Cultural Center
A delightful array of cultural activities will take over the Ajijic Casa de Cultura on Saturday, August 1, 3-5 p.m. as local kids conclude a week-long series of art, music, written word, dance, language experiences. One of the special events during the culmination of the week-long camp will be the opportunity for the children to watch as Efren Gonzalez, the center’s director, creates a painting during the two-hour span.
Earth Lives music fest
A big crowd of lakeside residents and daytrippers from Guadalajara is expected to rock out at the Chapala waterfront Sunday, August 2, at the Festival La Tierra Vive (Earth Lives), a music fest wrapped around a pro-environment theme.
The program opens with a performance by Alive Dance Group, 10 a.m., followed by a native Indian ceremony dedicated to Mother Earth, a conference and a short film both related to environmental topics. The line-up of live musical entertainment is scheduled to run from 1 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free of charge.
Paintings, Textiles & Jazz
Popular local artist Cathy Chalvignac is scheduling a Saturday, August 2 exhibition of her latest paintings in her Ajijic garden next to the Lake Chapala Society.
Like many of her works, these pieces hint at the abstract side of art and feature a wide variety of colorful ethnic textiles from around the world, but with special emphasis on Mexico and Guatemala.
Chalvignac has invited Guadalajara textile artists to display their own pieces to complement hers. In addition to adding richness to the exhibit of wall art, having these textile workers on hand will allow many lakesiders the opportunity to meet and appreciate them.
To round out the event, botanas and cocktails will be served during the noon to 6 p.m. show, and the musicians of Blue Velvet will be on hand with a selection of jazz.
Concert
Viva la Musica is proud to introduce a unique musical experience at the Auditorio de la Ribera on Thursday, August 6, when three of the organization’s former scholarship students take the stage in concert at 7 p.m..
Joshua Chavez, master of the double bass and member of the Boca del Rio Philharmonic in Veracruz, is slated to perform a program of Baroque music, including Marcello’s haunting “Cello Sonata,” Gabriel Faure’s “After a Dream,” the eloquent “Fantasy” by Giovanni Bottesini and the charming “Sinfonia Concertante” for viola and double-bass by Carl von Dittersdorf.
Chavez will be joined on stage by fellow Viva la Musica students, Rodrigo Leal on piano and violist Daniel Medeles.
Tickets for 200 pesos are available at the Auditorio, Diane Pearl Colecciones and the Lake Chapala Society box office on Thursday and Fridays, from 10 a.m. until noon. All seating is open.
Recital
Most musicians feature a single or perhaps a few related periods of music when they undertake to create a recital. Lakeside’s pianist Azael Medeles Medina has overstepped those boundaries with the lineup she has selected to perform on Thursday, August 6, 7 p.m. in the Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo (the former Chapala train station).
The evening’s program is comprised of pieces from diverse periods of music, from the Baroque era characterized by Johann Sebastian Bach, through to the beloved sonatas penned by Austrian Joseph Haydn during the classical period. Medeles Medina will continue with one of the most popular nocturnes of Frederick Chopin, followed by a pair of mazurkas by Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce, a suite for piano by Claude Debussy in the impressionistic style. She will end her program with the rhapsody of Johannes Brahms.
Watercolor Class
Just three openings remain in the Monday, August 10 through Friday, August 14 series of watercolor classes offered by local watercolorist Lois Schroff at El Parque in San Antonio Tlayacapan, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on each day.
The well-known artist’s class is entitled “Grounding the Spiritual through Watercolor Painting.” Examples of her work are on display at www.LakeChapalaPaintingGuild.org. For further information, email Schroff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (376) 766-5606.