Weekend Preview Weekend Preview (December 15, 2004)

THURSDAY

Gunn High School Choir will present "ScroogeMart: A Uniquely American Christmas Carol," tonight at 8 p.m. at Gunn High School's Spangenberg Theatre, 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. Tickets are $12 adults/$8 students and are available in the Gunn Student Activities Office or at the door. For more information please call (650)354-8287.
"Striking 12" will run through Jan. 2 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Presented by TheatreWorks, the show is a rewired version of Han Christian Anderson's classic tale, "The Little Match Girl." The musical will be performed by alternative rock trio GrooveLily and will feature a mix of theater and live tunes. Show times are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 p.m. (additional 2 p.m. performance on Dec. 18) and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. (2 p.m. only Jan. 2). There will be no performances Dec. 24-26 and 28. The production will run through Jan. 2. Tickets are $20-$50, with discounts available for youth, students, seniors and members. For tickets and information, please call (650) 903-6000 or visit www.theatreworks.org.
"Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" will run through Dec. 18 at the Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Ave. in Los Altos. Written by Tom Mula, the story opens in hell, where Jacob Marley is burdened as Scrooge's business partner. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information please call (650) 941-0551 or visit www.busbarn.org.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" will run through Dec. 19 at the Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear Ave. Unit K in Mountain View. Show times are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The show, which re-envisions Shakespeare's "Midsummer" in a mid-winter setting, just in time for the holidays. Tickets are $10-$20. For more information please call (650) 254-1148 or visit www.thepear.org.
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" will be performed today at 4:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto Children's Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road. Additional show times are Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 adults; $ 3 children and will be available through the Children's Theatre box office Tuesdays through Saturdays at (650) 463-4970.

FRIDAY

New Century Chamber Orchestra will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at St. Marks Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave. in Palo Alto. "Holiday Baroque" will feature J.S. Bach's "Air from Orchestral Suite #3," "Concerto Grosso for Two Oboes" and "Bassoon and Strings"; Vivaldi's "Concerto for Two Cellos" and "Concerto for Four Cellos"; Handel's "Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 2"; Albinoni's "Concerto Op. 9 No. 2 for Oboe" and Charpentier's "Noel Pour Les Instruments." Tickets are $39/$28/$18; half-price for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cityboxoffice.com or by calling (415) 392-4400. For more information call (415) 357-1111 or visit www.ncco.org.
Magnificat and San Francisco Early Music Society will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 555 Waverly St. in Palo Alto. The two companies will reconstruct an ebullient vespers service composed by Giovanni Rovetta. A lecture will be held 45 minutes prior to the performance. Tickets are $25 general; $22 for SFEMS members and seniors; $12 students. For more information call (415) 979-4500 or visit www.magnificatsf.com.
Modernbook presents a photography exhibit by Mona Kuhn through Jan. 13. Modernbook Gallery is located at 494 University Ave. in Palo Alto. Modernbook is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information please call (650) 327-6325 or visit www.modernbook.com.
Billy Defrank Center and the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus present "Home for the Holidays" tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. in Mountain View. Under the direction of Daniel Hughes, the performance will feature a mix of carols and holiday songs, along with a humorous one-act holiday-themed musical. Tickets are $20 and may be obtained by calling the box office at (650) 903-6000 or tickets@mvcpa.com.
"3 Artists," featuring paintings by Richard Godinez, and Stephen Osborn and drawings and paintings by Masako Miki, will run through Feb. 10 at the Center for Integrated Systems Art Spaces, located on the Stanford University campus. A reception for the artists will take place on Jan. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free. The center is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information please call (650) 725-3622 or visit http://cis.stanford.edu/~marigros.

SATURDAY

Peninsula Women's Chorus will perform tonight at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. at Saint Patrick's Seminary, 320 Middlefield Road in Menlo Park. The eclectic program will feature two works from the chorus' latest CD, "Earthtones," including Hildegard von Bingen's "O viridissima virga" and Ramona Luengen's "Celebremus." Also featured will be Gustav Holst's "Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda" with harp accompaniment, the music of two composers new to PWC, including Rebecca Clarke's "Ave Maria" and Charles Griffin's "3 Meditations for Women's Chorus." The world premiere of San Francisco composer David Conte's version of "The Snow Lay on the Ground" will also be presented. Tickets are $20 general; $15 seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or through the Stanford Ticket Office, (650) 725-ARTS. For more information please call (650) 327-3095 or visit www.pwchorus.org.
Gryphon Carolers will perform their holiday concert tonight at 8 p.m. at Stanford University's Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The repertoire will feature Christmas and holiday songs and instrumentals, ranging from traditional and contemporary takes on Celtic music to modern jazz vocal arrangements set in Brazilian and Latin styles. Original songs and compositions will also be performed. Also on the bill: The Gryphon All-Stars, an instrumental group comprised of Carol McComb on guitar and percussion, Ed Johnson on piano and guitar, cellist Kris Yenney, bassist Preston Carter, violinist Anita Gruenwald and Heather Winkle on piano, flute and penny whistles. The group performs both with the Carolers and as a separate band during the concert. Advance tickets are $18 for adults; $12 for seniors, children under 13 and students. They are available at the Stanford Ticket Office, located at Tressider Memorial Union. Call 650-725-ARTS (2787) or visit Gryphon Stringed Instruments, 211 Lambert Ave. (corner of Lambert & Park) in Palo Alto. Tickets at the door will be $20 for adults; $14 for seniors, children under 13 and students.
The Aurora Singers will perform tonight at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto. The 60-voice ensemble, under the direction of Dawn Reyen, will present "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," featuring Christmas and secular winter selections. The concert will include sing-along interludes and a reception. Suggested donations are $9 adults; $7 for students, seniors and kids. For more information please call (650) 321-4262.
San Francisco Choral Artists (SFCA) present "What Sweeter Musick?" tonight at 8 p.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave. in Palo Alto. The 24-voice professional chamber ensemble will perform the singers' favorite music from SFCA's first 20 years, including works by Barber, Britten, Howells, Kverno, Leighton, Nixon, Poulenc, Tallis, and local composers Herb Bielawa, David Conte, Paul Crabtree and Jerry Mueller. Tickets are $22 general, $17 seniors and students, $12 for groups of six or more. For more information call (415) 979-5779 or visit www.sfca.org.
The Menlo Park Chorus will perform "And the Glory" tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave. (at Laurel St.) in Menlo Park. Led by Music Director Michael Paul Gibson and accompanied by members of the Silicon Valley Symphony, the chorus will perform popular and secular songs of the season, "Magnificat" by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and a sing-a-long Messiah. Tickets are $15 adults, $12 seniors, $5 youth. For more information please visit www.bamusic.org/mpc.
"Question" will be on display through Jan. 2 at the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University. This experimental project is designed to provoke and address questions frequently asked by visitors about art and its presentation in museums. The center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday until 8 p.m. Admission is free. Please call (650) 723-4177 or visit www.stanford.edu/dept/ccva.
"The Collector," a collection of original etchings, engravings and lithographs, will be on display through Jan. 31 at Lyons Ltd. Antique Prints, 10 Town and Country Village in Palo Alto. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information please call (650) 325-9010 or visit www.LyonsLtd.com.

SUNDAY

El Camino Youth Symphony (ECYS) presents its holiday concert today at 2:30 p.m. at Spangenberg Theatre, 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. The program features holiday selections, ECYS Concerto competition winners and a performance by the ECYS Percussion Ensemble, featuring special guest Michael Spiro. The program includes Anderson's "Christmas Festival," Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra," Tchaikovsky's "Waltz from Sleeping Beauty," Dvorak's "Slavonic Dance No. 8," Sarasate's "Introduction and Tarantella," Haydn's "Cello Concerto in C Major, Mvt. I" and Weber's "Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor." Tickets are $10 adults; $5 students and seniors and can be purchased at the door. For more information please call (650) 327-2611 or visit www.ecys.org.
The Community School of Music and Arts' (CSMA) Heritage Bank of Commerce Family Concert Series will present The White Noyse today at 2 and 4 p.m. The concert will feature Renaissance holiday music. The location is CSMA at Finn Center Tateuchi Hall, 230 San Antonio Circle in Mountain View. Admission is free, but seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to concerts. For more information please call (650) 650-917-6800, ext. 335 or visit www.arts4all.org/tickets..
"Gifts of Nature," featuring watercolors by Ginny Branstool, will be on display through Dec. 28 at Portola Valley Art Gallery. The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 765 Portola Valley Road, behind the landmark Old School House at the end of the library building. For more information please call (650) 851-1563.
"While the World Sleeps, AIDS: Africa and Her Orphans," will be on display through Dec. 31 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave. in Palo Alto. The exhibition features color and black-and-white photographs by Karen Ande, who documented the lives of children living in the throes of AIDS in Kenya. Admission is free. For more information please call (650) 856-7702.
The Palo Alto Art Center presents three fall exhibitions: "Revisit the Mirror: Self-Portraits through Time"; "To Mirror History: Ian Everard & Hanna Hannah" and "Dominic Di Mare: Other Selves." They will be on display through Dec. 23. The Palo Alto Art Center is located at 1313 Newell Road (corner of Embarcadero Road). For more information call (650) 329-2366 or visit www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/artcenter/exhibitions.html.
"Gizmos & Gadgets," is currently on display at the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, 1451 Middlefield Road. This new exhibition demonstrates how work can be made easier with simple machines such as levers and incline planes. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, please call (650) 329-2111 or visit www.pajmzfriends.org/membership.htm.

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Movies
Reviews of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," "Spanglish" and "Flight of the Phoenix."

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