The annual traditional Kwanzaa celebration will be hosted by the Black Achievers of the J. F. Hurley Family YMCA , 828 Jake Alexander Blvd., 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30.
The community is invited to come out and celebrate the fifth principle (Nia) and day of Kwanzaa. A special performance will be presented by guest storyteller and African drummer, Obakunle Akinlana. Community talent will also be showcased.
Ethnic attire is encouraged. Authentic African cuisine will be available.
Limited non-food $15 vendor spaces are available. For reservations call 704-213-2799 or 704-636-2811.
Ring in 2009
The annual New Year’s Eve at the Bell Tower Park, at the corner of West Innes and South Jackson streets, begins at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
There will be live music by singer and guitarist Don Berg, refreshments, drawings to win Downtown Dollars (which can be spent at most downtown stores and restaurants) as well as a chance to be the first to ring the Bell Tower bells at the stroke of midnight.
For more information, call 704-637-7814.
Symphony auditions
The Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society will hold auditions in January for its substitute list.
Music Director David Hagy will hear auditions on Jan. 4, beginning at 2 p.m. in the music building of Catawba College.
All auditions will include a solo work or concerto movement of the player’s choice and sight-reading from the orchestral literature as well as these excerpts: (1) for Section Strings: Mozart’s Overture to Magic Flute, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, or any other excerpt of the player’s choice; (2) all other instruments: excerpts appropriate for your instrument.
For answers to questions about opportunities available, pay scale, schedule, or the audition repertoire, please e-mail Music Director David Hagy at dhagy@wfu.edu.
To schedule an audition time, musicians are invited to call the Symphony office at 704-637-4314.
More information about the Salisbury Symphony and its 2008-2009 season is available at www.salisburysymphony.org.
Youth orchestra
The Salisbury Youth Orchestra will hold auditions at Hoke Hall on the campus of Catawba College on Sunday, Jan. 4.
These informal meetings with the conductor, Ryan Peller, will be by appointment. Each musician should plan to bring a piece to play that showcases his/her abilities on the instrument.
There are openings for violin, viola, cello, string bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba and percussion. The symphony is open to all students age 10-18 who have had previous experience on their instruments.
Highlights for the season include a performance with the Salisbury Symphony in February, participation in the Music Festival at Carowinds and a concert in May.
The Salisbury Youth Orchestra is sponsored by the Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society Inc. and the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation Inc. Rehearsals are held on Sunday afternoons from 3-5 p.m., beginning on Jan. 11 in Hoke Hall. The cost for membership in the Youth Orchestra is $50 per semester. Need-based scholarships are available through the Symphony’s Positive Notes Program.
For more information, or to schedule an audition, please contact Education Director Susan Trivette at 704-637-4730 or e-mail her at strivett@catawba. edu.’Carousel’ auditions
Davie County Arts Council will hold auditions for their spring production of Rogers’ and Hammersteins’ Broadway musical “Carousel” from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, and Tuesday, Jan. 6.
There are parts for all ages. Those auditioning are asked to come prepared to sing a song, bringing their music with them, and to wear comfortable shoes. Call backs will held on Thursday, Jan. 8.There will be six performances of the production in March. For more information call 336-751-3112.
Music camp auditions
Representatives from Cannon Music Camp of Appalachian State University will be holding scholarship auditions for the 2009 camp session 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Jan. 10 at South Point High School in Belmont and Jan. 17 at East Mecklenberg High School, Charlotte. The dates for the camp are June 27-July 25.
For additional information, call 828-262-4091 or go to www.cannon.appstate.edu.
Heal your life
The next show in the Coffee News First Monday Night Film Series will be the movie version of Louise L. Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life,” being shown 7 p.m., Jan. 5 at the Looking Glass Artist Collective, 405 N. Lee St. Admission is free.
Hay’s book of the same title was first published in 1984, and to date has sold more than 35 million copies around the world. In it, Hay promotes that “what we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us” and that “when we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.”
The movie came out in 2007, and features Hay along with a number of well-known experts in the fields of self-help, philosophy, health and spirituality, giving their take on success, happiness and the many ways in which people can heal their own lives. The film has been described as entertaining and inspirational.An optional discussion time will follow the showing of the movie. For more information, call Sam Post, 704-232-0923.