Tim Curley’s Liner Notes

Jack London Piano Club

Jack London State Historic Park presents a Winter Holiday Piano Concert on Dec. 8. As they have since 2011, the Jack London Piano Club will perform holiday music from around the world on Charmian London’s 1901 Steinway Piano.

Members of the piano club will present a varied program ranging from classical, jazz, and popular music designed to appeal to all musical tastes.

Charmian was an accomplished pianist. In the days before credit cards, she initially purchased the 1901 Steinway on an old school installment plan. After he received a nice advance from his publisher, Jack gave Charmian $500 to finish payments and ship the piano to the ranch. There, it was the focus of entertainment for Jack and Charmian’s many guests.

The recital begins at 2 p.m. and is sure to be a sellout. Attendees need to understand that the event talks place upstairs in the House of Happy Walls. The performance space can be reached by stairway only. For more information about access, call 707-938-5216.

Holiday show

The Free Spirits Holiday Show will be held on Sunday, Dec. 15 at the Sonoma Woman’s Club. There will be two opportunities to catch this fun show, a matinee at 2:30 p.m. and an evening show at 6 p.m.

The choir is an outgrowth of the vibrant music program at the Sonoma Community Center, under the direction of Cynthia Tarr. It will be pop laden, vocal rich performance, one that will fill the old room at the woman’s club with holiday cheer and good will.

Choirs galore!

The Valley of the Moon Chamber Ensemble will hold its Sweet Sixteen Celebration in the barrel room at Viansa Winery on both Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22.

The concert will mark the mostly annual celebration of a capella performances by this troupe of talented vocalists. Viansa’s barrel room, with its natural reverb effect, will give an aural boost to the performance, making the event even more astonishing.

Rob Angus Jones is the current President of the Board of Directors of the ensemble. He said, “This ensemble is more than a group of singers …it’s a family united by music and a shared commitment to inspire, uplift, and connect.”

Development Director Mary Catherine Cutliffe is pleased that, “the proceeds of the concert will be donated to the Sonoma Community Center.”

Tickets to the two concerts by the Valley of the Moon Chamber Ensemble are available at vomce.com. The Saturday show is at 6 p.m., the Sunday matinee starts at 3 p.m.

Lastly, the Sonoma Valley Chorale is presenting their holiday show, three shows actually, soon. The first of the three will take place in Napa at the Crosswalk Community Church on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.

The following weekend is our turn to enjoy it here in Sonoma. Two shows will be held at Burlingame Hall on Spain Street. One, on Friday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and the second the next day, Saturday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.

The concert is called “The Many Moods of December.” It is under the direction of Travis Rogers, the organization’s Artistic Director. Since COVID has settled down, the shows staged by the SVC have been selling out. Tickets can be obtained by visiting sonomavalleychorale.org.