Six Reasons in '06 to Go to a Show or Lecture

1) No Fear of Flying. The most intriguing offering for the fall at the sleek-to-bursting Stanford Lively Arts Performing Arts series is the gravity-defying Diavolo Dance Company. The troupe—which comprises gymnasts, actors and rock climbers, as well as dancers—breaks the bounds of earth and stage by leaping and soaring from elaborate mobile scaffolds and intricate props, some familiar (they love to clamber over doors), some unique. Oct. 28-29.

2) The Toe Must Go On. Tap-dancing wonder Savion Glover once brought in da noise and da funk. At Montalvo's Garden Theatre, he upsets expectations and turns his rhythmic talents to interpreting classical sections by Bach and Bartok. Sept. 28.

3) Consonant Professional. The South Bay Guitar Society kicks off its season with Lukasz Kuropaczewski, a precocious young Polish guitarist who is winning every competition he enters, from Krakow to Tokyo. Oct. 21.

4) Stardust Memory. He makes a movie or two a year, in England no less, and he still shows up in our area for two concerts performing Dixieland favorites with his New Orleans Jazz Band? Where does Woody Allen find the time? Dec. 20 at the Fox, and Dec. 21 at the Santa Cruz Civic.

5) Too Much Monkey Business. OK, so Sen. Gary Hart pulled a Bill Clinton on board the Monkey Business almost 20 years before Bill met Monica, and ruined his bid for president in the process, but he's still a true-blue liberal who believes in old-fashioned Democratic Party virtues and isn't afraid to say so at his Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley talk. Sept. 14.

6) High as a Kite. SJSU celebrates the work of Khaled Hosseini, whose novel The Kite Runner provides a searing glimpse into the recent tragic history of Afghanistan. The events include a lecture by professor Jonathan Roth, a student panel on "Images of Isman" and a literary discussinon with professor Persis Karim. Sept. 27, Oct. 18 and Nov. 29.

—Michael S. Gant

Stanford Lively Arts
Memorial Auditorium, Memorial Church and Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University; 650.725.ARTS
Charles Wadsworth and Spoleto USA Chamber Music—Oct. 1 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel
What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow and the Stanford Chamber Strings—Oct. 11 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel
St. Lawrence String Quartet with Pedja Muzijevic on piano—Oct. 15 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble—Oct. 18 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel
Natalie MacMaster, fiddle—Oct. 20 at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium
Badi Assad—Oct. 25 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel
Rinde Eckert's Horizon, avant-garde theater—Oct. 28 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel
Diavolo Dance Company—Oct. 28 at 8pm and Oct. 29 at 2:30pm at Memorial Auditorium
Manuel Barrueco, guitar, with Cuarteto Latinoamericano—Nov. 3 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel
Kronos Quartet—Dec. 1 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel
St. Lawrence String Quartet with Jon Kimura Parker, piano—Dec. 3 at 7pm at Dinkelspiel
A Chanticleer Christmas—Dec. 12-13 at 8pm at Memorial Church
2007:
Gryphon Trio—Jan. 10 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Anonymous 4, Long Time Traveling—Jan. 12 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Ute Lemper—Jan. 20 at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium
So Percussion—Jan. 24 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Richard Alston Dance Company—Jan. 26-27 at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium
Ladysmith Black Mambazo—Jan. 28 at 2:30pm at Memorial Auditorium
Roby Lakatos Ensemble—Jan. 31 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
The American Piano, with pianists Anthony de Mare and Steven Mayer—Feb. 3 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Jerry Quickley, Live From the Front—Feb. 7 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Emerson String Quartet—Feb. 10 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
King's Singers—Feb. 16 at 8pm at Memorial Church
Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble with Stanford Taiko—Feb. 23 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
What Makes it Great? with Rob Kapilow and pianist Vassily Primakov—Feb. 25 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Borromeo String Quartet—March 2 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, The Four Seasons: A Cycle of the Sun—March 4 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Klezmer en Buenos Aires—March 7 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Boys of the Lough—March 14 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Company Vincent Mantsoe, Men-Jaro—March 16 at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium
Aquila Theatre Company, The Canterbury Tales—March 17 at 8pm and March 18 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Jupiter String Quartet—April 1 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Louis Lortie, piano—April 7 at 8pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Paco Peña with Stanford Chamber Chorale—April 11 at 8pm at Memorial Church
St. Lawrence String Quartet—April 22 at 2:30pm at Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, New Orleans Then and Now—April 25 at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium
Emio Greco | PC, Hell—April 28 at 8pm at Memorial Auditorium
Deborah Voigt, soprano—April 29 at 2:30pm at Memorial Auditorium

Montalvo Arts
Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, and Fox Theatre, Redwood City; see www.montalvoarts.org for complete schedule
Gordon Lightfoot—Aug. 24 at 7:30pm at the Fox
Dave Brubeck Quartet, David Benoit & Yuma Sung—Aug. 25 at 8pm at the Garden Theatre
Windham Hill 30th Anniversary Concert—Aug. 27 at 2pm at the Garden Theatre
Kem—Aug. 31 at 8pm at the Garden Theatre
Original Superstars of Jazz Fusion—Sept. 7 at 7:30pm at the Garden Theatre
The Joint Is Jumping, featuring Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks and Michelle Shocked—Sept. 8 at 8pm at the Garden Theatre
Dave Brubeck Quartet—Sept. 15 at 8pm at the Fox
Tim Conway and Harvey Korman—Sept. 16 at 2pm at the Fox
Bo Diddley—Sept. 21 at 7pm at the Garden Theatre
Burt Bacharach—Sept. 22 at 8pm at the Garden Theatre
Brian Culbertson and Keiko Matsui—Sept. 24 at 7:30pm at the Garden Theatre
S.F. Standup Comedy Competition—Sept. 25-26 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Earth, Wind and Fire—Sept. 26 at 7:30pm at Oak Meadow Park, Los Gatos
Na Leo—Sept. 27 at 7:30pm at the Garden Theatre
Classical Savion—Sept. 28 at 7:30pm at the Garden Theatre
Chris Botti—Sept. 29 at 8:30pm at the Garden Theatre
Steve Tyrell—Oct. 4 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Guy Clark—Oct. 5 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Jerry Douglas—Oct. 6 at 8pm at the Carriage House
Saratoga Reads Mark Salzman— Oct. 13 at 8pm at the Carriage House
Johnny Mathis—Oct. 14 at 8pm at the Fox
Augusten Burroughs—Oct. 15 at 7:30pm at the Fox
Richie Havens—Oct. 15 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Africa—Oct. 19 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Duncan Sheik—Oct. 20 at 8pm at the Carriage House
America—Oct. 21 at 8pm at the Fox
The Yellowjackets—Oct. 26 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
The Blues Guitar Extravaganza—Oct. 27 at 8pm at the Carriage House
International Guitar Night—Oct. 29 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Celtic Fiddle Festival—Nov. 1 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Leo Kottke—Nov. 2 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Tellabration!, a storytelling event—Nov. 4 at 7pm at the Carriage House
Slaid Cleaves, Jimmy LaFave and Joel Raphael—Nov. 5 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Vienna Teng—Nov. 9 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Keali'i Reichel—Nov. 10 at 8pm at the Fox
California Guitar Trio, with Robert Fripp—Nov. 10 at 8pm at the Carriage House
Ballet Folklórico—Nov. 11 at 8pm at the Fox
The Legends of Chicago Blues—Nov. 18 at 8pm at the Carriage House
Sonny Landreth—Nov. 19 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Richard Thompson—Nov. 27-29 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Keola Beamer's Ki Ho' Alu Christmas—Nov. 30 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's Wild and Swingin' Holiday Party—Dec. 3 at 7:30pm at the Fox
Earl Klugh—Dec. 5-6 at 7:30pm at the Carriage House
A Scottish Christmas, featuring Bonnie Rideout—Dec. 8 at 7pm at the Fox
Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band—Dec. 20 at 7:30pm at the Fox
Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza—Dec. 21 at 7:30pm and Dec. 22 at 8pm at the Fox
2007:
Gilberto Gil—March 28

Mountain Winery
All shows at 7:30pm; 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga; see www.mountainwinery.com for details
k.d. Lang, Holly Brook—Aug. 23-24
Susan Tedeschi—Aug. 25
The Doobie Brothers—Aug. 26-27
Rosanne Cash—Aug. 29
Willie Nelson and Family—Aug. 31
Chicago—Sept. 1-2
Heart—Sept. 6
Los Lobos—Sept. 7
James Gang Rides Again with Joe Walsh, Jimmy Fox and Dale Peters—Sept. 8
Tony Bennett—Sept. 9
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy—Sept. 16
George Carlin—Sept. 17
Ani DiFranco—Sept. 18
Creedence Clearwater Revisited—Sept. 24
Charles Aznavour—Sept. 25
Peter Frampton—Sept. 27
George Thorogood—Sept. 28
Huey Lewis and the News— Sept. 29-30
Emmylou Harris—Oct. 4

Santa Clara University
Various campus locations; 408.554.4015
The Fatherhood Project—Sept. 22-23 at 8pm at Mayer Theatre
Fall Dance Festival—Oct. 14 at 1 and 8pm and Oct. 15 at 2pm at Fess Parker Theatre
Música para el Día de los Muertos—Nov. 3 at 8pm at Recital Hall
Coriolanus—Nov. 3-5 and 8-11 at Theatre
Fall Orchestra Concert—Nov. 10 at 8pm at Mission Church
Fall Jazz Ensemble Concert—Nov. 17 at 8pm at Recital Hall
Choreographers' Gallery—Nov. 30 at 8pm and Dec. 1 at 7 and 9pm at Theatre
Festival of Lights, with SCU Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, plus SCU Jazz Ensemble performing Vivaldi's Magnificat and Britten's A Ceremony of Carols—Dec. 1-2 at 8pm at Mission Church
2 007:
Chinese Arts, Qin and Xiao music, art and poetry in the style of a scholars' gathering during dynastic China—Feb. 9 at 8pm at Recital Hall
Art of the Song Festival—April 25-28, venue TBA
Dido and Aeneas, by Henry Purcell—Feb. 23-24 at 8pm and Feb. 25 at 2pm at Fess Parker Studio Theatre.

UC-Santa Cruz Arts & Lectures
Various Santa Cruz locations; mostly $24/$28831.459.2159
The Spirit of Fès 2006: Paths to Hope—Oct. 27 at 8pm at UCSC Recital Hall
Aki Takahashi, piano—Nov. 3 at 8pm at UCSC Recital Hall
Roswell Rudd and Badma Khanda, Mongolian Buryat band—Nov. 12 at 8pm at Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz
Takács Quartet—Dec. 1 at 8pm at First Congregational Church, Santa Cruz
Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band—Dec. 21 at 8pm at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, top ticket $50
2007:
Anne Galjour, solo play with Cajun setting—Jan. 13 at 8pm at UCSC Mainstage Theater
Stephen Petronico Co., modern dance—Jan. 26-27 at 8pm at UCSC Mainstage Theater
Mike Marshall and Hamilton de Holanda, Brazilian mandolin and world music—Feb. 20 at 8pm at UCSC Recital Hall
Universe, Life From the Edge, fusion theater with poetry, hop-hop and gospel—Feb. 22 at 8pm at Rio Theatre
Chunky Move, I Want to Dance Better at Parties, Australian dance troupe—March 17 at 8pm at UCSC Mainstage; $26/$30
Aquila Theatre Co., British and American company presents a new take on Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet—March 23 at Mello Center in Watsonville; $30/$35
Ben Munisteri Dance Projects, West Coast debut for modern dance group—April 13-14 at 8pm at UCSC Mainstage Theater; $26/$30
Laura, Lisbon vocalist—April 21 at 8pm at Rio Theatre
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet—May 1 at Cabrillo College Theater, Aptos; $30/$35
Chanticleer, songs of love—May 4 at 8pm at Holy Cross Church; $30/$35
Angelique Kidjo, West African and music and American R&B—May 11 at 8pm at Rio Theatre; top ticket $30/$35
Lynn Harrell and Friends, cellist performs Beethoven and Bach selections—May 25 at 8pm at First Congregational Church; $30/$35

Evenings of Cultural Arts
Sponsored by Sunnyvale Parks & Recreation; Sunnyvale Theatre; Saturdays at 8pm; $20-$25; 408.730.7725
Timbuktoubab film screening, with Markus James and the Wassonrai—Sept. 9
Ramon Romero and Cuerdas de Fuego—Oct. 14
The Weepies—Nov. 25
Patrick Ball's The Christmas Rose—Dec. 16
2007:
Adrian Legg, guitar virtuoso—Jan. 13
Dennis Kamakahi and Patrick Landeza—Feb. 3
Golden Bough—March 17
Vocolot—April 14

South Bay Guitar Society
Guest artists from around the world; Le Petit Trianon and other venues; $15-$25; 408.292.0704
Outdoor Classical Guitar Stage, part of the Tapestry Arts Festival—Sept. 2-4, 11am-5pm, at Park Avenue and Almaden Boulevard, San Jose
Lukasz Kuropaczewski—Oct. 21 at 8pm at Le Petit Trianon
2007:
Catch 22, three guitars, bass and drums—Jan. 21 at 3pm at the Improv Comedy Club
Jerome Ducharme, GFA winner from Canada—Feb. 24 at 8pm at the Historic Hoover Theatre
Grisha Goryachev, flamenco and classical from Russia—March 10 at 8pm at the Historic Hoover Theatre
Aliéksey Vianna, from Brazil—May 19 at 8pm at Le Petit Trianon

Community School of Music and Arts
Concerts4Kids series, Sundays at 2pm, Family Concerts, Sundays at 4pm and Music@7 Faculty and Friends, Thursdays at 7pm; 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View; free; 650.917.6800, ext. 314; www.arts4all.org
George Lu, cello recital—Oct 29 at 2 and 4pm
Del Sol Express—Nov. 12 at 2 and 4pm
Yoko Hiraoka—Nov. 16 at 7pm
2007:
CSMA Chamber Faculty Ensemble—Jan. 28 at 2 and 4pm
Cascada de Flores—Feb. 8 at 7pm
CSMA Merit Scholarship Students of Ludmila Kurtova—March 15 at 7pm
Marimo-Kai—March 18 at 2 and 4pm
CSMA Brass Ensemble—March 29 at 7pm
Kanako Inagawa—April 19 at 7pm
Bantaba—April 29 at 2 and 4pm
Al'Afizoon—May 20 at 2 and 4pm
CSMA Chamber Faculty Ensemble—May 24 at 7pm
CSMA Brazilian Jazz Ensemble—June 3 at 2 and 4pm
Irene Sharp Cello Recital—June 28 at 8pm

Mission College Performing Arts Series
Various campus locations; 408.855.5285
Son de la Tierra—Sept. 12 at 11:30am
Mission Faculty Recital—Oct. 13 at 7pm
Piano Masterclass and Recital—Oct. 16 at 7pm
Mission Guitar Ensemble—Nov. 2 at 5:30pm
Advanced Piano Recital—Nov. 20 at 6pm
Mission Percussion Ensemble—Nov. 29 at 6pm
Mission College Chorus—Dec. 6 at 7:30pm

Campbell Heritage Theatre
Historic theater hosts a variety of concerts and stage shows; 1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell; seasons subscriptions are $244; 408.866.2700
Boyz II Men—Oct. 20
Christmas Dreamland, an American Musical Theatre of San Jose presentation at the Heritage Theatre begins a holiday tradition—Nov. 24ñDec. 24 (call 1.888.455.SHOW for tickets)
2007:
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble—Jan. 14
Moscow Festival Ballet Cinderella—Feb. 15
Urban Cowboy, musical—March 23
Jim Brickman, pianist presents the Disney songbook—April 20
David Benoit, pianist performs the classics—May 17

East Bay

Cal Performances
At various venues at UC-Berkeley; see www.calperfs.berkeley.edu for complete schedule; 510.642.9988
The Peony Pavilion—Sept. 15-17 at Zellerbach Hall
Nuccia Focile and members of Berkeley Symphony Orchestra—Sept. 17 at Hertz Hall
Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano and Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano—Sept. 21 at Zellerbach Hall
Classical Savion—Sept. 22 at Zellerbach Hall
Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company—Sept. 23 at Zellerbach Hall
Rolando Villazón, tenor—Sept. 24 at Hertz Hall
Purcell's King Arthur—Sept. 30-Oct. 7 at Zellerbach Hall
Maxim Vengerov, violin—Oct. 8 at Zellerbach Hall
Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Kali Yuga: A Contemporary Dance Drama—Oct. 14 at Zellerbach Hall
Paula Poundstone—Oct. 15 at Zellerbach Hall
Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre—Oct. 16 at Zellerbach Hall
Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Africa—Oct. 18 at Zellerbach Hall
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan—Oct. 20-21 at Zellerbach Hall
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and pianist Emanuel Ax—Oct. 22 at Zellerbach Hall
Wynton Marsalis Quintet—Oct. 25 at Zellerbach Hall
Lyon Opera Ballet—Oct. 27-28 at Zellerbach Hall
The English Concert, with director and violinist Andrew Manze—Oct. 29 at Zellerbach Hall
Yefim Bronfman on piano, violinist Gil Shaham and cellist Truls Mørk—Nov. 1 at Zellerbach Hall
Gate Theatre of Dublin, Beckett's Waiting for Godot—Nov. 1-5 at Roda Theatre, Berkeley
Moscow Circus, A Russian Winter's Tale—Nov. 3-5 at Zellerbach Hall
Jason Moran Trio and the Vijay Iyer Quartet—Nov. 4 at Wheeler Auditorium
Artists of the Mariinsky Academy—Nov. 5 at Hertz Hall
Musica Antiqua Köln—Nov. 8 at First Congregational Church, Berkeley
Chorus Repertory Theatre, Ratan Thiyam's Nine Hills One Valley—Nov. 10-11 at Zellerbach Hall
Composer Portrait: John Zorn—Nov. 12 at Hertz Hall
Gidon Kremer on violin, percussionist Andrei Pushkarev and pianist Andrius Zlabys—Nov. 16 at Zellerbach Hall
Golden Dragon Acrobats—Nov. 24-26 at Zellerbach Hall
The Tallis Scholars—Dec. 1 at First Congregational Church, Berkeley
Takács Quartet—Dec. 3 at Hertz Hall
Canadian Brass—Dec. 5 at Zellerbach Hall
Chekhov International Theatre Festival, Declan Donnellan's Twelfth Night—Dec. 7-10 at Zellerbach Playhouse
Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena—Dec. 8-9 at Zellerbach Hall
Peking Acrobats—Jan. 20-21 at Zellerbach Hall
Bobby McFerrin, with Voicestra—Jan. 24 at Zellerbach Hall
Trisha Brown Dance Company—Jan. 26-27 at Zellerbach Hall
Lorin Maazel conducts the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic—Jan. 28 at Zellerbach Hall
Itzhak Perlman—Jan. 30 at Zellerbach Hall
Paco de Lucía—Jan. 31 at Zellerbach Hall

Word Up Celebrity Forum
Flint Center, Cupertino; sold in series packages only; 650.949.7176
Dave Barry, comic columnist—Sept. 13-15
Christiane Amanpour, international reporter—Oct. 18-20
Bob Dole vs. Tom Daschle—Nov 1-3
Bill Cosby—Nov. 29-Dec. 1
David Breashears, filmmaker and mountaineer—Jan. 31-Feb. 2
Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel—Feb. 21-23
Gen. Wesley Clark—April 4-6

Center for Literary Arts
Various locations; some events co-sponsored by Poetry Center San Jose; 408.924.4600
Neil Gaiman—Nov. 16; location TBA
2007:
Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner—March 7-8; location TBA
James Kelman, Lurie Distinguished Chair in Creative Writing at SJSU—Spring 2006; location TBA

Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley
Guest speakers at various locations; 800.847.7730; www.commonwealthclub.org/sv.html
Persis Karim, SJSU assistant professor and editor of Let Me Tell You Where I've Been—Aug. 31 at 7pm at King Library
Miles Neal, Bella Mia chef—Sept. 6 at 7pm at Bella Mia Restaurant, 58 S. First St., San Jose
Gary Hart—Sept. 14 at 7pm at Le Petit Trianon
Digital Health Panel, with panelists from Microsoft, DNA Direct, Palm and Kaiser, moderated by Andy Kessler—Sept. 18 at 7pm at Computer History Museum, Mountain View
Anna Quindlen, columnist and author—Sept. 25 at 7pm at Le Petit Trianon
John Wood, author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World—Sept. 26 at 7pm at the King Library
Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain—Oct. 3 at 7pm at Le Petit Trianon
Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence—Oct. 5 at 7pm at Le Petit Trianon
Haynes Johnson, journalist—Oct. 12 at 11:30am at Silicon Valley Bank, 3005 Tasman Dr., Santa Clara
Sidney Blumenthal, adviser to Clinton—Oct. 17 at noon at venue TBA
Doro Bush Koch, daughter of George H.W. Bush—Oct. 18 at 7pm at Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center, 14855 Oka Rd., Los Gatos
Carly Fiorina, ex of HP—Oct. 20 at 8:15am at Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great American Pkwy., Santa Clara
Carlos Santana and wife Deborah appear as part of the Medallion Speaker Series—Oct. 23 at 6:15pm at San Jose Civic Auditorium
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of veep candidate John Edwards—Oct. 24 at 12:15pm at Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center
Norm Mineta—Nov. 13 at 7pm at venue TBA
Steve Wozniak—Nov. 16 at 7pm at Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara
Annalee Saxenian, author of The New Argonauts—Nov. 30 at 6:15pm at TiE Conference Center, 2903 Bunker Hill Ln., Santa Clara

Classes Without Quizzes
A free lecture series with arts educators; Community School of Music and Arts, Mountain View; Thursdays at 7pm; 650.917.6800, ext. 314; www.arts4all.org
Arte del Dia de los Muertos—Oct. 12
The Mythology of Mozart—Nov. 2
Images of Christmas Through the Ages—Dec. 7
2007:
Islamic Art: A Metaphor for the Infinite—March 1
African Liberation Music—April 5
New Orleans Jazz: At Home and Away—May 10

Guggenheim Speaker Series
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; sponsored by the World Affairs Council; $35-$125; 650.903.6000
David Brooks, New York Times token right-winger—Sept. 18
David Gergen, advisor to Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton—Oct. 9

Montalvo Talk2Authors Series
Montalvo, Saratoga; $20-$60; 408.998.TIXS; montalvoarts.org
Saratoga Reads Mark Salzman—Oct. 13 at 8pm
A One-Night Stand with Augusten Burroughs—Oct. 15 at 7:30pm
Tellabration!, a storytelling event—Nov. 4 at 7pm
2007:
Erik Larson—March 22 at 7:30pm
Jane Seymour—March 24 at 8pm
Saul Williams—April 13 at 7:30pm
Yiyun Li—May 4 at 8pm
Salman Rushdie—May 20 at 7pm

MACLA
Open-mic sessions and featured performances by local poets and visiting artists; 408.938.3594
Think Again, open mic—Sept. 10 at 7:30pm and Nov. 12 at 7:30pm
Fundraiser for Youth Speaks, with Team Chico Speaks Out Youth Poetry Slam Team—Sept. 15 at 8pm

Poetry Center San Jose
Readings and workshops at various locations; 408.292.3254
Gary Glazner, spoken word—Sept. 28 at 7pm at Biblioteca Latinoamericana Branch Library, 921 S. First St., San Jose
Blue Monkey Reading, with Jackie Berger, Gary Shapiro and Cathleen Miller—Oct. 3 at 7pm at Blue Monkey, 1 E. San Fernando St., San Jose
Words and What to Do With Them, beginning poetry workshop with Sally Ashton and Nils Peterson—Oct. 14, 21 and 28 at 10am at Markham House, History Park, San Jose
The Poetry of Lived-In Things, poetry workshop with Sally Ashton and Nils Peterson—Oct. 14 at 10:30am at Oakland Museum and Oct. 21 and 28 at 1pm at Markham House, History Park, San Jose
Ralph Angel—Oct. 26 at venue TBA
Blue Monkey Reading—Nov. 7 at 7pm at Blue Monkey
Blue Monkey Reading, with John Engell and Joyce Jenkins—Dec. 5 at 7pm at Blue Monkey

San Jose State University
A series of events related to The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; SJSU Engineering Auditorium and Mosaic Cultural Center, downtown San Jose; free; 408.924.3508
The Kite Runner Lecture on the History of Afghanistan, with Professor Jonathan Roth—Sept. 27 at 1:30pm at Engineering Auditorium
The Kite Runner: Images of Islam, a panel with SJSU students of Islamic heritage—Oct. 18 at 1:30pm at Engineering Auditorium
The Kite Runner: Between and Beyond the Lines, a discussion on selected themes from the book—Oct. 19 and Oct. 25 at 3pm at Mosaic Cultural Center
The Poetry and Stories of the Kite Runner, with Professor Persis Karim—Nov. 29 at 1:30pm at Engineering Auditorium

Comedy Clubs

Blue Rock Shoot
Rotating comedic open mic and pro showcase performances. 14523 Big Basin Way, Saratoga; Wednesday at 8pm; free; www.myspace.com/bluerockcomedy
Joni Rodgers, Ken Koskella, Sandi Selvi, Kellen Erskine and Brendan Lynch—Aug. 23
Jeff Applebaum, Norm Goldblatt, Richard Kiss and John Beck—Aug. 30
Comedic Open Mic—Sept. 6

ComedySportz
Improvisational comedy battles. 288 S. Second St., San Jose; $7-$15; 408.985.LAFF
ComedySportz, all-ages show—Friday at 8:30pm and Saturday at 8pm
Midnight Show, 18 and up only—Friday at 10:30pm

Improv, San Jose
62 S. Second St., San Jose; 408.280.7475; www.improv.com
John Pinette—Aug. 24-27
Tuesday: A Comedy—Aug. 29
Justin McClure Pro Showcase—Aug. 30
Don McMillan—Aug. 31-Sept. 3
Jeff Dunham—Sept. 7-10
Improv Sideshow, with Matt Fulchiron and Jay Larson—Sept. 13
Hypnotist Ricky Kalmon—Sept. 14-17
EHC LifeBuilders Fundraiser—Sept. 20~
Kevin Nealon—Sept. 21-24
Kevin Pollak—Sept. 28-Oct. 1
Godfrey—Oct. 5-8
Tommy Chong—Oct. 13-15
Improv Sideshow, with the Ska Brothers—Oct. 18
Gabriel Iglesias—Oct. 19-22
Sheryl Underwood—Oct. 26-29
Frank Caliendo—Nov. 2-4
Jake Johannsen—Nov. 30-Dec. 3
Greg Morton—Dec. 7-10
Heath Hyde—Dec. 14-17

Rooster T. Feathers
157 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; Showtimes Thursday, 8pm, Friday-Saturday, 8 and 10:30pm and Sunday, 8pm, with other weekday shows at 8pm; $12-$15 for most shows; 408.736.0921
Pundits With Punchlines—Aug. 23
Dan St. Paul—Aug. 24-27
The Suburban Comedy Tour—Aug. 29
New Talent Showcase—Aug. 30
Ricky LaPorte, with opener Brent Weinbach—Aug. 31-Sept. 3
New Talent Showcase—Sept. 6
Bryan Kellen—Sept. 7-10
Alonzo Bodden, winner of Last Comic Standing, season 3—Sept. 15-16

Sonoma Chicken Coop, Campbell
Alternating open-mic nights and comedian showcases; 200 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell; Every Sunday at 9pm; $10; 408.866.2699
Open mic with 10 comics, hosted by Joni Rodgers—Aug. 27
Pro Showcase with Rebecca Arthur, Ken Koskella, Sue Ferrer and Robert Peterson—Sept. 3
Open mic with 10 comics, hosted by Joni Rodgers—Sept. 9
Pro Showcase with Boxcar, Eric Steele, Noel Carey and Bill Murphy—Sept. 17
Pro Showcase with Richard Stockton, Samson Koletkar, Richard Kiss and Sean Stryker—Oct. 1
Pro Showcase with four comics—Oct. 15, Oct. 29, Nov. 12, Nov. 26, Dec. 12

Individual Performances:
George Carlin—Sept. 17 at 7:30pm; Mountain Winery; $42.50-$76.50; 408.998.TIXS
Kathy Griffin—Dec. 3 at 7pm; Flint Center; $25-$45; 408.998.TIXS
Carlos Mencia—Sept. 30 at 7pm; San Jose Civic Auditorium; $39.50-$42.50; 408.998.TIXS

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