He's Craig Barna, now in action at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, directing the musical Jesus Christ, Superstar.

Barna is musical director/conductor of the national tour of the Andrew Lloyd Webber rock musical. He has been directing and conducting musical shows on Broadway and on national tours for the past 15 years. And he acknowledges his success is due in large part to his studies here.

He particularly credits his early training from Sue Shannon and Clarice Lincoln, who ran the Musicraft School for children. He said he was thrilled when Shannon attended a recent San Francisco performance.

The conductor lives in New York City and records in London with the London Symphony Orchestra at the old Abbey Road Studio, famed as the place the Beatles recorded. Barna's recordings are primarily of Broadway shows, and are available at Tower Records and Virgin Mega stores.

A Saratoga High grad of '74, he is the son of Eugene and Lillian Barna. Lillian is the former superintendent of schools for San Jose Unified.

WINERY SPONSORS BENEFIT: Owners of the Jocelyn Winery in Napa are Lon and Susan Curtis of Saratoga. When they moved into their Saratoga home they lost their prized cat, Bordeaux, for three days. Turns out the crafty Siamese was hiding in all the brush in back of the property.

That incident gave them the impetus to move in a new direction. Within days they began work to plant a vineyard there, instead of maintaining a cat hideaway. Their love of wine, plus their own grapes in easy reach, then led to the purchase of a winery, which they named for their daughter, Brandi Jocelyn Pack.

The first wines produced from their grapes came four years ago. They also use grapes from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma. Besides being oenophiles, the Curtises are generous fundraisers for the community. A Harvest Festival was held at their estate early this month.

That event introduced their first cabernet and was a benefit for the brain cancer research division of the American Cancer Society. Ten percent of wine sales during the festival and website orders through October will go to the brain and spinal cord research branch of the ACS.

Which is an apt cause for the Curtises: Six weeks after taking early retirement last year, Lon was diagnosed with a brain tumor and recently underwent a second operation.

MIGRANT STORIES: History lover and social scientist Nancy Anderson is gearing up to research and write a book for the Saratoga Historical Foundation. The book will document the story of migrant farm workers who came to Saratoga through the years.

Anderson has contacted churches and organizations. If you were involved in the migrant program, she'd appreciate a call at 408.867.4383 or email Dander2567
@aol.com. Anderson worked with migrant families as a volunteer, and then, later, was hired by the county to coordinate health and educational programs for these families.

BACK IN STATES: Lt. James Lally of the U.S. Marines has returned after serving nine months in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and is now at Camp Pendleton. He was in the 3rd Marine, 5th Battalion division, the group that went the farthest and fastest on the move to Baghdad.

His unit was ambushed three times and ran out of food and water. Lally had just come home from training in Japan when he was shipped out again. A graduate of Bellarmine and Boston U., he is the son of Lynn and James Lally. His sister, Tina, is a senior at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

CHRISTMAS, ALREADY?: With the Butter Paddle closing Nov. 3 to clear its decks for new merchandise, the holiday season can't be far behind. The shop that benefits Ming Quong promises to be stocked with a "huge selection," says its publicist Susie Schecter, when it reopens Nov. 4.

There will be old favorites such as the Whiffenpoofs—soft, stuffed decorative items in the forms of Santa, moose and snowmen—along with new items. The shop will be open Sunday afternoon through the holidays.

BUILDING BRIDGES: Last chance to participate in the Building Bridges campaign now being waged in Saratoga. The wrap-up is Oct. 26, when entertainment and food from around the world will be presented at West Valley College from 11 a.m.­4 p.m. Lectures about the world's five major religions are being held at 7:30 p.m. at the Saratoga Library Community Room throughout this week. The Building Bridges message line is 408.725.2434.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.