Welcome to the Concert:

Season Sponsors

• Lenz Arts
• Marianne’s Ice Cream
• Tom Ralston
• Danny Alvarez
• Chris Haltom Floors
• Michael and Lesley Tierra
• Teresa Green
• Leta Miller
• Sue Holt
• Mary Kelly

Welcome to the 40^th season of the Distinguished Artists Concert Series.

When the series first launched at Cabrillo College, John Orlando may not have known what a profound legacy he was creating. It is instructive to think of the social context of 1985 and the first series of concerts that took place that year.

Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union, ushering in a brief period of perestroika. Back to the Future was a big hit at the box office and the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes made its debut. You could buy a Cabbage Patch doll for about $25. Microsoft Windows 1.0 was released and Steve Jobs unveiled a new computer called the Apple Macintosh, a simple personal computer with a gizmo attached to it that became known as a mouse.

Meanwhile, at the Distinguished Concerts Series, $12 would get you two tickets at the door (just under half of a Cabbage Patch doll, and a little less than a tank of gas)!

A few of the corporate sponsors of that first year may still ring a bell with local audience members. Standout restaurant owners from places like the Shadowbrook, Manuel’s, Café Rio, and The Crow’s Nest paid for sponsorship ads in the first-year program booklet.  Another sponsor was a radio station named KUSP, the forerunner for today’s KSQD. The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County provided grant funds to support two of the concerts.

Isn’t it a telling sign that the backing of key business leaders and philanthropists came early and often for the Distinguished Artists Series? It is comforting that several notable institutions still provide their generous support.

Artistically, that first year featured the works of Mozart, Poulenc, Vaughn Williams, and Robert Schumann, to name a few. J.S. Bach’s chaconne was programmed alongside a Toccata and Fugue by the renowned American composer and musician Anthony Newman, written specially for John as a token of their friendship.  Additionally, there was an all-Latin music program highlighting the works of Albeniz, de Falla, and Mexican composer Manuel Ponce (performed at the First United Methodist Church in Watsonville and Mission San Juan Bautista). These musical highlights were coupled with lectures on modern music, culture, and history, with Cabrillo Historian Sandy Lydon stepping up to fill the seats with a lecture on San Juan Bautista during the period of Mexican rule over California.

There’s an old French saying… “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Such is the quality and integrity of the Distinguished Artists Music Series. The 40^th anniversary concerts promise to bring world renowned musicians to our region at the height of their artistry. That is a testament to John Orlando’s vision and dedication to this community.

I hope you’ll join me in extending congratulations to John for starting something special at Cabrillo College. Here’s to hoping we can celebrate 40 more standout years!

Dr. Matthew “Matt” Wetstein
Cabrillo College President/Superintendent

The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series

Established in 1985, The Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series (DACLS) is located in Aptos, California. The mission of DACLS is to bring together artists of international and local reputation, various musical and service organizations, educational institutions, and professional and ethnic groups in a variety of diverse and stimulating creative projects that reach a broad cross-section of the community. Our concerts in Santa Cruz are a fun and engaging way to expand your artistic horizons and to dive into the life of an artist or group of artists.

To date, the series has presented hundreds of performing artists, lecturers, and composers from around the globe at Peace United Church and other venues in Santa Cruz County. Our schedule of performers is constantly expanding and evolving to include new types of music from all over the world, providing classical music concerts in Santa Cruz that are both enlightening and fresh. The artistic and executive director of DACLS is Dr. John Orlando, D.M.A., music instructor emeritus from Cabrillo College.

If you’re interested in attending, visit our Home page for more information about upcoming shows and events. While you may recognize some of the names of the list and we encourage you to see your favorite artists, we also highly recommend seeing performances from unfamiliar artists and trying something new. The world of music is a vast one and our concerts in Santa Cruz is an excellent way to explore many facets of it.