Editorials

Youth musical staged 

Kairos Youth Choir’s last performance of “Pippi Longstocking” will be Saturday at 7 p.m. at Live Oak Theatre & Park, 1301 Shattuck Ave. 

The choir will present the world premiere of “Pippi Longstocking,” a musical comedy. It is raising funds for its upcoming concert tour of Scandinavia this August. 

Tickets are $8. For more information, call 559-6910. 

Poetry slam to be held 

The Berkeley Poetry Slam will be May 31 at 8:30 p.m. at Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck Ave., near Ashby. Sign-ups to compete for a slot on the San Francisco/Berkeley Team to compete at the Bay Area Finals begin at 7:45 p.m. Admission is $5 and prizes will be given for the top three scores. 

Local artists awarded 

The California Arts Council recently recognized and honored 38 exemplary Californians as recipients of the 1999-2000 Artist Fellowship Award for the Performing Arts. Two Berkeley residents were recipients and will receive $5,000 grants. 

Paul Dresher, an internationally active composer, was one recipient. Dresher pursues many forms of musical expression, including experimental opera and music theater, chamber and orchestral composition, live instrumental electro-acoustic chamber music performances and scored for theater, dance, and film. He recently completed two years as a Fellow in the Asia Pacific Performance Exchange at UCLA. 

David A Jaffe, Berkeley’s other recipient, holds a doctorate in musical arts from Stanford University and was the MacGeorge Fellow at Melbourne University. He has been a visiting composer at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Chanticleer, Rockefeller Visiting Composer in Buenos Aires, and the Chamber Music Conference and Composers’ Forum of the East. 

Established by the California Arts Council in 1987, the Artists Fellowship Program supports significant contributions made by California’s artists. Last year the Fellowship was awarded to 25 recipients, while it increased to 38 this year. The 11-member Council gives final approval for the applications received. The Arts Council promotes artistic awareness, participation, and expression in California. Its mission is to make available and accessible quality art reflecting all of California’s diverse cultures. 

– Daily Planet Staff