Santa Cruz Travel Guide 2009 - (Page 25) Culture and Creativity Celebrating Santa Cruz County’s artistic side Santa Cruz County is a magnet for artists of new work by some of the world’s most celebrated modern composers. At the beach, the free summertime concert series at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Friday nights and Capitola’s Wednesday Night Twilight Concerts in Esplanade Park also take place during summer. Shakespeare Santa Cruz is also featured in summertime, performed in a redwood glen, and wintertime brings an annual holiday play based on children’s literature. For over two decades, Actors’ Theatre has provided a venue for new plays. Cabrillo Stage presents full-scale Broadway musicals. U.C. Santa Cruz’s Arts & Lectures series presents a year-round menu of distinguished speakers, string quartets, novelists, and other guests. Ben Lomond’s Mountain Community Theater and others host excellent productions all types and offers an eclectic array of talent, in a variety of creative formats. A myriad of entertainment choices await at local nightclubs. Kuumbwa Jazz Center and The Catalyst in Downtown Santa Cruz are just some of the local hot spots for live entertainment. Moe’s Alley Blues Club and Henfling’s Tavern are other popular clubs. The Santa Cruz County Symphony hosts classical performances at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Mello Center in Watsonville. The Santa Cruz Chorale rings in the holidays and showcases other types of song throughout the year. The Santa Cruz Ballet Theater offers The Nutcracker. The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival highlights sounds of the Old World in the and hosts a tour Music each Gardens spectacular works of art. local film community, the week-long Santa Cruz Film Festival features a week of new cinematic works from around the globe. The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County’s Open Studios Art Tour hosts a self-guided countywide tour of hundreds of local artists’ studios. And on the first Friday of each month, Santa Cruz galleries, museums and other venues open their doors to the public, showcasing Annual art, wine and music festivals are held in Capitola, Boulder Creek and Scotts Valley. The Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz hosts a variety of special tours, lectures and events. Artisan shops and galleries also thrive locally, including Annieglass, the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, the Santa Cruz Art League Gallery and the Pajaro Valley Arts Council Gallery, among others. An abundance of live music, theater and fine arts accompanies an assortment of festivals and performances, inspired by the county’s continuous, artistic energy. 25 Memorial Day Weekend. Each August, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music premieres “ a carefree, hopeful Shakespeare summer.” San FranCiSCo ChroniCle, may 25, 2008 year round. Founded by the Suzanne Grodner / Queen Grosioso / Shakespeare Santa Cruz/Photo: Steve DiBartolomeo www. s a n t a cr u z co u n ty. t r a v e l http://www.santacruzcounty.travel
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