UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Local artist Michelle Price will host a stemware painting party at the Lake County Wine Studio from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28.

Price will guide participants in painting their own wineglass and they can opt to paint a glass for themselves or as a gift for a friend.

Paints, tools and a wine glass will be provided along with a glass of wine for sipping for $20 per person.

If participants want to make a matched pair or set of painted glasses, additional stemware will be available for purchase.

Price was born in Lyon, France, lived in New York for several years and then moved to the Bay Area in the early 1970s, where she studied Beaux Arts and obtained a degree in cosmetology, massage therapy and health education. She later graduated from the International Tour Management Institute of San Francisco.

In 2000, Price relocated to Lake County where she became inspired to return to art and developed her own style of expressionism in glass art and acrylic and oil paintings.

Some of her paintings have been influenced by her many years of Latin dancing and specializing in ChaCha, Rumba, Meringue and the Argentine Tango, which Price taught a few years ago with the Reach Out Program. Her artist name, Michou, is her signature on all of her artistic creations.

Price has served on the Arts Council Board of Lakeport and has shown some of her works at the Main Street Gallery and Bell Hill tasting room in Lakeport, Featherbed Railroad B&B in Nice and the Alpine Café in Lucerne. Some of her finished and in progress artwork can be viewed on her Facebook page, Michelle Price Art Creations.

For reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Sunday, Nov. 22, the Lake County Symphony will deliver a program featuring three of the world’s greatest composers of classical music – Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.

The performance will take place beginning at 3 p.m. at Lakeport’s Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St.

John Parkinson, conductor and music director of the 70-member orchestra, says he was inspired to find compositions that Lake County music lovers would appreciate and to do so he would go to the top of the list of great composers. And he did.

Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the best known names in classical music, is also one of the least-known in both his private life and in the personal construction of his music.

For example, his “Concerto for Flute in C Major” appears to have been recycled from earlier works featuring instruments other than the flute, but in any case his most current arrangement remains a crowd pleaser. The symphony’s Catherine Hall will be the featured soloist.

Ludwig Van Beethoven wrote his “Creatures of Prometheus” as a ballet, the only full-length ballet he ever composed. The theme was based on Greek mythology, wherein the god Prometheus was creator of mankind and all things good about mankind.

The ballet dancers responded to Beethoven’s vivid musical descriptions of their roles. The result was an extremely popular presentation at the time. The symphony will play the noted overture to the piece.

Another less well-known Beethoven piece will also be on the program. It is the “King Stephen Overture” which the composer was commissioned to write commemorating the founder of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a Lake County favorite since the inception of our symphonic orchestra, will be featured with overtures from two of his works as well as one of his symphonies. They are “The Impresario,” “Il Seraglio” and his “Symphony No. 41,” better known as simply “The Jupiter.”

“Impresario” was described by Mozart as a parody, aimed at singers squabbling over such things as artistic recognition or salary. “It is a comedy in music,” he said.

“Il Seraglio,” however is a real opera with complicated plot lines involving a kidnapping, escape and rescue and all the drama inherent in such a piece.

Finally, the “Jupiter” – named after the Roman god, not the planet – was the last and longest of Mozart’s Symphonies. As such it will be given the final place on the program.

As is traditional the 23 members of the LCSA Youth Orchestra will open the show. This time, and in the spirit of their senior’s music, they will play two pieces by Mozart.

The first is his movement one from “Symphony No. 29, K. 201,” arranged by Janet Farrar-Royce. This is an early symphony by Mozart written when he was only 18. Contrasting themes fit together to create delicacy and vigor.

The second piece by Mozart is the fourth movement, or Rondo, from “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” often better known as “A Little Night Music.”

According to Sue Condit, music director and conductor of the Youth Symphony, in Mozart’s day many serenades and divertimenti (musical diversions) were written to be played at outdoor evening social events, generally before small gatherings. Mozart’s “Night Music” reflects this tradition.

Admission is $20 for symphony association members and $25 for the public.

As is customary a full rehearsal will take place at 11 a.m. with free admission to young people under 18 while others pay only $5.

Since concerts such as these are limited in Lake County they are very popular – particularly when Mozart is on the program, hence reservations are suggested.

Tickets can be ordered online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or by phone at 707-263-0577.

According to TNT’s new action series “Agent X,” a clandestine chamber exists in the underground catacombs of the Vice President’s official residence, which contains a repository of secrets and the original copy of the U.S. Constitution.

History buffs and constitutional scholars will be interested to learn that there is supposedly a heretofore unknown Section 5 to Article II of the Constitution, which is almost certain to stir the passions of conspiracy theorists.

Setting the premise for the TV series, the passage reads: “An agent of unknown identity is hereby authorized to serve at the discretion of the Vice President for the purpose of aiding the republic at times of great peril.”

Maybe FDR’s first Vice President John Nance Garner was not aware of this extraordinary power, since he allegedly described the authority of his office as “not worth a bucket of warm spit,” or something to that effect.

“Agent X” allows for Sharon Stone, widely-known for titillating cinematic work occurred years ago in “Basic Instinct 2,” to have a starring role in a TV series as that of the nation’s first female Vice President Natalie Maccabee, having already served as a Senator.

That the newly inaugurated Vice President is a widow whose husband died in a fiery car crash that she managed to survive is noted more than once, possibly leading conspiracy theorists to wonder if this was purely accidental, or something more sinister.

But I digress. On her first night at the official residence, Maccabee is introduced to her steward, Malcolm Millar (Gerald McRaney), a faithful servant whose duties go far beyond standard housekeeping. He’s one of the few people clued into the secret powers of the Vice Presidency.

In a scene fraught with Masonic imagery, a special key unlocks the passageway to the underground bunker where Millar tends to the high-tech command center which runs the Agent X program. Who knew the Vice President had more duties than attending state funerals and breaking tie votes in the Senate?

Agent X is John Case (Jeff Hephner), a combination of secret agent and deadly operative who seems to represent an amalgam of James Bond and Jason Bourne, as well as Nicolas Cage’s adventurer in the “National Treasure” films and the lone wolf driver in “The Transporter” franchise.

Even though initially surprised by her mysterious obligation to national security, Maccabee takes to her newfound role with relative ease, having been assured by the former occupant of the office and the current President (John Shea) that she’s up to the task.

To be sure, all the heavy lifting is done by John Case, who wastes little time in a surreptitious operation to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of an American official, who’s conveniently targeted by Russian thugs and an illicit oligarch for a trade of a Russian agent.

The Russian agent, whose loyalties to any criminal or foreign government seem to be flexible, is former gymnast and circus contortionist Olga Petrovka (Olga Fonda), a deadly and brutal femme fatale who can easily kill any man in a grip between her forceful legs.

The villains are the standard-issue Russian and Chechen bad guys who are either in the business of selling nuclear arms to terrorists or trying to obtain the same for their own nefarious purposes. These clowns are no match for Agent X’s single-handed assault on their turf.

As the series moves along, political intrigue is almost certain to percolate on domestic soil, right in the heart of the nation’s capital. After all, James Earl Jones, as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, needs something more to do than show up on the cocktail circuit.

It could be coincidental to also serving as one of the executive producers, but Sharon Stone looks far too glamorous to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, given that she is usually dressed more like a fashion model than a serious political figure.

But then, “Agent X” is all about the mission heroics of stone-cold, straightforward deep undercover operative John Case, who can be as charming as Sean Connery’s suave Agent 007 and as ruthless as Liam Neeson’s former CIA operative Bryan Mills in the exciting “Taken” franchise.

Come to think of it, Jeff Hephner’s character also bears a lot of resemblance to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” a former CIA agent forced to operate as a solo operator in taking down the international criminal enterprise known as the Syndicate.

The point of “Agent X,” which is not far removed from familiar territory, may be formulaic espionage storytelling but it still offers plenty of fun for anyone who enjoys spy thrillers and the intense action scenes attendant to showdowns between the good guy and the bad ones.
   
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Marge Saiser is a Nebraskan who has written a number of deeply moving poems about love. Here’s one for our holiday season:

Thanksgiving for Two

The adults we call our children will not be arriving
with their children in tow for Thanksgiving.
We must make our feast ourselves,

slice our half-ham, indulge, fill our plates,
potatoes and green beans
carried to our table near the window.

We are the feast, plenty of years,
arguments. I’m thinking the whole bundle of it
rolls out like a white tablecloth. We wanted

to be good company for one another.
Little did we know that first picnic
how this would go. Your hair was thick,

mine long and easy; we climbed a bluff
to look over a storybook plain. We chose
our spot as high as we could, to see

the river and the checkerboard fields.
What we didn’t see was this day, in
our pajamas if we want to,

wrinkled hands strong, wine
in juice glasses, toasting
whatever’s next,

the decades of side-by-side,
our great good luck.

American Life in Poetry 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. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright ©2014 by Marjorie Saiser, “Thanksgiving for Two,” (2014). Poem reprinted by permission of Marjorie Saiser. Introduction copyright © 2015 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.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – On Saturday, Nov. 21, the wonderful local harmonic quartet InVoice will open the tenth season of intimate “Concerts with Conversation” in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.

“We’ve had each of these musicians here in various incarnations over the years,” commented Tallman owner Bernie Butcher, “so when they got together as a group a few years ago, I knew it would be something special. Their voices, instruments and personalities blend together perfectly.”

InVoice presents a primarily folk and folk-rock repertoire featuring the rich voices of well-known local artists Libbie Larson, Doug Harris and Bill Bordisso.

Libbie has been a featured lead in various jazz groups. With InVoice, she blends her voice with Doug and Bill in sweet harmonies backed by guitar, harmonica, accordion, banjo, dobro and saxophone. Keith Larson rounds out the sound on the bass guitar.

All of us have loved making music at the Blue Wing over the years,” said group leader Bill Bordisso. “But we’re really happy with the acoustic and harmonic blend we’ve been able to put together as InVoice and we’re looking forward to sharing it in the beautiful setting of the Tallman Meeting House.”

The Tallman Concerts with Conversation series continues monthly through next April and will feature artists including Paul McCandless and Christian Foley-Beining, Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd, the Laura Reynolds Chamber Ensemble and the Macy Blackman Trio.

The full schedule can be seen at www.TallmanHotel.com/events .

The InVoice show on Nov. 21 starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel.

Tickets at $25 plus tax may be purchased by calling the Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.

Coffee and cookies are served prior to the show.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Artist Anna Sabalone and Lake County Wine Studio are presenting an ongoing series of art classes/parties.

The next class will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at the studio, 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake.

During the two-and-a-half-hour class, Sabalone will give an overview of perspectives and participants will be able to choose what they want to draw as their subject.
 
All supplies will be provided along with a glass of wine for sipping for $40 each class. Each class in future months will focus specifically on a different art medium.

Sabalone was born and raised in Lake County. She has been involved in the Lake County Arts Council since her teen years.

She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Leeds, England for her undergraduate degree in English, history and anthropology. She earned her teaching credential and Masters of Education from UCSB and has been teaching art, English, history and Academic Decathlon at Upper Lake High School since 2008.

For class schedule, reservations and additional information, contact Susan at 707-293-8752.
 
Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artist's shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
 
The gallery scheduled is Monday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.; and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.

For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030.