The Opera Theater Workshop, which mounts small-scale productions of abridged operas, selected operatic arias, and numbers from well-known Broadway musicals, presents the result of each semester’s hard labor at the cozy Black Box Theater, which boasts a sophisticated lighting rig and great acoustics. The highlight of this fall semester’s performance was an adaptation of Engelbert Humperdinck’s famous opera Hansel and Gretel, by Musical Director Carla DelVillaggio, herself an accomplished soprano and operatic performer. The remainder of the lengthy performance was comprised exclusively of selected material from musicals, mainly Broadway and off-Broadway, including some very modern works of this widely appealing genre.

DelVillaggio’s version of the opera based on the famous Grimm brothers tale - conducted by her and accompanied by piano and electronic keyboard - was a success in many ways, from the wonderful cast and fancy costumes to the modest but adequate scenery. Kristen Pavlic’s Gretel was warm and enjoyable, as was Leigha Crumbley’s Mother. The latter’s diversity enabled her to also play the part of the Witch, showing not only her acting abilities but some impressive belting. The warmest and most sincere performance, however, was Karlyn Koebe’s, who was able to become her character most effectively of all. Her Hansel was very genuine, diffusing a unique warmth and tenderness that was very touching. A wonderful performance by this young singer/ actress, who convincingly became the little boy of this rather creepy story. The secondary characters were played by excellent performers too: Jason Almira as Father, with a strong tenor range, and India Holoman as the Sandman, donning one of the best costumes of the night.

The second part of the performance included situations and characters of all sorts, from Frankenstein in Mel Brooks’ musical to whores and pimps in Cy Coleman’s The Life . Unlike the operatic first section of the performance, the Broadway selections tended to focus more on ensemble acts, although there were some inspired solo moments. Bare: A Pop Opera, Jon Hartmere, Jr.’s take on closeted teenage homosexuality was also featured among the numbers, though its subject matter seems now a bit trite after the long-lasting Rent craze among youngsters, which in turn did little more than to echo some of what had been stated more than 20 years prior by Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.

Other selections, including 1960’s The Fantasticks, Little Women, based on the classic novel, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - the latter by Stephen Sondheim of Sweeney Todd fame - were performed by this semester’s very talented students of Valencia’s Opera Theater Workshop. It would have been nice to hear, however, at least one or two opera arias, in addition to the Hansel and Gretel production, as has been terrifically done in past performances. But judging this semester’s performance for what it was, it came out great and it proved the students and organizers’ dedication and talent.
For future art events at Valencia Community College, click here.

For a review of this semester’s faculty recital at VCC, click here.

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The Poetry in Motion Music Festival is on this Friday! Presented by the Chaffey Review Literary Journal, there will be bands, food, poetry, and a parrot (all for FREE 99). Featured bands: A Hope Not Lost, Molly Vamp, Daniel Eugene also known as Worplay (with featured artists Jay Jordan and Law), David Judah (Judah1), Science Fiction Theater, Cannabiscuits, and Joey Atilano also known as 60East!!! The awesomeness starts at 6 pm.  
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The Knight News Challenge accelerates media innovation by funding breakthrough ideas in news and information. Winners receive a share of $5 million in funding and support from Knight’s network of influential peers and advisors to help advance their ideas. The first round of 2013, which opens in February, will invite innovators from all disciplines to focus on tools for open government. In 2012, three challenge rounds, each focused on an emerging trend, drew more than 2,500 entries.
Challenge 1 - on NETWORKS: Winners were announced June 18.
Challenge 2 - on DATA: Winners were announced Sept. 20.
Challenge 3 – on MOBILE: Winners were announced Jan. 17.
Anyone, anywhere can apply for the challenge - whether for-profit start-ups or non-profit ventures. For more information on a variety of topics - from guidelines for for-profits, on intellectual property licensing, open source software and more - visit our FAQ.

As 2012 ends, we want to give you an update on the Knight News Challenge.
For 2013, we’re planning two News Challenges. The first will focus on tools for open government and will open in February. The second will open in the fall, on a topic we’ll announce early next year.

We ran three contests this year, on Networks, Data and Mobile. We’ll be unveiling the third set of winners Jan. 17 at the Cronkite School at Arizona State University.

Here are updates on what some recent News Challenge winners have been up to over the last month:
In the first half of next year, we’ll also be releasing an assessment of the 2010 Knight News Challenge winners (following reviews of 09 and 07-08 winners.)

We’ll have more details on the 2013 challenges early next year. To stay in the loop, follow @knightfdn.
By Knight Foundation’s Chris Sopher, journalism program associate
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.
Copyright © 2006-2012 John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Other copyrights apply where noted.

With thanks to the amazing rise in popularity of the sport of hockey and also the a lot more amazing ascension in the DIY tshirt shops, the orthodox hockey fan now possesses more different options to produce the love for that sport than just having to pop in a department shop and buying an expensive traditional hockey Slingshot Hockey jersey. That’s on point: hockey inspired clothing has just about become progressively witty and innovative, with witty folks including &ldquopucking hilarious&rdquo at the forefront. In the present day world, a vast collection of hockey t shirts exists to acquire and malls over, with the designs inspired by a plethora of things: from hockey icons (will the name Wayne Gretzky ring a bell?) to video game editions (the avid hockey fan should have loved NHLPA ‘93). Without further ado, let’s take a peek into many of the most awesome hockey T-shirt designs around.




Some of the finest t-shirts would be the video game-themed ones. The NHL inspired ones are so many who’s’s a job to indicate those seems to stand out from the remainder. However, the tops inspired with the video gaming world of the last 2 decades catch a person’s eye the most. Remember NHLPA 93? There’s a superb line of tshirts inspired through the game. The designs contain this area filled graphics of the days. Blood may not be a fluid that flows freely in hockey, but you’ll be hard pressed to get such apparel that lack bleeding, hockey playing shows on the front. As a result them more amazing.

Some hockey teams show a significant resurgence in recent times, and this has prompted a substantial fan following. The hockey apparel industry must have explored in the spools of thread and noticed this. There isn’t merely a vast array of t shirts for your bandwagon fellows, but there are those that sneer at the bandwagon people that knew nothing of the Washington Capitals before Alex Ovechkin wore their jersey the first time in the year 2006. The &ldquobandwagon&rdquo tees are acquireable.




Probably the most effective designs that have been used in the T-shirt realm of hockey could be the cake design. Can you happen to have a buddy who’s a Bruins fan, who has been a little cocky within the last couple weeks who would use some humbling? Find the choke t shirt. Its design is not only stylish, nevertheless it will be the superb reminder. What’s more, you could dig it out from the closet after the cockiness starts again.

Strayed’s bestselling memoir of her life-altering trek along the spine of the West, a fox steps into the snowy clearing where Strayed has stopped to rest and eat. The fox is a potent emblem of the wilderness Strayed has ventured into the mountains to experience:

My heart raced, but I sat perfectly still, fighting the urge to scramble to my feet and leap behind the tree for protection. I didn’t know what the fox would do next. I didn’t think he would harm me, but I couldn’t help but fear that he would. He was barely knee-high, though his strength was irrefutable, his beauty dazzling, his superiority to me apparent down to his every pristine hair. He could be on me in a flash. This was his world. He was as certain as the sky.

What happens next shows the unwitting cultural prescience of Wild, the most commercially successful work of nature writing in decades.

“Fox,” Strayed whispers:

[A]s if by naming him I could both defend myself against him and also draw him nearer. He raised his fine-boned head, but remained standing as he’d been and studied me for several seconds more before turning away without alarm to continue walking across the clearing and into the trees.

“Come back,” I called lightly, and then suddenly shouted, “MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!” I didn’t know the word was going to come out of my mouth until it did.

And then, just as suddenly, I went silent, spent.