Montalvo announces new performing arts season

By Shari Kaplan

If it's the beginning of spring, it must also be the beginning of the Literary and Performing Arts Series at Montalvo in Saratoga. The nonprofit, multi-disciplinary arts organization at 15400 Montalvo Road was known as Villa Montalvo until around this time last year, when it shortened its name and adopted a new slogan for the new millennium: "See. Hear. Create. Be."

That's just what it's doing with its 47th Summer and Fall Performing Arts Series, which packs a year's worth of more than 60 singers, bands, orchestras and performing artists into four venues: the 300-seat Carriage House Theatre, the open-air Garden Theatre and the Front Lawn--all at Montalvo--and the historic and newly renovated Fox Theatre in Redwood City, which Montalvo's performing arts director Bruce Labadie calls "an oasis in the mid-peninsula."

According to Labadie, Montalvo was striving for a lineup that is competitive with that of the Historic Mountain Winery in Saratoga, which was one of Montalvo's performance venues until the large, for-profit ClearChannel Communications took it over last year. That lineup includes a wide range of musical styles, ethnic flavors and events for all age groups. Montalvo also has the support of sponsors BMC Software, Smythe European and Mercedez-Benz USA, along with many private benefactors.

Among the performances scheduled for the 2002 slate at Montalvo are Wynton Marsalis; Judy Collins and her Wildflower Festival; Bruce Hornsby; Shawn Colvin; The Chieftans; Kenny Loggins; Natalie Cole; Diana Ross; the Russian National Orchestra with Dave Brubeck; Joan Baez; Dwight Yoakam; Diane Shuur with Taylor Eigsti; Earth, Wind & Fire; Janis Ian; Nickel Creek with Lunasa and Karen Kasey; Brad Paisley; Bela Fleck; Tony Bennett; Laurie Anderson; The Waybacks; and various family events, including Little Red Riding Hood by the Missoula Children's Theater and Beauty and the Beast and A Christmas Carol, both by the American Family Theater.

The performances at the Fox Theatre differ in that they comprise appearances by authors, poets and humorists who will present their works and interact with members of the audience. They include author Mark Salzman, poet Seamus Heaney, humor writer David Sedaris, nature writer Barry Lopez and Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin.

Ticket sales from the Literary and Performing Arts Series support Montalvo's internationally recognized Artist Residency Program--including the new Orchard of Artists complex, the Gallery at Montalvo and the Education Outreach program. Among Montalvo's community outreach activities are performing arts lectures and demonstrations, assemblies and fieldtrips for schoolchildren and open studio days with resident artists.

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For tickets or more information, call 408.961.5858 (Montalvo box office), 408.998.8497 (Ticketmaster) or visit www.villamontalvo.org on the Internet.

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