Arts & Events

To learn what's happening on Berkeley's arts scene, you can now reach the Berkeley Arts Festival Calendar directly from the Planet. You can then click on an individual date for a full description of every event on that day.

To reach the calendar, click here. -more-

It is no secret that Debussy first, then Ravel, were greatly impressed with music from the Orient -- Debussy with Javanese gamelan music, and Ravel with Gypsy music, gamelan music, and the musical possibilities of the tales in Arabic of Sinbad the Sailor. Ravel, of course, was also greatly influenced by music from his mother’s Spanish roots, involving a musical tradition dating from the Moorish conquest of Spain in the 1400s. So it was that Maurice Ravel, already having achieved his first success with the poignant Pavane pour une Infante défunte (1899), became intrigued with the idea of composing his version of the tales of Shéhérazade. Using Tristan Klingsor’s poems as a base, Ravel chose to compose music in three parts: the first, a long poem of orientalist evocations of Asia; the second, a brief evocation of a magic flute; and the third, a tribute to the mysterious indifference of the East toward westerners. -more-

It’s almost hard for me to write objectively about Algerian-Berber singer and songwriter Souad Massi. Her voice moves me at a very deep, instinctual level. I can’t find words to describe why this is so. All I can say is that I find her voice deeply moving. So it was with great pleasure that I finally encountered Souad Massi in person on the day of her April 20 performance at Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason. We had already spoken by phone while she was on tour in Boston, and we had arranged to meet at Fort Mason between 3:30 and 4:00 on the day of her performance there. Arriving a bit early on Friday, April 20, I walked out to the end of the Fort Mason pier, hoping to spot a seal or two. At the end of the pier, I found Souad Massi and her tour manager, Manu Kirinek, sitting with their backs against the wall enjoying the view of the Golden Gate Bridge while eating a pizza. I introduced myself and was invited to share their pizza, which I gratefully declined, and sat down beside them. “This view is the gift of our tour in America,” Manu exclaimed. I mentioned to them that seals are occasionally seen swimming along these piers. And, sure enough, in the course of our conversation, a seal suddenly appeared in the waters below us; and Souad, leaping to her feet, squealed with delight and proceeded to throw bits of pizza to the seal, who remained indifferent and soon dove out of sight. Thus was the auspicious beginning of my personal encounter with Souad Massi. -more-

Worth Noting - A lot going on this week April 22 – April 29, 2018.

• Sunday the Berkeley Tenants Union selects candidates for the November elections.
• Monday Assembly District 15 Candidate forum. Sponsored by Contra Costa League of Women Voters at San Pablo Public Library in San Pablo. This is getting critical. There are 12 candidates anything could happen and we need the best 2 to go to the November election.
• Tuesday and Thursday City Council meetings

• regular meeting 6:00 pm Tuesday council chambers
• special meeting 6:00 pm Thursday on encampments (homeless camps) and sidewalk policies (at Longfellow Middle School).

• Wednesday Police Review Commission votes on charter amendment written by the PRC Reform subcommittee
• Sunday April 29 BPA-BCA endorsement meeting for City Auditor and Council Districts 1,4,7,8

City Council May 1 meeting available for comments, Council@cityofberkeley.info Agenda: 18. Investment report Oct1-Dec 31, 2017, 20. Continue banking with Wells Fargo thru 2020, 21. Recommendation from Disaster and Fire Safety Commission Fire and Health Departments to Participate in Urban Shield and UASI trainings – anticipate referral to Urban Shield subcommittee, 22. Microbond Blockchain Initiative, 25. Referral to Planning allow 4 Temporary Zoning Amendments to increase student housing, 26 a&b Emergency Outdoor Shelter for the Homeless

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/City_Council/2018/05_May/City_Council__05-01-2018_-_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.aspx



The meeting list is also posted on the Sustainable Berkeley Coalition website.

http://www.sustainableberkeleycoalition.com/whats-ahead.html -more-