Monterey Symphony’s 2019-2020 Season Returns with Two Massive Symphonic Works, Women’s Night Out

A night of golden indulgence and symphonies with a story welcome the Monterey Symphony back for the second half of its Ovation season.

Monterey, CA, December 31, 2019 — A night of golden indulgence and symphonies with a story welcome the Monterey Symphony back for the second half of its Ovation season.

The baton raises for the third concert of the Monterey Symphony’s six-concert 74th season on Feb. 15-16, 2020.

Before the performance on Saturday night, all ticketholders are welcome to Studio 105 at Sunset Center for the 3rd Annual Women’s Night Out. Desserts from Parker Lusseau, wines from Chalone Vineyard, music by David Holodiloff, tarot reading by Wendy Burch, decadent giveaways from Cos Bar and more await guests to celebrate Valentine’s Day in sparkling style. Guests can receive tickets for only $30 with discount code GOLD.

Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations are comprised of 14 separate movements sketching a different friend or close acquaintance. Rather than depicting the person as a whole, a single element of their personality or relationship with Elgar is illustrated musically. The movement titles contain cryptograms or keys to the identity of the subject! Elgar started the work casually at the piano as an exercise to capture someone musically, and evolved it into a large and beloved symphonic work.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade is based on the Arabian Nights. Replete with Russian folk melodies, many excerpts of this piece are used for Olympic figure skating – making it a well-known and recognized work. Rimsky-Korsakov worked tirelessly on this composition, along with his ornate Russian Easter Overture and the completion of Alexander Borodin’s opera Prince Igor. The work features stunning and virtuosic violin solos — not to be missed!

Performances on Saturdays are at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. One hour prior to every performance there will be a pre-concert lecture in the Hall of Sunset Center.

Single tickets range from $44-$85 and are now on sale at www.montereysymphony.org.

Subscriptions are available. Please contact the box office for availability at (831) 646-8511. For more information and pricing visit: https://www.montereysymphony.org/subscriptions.htm

About the Monterey Symphony
The mission of the Monterey Symphony is to engage, educate and excite our community through the performance and continual discovery of symphonic music.

The Monterey Symphony, under the artistic leadership of Music Director & Conductor Max Bragado-Darman, is the only fully professional, full-season orchestra serving the communities of the Monterey Bay, Salinas, Salinas Valley, Big Sur, and San Benito County. It provides double performances of a six-concert subscription series at Carmel’s Sunset Theater, as well as youth education programs that include in-class visits and culminate in full-orchestra concerts for students.

The Monterey Symphony is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation, supported through various generous individuals and through grants and corporate gifts from The Arts Council of Monterey County, The Barnet Segal Charitable Trust, The Berkshire Foundation, California Arts Council, The Community Foundation for Monterey County, The Harden Foundation, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Music Performance Trust Fund, Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The William H. and Kristine M. Schuyler Charitable Foundation, Inc., The Robert and Virginia Stanton Endowment, Teichert Foundation, The Upjohn California Fund and many others.

For additional information, please call (831) 646-8511 or visit the website: www.montereysymphony.org

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.montereysymphony.org

Local Boys and Girls Ages 4-17 invited to Register for Gil Basketball Academy’s 2020 Season

While basketball promotes health and well-being, it’s also a vehicle for change in a community.

Salinas, CA, December 26, 2019 - While basketball promotes health and well-being, it’s also a vehicle for change in a community.

As the calendar turns to 2020, Gil Basketball Academy prepares for another year spent teaching local youth the fundamentals of the sport, along with life lessons surrounding teamwork, discipline and respect.

Online registration is now open for the East Salinas-based Gil Basketball Academy’s 2020 season for boys and girls ages 4-17.

Membership includes weekly evening practices, possible opportunities to travel and play in tournaments (with GBA’s Select Traveling Teams), international tours, campus visits to colleges and universities, field trips, participation in community events and learning the fundamentals of basketball from qualified and background-vetted volunteer coaches.

Registration is open to all local youth, no matter where they live. The academy is committed to making every member a well-rounded student-athlete who can compete at any level.

GBA offers camps, clinics, leagues, academy nights and more, teaching athletes the skills and techniques of shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding, and defense. Athletes will be coached by GBA co-founder Jose Gil and other qualified and experienced coaches.

GBA will not only teach basketball fundamentals but will also build confidence and character in all GBA members while having fun.

Register online at: gilbasketballacademy.leagueapps.com/camps.

About Gil Basketball Academy
Jose Gil and Eva Silva co-founded GBA out of the belief that one of the most effective ways to strengthen a community is for its youth to be surrounded by positive adult role models, positive peer influences, and immersed in meaningful and constructive activities. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, GBA currently has 420 members, boys and girls ages 4 to 17. Find out more at www.gilbasketballacademy.com.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.gilbasketballacademy.com

Alvarado Street Brewery Updates its Sunday Brunch Menu & Industry Night Food and Drink Specials

Exciting new things are on tap in downtown Monterey — Alvarado Street Brewery has introduced a new rotating Sunday brunch menu and Industry Night food and drink specials every Monday.

Monterey, CA, December 18, 2019 — Exciting new things are on tap in downtown Monterey — Alvarado Street Brewery has introduced a new rotating Sunday brunch menu and Industry Night food and drink specials every Monday.

The brunch menu will be served every Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., and features food and drink specials, including chilaquiles ($11); and a house-made brunch waffle ($10). Drink specials include Biggie’s Brunch Bloody Beer Bonanza, a house-made Bloody Mary topped with Alvarado Street Brewery Citraveza; Ginger Spritz with ginger liqueur, grapefruit, ginger beer and sparkling wine; the Amelia Earhart with California gin, California pear brandy, Lillet, lemon, crème de violette, and butterfly pea syrup; plus classics such as a traditional Bloody Mary, Mimosa and Aperol Spritz.

Industry Night will be held every Monday night from 6 p.m. to close and will feature $4 draft beers, shot specials, and food specials for people working in the hospitality industry with proof of employment (such as a pay stub, business card, etc.).

For more details, call 831-655-BEER.

About Alvarado Street Brewery & Grill
Located in a historically registered building in Old Monterey, the Alvarado Street Brewery & Grill serves locally sourced, gastropub-influenced fare built around its beers that are produced on-site. The Brewpub contains 140 seats, including a shaded sidewalk patio overlooking Alvarado Street, a 50-seat Beer Garden in the back, a full bar, and over 20 house beers on draft.

426 Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-655-BEER

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.alvaradostreetbrewery.com/

Gil Basketball Academy invites Local Media to Observe Hoopin’ for Change Motto in action during Key dates

Gil Basketball Academy believes in its motto Hoopin’ for Change.

Salinas, CA, December 17, 2019 — Gil Basketball Academy believes in its motto Hoopin’ for Change. It has spent the last 10 years teaching local youth not only the principles of the sport, but the tenets of resiliency, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and family.

This summer GBA will give 300-plus kids a safe, healthy and educational experience — all built around fun. The media is invited to see first-hand how basketball and teamwork can help change the outlook of active adolescents.

Because as the late-great UCLA championship coach John Wooden once said: “What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”

GBA has put together a media schedule to better facilitate coverage for the next session (online registration begins Jan. 1). Academy nights are held on Mondays in the Alisal High School gym, with ages 4-12 practicing from 6-7:30 p.m., and ages 13-17 from 7:30-9 p.m.

Members of the media are invited to observe the activities on March 9, 17, 23 and 30, April 20 and 27, and May 4, 11 and 18.

Other key dates include: Salinas Slam Tournament (April 24-26); World Tour 2020 (June 21-July 3); Summer Basketball Camp (July 13-15); GBA Annual Gala Dinner/Dance (Oct. 10).

About Gil Basketball Academy
Jose Gil and Eva Silva co-founded GBA out of the belief that one of the most effective ways to strengthen a community is for its youth to be surrounded by positive adult role models, positive peer influences, and immersed in meaningful and constructive activities. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, GBA currently has 420 members, boys and girls ages 4 to 17. Its mission is to help them all grow up to be healthy, caring, competent, responsible and resilient. Find out more at www.gilbasketballacademy.com.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.gilbasketballacademy.com

Carmel Jewish Film Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Award-Winning Movies, Speakers, Receptions March 7 – 22, 2020

The 10th Annual Carmel Jewish Film Festival (CJFF), featuring 10 films from six countries, noted speakers, and panel discussions, will be held March 7-22, 2020.

Carmel, CA, December 17, 2019 - The 10th Annual Carmel Jewish Film Festival (CJFF), featuring 10 films from six countries, noted speakers, and panel discussions, will be held March 7-22, 2020. Film and venue information, dates, and times can be found on the CJFF website (www.carmeljff.org). Tickets will be available either through the website or by calling (800) 838-3006 starting at the beginning of January.

Media interviews will be available in late January or early February with three outstanding individuals who will appear at this year’s festival:

*Alexandra Silber: Born in Los Angeles, California, Grammy-nominated artist Alexandra Silber received her formal training at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating with a degree in Acting, and just days later, at the age of twenty-one, made her professional and West End debut as Laura Fairlie in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White.Alexandra's British stage work includes Hodel in the Sheffield Crucible’s 2007 production of Fiddler on the Roof, and its subsequent West End transfer, and Julie Jordan in Carousel at The Savoy Theatre in London’s West End (for which she received a TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical). She also appeared at the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall with the John Wilson Orchestra. Alexandra made her American acting debut in a revival of her portrayal of Julie Jordan for Reprise Theater Company in Los Angeles, her New York theater debut portraying The Young Wife in the Transport Group’s Revival of Michael John LaChiusa’s Hello Again (Drama League Award), and later that year played opposite Tony-Award winner Tyne Daly in Terrence McNally’s Master Class at the Kennedy Center. She made her Broadway debut in the same production (called by Backstage one of the great theater performances of 2011), and played Sara Jane in the highly-acclaimed Arlington—a new one woman, tour-de-force musical at the Vineyard Theater (Outer Critics Circle Nomination for Best Solo Performance). Alexandra recently completed a run on Broadway as Tzeitel in the Tony-nominated revival of Fiddler of the Roof directed by Barlett Sher, and starring 6-time Tony Nominee Danny Burstein as Tevye.On screen she appeared in Stephen King's 1408 starring John Cusack, and has been a Guest Star on Elementary, The Mysteries of Laura and Law & Order. Alexandra was honored to be a part of Barbara Cook’s Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center, and made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the role of Nina in a concert performance of Song Of Norway with the Collegiate Chorale and American Symphony Orchestra. She was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award for her portrayal of Maria (opposite Cheyenne Jackson as Tony) with the San Francisco Symphony in a concert presentation of West Side Story, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, and performed on the 57th Grammy Award broadcast with Cheyenne Jackson.

Alexandra Silber will entertain following the March 7 Opening Night film Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles and talk about her book, After Anatevka. A reception will precede the film.

*Cookie Segelstein, violin and viola, received her Masters degree in Viola from The Yale School of Music in 1984. Until moving to California in 2010, she was principal violist in Orchestra New England and assistant principal in The New Haven Symphony, and served on the music faculty at Southern Connecticut State University. She is the founder and director of Veretski Pass, a member of Budowitz, The Youngers of Zion with Henry Sapoznik, has performed with Kapelye, The Klezmatics, Frank London, Klezmer Fats and Swing with Pete Sokolow and the late Howie Leess, Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys, and The Klezmer Conservatory Band.

Cookie has presented lecture demonstrations and workshops on klezmer fiddling all over the world, including at Yale University, University of Wisconsin in Madison, Marshall University in Huntington, West VA, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, University of Oregon in Eugene, Pacific University, SUNY-Cortland, and at Klezmerwochen in Weimar, Germany.

She is a regular staff member at Living Traditions' Klez Kamp, Klezmerquerque, Klez Kanada, Klez California, Klezmer Festival Fürth, Klezfest London, and has been a performing artist at Centrum's Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Wash.

She was featured on the ABC documentary, “A Sacred Noise,” heard on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” appears in the Miramax film, “Everybody’s Fine” starring Robert De Niro, and heard on several recordings, including the Veretski Pass self-titled release, Trafik, and The Klezmer Shul, Budowitz Live, the Koch International label with Orchestra New England in The Orchestral Music of Charles Ives, Hazònes with Frank London, A Living Tradition with the late Moldovan clarinetist, German Goldenshteyn, Fleytmuzik with Adrianne Greenbaum, and Budowitz Live.

She is also the publisher of "The Music of..." series of klezmer transcriptions. Active as a Holocaust educator and curriculum advisor, she has been a frequent lecturer at the Women’s Correctional Facility in Niantic, CT. She is on the boards of both the North California Viola Society, and the American String Teacher Association, Bay Area chapter. Cookie is also an Apple Certified Support Professional, and owns and operates The Macmama. Cookie lives in Berkeley, California with her husband, Josh Horowitz, 2 cats, a dog and her occasionally visiting adult children.

Following the film Violins of Hope on Sunday, March 8, Cookie Segelstein will play some the actual instruments, tell their stories, and talk about the cultural significance of music in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. This program is part of Violins of Hope San Francisco Bay Area, presented in association with Music at Kohl Mansion, Burlingame, CA. A reception will precede the film, and a private reception with Cookie Segelstein at a private home will follow the event.

* Éva Gárdos is an award-winning film director and editor born in Hungary. Francis Ford Coppola gave Gardos her first job in film, working as a production assistant on Coppola’s epic Apocalypse Now in the Philippines. “That was my film school.”

She went on to establish a career as a film editor (Valley Girl, Mask, Bastard Out of Carolina), working with distinguished directors such as Barbet Schroeder, Peter Bogdanovich, and Anjelica Huston.

Éva’s screenwriting and feature film directorial debut, An American Rhapsody, starred a young Scarlett Johansson. The film is based on the true life events of Éva’s family escaping from Hungary in the 1950’s and being forced to leave their infant child (Éva) behind. Éva spent six years in Hungary with foster parents before rejoining her biological parents in America. The film won many prizes on the Festival Circuit and was released by Paramount Classics.

After discovering the bestselling Hungarian novel, Budapest Noir, she returned to Hungary to develop and direct the film version, "After making Rhapsody, a very personal story, I was excited by the idea of making a genre film with suspense and action." Set in 1936, when Hungary was on the verge of embracing facism, the film resonates the politics of today. It premiered at the Chicago Film Festival, and has played at many other festivals such as Palm Springs, Denver, Shanghai. It will be released in the US by Menemsha Films mid 2019.

Amongst her current projects is Cindy in Iraq inspired by the true life events of a Cindy Morgan a truck driver from Arkansas having fallen on hard times, left her home and children to work as a contractor for KBR Halliburton during the height of the Iraqi war.

The CJFF will host a Q&A with award-winning filmmaker Éva Gardos following the film Budapest Noir on Saturday, March 14.

CONTACT
Susan Greenbaum
831-277-3211
greenbaumcarmel@sbcglobal.net

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.carmeljff.org

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa Hosts Exclusive and Extraordinary New Year’s Eve Block Party on Dec. 31

Don't settle for just one New Year's Eve party — grab a ticket to the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa Block Party and get exclusive access to an extraordinary celebration that features four venues to party hop between.

Monterey, CA, December 16, 2019 — Don't settle for just one New Year's Eve party — grab a ticket to the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa Block Party and get exclusive access to an extraordinary celebration that features four venues to party hop between.

So grab your friends and prepare to choose from the fire pit and outdoor patio, Fireplace Lounge, TusCA Restaurant and Knuckles Sports Bar, or hop from venue to venue to your heart’s content.

Join us for house-smoked brisket, an old-fashioned BBQ, incredible desserts, a s’mores bar and more! Dance to live music and watch the ball drop from Times Square in New York City — Pacific Time!

Take advantage of awesome drink specials, including a Hot Toddy Bar, an Adult Hot Chocolate Bar, Specialty Themed Cocktails and a champagne toast at 9:00 p.m. — midnight New York time. With a lineup like this, you can't go wrong!

In addition to the food and drink specials, there will be a no-host cash bar available for beer, wine and cocktails.

Join us from 6–9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, for The Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa Block Party, the ultimate New Year’s Eve experience. Get your tickets ASAP. Each ticket comes with a $10 Lyft ticket for a ride home!

Purchase your tickets before Dec. 15 and pay $75 per person, which includes dinner, specialty drinks, hot toddy bar, adult hot chocolate bar and champagne toast.

Purchase your tickets after Dec. 15 and the cost is $100 per person, which includes dinner, specialty drinks, hot toddy bar, adult hot chocolate bar and champagne toast.

Kids ages 5-12 are $40, and kids 4 and under are free.

Stick around after 9 p.m. and enjoy live jazz in the Fireplace Lounge with the David Morwood Jazz and Dance Band featuring guitarist Mike Lent from the Barry Manilow Orchestra or watch sports on the large screen TVs at Knuckles Sports Bar.

For more information or to buy tickets, call (831) 372-1234.

About Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on Del Monte Golf Course
Nestled in 22 acres of soaring Monterey Pines, the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on Del Monte Golf Course is a destination resort providing the discerning traveler the quintessential Monterey experience. Its location offers guests close proximity to downtown Monterey and Monterey Airport and easy access to some of the Peninsula’s most well known attractions. With its warm, contemporary ambiance, elegant furnishings and convenient amenities, the hotel offers both leisure and business travelers a Northern California respite of unmatched serenity and comfort. Features include 550 guestrooms including 32 suites, and the President’s house, TusCA Restaurant, Knuckles Sports Bar, Fireplace Lounge, Spa, a 2,000 square foot fitness facility, tennis courts, pools and whirlpools. The hotel is located at 1 Old Golf Course Road in Monterey, California. For information call (831) 372-1234 or visit http://www.hyattregencymonterey.com/.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.hyattregencymonterey.com

Are you ready to Party Like it's 19 Million Years Ago? Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History has a Fundraising Party for you!

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History will host a fundraiser of epoch proportions when it hosts a special Night Owl event featuring games, craft drinks, delicious bites, and tromp-stomping music on March 14, 2020.

Pacific Grove, CA, December 16, 2019 — The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History will host a fundraiser of epoch proportions when it hosts a special Night Owl event featuring games, craft drinks, delicious bites, and tromp-stomping music on March 14, 2020.

This will be your opportunity to get up close to fossils from the museum’s extensive collection and rediscover your sense of wonder while supporting the museum during this ancient after-hours event. Extinction not guaranteed!

The Night Owl fundraiser, which supports museum education programs, will be held 7-10 p.m. Saturday, March 14, 2020. Tickets available soon.

For more information on Museum events, call (831) 648-5716, email admin@pgmuseum.org or go to the website at www.pgmuseum.org.

About the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
In 1883, our museum opened its doors among the first wave of natural history museums in America. Naturalists of this era, such as John Muir And Louis Agassiz, began a national tradition of hands-on science education and nature preservation. The museum has continued this tradition for over 130 years. The museum’s mission is to inspire discovery, wonder, and stewardship of our natural world. It envisions a community of curious minds, engaged in discovering the natural heritage and cultural legacy that exist today on the Central California Coast. The Museum is a catalyst for conservation and a valued learning resource in this region, facilitating active inquiry for all ages.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.pgmuseum.org

Carmel’s Yeast of Eden Brewpub Hosts its First Anniversary and New Year’s Eve with Food and Beverage Specials, Live Music, Two Bottle Releases, and a Tap Takeover

Yeast of Eden will host its one-year anniversary celebration beginning Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 15

Carmel, CA, December 02, 2019 - Yeast of Eden will host its one-year anniversary celebration beginning Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 15, which will include lawn games, a raffle benefiting The Carmel Foundation, food and beverage specials, live music, two bottle releases, and a tap takeover with nine-plus breweries.

The schedule of events for the first anniversary:

Wednesday, Dec. 11 — Patio Party with Cornhole, life-sized Jenga, hot drink specials, and live music featuring Scott Fenton from 4:30-8:00 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 12 — 10% of sales for the day will go to The Carmel Foundation.

Double bottle release of Vinisimilar Albarino and Vinisimilar Pinot Noir.

Friday, Dec. 13 — Tap Takeover with nine-plus breweries, including Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, Casa Agria, The Rare Barrel, Cellarmaker, Modern Times, Highland Park, Beachwood Blendery, and more!

Saturday, Dec. 14 — Food and drink specials all day and live music featuring Austin Metreyeon from 12-3 p.m.

Sunday,Dec. 15 — Brunch specials and drink specials from 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Live music featuring Jenna Vivre from 12-2:30 p.m.

New Year’s Eve Celebration:
Tuesday, Dec. 31 — Live music, food and drink specials and an East Coast Toast at 9 p.m. with bubbly!

For more information, call (831) 293-8621.

About Yeast of Eden
Yeast of Eden started as a lighthearted pun turned passion project for co-owner J.C. Hill and now Head Brewer Andrew Rose in 2014. Born out of an obsession with oak in the early days of Alvarado Street Brewery in Monterey, Hill and Rose were allured by the seemingly limitless potential of mixed fermentation beer (a catch-all term of a genre of beers that have been fermented with various microflora that includes wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria) and it’s interaction with oak wine barrels in the aging process. So much so that Yeast of Eden became its own brand once Alvarado Street expanded their brewery operation in 2016 with the opening of a larger production facility in Salinas.

Fast forward to December 2018, and Yeast of Eden opened its first brick-and-mortar location with a restaurant and bar in the south wing of the Carmel Plaza in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. The brewpub features 120 seats inside and 40 seats in an outdoor courtyard patio, all in a hip, contemporary design aesthetic. The menu features global, street-food inspired cuisine to pair with the crisp, effervescent open-fermented beers made on-site.

Yeast of Eden
Carmel Plaza, Suite 112
Mission Street & Seventh Avenue
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
Opens 11:30 a.m.
Phone: (831) 293-8621

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.yoebeer.com/