All events on Prescott Campus; the Film Festival is good news for local west county film buffs

Yavapai Community College is host to the multi-day Prescott Film Festival October 14-17.  All events are held on the Prescott Community College Campus.

The Prescott Film Festival is a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to promoting tourism in Prescott and the quad city area through independent film and filmmakers. Each month the organization  screens a short feature with  a guest filmmaker for a Q&A with the audience. The events take place at  the Yavapai Community College Performance Center on the Prescott Campus  on select Wednesday evenings.

The Festival’s Executive Director for several years  has been  Helen Stephenson. She is also the Managing Director, Operations, Yavapai College Performing Arts Center.   She was generally in charge of the nationally recognized filmmaker program at the Community College’s  Sedona Center when it was closed down in 2014-15 by then College President Penelope Wills.

According to the Festival website, it markets itself across  Arizona (focusing on Phoenix, Tucson and Sedona) and also in the New Mexico and Los Angeles area. Both the Sedona International Film Festival and the Phoenix Film Festival help getting the word out about the Festival. It receives a high level of support from the  Prescott community.

President says two (possibly three) ticketed programs and five free events scheduled for east side of County so far this fall; cultural activities a Community College priority

Among Arizona community colleges, Yavapai  has by far the largest and most modern theatre operation in the state in the   the Performing Arts Center.  Located at the Prescott Campus, most community college  have nothing approaching the grandeur of this  facility.

So far, the Performing Arts Center has announced it will host from October to the end of May over 30 live in-person events that encompass orchestral concerts, stage plays, and nationally known performers on its Prescott Campus.  It will also play host to more than 20 satellite live programs coming mostly  from New York and London, England. 

In addition to these programs, the Community College will host about nineteen  free special events on the Prescott Campus and about five special free events in the Verde Valley..

At the September 14, 2021, meeting of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board President Rhine announced that there will be at least two live ticketed cultural events in the Verde Valley and at least five free events this fall. (See video below.)

Ticketed live cultural events October – June 8 at PAC Prescott Campus unless otherwise noted

 **October 15:  7:00 p.m. “Mission Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times and “Under the Same Sky.”

**October 16:  4:00 p.m. “Cowboys without Borders,” “Women of the Sea.”

**October 16:  7:00 p.m.  “Rickshaw Girl,” “Margo Jam.”

**October 17: 3:00 p.m.  (Sculpture Garden)  Gourmet Boxed Dinners, catered by Chef Barry Barbe and Greenway Catering by El Gato Azul (advance purchase required).

**October 17:  4:00 p.m. Silent film with live accompaniment from the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra : a five piece chamber ensemble (3:00 PM pre-show dinner)

October 23:  Bluegrass Mass

October 31:  Arizona Philharmonic: Brandenburg and Beyond.

November 12:  fundraiser presented with U.S. VETS – Prescott, four singing sergeants blend their voices in an evening of inspirational music to benefit comrades in local veteran’s programs.

November  21           1 p.m.  Wonderful Life Costume Parade, Performing Arts Center.

November 14:  Arizona Philharmonic: Sonoran Winds Quintet.

December; 2: Grammy/CMA nominee Josh Turner brings his “Holiday & The Hits” tour for one Yuletide performance.

December 4:  Handel’s Messiah (Community College and local residents)

December 5:  Handel’s Messiah (Community College and local residents)

December 12:  Prescott POPS Symphony. The Sound of Joy!

December 19:  Arizona Philharmonic: We Wish You Christmas.  Elks Theater (117 E Gurley St, Prescott, AZ 86301).

January 9: Arizona Philharmonic: ¡Andalusia!

January 14:  Remembrance of a folk-rock legend,  Croce Plays Croce.

January 16:  Yavapai Symphony Association 2021-2022 Classical Season, Steven Moeckel in Recital – violin.

*January 19: Dino-Light | Lightwire Theater. Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts (Camp Verde) Education series.

January 20: Dino-Light | Lightwire Theater. Education series. Performing Arts Center.

Jan 23    3 p.m.         Garrick Ohlsson Piano recital

January 23: Yavapai Symphony Association 2021-2022 Classical Season, Yefim Bronfman in Recital – piano.

January 29:  Arizona Philharmonic: Brahms Requiem.

*February 10: Call of the Wild: Illustrated Edition | Theatre Heroes. Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts (Camp Verde) Education series.

February 11:  Call of the Wild: Illustrated Edition | Theatre Heroes. Education series. PAC.

February 13: Prescott POPS Symphony: The Sound of Love.

February  17: Much Ado About Nothing | Utah Shakespeare Festival. For grades 7 and above. Education series. (Only at PAC)

February 20: George Li in Recital – piano.

February 27:   Arizona Philharmonic: Arizona Philharmonic Brass.

March 1:  The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Classics | Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. Best for grades PreK-3 (Education series).

March  5 and 6:  The Voices of Dance. Ballet Victoria, with productions of The Nutcracker and Carmina Burana.

March 20. Yavapai Symphony Association 2021-2022 Classical Season, Daniel Hsu in Recital – piano.

March 27:   Arizona Philharmonic: James d’Leon Piano Quintet.

April 3, 2022: Yavapai Symphony Association 2021-2022 Classical Season, ASU Symphony Orchestra

May 1: 3:00 p.m. Yavapai Symphony Association 2021-2022. Classical Season, Yekwon Sunwoo in Recital – piano.

May 2:  Brian Regan, one of the best comics in the business.

* May 9: Doktor Kaboom! Look Out! Science is Coming! | David Epley. Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts (Camp Verde) Education series.

May 10: Doktor Kaboom! Look Out! Science is Coming! | David Epley. PAC.

May 15, 2022: Garrick Ohlsson in Recital – piano.

May 22: Prescott POPS Symphony. Prescott Pops Picks!

June 8: Boz Scaggs.

Music Department to perform at 2, 4 and 6 P.M.; admission free; next four concerts  charge admission

For reasons not all that clear but probably for public relations and marketing, Yavapai Community College has launched an outdoor “Concerts on the Green” series in Prescott Valley beginning Sunday, May 9.  The first event will feature  the entire Yavapai College Music Department. Four more concerts will follow.

The  May 9 event features  Jazz (2 P.M.), Choral (4 P.M.) and Instrumental (6 P.M.) ensembles “as they pay tribute to the music of Spring with works focused on nature, birds, dancing, and love!”

Future events include: 

Sunday, May 23 | 7:00 PM, ABBAFAB, with a tribute to the music of ABBA.  Tickets: $15/adult, $5/youth 9-17. (Age 8 and under Free).

Sunday, June 6 | 7:00 PM, DECEMBER ’63, a tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Tickets: $15/adult, $5/youth 9-17,(Age 8 and under Free).

Sunday, June 27 | 7:00 PM, THE BRIAN CHARTRAND QUARTET. Tickets: $15/adult, $5/youth 9-17
(Age 8 and under Free).

Saturday, July 3 | 7:30 PM, PRESCOTT POPS SYMPHONY, An American Celebration. Tickets: $20/adult, $5/youth 9-17, (Age 8 and under Free).

Tickets are $12 for the Animated Shorts; $12 for the Live Action Shorts; $12 for the Documentary Shorts or $30 for a package of all three

Yavapai College Performing Arts Center continues its tradition of being Northern Arizona’s “Go-To source” for film buffs by offering a virtual screening for Oscar-nominated live action, animated and documentary short subject films. The 2021 Oscar Shorts will be available for remote screening Friday, April 2 through Sunday, April 25 at the YCPAC website, ycpac.com.

The Animated Shorts package runs 99 minutes and features all five nominees: Burrow (USA); Genius Loci (France); Opera (USA); Yes-People (Iceland); and If Anything Happens I Love You (USA) – plus three additional Motion Picture Academy favorites: Kapaemahu (USA); The Snail and the Whale (UK/Germany); and To Gerard (USA).

The Live Action Shorts package, running 130 minutes, features: The Present (Palestine); Feeling Through (USA); Two Distant Strangers (USA); White Eye (Israel); and The Letter Room (USA).

The Documentary Shorts package, 136 minutes, features: A Love Song for Latasha (USA); Do Not Split (USA/Norway); Hunger Ward (USA); Colette (France/Germany/USA); and A Concerto is a Conversation (USA).

Provided 39 presented events on Prescott Campus and 6  in Verde Valley in 2019-2020

Yavapai Community College has gathered an outstanding staff for its Performing Arts Center who are in charge of bringing an  ever-increasing number of events to Prescott residents and the remainder of the Yavapai County.  The Community College is involved overall in producing live events, concerts, movies, school matinees (CUES program) and certain  sponsored activities.  

The College provided data  at the March 2021 Board meeting showing that the Performing Arts Center group had produced 39 presented  events on the Prescott Campus and three presented  events throughout the Verde Valley in 2019-20.  (See College chart below.)  There were other events at the Performing Arts Center including 12 put on by the Film and Media Arts Department and 16 by the Performing Arts Department.  There is also a CUES program that features school matinees with five at the Performing Arts Center and three for children in the remainder of the County in 2019-20. The chart below shows all of the events by year.

Governing Board adds $750,000 to present  budget to get repairs going right away

The Yavapai District Governing Board approved a change to the existing budget at its October  monthly meeting by adding $750,000 to begin repairs to the roof of the Performing Arts Center (PAC).  The total cost for repair is estimated at $2 million.  The additional   $1.25 million to complete the repair and replace HVAC machinery will come from next year’s  budget.

The PAC, located on the Prescott Campus,  is an expensive building to operate. In addition to annual maintenance, the PAC received a $2 million dollar capital renovation in 2011 and another $1.5 to $2 million dollar capital renovation in 2013.

The Community College annually budgets from $3.5 million to almost $4 million in its maintenance budget for the entire District.  This money is used primarily, it is thought,  for repairs and upkeep of  buildings. How much of those millions of dollars, if any,  have been spent on the PAC over the past 30 years is not  clear.

The College also annually budgets around $2.24 million for the District to purchase equipment and another quarter of a million for the District to purchase  furniture and fixtures.  As with the maintenance budget, how much of these dollars, if any, have  been spent on the PAC is not clear.

Overall, with faculty costs,  staff costs, depreciation, water, electricity, sewer,  insurance,  hi-tech equipment, new stage curtains, performer contracts, web design, web maintenance, a new addition and other direct and indirect expenses associated with the PAC, it is not clear how much this facility  is actually costing County taxpayers to operate on an annual basis. It is also not clear how much annual revenue it generates from programs and leases.

You may view below a  video clip of the presentation by Community College Vice President Clint Ewell and the short Governing Board discussion regarding adding $750,000 to this year’s already approved budget so the roof repairs can begin.

Church holds two services each Sunday at facility; Vote goes  4-1 to reopen with Chevalier dissenting

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board voted 4-1 to allow regular Sunday church services to be again held by the Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in its 1,100 seat Performing Arts Center.  The Church had been holding services on a regular Sunday basis until insurance liability issues caused the Community College to withdraw permission to use the facility. The College did not report on what it was charging the Church to use the facility every Sunday morning.

The voting came as the number of Covid-19 cases appears to be on the increase in Arizona. Community College President Lisa Rhine was given authority to reopen and to close the facility if health care guidelines in her judgment were not being followed or if other factors signaled to her that the facility should be shuttered for church use. She was given total discretion to act.

Board member Ray Sigafoos voted in favor of reopening saying in part that the Church was having a “hard time finding places to meet” and that a Church Board member had told him that the “maximum number of people who would be involved would be around 100 to 125.”

Board member Mitch Padilla said he did not have any difficulty  with reopening church services “as long as social distancing is adhered to and that there is a complete understanding that if it is not adhered to, that Dr. Rhine can pull the carpet” on it. 

Chair Deb McCasland observed that “people are getting Covid-19 in fewer numbers and recovery rates are improving.” She said that nationally in every age category “the recovery rate is over 99% ” for those  who had contracted Covid-19.  She also said that health measures, protocols and medicines have greatly increased.  “We know how to treat [Covid-19] now to be successful.  So I think we need to give this latitude to our president,”  she said.

Paul Chevalier, who dissented from decision to allow the church to reopen, said in part that allowing any indoor activity on the Verde Campus at this time is a “risky activity.”  He said the “virus scientists continually tell the public not to hold large gatherings, especially not indoors.  You should follow their advice.  They are the experts, we are not.”  He described various reported cases of Covid-19 infecting church goers in many parts of the country.  In several of those gatherings, it was reported that people who participated in them had died from Covid-19.  He remarked that in 18 counties in the United States that there were 19 outbreaks of Covid-19 due to church service so far this month.

You may view below an edited video prepared by the Blog that focuses on the Board discussion of allowing the Cornerstone church to reopen.  You may view a video of the entire meeting at the  Community College District Governing Board website.

First program was Sunday October 4; Encore performance this Thursday at 7 p.m.; several more Sunday concerts are being scheduled

Yavapai Community College will stream local music from the stage of Yavapai College Performing Arts Center every Sunday at 3:30 p.m.  The performances appear to have been previously recorded live and are then presented via video playback on Sunday. The first performance was this past  Sunday,  October 4. An encore performance of that concert will be streamed this Thursday at 7 p.m.  Sunday’s concert featured Arizona Philharmonic flutists Andrea Graves and Jeannette Moore and music ranging from Chopin to Debussy to opera, Broadway and more.

To view last Sunday’s  concert, viewers were directed to  go to Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/event/326378. The link went live thirty minutes before the concert began. For more information, including individual concert details, please contact the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center Box Office at (928) 776.2000 or visit YCPAC online at: www.ycpac.com. The Blog assumes the same link will be used for the Thursday encore performance, however, please check at www.ycpac.com.

Future programs include Internationally renowned concert pianist Benita Rose follows October 11, with a playlist of romantic classics. Quartet Sabaku – four talented AZ Phil and Arizona Opera Orchestra musicians – will play the music of Bach, Beethoven and Buenos Aires on the October 18 broadcast; then, Arizona Opera and Santa Fe Opera tenor Bille Bruley closes October with Ten Thousand Miles Away: A journey of song from Dowland to Broadway on October 25.

The second half of the Yavapai Live! series will be announced next month. But November and December will include artists from the Prescott POPS, dueling pianos, Brahms, a Christmas concert and music from Phantom of the Opera.

The College says that “You do not need to purchase tickets for these events but we invite you to use our Donate button to support the arts and specifically performing arts student scholarships with a generous donation.”