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Unique LensArtist builds on photographs to make original worksDianne Poinski admits much of her career has been serendip...
21/11/2024

Unique Lens
Artist builds on photographs to make original works
Dianne Poinski admits much of her career has been serendipitous.

Consider her introduction to the art form she’s worked in for most of her life.

A self-described “book worm and math kid,” Poinski didn’t try anything artistic until she took a black-and-white photography course in college to satisfy an art requirement. Her passion for photography was born.

In the 1990s, Poinski started taking portraits of her children with a Pentax K1000 camera, a gift from her husband. She took a hand-coloring class at The Darkroom, fell in love with the process, and thought about selling her work at art festivals.

Serendipity intervened. She was seated next to someone at a dinner party who sold at art festivals and helped her get started. She says, “It just snowballed from there.”

Though Poinski planned to become an accountant and “had no intention of becoming an artist,” her passion for photography was irrepressible. (Even while working as a bookkeeper at Lightworks, Poinski went next door to The Darkroom for classes.)

Her accounting prowess came in handy. In her years on the art festival circuit, traveling as far south as La Jolla and as far north as Bellevue, Washington, she says she was “probably the only artist who knew how to do my own tax return.”

When it began to get difficult to procure paper and film, Poinski realized the digital age had arrived. She started experimenting with Photoshop and discovered a new way to create unique photography.

“I used to get angry when people would see my prints at art festivals and think it was Photoshop,” Poinski says. “I even put up a picture of myself hand-coloring to prove I’d done it. But now, I love my computer.”

Over the years, Poinski experimented with different papers, tools and mediums. She eventually landed on pan pastels on ink jet paper. Now she favors encaustic, a process involving paint, wax and heat.

After creating an image in Photoshop, she makes a print on a panel and applies four to six layers of clear encaustic medium over the top. She embellishes the work with pigmented wax and oil to “create depth and texture.”

“I joke that I always have to put my hands on my photograph somehow,” she says. “First it was hand-coloring, then encaustics. I like to make original art out of my photographs.”

If you’ve attended Second Saturday during the last 20 years, you’ve probably seen her work at ARTHOUSE on R Street. Poinski has been a member of the collaborative gallery and studio since 2005. Once again, serendipity intervened.

“I went to a Second Saturday at ARTHOUSE and thought, I would love to have a studio here,” she says. “I mentioned it to a friend, who contacted me a while later to see if I was still interested because a studio had become available. I’m now the second-longest member and in my fourth studio space.”

Studios at ARTHOUSE are open to the public during the day. Artists welcome visitors. Poinski loves her interactions with folks who wander upstairs to discover the studios.

“ARTHOUSE is such a unique situation,” Poinski says. “We have the studios and we have the gallery. Each studio is responsible for one (exhibition) a year. We’re not a co-op, but we work together to make this thing happen. For four years, I actually managed the whole space, but now we all share that responsibility. Funnily enough, now I’m in charge of bookkeeping!”

How serendipitous.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at “Artists at Work!” on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at ARTHOUSE at 1021 R St.

For information, visit diannepoinski.com and arthouseonr.com.
Arthouse on R

Written By Jessica Laskey
Photography By Aniko Kiezel

Jessica Laskey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

Ari, Awadagin and TchaikovskySacramento Philharmonic & OperaSaturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.SAFE Credit Union Performing Art...
21/11/2024

Ari, Awadagin and Tchaikovsky
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.

SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center
(1301 L St.); sacphilopera.org
Tickets: $35–$115

Pianist Awadagin Pratt performs Jessie Montgomery’s “Rounds” and selections from Daniel Catan’s opera “Florencia,” and Principal Conductor Ari Pelto leads the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4.”

CROCKER HOLIDAY ARTISAN MARKETMark your Calendars for Thanksgiving weekend, November 29, 30, December 1, 2024 at Scottis...
20/11/2024

CROCKER HOLIDAY ARTISAN MARKET
Mark your Calendars for Thanksgiving weekend,
November 29, 30, December 1, 2024
at Scottish Rite Center, 6151 H Street, Sacramento, CA

Step into a world of creative wonder!
Now a Northern California holiday tradition, this three-day bazaar at Sacramento’s Scottish Rite Center delights art lovers of all ages. As children enjoy photos with Santa and face-painting by the Moonrise Pixies and Elves, adults can meet and speak with artists, browse booths filled with juried works in glass, textiles, wood, ceramics, paper, photography, art jewelry, paintings and sculptures, all offered in a variety of price points.

Proceeds from the event support artists, Crocker Art Museum’s exhibition and educational programs, and Creatives Arts League of Sacramento’s outreach to Mustard Seed School, Stanford Settlement, Sojourner Truth (SoJo), Women’s Wisdom Art, low-cost art tours, and other important community programs.

Fish FightArmy Corps work puts threatened species at riskBy Cathryn RakichThe green sturgeon is an ancient creature. Thi...
20/11/2024

Fish Fight
Army Corps work puts threatened species at risk
By Cathryn Rakich

The green sturgeon is an ancient creature. This “river dinosaur” dates back 220 million years. Today he thrives in local waterways.

The southern green sturgeon spawns in a small segment of the Sacramento River and uses the lower American River for juvenile rearing.

Despite the green sturgeon’s resiliency, the species is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The American River is also home to steelhead trout and four chinook salmon runs—winter, spring, fall and late fall. The winter salmon run is endangered under the species act. The spring salmon run and steelhead are threatened.

High water temperatures, habitat destruction, loss of streamside trees, dredged rivers, insufficient freshwater flow, contaminants and barriers that impede migration contribute to the declines.

Which is why community groups such as American River Trees question the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers erosion-control work along the lower American River.

The project, known as Contract 3B, targets several miles from the Howe Avenue bridge to east of Watt Avenue as part of the Corps’ flood-protection strategy.

While spawning is limited in the Contract 3B river stretch, “we see all four runs, as well as steelhead and green sturgeon, using the lower American River as rearing habitat for juveniles,” says Lyla Pirkola, natural resource management specialist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Nearly 700 trees, including about 60 heritage oaks, are scheduled for removal.

Tree canopies cool the river, critical for spawning and rearing chinook, steelhead and green sturgeon. “When they take the trees away from the edge of the river, that allows the river to heat up,” says Pete Spaulding with American River Trees. “The temperature is critical to the health of the embryos.”

Pirkola, who consults with the Army Corps on projects, including Contract 3B, confirms the importance of tree canopy. “There are absolutely water quality effects associated with having vegetation, and particularly overhanging vegetation, removed,” she says.

Tree roots and branches in the water offer the young fish protection from predators and places to feed. Insects falling from riverside plants provide food.

Chinook, steelhead and sturgeon need cool, flowing water to thrive. They need clean gravel to create underwater nests (called redds) to spawn. “They need a mixture of different size rocks and pebbles so they can work their way into nooks and crannies and be protected,” Spaulding says.

The Army Corps’ design includes installing riprap (human-placed rock and rubble to protect shorelines) along the riverbank to prevent erosion. The Corps says the submerged riprap, filled in with cobble, will provide protection for fingerlings.

Spaulding disagrees. “Big rocks that are angular shaped do not afford the same protection for embryos and fingerlings,” he says.

When newborns begin to feed on their own, they will move out of the gravel environment and forage in the riparian areas. “What the Army Corps is removing are rearing habitat and vegetated areas,” Pirkola says.

To mitigate the loss of vegetation, the Army Corps will install “planting benches” along the river’s edge. Woody debris and root balls are designed to provide immediate protection for fish until the planting benches are established.

Spaulding notes erosion at planting benches added during previous Army Corps work at Sacramento State and Campus Commons is already exposing riprap, potentially preventing vegetation from fully returning.

“There are going to be some issues,” Pirkola says. “But because they are replanting on site, the idea is that at some point in the future the shade will be regained.” She points out the Army Corps has long-term management plans to ensure the sites are successful.

But plantings take years to return. Heritage oaks take generations. “The buried riprap will prevent larger, deeper-rooted trees from ever growing again,” says Bill Brattain, a civil engineer and consultant who lives along the river parkway.

To avoid impacting the chinook and steelhead, the Army Corps says it will only allow construction outside regular spawning and migration periods.

But four seasonal chinook runs mean migrating, spawning and rearing are almost continuous. “With all four of the runs existing, it’s impossible to avoid every life stage of every run,” Pirkola says. “There is some life stage of some run at all times in the system.”

She adds there are work windows to avoid the two salmon runs listed as endangered and threatened. During in-water work, the Army Corps is required to minimize negative impacts on water quality, such as using plastic barriers to manage sediment stirred up by heavy machinery that impacts “the fishes’ ability to see, forage, hunt and breathe,” Pirkola says.

But some threats are unavoidable. For example, as bottom-feeders green sturgeon feed on clams and mussels. While the juveniles are “hanging out and feeding as they grow and get ready to move to the ocean … there could be impacts on their prey availability,” Pirkola adds.

Salmon, steelhead and sturgeon have survived in West Coast waters for millions of years, enduring industry, agriculture, mining, forestry and urban development.

Now they face new challenges in the lower American River.

UPDATE: The Army Corps has announced that, due to extensive public and agency comments, erosion-control work along the lower American River will not begin in 2025, as originally planned. The earliest will be 2026.

Cathryn Rakich can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

Design MindedExclusive gift, handcraft shop arrives in Fair OaksIt’s not often a high-end retail store moves from the Ba...
19/11/2024

Design Minded
Exclusive gift, handcraft shop arrives in Fair Oaks

It’s not often a high-end retail store moves from the Bay Area to the Sacramento area. But the village of Fair Oaks is the new home TERRESTRA a destination for handcrafted home accessories.

After establishing locations in San Francisco and Mill Valley, Terrestra co-founders Amy Satran and Ray Kristof decided to downsize and move their gallery closer to the Sacramento home they purchased six years ago.

Satran and Kristof are a tech couple with backgrounds in multi-media. They met decades ago at Apple and started Terrestra in 2003. Today they consider themselves semi-retired in Fair Oaks Village while overseeing the gallery.

“Amy and I have always been collectors, and I grew up in France and enjoyed it from an early age,” Kristof says.

He adds, “Fair Oaks Village has become a standout destination for Sacramento residents, providing a charming, walkable main street with superb restaurants and diverse retail stores. When this large space became available last fall, we knew it was the perfect location for Terrestra.”

Terrestra specializes in handcrafted design objects for home and tabletop, elegant gifts and personal accessories. The store emphasizes simple, modern forms and bold colors.

“Many of the designers and artists we represent have been in our stores since we first opened in 2003,” Kristof says.

The shop features international brands such as Chilewich table and floor coverings, Simon Pearce glassware and pottery, Sugahara barware from Japan, Jars ceramics of Provence, France, and the nation’s largest selection of Mywalit fine leather goods from Lucca, Italy.

“We supplement these global design brands with a curated collection of handcrafted works from celebrated American artists, including the wood studios of John Harden, the fine art glass of Orbix Hot Glass, ceramics from Sunset Canyon Pottery, and a rotating roster of American jewelry designers,” Kristof says.

The owners work with fair trade artisan groups in Central and South America and Africa whose bold, modern designs add a vibrant color dimension to the store.

“We’ve been called ‘a museum store without a museum,’ due to its collection of modern design-centric gifts and accessories,” Kristof says. “Every day our customers tell us they are thrilled that we moved here in Sacramento.”

Terrestra is at 10127 Fair Oaks Blvd. Visit terrestra.com for hours and online gallery.

Written By Cecily Hastings
Photography By Aniko Kiezel

Cecily Hastings can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

▪️Frames of Mind The Ramer Photography Collectionat Crocker Art Museumthru May 4, 2025Photographs can transport us to di...
18/11/2024

▪️
Frames of Mind
The Ramer Photography Collection
at Crocker Art Museum
thru May 4, 2025

Photographs can transport us to different times and places, offering a unique glimpse into the world through someone else’s eyes. In the mid-1970s, psychiatrist Dr. Barry Ramer and his wife Lois started building a collection of international photography. Diverse in subject matter, their collection is united by their shared interest in human psychology and cultural inequities. With works by Shirley Baker, Flor Garduño, Lotte Jacobi, Richard Misrach, Larry Sultan, James Van Der Zee, and Iwao Yamawaki, Frames of Mind features the breadth of the Ramer’s holdings. The exhibition celebrates the Ramer’s most recent gift of photography to the Crocker and commemorates the 50th anniversary of their collecting.

Living ColorPhotographer creates fantastical worlds through imagesA young woman looks up from her TV dinner. A yellow ca...
15/11/2024

Living Color
Photographer creates fantastical worlds through images
A young woman looks up from her TV dinner. A yellow car crashes through her blue wall. The room fills with clouds of white cotton smoke from a cherry-red TV set. The image, playful and dramatic, tells such a story that you can stare for hours and see new details.

This is one of the many wild and wonderful images from multidisciplinary artist Raúl Gonzo, a West Sacramento resident and former music video producer whose first museum exhibition, “Color Madness,” runs at Crocker Art Museum through Oct. 20.

Growing up in Southern California, then Wheatland and Yuba City, Gonzo recalls his first encounter with a camera.

“My family was very poor, but somehow my parents got three of us five kids Kodak cameras that took cassette film,” he recalls. “I shot some pictures on that and when I developed them, my dad and stepmom kept looking at mine. I thought I was in trouble! They ended up telling me they were really good, with really good composition.

“It’s funny,” he continues. “My dad always told me that I would arrange things by color and size. I always wanted things to be centered because it felt better balanced. Something about my brain said to put things in these places.”

A sense of composition serves Gonzo well in his career as a visual artist. His interest in photography led him to classes at Yuba College, then an internship at a TV news studio at age 23. Soon he landed a job teaching photography at the Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts.

Inspiration followed.

“I learned so much from and because of the students,” he says. “I felt the obligation to know things and be even better at my craft.”

He experimented with music video production. That led to signing with a production company in Los Angeles where he produced videos for The Goo Goo Dolls, Kat Von D, Jacob Collier, Kimbra and I Don’t Know How But They Found Me.

Music video success prompted Gonzo to quit teaching. But the creative itch continued.

“When I was pitching (music video) work for production, 90% of it was rejected,” Gonzo says. “I had all these crazy ideas and I was depressed they weren’t getting used. So after seven or eight years, I decided to try and shoot them as still photographs.”

What emerged was his series “Color Madness.” Gonzo plans out a scene in sketches then builds a set, typically painting it a monochrome color to offset the model who is posed playfully and dressed in bright, often retro clothing.

With inspiration from theater dramas and old Hitchcock films, Gonzo creates images in vibrant Technicolor that examine American culture, consumerism, beauty standards and more.

“I thought I’d do a few and be done with it, but I really fell in love with it,” he says. “It’s a series, but it’s also now my brand. This is all I want to do, and I’ve done it for 10 years.”

When COVID-19 arrived, Gonzo approached the Crocker about an exhibition. Accustomed to pitching music videos, he prepared an 80-page presentation that caught the eye of Associate Director and Chief Curator Scott Shields, who passed it along to Curator Francesca Wilmott, who worked with Gonzo to create the artist’s first exhibition.

“Color Madness” includes photos from the past decade and an installation where visitors can pose on a colorful set. Gonzo took inspiration from his 2016 installation at Art Hotel, where he loved watching visitors interact with his all-red bathroom.

“My approach to everything is you just have to go out and make yourself known,” Gonzo says. “If you don’t, nothing will ever happen. It could go horribly, but you will never regret it. It’s not about win or lose, it’s just about trying.”

“Color Madness” is at Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St., through Oct. 20. For information, visit raulgonzo.com or Instagram .

Written By Jessica Laskey
Photographs of Gonzo By Aniko Kiezel

Jessica Laskey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

Chromography: Donald SatterleeARTHOUSEThru Dec. 8This exhibit of digitally manipulated color photographs is based on all...
15/11/2024

Chromography: Donald Satterlee
ARTHOUSE
Thru Dec. 8

This exhibit of digitally manipulated color photographs is based on all things chrome, particularly automobiles.

Arthouse R
1021 R St.; arthouseonr.com

Home CookedCurtis Park kitchen makes meals better than goodBy Greg SabinNovember 2024Hidden in plain sight, a tiny kitch...
15/11/2024

Home Cooked
Curtis Park kitchen makes meals better than good
By Greg Sabin
November 2024

Hidden in plain sight, a tiny kitchen sits on a busy Curtis Park street. Called Good Things to Eat, the storefront produces amazing scratch-cooked meals.

It’s not exactly a restaurant, but mother-daughter team Delcy and Elinor Steffy create delightful, satisfying meals. I want more of it.

Let me set the stage. Picture a hot October night on Franklin Boulevard. There’s a line out the door at Gunther’s Ice Cream. Flavor of the month is pumpkin.

Locals crisscross the street rushing to a yoga session or AA meeting. The smell of pizza flows from Hop Gardens, a quiet spot that sells some of the best pizza in town. It’s Tuesday, two pizzas for $30. The place hums.

My destination is a storefront one block down from the hubbub. Delcy Steffy has worked here for the last two years.

“When this space came available, I knew it was just what I wanted,” she tells me. “For what we wanted to do, being in a diverse neighborhood where people were willing to try things, it made total sense.”

What she and daughter Elinor want to do is cook nourishing, soulful, real food. Her vision was to make her kitchen an alternative to meal kits people ship to their homes. She could take the local, seasonal bounty of food and provide successful meal setups for the neighborhood.

What happened instead? Customers entered her wonderfully chaotic kitchen and wanted their food hot and ready to go.

Good Things to Eat is not a restaurant in the traditional sense. Yes, you can eat there. There’s one table on the sidewalk with a couple of chairs. But the kitchen is designed for diners to pick up meals and go home.

In Steffy’s kitchen, spices spill from racks, pots bubble on the stove and smells set your senses on alert. The kitchen reminds some of their nana or nona, their abuelita or yaya, baachan or halmoni.

Happy family vibes come from this kitchen, along with joyous pandemonium.

This night, I walk into Good Things and Delcy greets me with flour-dusted cheeks, as if from central casting. Flour on her cheeks!

The food is spectacular. Beef and Guinness pie. Strawberry and hazelnut salad. Chocolate chip cookies for good measure.

Some nights, you might find Moroccan chicken or Armenian kabob. Or American heartland staples or Polish comfort food. Weekend quiches are fantastic.

“Listen, I’m not into fusion,” Delcy says. “I don’t go for mashups or remixes. I prefer respectful covers.”

She means it. Her recipes are as likely to be from a friend’s grandmother’s cookbook as from her own travels. Everything is inspired by the seasons.

“We’re at the Oak Park farmers market frequently,” she says. “Not just serving food but picking up our ingredients for the next few days.”

You can taste the freshness in the cooking. You can taste the season.

“If you need some help over the holidays, give me a call,” she says. “My catering calendar this time of year can fill up fast.”

Good Things to Eat is at 2995 Franklin Blvd.; (916) 389-7900; goodthingssac.com.

Greg Sabin can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

Small WorksPBS KVIE GalleryThrough Dec. 132030 W. El Camino Ave.; kvie.org/events/kvie-galleryCheck out treasures by art...
13/11/2024

Small Works
PBS KVIE Gallery
Through Dec. 13
2030 W. El Camino Ave.; kvie.org/events/kvie-gallery
Check out treasures by artists Patricia Altschul, Patris, Polly LaPorte and others.

Shown: “Apples and Oranges” by Patricia Altschul at PBS KVIE Art Gallery

Kids’ StuffAt science museum, young people are the focusThe SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity is busy with field trip...
13/11/2024

Kids’ Stuff
At science museum, young people are the focus
The SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity is busy with field trips, learning labs, planetarium shows and other activities to inspire students toward careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

Last school year, 24,000 students visited the museum. Executive Director Andrea A. Durham expects more this year. In its mission to build interest in science, Durham says serving as role models is the most important work for museum staff.

“Students don’t pick careers they don’t have any exposure to,” she says. “So, when you ask a 4-year-old what they want to be, there’s a reason they say a policeman or a firefighter or a teacher, because those are they careers they see in their life.”

Museum staff are knowledgeable about science and discuss their careers with students. Guest speakers visit on weekends to describe science-related work. For example, take wastewater.

“We have a partnership with Sac Sewer to describe the filtration process, while talking about chemistry and careers,” Durham says.

Speakers can inspire middle- and high-schoolers who might take a science elective or think about careers.

Teachers planning field trips have a choice of programs. Some students explore exhibits. Others view exhibits and attend a learning lab. Some see a planetarium show. Others participate in daylong activities.

Programs are geared to grades and curriculums spelled out in the Next Generation Standards for Public Schools, adopted by the State Board of Education.

Field trip prices range from $330 to $825 for up to 35 students and 10 chaperones. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.

Exhibits offer hands-on, interactive opportunities so students learn by immersing themselves in subjects on display. In June, the museum opened “Health Connection,” an exhibit by UC Davis Health, with content in English and Spanish on various health-related topics.

Other exhibits include “Water Challenge,” focusing on how water systems can adjust to serve a growing population during water scarcity. “Powering Change” describes the effects of climate change and the need for sustainable power.

Learning labs provide instruction on subjects such as “Incredible Insects” for kindergarteners and first-graders, and “Cellular Adventures” for older kids. The Multiverse Theater presents shows on astronomy.

Girl Scouts visit on weekends to view exhibits, watch a Multiverse Theater show and engage in activities to earn badges in Space Science or Robots.

Design Lab Maker Workshops, two-hour programs offered on Saturdays for fifth- through eighth-grade children and their parents, provide what Durham describes as “very hands-on experiences using very real tools.”

For example, “How to Build a Turbine” enables children to use Computer Aided Design software to design a turbine. There are soldering irons, laser cutters, 3-D printers and other tools.

These workshops “emphasize self-directed learning,” Durham says. Children select what they want to learn about, have some control over it and choose fun activities.

Multigenerational learning is another feature. “We’re getting more and more lonely, so here people are engaged, talking to each other,” Durham says. “All of a sudden, they’re having an experience that’s memorable.”

Durham became executive director in May 2023, bringing almost 30 years of science museum administration experience. She worked at the Museum of Science in Boston, Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the St. Louis Science Center.

At the Museum of Science and Curiosity, she promotes a welcoming environment.

“A lot of people are nervous, unsure or intimidated by science,” she says. “Science museums can have great learning experiences and be accessible to everybody and provide great multigenerational experiences. Science museums really engage all ages together.”

SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity is at 400 Jibboom St. off Interstate 5. For information, call or (916) 674-5000 or visit visitmosac.org.

Rebecca Kuzins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

Song In Her HeartMaster Singers president celebrates choir’s diversityLaura Lofgren can’t stop lending her voice to the ...
12/11/2024

Song In Her Heart
Master Singers president celebrates choir’s diversity
Laura Lofgren can’t stop lending her voice to the Sacramento Master Singers. As the group opens its 41st season, Lofgren sings alto and serves as board president.

Her relationship with the nonprofit choir dates from 1990, when Lofgren and husband John auditioned to sing. One year later, they joined the board, Laura as choral liaison and secretary, John as vice president.

“It’s not just a choir, it’s more like an extended family,” says Lofgren, who spent 37 years in education before retiring from the Twin Rivers Unified School District in June. “We all truly care for each other.”

Sacramento Master Singers incorporated in 1983 but operated under various names, including Camellia Concert Chorale. Ralph Hughes, one of the original 14 singers, continues as artistic director and conductor.

“I really appreciate working with Ralph,” Lofgren says. “He’s given us opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten in any other local choir. We’ve gotten to sing with Maria Guinand, Oscar Escalada, Moses Hogan, Alice Parker and so many other people.

“We’ve collaborated with other local arts groups, like Celebration Arts. We even went to Scotland and worked with Sir James MacMillan. Ralph is able to coordinate all these things, which has made for an amazing experience.”

The experiences are part of the group’s mission to expose singers and audience members to a variety of music, “from Gregorian chant to 21st century music and everything in between,” Lofgren says.

Over the decades, the group has performed in multiple venues—often churches—locally and around the world.

For the past several years, the annual holiday concert, “A Master Singers Christmas,” stages at three sites—First United Methodist on J Street, Fremont Presbyterian in East Sac and Harris Center at Folsom Lake College.

“We take a lot of notes to coordinate where to stand, who’s singing and where to go during the concert,” Lofgren says of shifting locations for the holiday concert. “All those nuances don’t just come naturally.”

Expert coordination is part of the professionalism required by the singers, who have performed in Hawaii, Seattle, South Carolina, Scotland, Vancouver, Venezuela and Eastern Europe.

The 41st season opens Dec. 14 at 11 a.m. with a children’s holiday concert, “Jingle All the Way.” The main holiday concert, “A Master Singers Christmas,” follows Dec. 14, 15, 22 and 23.

Spring brings “Romantasy! Songs of Romance and Fantasy,” March 15 and 16, with pieces such as Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s “Old Black Magic” and “Fantasy” as sung by Earth, Wind & Fire.

The local season ends May 17 and 18 with “Where the Light Begins,” featuring Jake Runestad’s “Becoming the Ocean.” A fitting metaphor as the singers prepare for a summer tour of England, Wales and Ireland.

“Thank you for letting me brag about Sacramento Master Singers,” Lofgren says. “It’s something very important to me and has been a huge part of our life.”

For information, visit mastersingers.org.

Written By Jessica Laskey
Photography By Linda Smolek

Jessica Laskey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: .

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