SMC Presents Jazz, Blues, Strings, and Vocal Concerts in May

The Santa Monica College Music Department is pleased to present seven spring concerts in May in The Broad Stage or The Edye at the SMC Performing Arts Center (Santa Monica Boulevard at 11th Street, Santa Monica). The concerts include a benefit performance to support SMC's acclaimed Applied Music Program.

The May concerts are:

• Friday, May 2 at 7 & 9 p.m. in The Edye: Spring Jazz Concerts: Jon Mayer, with Special Guest Gilbert Castellanos. Award-winning trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos joins pianist Jon Mayer for a not-to-be-missed performance of bop standards and originals. (Tickets are $10.)

• Thursday, May 8 at 11:15 a.m. in The Edye: A Day in the Blues. The band Terry Carter and The Tomcats-featuring virtuoso Steve Trovato on guitar, Terry Carter on guitar/vocals, Robbie Fontana on bass, and John Atkinson on drums-puts its twist on blues standards written and performed by legends such as Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Johnny Cash, and more! (FREE. Complimentary tickets are available at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.)

• Sunday, May 18 at 4 p.m. in The Edye: SMC Vocal Department Showcase, directed by Gail Gordon. SMC's advanced voice students perform classical, jazz, musical theatre, and contemporary commercial songs. (Tickets are $10.)

• Friday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in The Broad Stage: Benefit Concert for SMC Applied Music Program, co-directed by Keith Fiddmont and Dennis Parnell. This fantastic concert performed by SMC's gifted music students presents a wonderful opportunity to provide your support for the Applied Music Program, one of the distinctive programs of SMC's Music Department dedicated to fostering the development of outstanding instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers. (Tickets are $10.)

• Thursday, May 29 at 11:15 a.m. in The Edye: SMC Strings Program Concert, directed by Dr. Martine Verhoeven. The program features a light concert of delightful musical selections performed by SMC string students. (FREE. Complimentary tickets are available at the SMC Music Office in Room 211 of the Performing Arts Center.)

• Friday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. in The Broad Stage: SMC Jazz Vocal Ensemble, directed by Ian Brekke. SMC's award-winning jazz vocal ensemble, backed by LA-area jazz musicians, blends its voices in a program of jazz repertoire specifically arranged for four-part harmony. (Tickets are $10.)

• Saturday, May 31 at 2 & 4 p.m. in The Edye: SMC Chamber Choir Concert: "From the Ridiculous to the Sublime," directed by William Belan. A program of pairings of compositions by noted composers offering both the sacred and the profane sides of their imagination features Mozart's Marian anthem, Regina Coeli. (Tickets are $10.)

For tickets and information, please go to http://www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or call (310) 434-3005 or (310) 434-4323.