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April 28, 2010 – NVC News Page 3
The community is invited as Napa Valley College presents Dr. Roberto-Juan González, crooner, and the Michael Parsons Jazz Trio performing “Songs by Nat, Frank, and Billie,” a benefit concert for the Piano Fund of the Performing Arts Center, under construction on the campus at NVC. Take a trip down memory lane to the 1950s and ‘60s when America’s singers explored cabaret singing and torch singing to charm patrons at nightclubs across the country. The evening’s performance, presenting songs from the American Songbook of the 1930s through the 1950s, featuring Michael Parsons, piano, Adam Guy, bass, and Ulf Bjorkbom, drums, will take place on Sunday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Napa Valley College Theater. If “One for My Baby” is your cup of tea, this concert will bring back many memories...
Roberto González, Napa Valley College’s orchestra conductor for 23 years, began singing when he was 6. Raised a church musician, he owes a great measure of his musical career to the musical environment at the Union Church of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was first made a professional conductor at the age of 15, having been nurtured as a pianist and vocalist in the comprehensive music ministry. While doing his undergraduate degree at InterAmerican University in Puerto Rico, San Germán, he was asked to sit in as pianist with a Latino dance band, where he then became the crooner of slow ballads at dance jobs on weekends. On arriving at Indiana’s Ball State University for graduate studies in orchestra conducting, where he finished his doctorate in 1983, he was trained as an operatic lyric tenor, but never really wanted the commitment that an operatic career required. He did maintain a career as church musician, which provided an outlet for his singing. His real interest lay in the American Songbook, but no suitable opportunities presented themselves for exploration, at that time, he said
In 2006, he met Richard Nichol, director and vocal coach of the San Francisco Academy for Performing Arts, and began singing again. It was during one of the Academy’s evenings, at the now-defunct Octavia Lounge on Market Street, that he met Michael Parsons, a brilliant stride pianist and composer in the tradition of Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk. Invited to participate in a bebop party presented by Parsons and his trio at Octavia, González started exploring and crooning classics from the American Songbook in the company of Parsons. The combination was so stimulating and so much fun for the pianist and singer that they began talking about doing concert gigs to present their work, together.
Their first concert in a few years ago at Napa Valley College was a sold-out success and hailed by Pierce Carson in his Napa Valley Register review.
Napa Valley College is in the final weeks of construction of its new Performing Arts Center for Education, for initial occupation and use in June of 2010. The fund-raising efforts to purchase a fleet of 18 pianos for the use of Napa Valley College’s students present a prime opportunity to perform a concert and support the Performing Arts Center Piano Fund, in advance of the Center’s opening in Summer of 2010. All ticket monies from the evening’s performance will support equipment needed in the 45,000 sq/ft facility, now on the northeast corner of the college campus. All donations to the fund are tax-deductible through the Napa Valley College Foundation.
Admission: $15 general; $10 students, seniors. Advance tickets are on sale at the College Box Office (707) 259-8077 and will be available at the box office of the Napa Valley College Theater the night of the concert. Parking is free. Doors open at 7:15 p.m.
Songs by Nat, Frank, and Billie,
a Concert
Submitted photoDr. Roberto-Juan González
Photo by Betty Malmgren
Bravo to Rick Foley (above) and Nitu Singh in Printing Services. Above, Rick is dwarfed by 15,000 flyers recently completed. They are meeting many challenges with a heavy spring workload. Those who “walk-in” to drop off or pick up jobs or consult about printing at their current location in the Library lobby need to be aware of the proposed move of Printing Services to the warehouse.
Moving noticeThe Department of Learning Services
has announced they will be closed from May 28 through June 9 due to their move to the McCarthy Library. “If students need to request copies of their DLS records for Transferring, Financial Aid needs, etc., their request must be in by May 25 or earlier,” says Karen Clyde of Learning Services.
On Friday May 7 at 7 a.m., the Napa Valley College Police Academy will host the second annual Law Enforcement Memorial Run. Law Enforcement officers and police cadets from
the three police academy classes in session will participate in a cadence run. At approximately 9 a.m., following the run, a memorial ceremony will honor officers killed in the line of duty during this past year. The ceremony will take place in the Napa Valley College, North Gym Mat Room. Police Academy Class #78 will raise money for the California Police Officers’ Memorial Foundation by selling memorial t-shirts for $15. T-shirts will be available for purchase after the ceremony. If you are unable to attend the ceremony, we encourage donations to the foundation at the following address:
California Police OfficersMemorial Foundation (CPOMF)
1700 I Street, Suite 100Sacramento, CA 95811.
The California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation is a 501 (c) (3), charitable, non-profit organization. Federal Tax ID #95- 4350983; State Franchise Tax Board #1662669 CP70M.
Law Enforcement Memorial Run
NVC Richard Bruns file photo
Napa Valley College News – BACK PAGE
with the computer lab closing at 2 p.m. To help promote financial aid awareness, the
“I Can Afford College” campaign is giving away a car in a “Free Ride to Community College” promotion. In conjunction with Clear Channel Radio the sweepstakes will provide a new 2010 Kia Soul and a two year community college scholarship worth $2500 to the grand state-wide prize winner. There will also be additional prizes. The “Free Ride” Kia will be at the May 8 event. See www.icanaffordcollege.com for details.
For more information on the May 8 event, call the Financial Aid Office at 253-3020.
At times many of you may be faced with questions that have no clear answer, which might leave you completely flabber-gasted. Are you tired of waiting
for answers to suddenly pop into your mind? Well fear not, Larry the peacock, NVC’s resident expert, is here to help. Whether you have problems with friends,
romantic troubles, dilemmas at school or work, ask Larry and see if he can’t help you with your situation. All you have to do is send your questions to “Ask Lar-ry” at [email protected] and Larry will try to give you an answer. Deadline for the next newsletter issue is May 10.
AID from Page 1
by Matt Rios
LarryAsk
by Vanessa Walker
1,000 Parachutes
New advice column starts!Attention Students of Napa Valley College:
If you’ve been in the Quad around noon on Wednes-days, you may have noticed a group of students laughing,
socializing, making music, sharing their artwork, and enjoying their lunch together. This gathering is called the People’s Picnic, and it is held once a week. It’s coordinated by an “autono-mous collective of NVC students” in an effort to promote community strengthening. “It is a way to promote the idea that we are a community of students,” says student and picnic attendee Alex Shantz, “It is something that every student can participate in.”
Some students appreciate the fact that they can come and share their resources with one another. “(The pic-nic) shows that there are people who care, and understand that sharing food is important when money is hard to come by,” says student Carly Grote.
Student Tim Miller really enjoys the picnic because it’s an opportunity for him to spread his creative wings. “(We
all) get to make music together, he says. “(We) play guitar, drum on a bucket, and sing,” he added.
With the myriad of stresses that may accompany a college student’s life, it is definitely a plus to have a group of stu-dents to get together with and talk to. “I enjoy it because whenever I’m sad or down, I always find encouragement and smiles there. The poetry, art, music and food are bonuses,” says stu-dent Jonie Delfin.
The idea behind the People’s Picnic was inspired by last semester’s “Free Food Wednesdays,” which did not go as planned. “ASNVC received resis-tance from the Business Office
because it violated the contract with the Cafeteria, which gives the Cafete-ria sole distribution rights," says Shantz. He also adds that the People’s Picnic is not geared towards handing out free food, but rather, coming together and having a picnic, and if there is a surplus of food, it can be shared with others.
Whether you are looking for some inspiration for your work, want to belt out a couple of tunes, or just want to meet new people, the People’s Picnic is definitely an event to check out. “It is a great way to express ourselves and is another reason for us to enjoy school,” Miller says.
People’s Picnic
Summer Changes: Register Early
Napa Valley College, along with other state-funded educational institutions, is coping with severe budget cuts. The college is committed to preserving summer classes needed for graduation, transfer and completion of vocational programs.
• Summer classes have been cut 50% in an attempt to reduce the cuts to fall 2010 and spring 2011 classes.
• The demand for classes is increasing with large high school graduating classes, with students re-directed away from UC and CSU, and with re-entry students wanting to return for job retraining.
What does this mean to you?• Students are encouraged to register as early as possible.• Enrollment is limited to 7 units this summer. Students are encouraged to see a
counselor if they think they need additional units.
• The Fall Credit and Non-Credit schedules will be combined into one publication.
• Starting in the fall class schedules will not be mailed to every household.
• Students are encouraged to view the schedule online at www.napavalley.edu.
• Area residents will receive postcards informing them of this change and where to pick up a schedule. Class schedules will be available on campus and in selected locations from Calistoga to American Canyon.
Watch for future announcements!
Fall Changes: Preview
See www.napavalley.edu for Summer Schedule & more information
Summer ScheduleNow Available
Summercredit classes start
June 14
Napa Valley College along with o
