Serenata Colombiana

Members of Davis’ Colombian community are putting on their annual Serenata Colombiana this weekend, showcasing their culture and raising money for a Colombian charity.

The UEPAGE Foundation’s 10th annual serenata is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 5 in the Davis High School theater, 315 W. 14th St. The suggested donation is $10 general admission, or $5 for children under 12.

“For those who have not attended any of the previous nine ‘serenades,’ the serenata is an act of love for Colombia,” organizers said in a news release. “Even though Colombia is far away in distance, the Colombians hold it very dear in their hearts. Through the serenata, the Davis Colombians hope to show the Davis community and its surrounding areas the best of Colombian culture: its music and dance, its landscapes and especially the joy of its people.”

Organizers gave this description of the show:

• Pianist Sarah Vanegas (who debuted at last year’s serenata), performing Colombian folkloric music from the Andes.

• Musicians from various other nationalities, presenting a “Serenade to the Colombian Serenade” and paying homage to two great symbols of Latin American culture: Mercedes Sosa and Mario Benedetti, who passed away this year. The performers for this segment: Patricia Maccari and Ernesto Rassi from Argentina, Cecilia González from Uruguay, Scarlet Huber from Brazil and Ricardo Heres from Mexico.

• Colombian performers, paying tribute to Rafael Escalona, the renowned composer of vallenato folklore, who passed away a few months ago.

Organizers added that the host music groups, Los Primos and Colombia Viva, will be accompanied by Efraín Orjuela, accordion master and director of the Orquesta Revelación Caribe.

This year’s charity is the Women’s Microcredit Bank Project for displaced women who are the heads of their households in el Chocó; this project is sponsored by Funbichocó-Davis — and representatives are due to give a presentation during the serenata.

For those unable to attend, but would still like to donate to the Women’s Microcredit Bank Project, contributions are welcome by mail to the UEPAGE Foundation, 932 Craig Place, Davis 95616.

More information is available online, or by calling (530) 756-1756 or e-mailing uep@uepage.org.

Auditions for The Seagull

Auditions are scheduled Jan. 4 for a UC Davis production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, to be directed by Katya Kamotskaia, winter quarter Granada artist in residence in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Kamatoskaia has taught at the State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

The auditions, set to begin at 6 p.m. in Main Theatre, are open to UC Davis students, faculty and staff. If you plan to audition, you must schedule a time; sign-up sheets can be found in 101 Art Building.

Also, if you are planning to audition, you are advised to prepare a Chekhov monologue of your choice and to be prepared to read from The Seagull.

The production is set for 8 p.m. March 10 to 13 and 2 p.m. March 14.

More information is available online or from Sarah Norton, stage manager, senorton@ucdavis.edu.

Nelson ARTfriends auction continues

The Nelson ARTfriends Fall Online Silent Auction features several pieces of fine art by Hung Liu and Don Ed Hardy and others, and a wide variety of posters, some featuring the works of Robert Arneson, Roy De Forest, Wayne Thiebaud, Manuel Neri and William T. Wiley. For the posters, minimum bids range from $5 to $50, with most starting at $20.

People are invited to submit silent bids through midnight Dec. 16; or, each item also comes with a buy-it-now price. “If you win two or more auction items, you will receive an additional poster free,” said Katrina Wong, assistant to the director of the Nelson Gallery.

In other ARTfriends news, members are invited on a group visit to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on Dec. 13, for a curated tour of Emerald Cities: Arts of Siam and Burma. You are on your own for transportation. For information about joining ARTfriends, and/or more information about the museum visit, contact Wong, (530) 752-8500 or kliwong@ucdavis.edu.