The Listening Hour Event Program

The Listening Hour: Chris Shahin & The Ladyfingers Duo March 26, 2022

Welcome to The Listening Hour at Montalvo Arts Center!

The Listening Hour invites local performing artists to present musical work, from classical to contemporary, in a casual afternoon of performance and conversation.

These intimate showcases take place outdoors in the Spanish Courtyard or inside the historic Villa. Each event also includes moderated dialogue with the performers as they discuss their practice, musical influences, inspirations, and more.

Today's Performers The Lady Fingers Guitar Duo play the most inspired guitar music from around the world, including Spain, South America, Russia, Greece, and other countries.

Eugenia Teyelman and Melody Kingman met in 2014 and instantly clicked as a duo.

They have performed for Downtown San Jose's Noon Arts and Lectures series, Ainsley House Concert Series, South Bay Guitar Society fundraising events and festivals, SJG School of Music guitar nights, private parties, and public libraries in the San Jose area.

Both are highly accomplished musicians with decades of experience in the classical guitar realm. Melody Kingman is a full-time guitar instructor in greater San Jose area.

Eugenia, born in Russia, brings the Eastern European sensibility and authenticity to the the music. Both Eugenia and Melody are board members of the South Bay Guitar Society.

Learn more at ladyfingers.org.

Chris Shahin is a musician and teacher based in San Jose, California. Like many teenage boys, Chris grew up listening to the classic rock guitar heroes but always had an ear and love for jazz and instrumental music. Inspired by several friends, especially the late great Andy Mazzilli, he began to study classical guitar with Randy Osbourne and later studied with Jazz finger style master Tuck Andress. After graduating from San Jose State University with a BA in Music, Shahin realized he needed to pay the bills and began teaching music while playing and composing his own instrumental music.

He quickly realized that he loved teaching others how to play. He founded and runs The San Jose Guitar School of Music and he makes time for his own musical pursuits as a solo guitarist and with The Chris Shahin Project. He was featured in Guitar Player Magazine's spotlight column, and has performed his music on radio and television.

The Chris Shahin Band released two earlier albums, Left of Center (1999) and The Tenth Degree (1998). Chris released, Valencia in 2010 an all-acoustic guitar album with the quality accompaniment of Jemal Ramirez (drums and percussion), Ken Okada (upright bass) and Sally Dalke (violin) resulting in the album titled Valencia. In 2014 he released Sanctuary, a quiet and reflective album of original compositions. In 2020 Chris released Lifesong another all-original album of instrumentals.

He is currently working on 2 albums; one with a jazz trio as well album of waltzes titled "Waltz This Way”.

Chris Shahin - Guitars Ken Okada - Bass Rick Alegria - Drums Ellis Shahin- Vibraphone Special Thanks - John and Nora Shahin- Ultimate parents!

Learn more at chrisshahin.com.

Vitaly

Farewell Angelina

Carriage House Performing Arts Series Music, comedy, dance, storytelling, and more... there’s something for everyone in the Carriage House Performing Arts Series!

APRIL Pablo Cruise

Fri, Apr 8 • 7:30pm

Late Nite Catechism: Sister's Easter Catechism Sat, Apr 9 • 7:30pm

Roger McGuinn

Tue, Apr 12 • 7:30pm

Farewell Angelina Fri, Apr 15 • 7:30pm

Yakov Smirnoff

Fri, Apr 22 • 7:30pm

MAY Makana

Sat, May 7 • 7:30pm

Yesterday & Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience Fri, May 13 • 7:30pm

Selected Shorts

Sun, May 15 • 3pm & 7pm

JUNE Paula Poundstone Fri, Jun 3 • 7:30pm

see the full lineup and buy tickets at montalvoarts.org/ch

Makana

Upcoming Classes Garden-Inspired Floral Centerpiece Design MON, APR 4 • 5:30PM • $80 If you’ve admired a beautiful floral centerpiece and wondered if you could recreate that yourself, this flower design class is just the place to get started. Join floral designer Trang Vo as she guides you to create your very own gardeninspired centerpiece.

Trang will demonstrate the unique properties of floral arrangement through the elements of movement, texture, and soul. In this two-hour workshop, students will come away with new floral aesthetics, techniques, and ideas to continue the practice of floral design!

All floral materials and supplies will be included in this workshop.

Painting to Unwind WED, MAY 4 • 6PM • $65 In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, unwind, explore your feelings, and energize your soul through artistic expression in this relaxing painting class with instructor Haleh Mahbod.

You will learn techniques to make time for yourself and unblock your creative mind, including how to get started, how to choose colors to reflect your mood, how to create harmony through color and texture, and how to look critically at your painting to decide if it feels “done.”

Using a flower bouquet as the subject for this session (or you can bring your favorite floral or landscape photo), you will notice how your own feelings about the subject will emerge through your work as it progresses. The end result can be anything from a recreation of what you see to an abstract or impressionist expression—that’s up to you.

Great for all experience levels—just bring an open mind and a desire to relax through art!

register now at montalvoarts.org/edu

ArtSplash!

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 • 11AM-5PM • FREE RSVP! We are thrilled to announce we are once again hosting ArtSplash!, an invitation to the community to spend the day exploring Montalvo’s beautiful grounds and historic Villa and experiencing everything we have to offer!

This day-long festival and Open House will feature a variety of hands-on artmaking activities, guided hikes, and a property-wide scavenger hunt. Plus, there will be live performances throughout the day presented in partnership with Mosaic America, ending with an inspiring gospel concert in our outdoor theatre.

You can also enjoy delicious food from two local food trucks — The Waffle Roost and Angelica’s Taqueria — with tasty treats from Nox Cookie Bar.

Learn more at montalvoarts.org/artsplash

if you enjoyed today's performance...

Consider becoming a Montalvo donor! We are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage the public in the creative process. As a vibrant multidisciplinary arts center, we are a catalyst for exploring the arts, unleashing creativity, and advancing different cultural perspectives.

Being a nonprofit means we rely on donations from generous patrons like you to provide Silicon Valley with programs like The Listening Hour. Your support will go a long way towards helping sustain Montalvo’s vital place in this community and allowing us to continue serving cutting-edge arts education programs. To learn more about how your donation can impact Montalvo, visit montalvoarts.org/support.

15400 Montalvo Rd • Saratoga, CA • 95070 montalvoarts.org

@montalvoarts