LAKEPORT, Calif. – The recent concert by the Youth Orchestra was an energetic display by talented young musicians of Lake County.

“They have been practicing for months to be ready for this,” said Sue Condit, conductor. “We’re so proud of them and very grateful for the people and organizations that support them and helped make this possible. “

The concert began with several pieces performed by students in the Lake County Symphony Association’s string music classes, with teachers Jeff Ives and Clovice Lewis conducting pieces the students worked on in their classes.

The string classes include violin, viola and cello, said Condit, and were made possible by a “generous grant” from the Lake County Wine Alliance.

The Youth Orchestra then took to the stage, where they performed a variety of recognizable tunes, including those from the classical era, Beethoven’s Allegro from “The Creatures of Prometheus,” to the contemporary, which featured tunes from the Muppet Show and Pixar films, effectively capturing the concert theme of “Creatures and Beasts.”

The young musicians also played four tunes arranged by Jeff Dixon, a retired music teacher and principal from Lake County: “The Fox,” “Beauty And The Beast,” “The Muppet Show” (Medley) and “How Does a Moment Last Forever.”

Dixon, who was in the audience, was recognized during intermission for his contributions, and received a gift basket, delivered to his seat by Concertmaster Rafael Contreras.

Intermission was particularly busy, as many young musicians were honored.Condit presented scholarships from Lake County Symphony Association to departing seniors Garrett Grossner and Jenny Landeta.

Grossner, from Kelseyville High School, plays tuba, viola, electric bass and piano; he will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a statistics major/music minor. Landeta, from Lower Lake High School, plays the flute and will attend UC Davis as a music major.

Tom Ganoung, director of the Allegro Scholarship Program, was also there with updates on his organization and to deliver awards to several students.

“I worked with Sue Condit last year to find a way to provide additional instrumental services for promising students,” he said. “I am happy to report that last June, $5000 in additional funding beyond the current budget was generously provided by the George and Ruth Bradford Foundation.”

Ganoung went on to offer thanks to the many individuals and businesses in Lake and Mendocino Counties who have provided support for Allegro scholarships during its 18 years of service to the education of young musicians.

“Your generosity has provided $50,000 for student tuition assistance, awards, instruments and study materials and created a $150,000 endowment fund for scholarships in perpetuity,” said Ganoung.

He also commended Lake County music instructors for their “selfless dedication” to the development of musical skills of young musicians.

“This group includes Jeff Ives and Jeanne Mullen-Ison, along with current ASP instructors Andi Skelton, Sue Condit, Austin Ison and Clovice Lewis,” said Ganoung, adding, “The Allegro Scholarship Program has been providing funds for performance scores for the Youth Orchestra since 2013 and will continue to do so into the future.”

Ganoung noted that Allegro currently provides tuition assistance for many students studying privately and, in extra special cases, grants scholarships which help pay college expenses, an investment of more than $8,000 in student support annually.

After urging all audience members to “please consider donating your support for these wonderful young musicians,” Ganoung recognized current Lake County ASP students and presented each with a Musician Achievement Award along with his congratulations.

Recipients were Maya Leonard, Samantha Carter, Nicole Pyzer, Christian Contreras, Polina Bradley and Rafael Contreras.

Maya Leonard is completing seventh grade at Middletown Middle School, and is in her fourth year playing violin in the Youth Orchestra and the Konocti Fiddle Club. She also studies piano and plays percussion and trumpet in her school band, and placed third in her division at both the Cloverdale Fiddle Contest and the Heirloom Festival Fiddle Contest.

Samantha Carter is completing her freshman year at Kelseyville High School with high honors and a 4.0 GPA. Her dedication and progress made in violin study earned her the privileged first violin chair next to the Concertmaster in the Youth Orchestra. She also plays saxophone and flute in her school band.

Nicole Pyzer is completing seventh grade at Middletown Middle School and is in her 3rd year with the Youth Orchestra. She made her debut with the Konocti Fiddle Club last July at the Bluegrass Festival and plays with them at Ely Stage Stop. The Ely Stage Stop jam sessions take place the first Sunday of each month and raises money for music scholarships for District 10 of the California Fiddlers Association.

Christian Contreras plays the cello in the Youth Orchestra. He is completing the seventh grade at Konocti Education Center in Clearlake. He has also begun studying the trumpet with Austin Ison, and plays trumpet in his school band. Christian will receive an additional Allegro Scholarship grant to continue his brass studies. Christian is also a talented artist and one of his pieces is permanently displayed in downtown Clearlake.

Polina Bradley has played cello in the Youth Orchestra for several years and has learned many difficult cello pieces. She recently finished the seventh grade as a homeschool student. She is recognized for her excellent grades and is a member of the honor society. Polina is described by her music teacher, Clovice Lewis, as an outstanding student leader who knew she wanted to become a cellist after viewing her favorite movie “The Soloist”, starring Jamie Foxx.

“She is inquisitive, creative and very musical,” said Lewis. “I feel she is well on her way to studying at the San Francisco Conservatory in the future.”

Rafael Contreras, concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra, has been playing violin since he was age 5 and started playing fiddle with Konocti Fiddle Club in second grade. He joined the Youth Orchestra in third grade. He has won a number of fiddle contests over the years and currently plays with District 10 Old Time Fiddle Club at Ely Stage Stop every month. He also plays the flute in his school band and in school musicals, as well as playing the viola and guitar.

Contreras Rafael just completed the ninth grade at Konocti Education Center and will continue his education at KEC in the fall in the ‘middle college’ pathway, which allows him to take classes at Woodland Jr. College as he attends KEC.

He is a high academic achiever (he is on the honor list), an avid reader, loves animals (he is the vice-president of the Cobb Mountain 4-H Club) and volunteers his time helping at local KEC events.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Spotlight On Productions has planned two more concerts at the Soper Reese Theatre to raise funds for Lake County fire rebuilding.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Kick off your July 4 holiday with a fun day at the Ely Stage Stop on Sunday, July 1.

The museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The house and museum will be gaily decorated in red, white and blue. A barbecue of good old fashioned hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks will be available for sale this month, beginning at 11 a.m.

The fiddlers will add their toe tapping music to the magical mood of the day, playing from noon to 2 p.m.

Bring your family and friends. Ride the hay wagon and stroll the grounds and inspect the new antique farm equipment that has just arrived. Note the progress on the Richard Paddock Blacksmith Shop.

The Ely Stage Stop continues to grow in popularity as people discover this authentic site of living history in action.

It is located at 9921 State Highway 281(Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clear Lake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org.

Check out the Ely Stage Stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call 707-533-9990.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Saturday, June 30, the Coffee House Concert Series will present one of Sonoma County’s finest musical groups, The Farallons.

This talented threesome blend a very tight three part harmony with acoustic guitars, bass, mandolin, flute, and hand percussion.

Their music is described as “Folk & Roll” with hints of other influences including Irish, jazz, classical, country and even Latin. Sets will include finely crafted original award-winning songs, as well as popular cover tunes.

Also appearing are the popular local performers, “The Ladies of the Lake.” They are reuniting to provide another chapter of their old-time radio show as seen at the Soper Reese Theater.

The Coffee House Concert Series is presented by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County and is hosted by the Fore Family Winery at the tasting room located at 3920 Main St., Kelseyville.

The concert begins at 7 p.m. Seating is limited.

Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at Watershed Books in Lakeport, online at www.uuclc.org, at the tasting room and at the door.

I've arrived at an age at which I avoid looking into my old address books, although I've kept them all.

Too many of those addresses are those of people no longer among us.

Louis Phillips, a New Yorker, catches that feeling of loss in this poem from “The Domain of Silence; The Domain of Absence: New & Selected Poems,” from Pleasure Boat Studio.

The Address Book

How could I predict
That my life wd become whatever,
So many people
Passing thru—address books

Filled with names & numbers
I no longer recognize,
Pages torn loose,
Addresses crossed out,

Lives badly smudged,
Decades of earnest grief,
Missed opportunities,
Phones disconnected.

What am I now?
Just another old man
Among old men.
Turn the calendar upside down

& let the days fall out.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2015 by Louis Phillips, "The Address Book" from The Domain of Silence; The Domain of Absence: New & Selected Poems, (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2015). Poem reprinted by permission of Louis Phillips and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2018 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

OCEAN’S 8 (Rated PG-13)

Heist capers, even the mediocre ones, are usually a lot of fun. Quality is not an issue for “Ocean’s 8,” which picks up, in a sense, from where the “Ocean’s” trilogy left off.

The hand of Steve Soderbergh is greatly on view.

Soderbergh, the prolific producer and director of many feature films and television programs, serves as the producer for this one, having relinquished the director’s spot to Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games”), who is also credited as the co-writer with Olivia Milch.

To his credit, Ross keeps the Soderbergh spirit alive in much the same way as the original “Ocean’s Eleven” (not the Rat Pack version) set about a meticulous recruiting effort by former inmate Danny Ocean (George Clooney).

Apparently, larceny and grand schemes run large in the Ocean family because this time the ringleader is Danny’s sister Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), who just spent 5 five years, 8 months and 12 days plotting her next big score upon release from a New Jersey correctional facility.

Reference is made to Danny Ocean’s passing (or is he really dead?) and Debbie visits his gravesite for inspiration to carry on family history. In any event, the criminal equation this time is completely distaff. Debbie sets about to recruit the capable women needed for the job.

But first, fresh out of lockup, the penniless Debbie hits New York City, shoplifting at the fancy Bergdorf Goodman for beauty products and then conning her way into a free room at a ritzy hotel. The game is soon afoot to get a trusty crew.

The target of Debbie’s meticulous plan is to steal the famous Toussaint diamond necklace worth a stunning $150 million. It’s the property of the legendary Cartier jewelry emporium on Fifth Avenue where it remains locked in an impenetrable vault.

This will not be a jewelry store version of a casino heist breaking into the vault. The diamond is scheduled to make an appearance at the annual elegant Met Gala held in the tight security confines of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s dinner party.

Debbie first enlists the help of old colleague Lou (Cate Blanchett), a brainy tough cookie with street smarts who despite her harsh exterior actually comes to act like the voice of reason to restrain Debbie’s over-the-top instincts likely hardened from a stretch in prison.

Together, Debbie and Lou assemble an interesting crew to infiltrate the Met Gala and get close to the event’s celebrity host, Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), who will be dressed in a stunning gown cut low enough to allow plenty of room for the display of the diamond necklace.

Needing a fashion designer to work on dressing Daphne is Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), whose floundering business needs a big cash infusion, and she proves game to join the crew to keep her enterprise afloat.

Mindy Kaling’s Amita, a shady jeweler, has worked with Debbie before on low-level schemes. Expert fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson) has retired to motherhood and family duties in suburbia but can’t let go completely of her past life with the stolen goods in her garage.

Constance (Awkwafina) is a young street hustler and deft pickpocket that Lou and Debbie meet in Queens. Rihanna’s Nine Ball, a dreadlocked hacker, is a brilliant key to decoding the museum’s security to create the necessary vulnerabilities.

If you kept count, the crew described above totals seven participants. So where does the eight in “Ocean’s 8” come into play? Could it be an unwitting accomplice in the grand scheme? That’s one of the plot twists that turns into having its own twist that is not to be revealed here.

The plot operates on Debbie’s pithy assessment of how a female crew works best. “A ‘him’ gets noticed. A “her” gets ignored. For once, we want to be ignored.” This appears to have more to do with entering the ladies’ room then being spotted among throngs of other beautiful women.

Claiming to be filmed entirely on location in New York, “Ocean’s 8” does benefit from a venue more exciting and elegant than casinos in Las Vegas. You can’t go wrong with places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or swanky hotels like the Plaza and the Pierre.

Men are not ignored in pivotal scenes. The sleazy art gallery curator Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) is the subject of Debbie’s revenge plot. Late night host James Corden plays rumpled British insurance investigator John Frazier all too familiar with the Ocean family history.

“Ocean’s 8” is what a heist caper should be – fun and interesting to watch unfold with a plot that is convoluted but not so not puzzling that it could not be satisfactorily understood or explained without turning into a pretzel on steroids.

The chemistry with the female cast is good and believable enough in service of advancing the heist to an enjoyable entertainment. As a fan, in particular, of the first “Ocean’s” film, if not as much for the others, “Ocean’s 8” is a pleasurable diversion.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.