Hidden Valley Community Concert Association (HVCCA) emerges from the shadows in two weeks with a special performance by Vida Guitar Quartet at at the intimate 404-seat Center Theater California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
While it may be cliche to say something or someone is a best kept secret, facts on the musical grounds suggest Hidden Valley’s hidden community concert group, while venerable, also is highly under-publicized. It’s known to aficionados and cognoscenti, to be sure, but to the general public may be a bit confusing.
That’s surprising, especially since the group is celebrating its 70th anniversary this performing season.The non-profit 501(c3) organization exists to bring outstanding entertainment from around the U.S. and the world. It’s mission is “to provide the best performers at a reasonable cost and promote youth to attend concerts.”
Dennis Tomlinson, in his 14th year as HVCCA president was putting out the good word this week about the upcoming performance under HVCCA auspices of Vida Guitar Quarter, “a super-tight ensemble that sparkles with vitality and spontaneity,” he said. “They have exquisite tonal and dynamic control and unerring musical instinct.
A few other sound bites about the group that plays the big CCAE stage “There’s only one word for it: magic.” (Acoustic/Gramophone).
“Vida GQ conjures up an orchestral palette of color and effects performing English Dances (Arnold) Yiddish Dances (Gorb), Carmen Suite (Bizet), Rhapsody in Blue, music of Joaquin Turina and Maneul de Falla and more “that leaves their audience spell-bound,” Classic FM/The Herald-Tribune, Sarasota, Florida)
Memberships to the group start at $60 for adults with special family plans. Those include a reciprocity card so you can attend other concerts for free in many near-by cities and throughout the western United States. Nearby participating communities are Ramona, Hemet, Borrego Springs, Palm Springs, Laguna Woods, Fullerton and several others all over Southern and Northern California.
For more information visit: http://www.hiddenvalleyccaescondido.info/Membership_Form.html.
Theater at the California Center for the Arts, L-to-R: Hal Johnson, Dennis Tomlinson (Artistic Director), Eileen Menees, and Dorris Kingsbury.
Few records survive of Hidden Valley’s early years, except that it started out as the Philharmonic Artists Association (the Hidden Valley name came along in the mid-1970s).
Hidden Valley reached its cultural zenith in the mid-1960s, when conductor Zubin Mehta brought the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in the auditorium of the old Escondido High School.
In 2001, Hidden Valley was facing dissolution because the volunteer board was aging and no one wanted to serve as president. Board member Hal Johnson recruited Dennis Tomlinson, a father of four who serves as DJ for Escondido’s Cruisin’ Grand events.
“We have to make changes to survive,” Tomlinson said to Pam Kragen in 2013. “If we don’t do a few things differently, we’ll have zero dollars in the bank. People move, people die, season memberships change, but if we can spread awareness of what we do, then we will find a new audience.
As for the upcoming show:
TICKETS: Call the CCAE box office – 1-(800) 988-4253
or purchase online at www.artcenter.org
Adults: $30.00
Seniors(65+): $20.00
Children, Students & active-Military: $10.00
For questions and/or more information contact:
Dennis Tomlinson, President, HVCCA(760) 740-0619.
or call Jan_Hassler:_(760) 738-0469
Now you know, so go and enjoy the show. And the many shows to come.
