circle Holiday Concert at Marin Center on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, featuring an all-star local lineup including Tim Cain, Judy Nee (AKA Miss Kitty), Cindy Cohen, and Christopher Smith. This holiday family performance will feature songs from their It’s a Holiday CD that includes music for a diverse lineup of winter holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year.

There will be 2 shows, at 9:30 am and 11 am, at Marin Center’s Showcase Theater in San Rafael. Advance tickets are required: (415) 457-4878. The Showcase Theater is located at 10 Avenue of the Flags (off Highway 101) at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael. For directions, go to the Marin Center's website. Read our 2008 review of the Dream Circle CD here.

This fall, Marin's own Golden Gate Opera presents its production of Hansel and Gretel at the Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael. This opera version of the Brothers Grimm story (by the 19th-century German composer, not the '70s singer…) is a favorite of families worldwide and tells the story of the two young title characters who stumble upon the witch's gingerbread house while lost in the woods. This production will be sung in English.

Performances are Friday, October 23 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 25 at 2 pm.

Hansel and Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel in the original German) has been popular with adults and children since its premiere in 1893, and is often performed around Christmas. Its music is influenced by both traditional German folksongs and the works of Humperdinck's mentor, Richard Wagner.

Golden Gate Opera's Hansel and Gretel is directed by international opera star Edna Garabedian, and features Geoffrey Gallegos conducting the Golden Gate Opera Orchestra and a professional cast including Diana Tash (Hansel), Lauren Woody (Gretel), Valentina Osinski (The Witch), and others. Children from SingersMarin's Starlights and the Shan-Yee Poon Ballet School will appear in the roles of gingerbread cookies and the guardian angels who protect Hansel and Gretel at night in the forest.

Tickets are $65, $55, $40, and $30, with premium seats going for $75. Students and children are half-price. For more information and tickets visit www.marincenter.org or www.goldengateopera.org.

The Marin League of the San Francisco Symphony presents its free "Music for Kids of All Ages" on Sunday, July 12, from 3 to 5 pm at the Mill Valley Community Center. Kid friendly snacks and refreshments will be provided, courtesy of Whole Foods. It's a great way to introduce children to the symphony and classical music. This concert features:

• Dave Kim, multi-instrumentalist, DJ and professional violinist; he has shared the stage with many notable musicians artists around the world.
• Quinteto Latino, a five-piece brass group featuring musicians from the San Francisco Symphony

Space is limited—call or email for reservations at (415) 216-3372 or sfsmarin@gmail.com. The concert is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

The Mill Valley Community Center is located at 180 Camino Alto. For more information, go to sfsymphonymarin.blogspot.com.

The Marin Music Chest presents its free annual concert featuring student musicians honored with this year’s scholarship awards. It will take place at San Domenico School in the Hall of the Arts Music Pavilion on Sunday, May 3 at 2:30 pm. The concert will feature classical solo performances with piano, violin, cello, harp, and voice by each of the Marin Music Chest scholarship winners. A reception will follow the concert.

The Marin Music Chest was established in 1933. After more than forty years of presenting concerts, the Marin Music Chest made the annual scholarship program its primary mission, providing financial support to promising Marin County students of classical music.

San Dominico School is located at 1500 Butterfield Road in San Anselmo. For more info, go to www.marinmusicchest.org.