Sedona News – The Sedona Symphony (formerly Verde Valley Sinfonietta) presents its third concert of the 2023-2024 season under the direction of Artistic Director, Janna Hymes. The concert features guest artist Ralph Skiano, performing Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 on Sunday, February 4 at 2:30 PM in the Sedona Performing Arts Center, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Rd. in Sedona. Debussy’s Petite Suite, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 round out the program. Ralph Skiano currently serves as Principal Clarinetist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra after serving in the same position…
Author: Tommy
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… a new year is in the process of rolling across the planet … no other creature on earth cares as it only marks the beginning of another day as earth wobbles its way around the sun … a marking point for sure and most importantly it is another chance to get it right. Now is all we have and that is not guaranteed either. We’ll start the year with a couple of Great Blue Herons … in the shot above our friend has struck and came up with a miss and below, the same story, but with a little…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory I’ve been playing with the idea of hurricanes as analogy. They appear to be composed of earth, air, fire and water. Within the infinite oceanic flow the hurricane coalesces. It is not different from earth, air, fire and water. It is composed of, and contingent on all four elements. Why fire? Hurricanes don’t form in cold water. I’m not well-versed in science, so reel out a little slack here. I’m just playing and letting it take me where it will. The known cannot take me to the unknown, so science isn’t quite so important to this…
By Mark TenBroek, January 1, 2024 As we enter the New Year of 2024 the Sedona economy seems to be doing well with Sales and Bed Taxes at almost record levels. So, what is not to like? A quick look at the growth of Sedona Lodging sales over the past 7 years since Arizona Senate Bill 1350 (SB 1350) was passed has shown dramatic growth of both the local economy and the use of Short-Term Rentals as evidenced by the attached graphic: While there has been significant growth of lodging overall, almost half of the total are sales from Short…
… and some of the best for last … and then there is me and Max. This photo was taken in September of 2019 when I was visiting Terra Haute, Indiana after visiting friends in Indianapolis. There is a life size sculpture of Max Ehrman on the corner of the crossroads where he used to be found writing on occasion. Max is probably known primarily for his prose poem Desiderata which was first published in 1927. Corky and I had the poem on the bulletin board at home probably going back to the early ’60s and always in the office.…
Sedona News – “Monday at the Museum” is a demonstration conducted every Monday. Please call for a current schedule. The Museum is always looking for participants who are willing to share their knowledge and skills. For details call 928-282-7038. January 15: Verde Valley Woodcarvers If you have a piece of wood and a wood carving knife, come to Monday at the Museum at Sedona Heritage Museum on Monday, January 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and join the Verde Valley Woodcarvers. Hundreds of people have tried their hand at carving with this group since its founding in 1997 by Norm…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “America’s Musical Journey” and “Into America’s Wild” showing Jan. 5-11 at the Alice Gill Sheldon and Mary D. Fisher Theatres. The two award-winning films will show in one package. https://youtu.be/i8IkSZXD998?si=R_qFXXHcDa9IFxWu AMERICA’S MUSICAL JOURNEY “America’s Musical Journey” celebrates the unique diversity of cultures and creative innovation that characterize America, as told through the story of its music. Narrated by legendary Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman, the film follows Grammy Award-nominated singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc as he traces the roots of America’s music, following…
Sedona News – The city of Sedona invites the community to learn and share their thoughts about the first draft of the 10-year update to the Community Plan at one of two community forums: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both events will be held at the Sedona Performing Arts Center at Sedona Red Rock High School at 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Rd. This is the community’s opportunity to see the Draft Plan, ask questions and provide feedback. The Draft Plan is based on extensive…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Four Daughters” showing Jan. 6-11 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon and Mary D. Fisher Theatres. “Four Daughters” has been shortlisted for two Academy Awards: Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUsu78a5phM A riveting exploration of rebellion, memory, and sisterhood, “Four Daughters” reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, unpacking a complex family history through intimate interviews and performance to examine how the Tunisian woman’s two eldest daughters were radicalized. Casting professional actresses as the missing eldest daughters Ghofrane and…
By Tommy Acosta — “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” – Ricardo Montalban as Kahn in the Wrath of Kahn, Star Treck 2. Sedona, AZ — And no colder dish of revenge can be served than the Israeli retaliation on Hamas and Palestine for the October 7th sneak attack on Israel. With the moral compass firmly on its side, Israel, because of that incredible act of stupidity and cruelty by Hamas, got the go ahead to devastate an entire nation in response to the killing of 1,200 plus Jews and the taking of more than 250 hostages. Setting a goal and…
Sedona, AZ — It’s a laidback weekend of acoustic guitar music at Sound Bites Grill this weekend featuring acoustic guitar finger-picking master Michael Lucarelli playing Friday & Saturday, Jan. 5 &6, from 6 to 9 p.m. On Friday he performs solo. On Saturday he performs with a trio. Beautiful lighting, a professional sound system and a New York City supper-club-ambiance, turn this upscale restaurant into the perfect venue to see and listen to talented musicians, up close and personal. Lucarelli is a finger-picking style guitarist with a great command of lyrical movement and artistic expression. He is known for his…
By Steve Segner Sedona-AZ–With the recent attack on Israel, I wanted to have a better understanding of the situation, particularly from the Muslim point of view. American media tends to take complicated world problems and try to make them fit; it is a 90-second sound bite. I found “Destiny Disrupted” by Ramim Ansary well-balanced and a great source on the history of the Ottoman Empire and the founding of Israel, along with “Lost Enlightenment” by S. Frederick Starr. The increase of Jewish refugees and immigrants in Palestine during the late 19th and early 20th centuries had a significant impact on…
… hoping that your Christmas celebration was as good or better than mine … it is a special time of year and a time to spend with family and friends. One topic came up at the table last night and that was “what was your favorite Christmas?” There are so many, but one I recalled was of getting a large set of building blocks for Christmas sometime in the mid ’40’s. We used them to build forts and also bomber planes with the big rectangular blocks and used the cylindrical smaller blocks as bombs … we would fly over the…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “A Father’s Promise” showing Jan. 5-11 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. Directed by Rick Korn and executive produced by Sheryl Crow, “A Father’s Promise” is a powerful and uplifting story of Mark Barden, a loving father and musician, who experiences immense grief when his son, Daniel, is murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary. https://youtu.be/OYYAM7H6dL0?si=8Iu262La9FqWfToi Mark lost all joy in music and makes a promise to his son and himself to become a powerful voice for change. Featuring musical performances by Mark Barden, Susan Tedeschi…
Sedona News – The city of Sedona will again accept Christmas trees for recycling from Dec. 28, 2023 through Jan. 31, 2024, Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the city’s maintenance yard located at 2070 Contractors Rd. Trees dropped off for recycling must be free of lights, tinsel, ornaments, nails, stands and plastic wrapping. Please do not bring yard debris. The trees will be offered to the U.S. Forest Service to be used as erosion control in the national forest and mulch will be available to the community at the maintenance yard on a first come,…