Join us for our monthly literary open mic night! Bring an original story to share or come and listen to stories told by your community members.

Storytelling

Prose

Recitations

all told in 7 minutes max

Please join us to share your original work. We will randomly select 7 (willing) audience members to read or recite their work. We want YOU!

$10/$5 for OCA members. Pay @ door. Beer/wine/refreshments available.

Join us for a fun night of your favorite funky tunes performed live by one of the Bay Area’s hottest bands!

Ariel Marin, James Earley and friends return for an evening of funky grooves, groovy funk and everything you need to get your dance on!

Tickets are $25, $10 for OCA members.

Limited seating. Doors open at 7 PM.

 We invite all to a fascinating afternoon with Diana and Brian who will explore through the respective lenses of astrology and poetry, valuable insights offered by both myth and archetype, for better clarity and resilience in today’s tumultuous world.

 This event features Author and Astrologer Diana Badger discussing her book "Dance of the Archetypes: How Astrology Informs our Lives and Connects Us to the Earth", and Author/Poet/Storyteller Brian R. Martens with his book, "Merlin’s Wing", Mythic Poems. 

This event is free, all donations gratefully invited. Selected readings from each presenter, a storytelling with Brian, then Q&A, book sales & signing. Refreshments for sale. OCA’s facilities are accessible to people with disabilities.

Dance of the Archetypes by Diana Badger

Whether you’re new to astrology or already immersed in its symbolism, Dance of the Archetypes illuminates the zodiac in a refreshingly accessible way. With grounded wisdom, Diana connects planetary cycles to the Earth we depend on, our emotional lives, and our healing. This is a beautifully integrative guide for readers seeking relevance, connection, and purpose in rapidly changing times, brought to life by the author’s own striking photographs.

For the past 20 years, Diana Badger has woven together parallel careers as a counseling astrologer and a writer/editor, while pursuing an ongoing commitment to inner work and spiritual practice. Rooted in a reverence for the natural world and informed by multiple wisdom traditions, Diana’s work reflects a lifelong inquiry into the relationship between psyche, cosmos, and Earth. She currently devotes her time to her Earth Sky Journal podcast/writing, her astrology practice, tending of her garden, and adventures in local community.

Merlin’s Wing by Brian Martens

This collection of poems is concerned with the “Human Condition” : Awareness, Transformation, and Deep Intuition. His poetry resonates with yearning, humor and intelligence in which he expresses his love and admiration for the first people, the ancestors, animal, human and plant. He asks these voices to speak through him in symbols, rhythms and revelations to reveal the deep beauty, tragedy, and unknowable mystery that surrounds him.

Brian R. Martens is an abstract Artist, Poet, Author, Creativity Facilitator, International Speaker, Myth Maker, CA Poets in the Schools Instructor, Podcaster, and Storyteller. Brian weaves poetry, myth, and reflection into all his storytelling. His first book, Three Raven Gate, is a collection of haiku, the form he learned from his work with Angeles Arrien Ph.D., a cross-cultural anthropologist, over the course of seven years. Brian seeks to inspire and motivate people, with articles, podcasts, creativity workshops, and poetry to recognize their own deep creative spirit and to express that to the world.

Regenerative Ayurvedic Yoga with Tirza Dawn

Come, step onto your mat with an open heart and an open mind.

Invest in your self care and join us for morning yoga in the OCA studio. $20 per class, $15 for OCA members. Yoga is offered Mondays from 10-11:10 AM and also on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:40 AM. The registration below is for Mondays.

Pay at the door for a-la-carte sessions or use the links below to pay ahead for four weeks at a time.

Tirza Dawn Naramore is a yogi, mother, artist, ceremonialist and lover of life.  She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 30 years and offers yoga retreats and trainings that center on optimum health, self realization and self love.  Her teachers are from many yoga and tantric traditions, but her primary lineages are Iyengar and Kali Ray.

Tirza is deeply devoted to community building and is honored to have created a number of community supported non profits including Mystic Family Circus and The AWAKEN Project, which serves families with children on the autism spectrum.  Tirza is proud to be the mother of 3 wild teenagers, including her incredible son who is diagnosed with autism.

Tirza’s spirituality is one of many influences and teachings. Beginning with a Christian up-bringing and being raised on a Christian commune in her early childhood, she later expanded into more earth-based ways. While in her 20’s Tirza was adopted into the Native American Church, where she learned from her relatives a way of living the “Beauty Way.”

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Tirza lived in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, directing the Mystic Family Circus, which was a performance group dedicated to cultural awareness and bridge building. She worked with Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, Reclaiming, Contraband, CELLspace and other Bay Area art collectives and non profits to provide conscious entertainment and “prayerformances” for the betterment of humankind and the planet.

In 2012, Tirza helped to found the Buckeye Gathering, an ancestral skills gathering in Northern California which draws teachers and students of all ages to learn ancestral ways of tending the earth and survival skills.

Tirza Dawn was the founder of yoga programming and the Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Trainings at the dhyana Center of Ayurveda in Sebastopol, California, which operated a community center of healing and education from 2010 to 2020.

Regenerative Ayurvedic Yoga with Tirza Dawn

Come, step onto your mat with an open heart and an open mind.

Invest in your self care and join us for morning yoga in the OCA studio. $20 per class, $15 for OCA members. Yoga is offered Mondays from 10-11:10 AM and also on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:40 AM. The registration below is for Mondays.

Pay at the door for a-la-carte sessions or use the links below to pay ahead for four weeks at a time.

Tirza Dawn Naramore is a yogi, mother, artist, ceremonialist and lover of life.  She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 30 years and offers yoga retreats and trainings that center on optimum health, self realization and self love.  Her teachers are from many yoga and tantric traditions, but her primary lineages are Iyengar and Kali Ray.

Tirza is deeply devoted to community building and is honored to have created a number of community supported non profits including Mystic Family Circus and The AWAKEN Project, which serves families with children on the autism spectrum.  Tirza is proud to be the mother of 3 wild teenagers, including her incredible son who is diagnosed with autism.

Tirza’s spirituality is one of many influences and teachings. Beginning with a Christian up-bringing and being raised on a Christian commune in her early childhood, she later expanded into more earth-based ways. While in her 20’s Tirza was adopted into the Native American Church, where she learned from her relatives a way of living the “Beauty Way.”

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Tirza lived in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, directing the Mystic Family Circus, which was a performance group dedicated to cultural awareness and bridge building. She worked with Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, Reclaiming, Contraband, CELLspace and other Bay Area art collectives and non profits to provide conscious entertainment and “prayerformances” for the betterment of humankind and the planet.

In 2012, Tirza helped to found the Buckeye Gathering, an ancestral skills gathering in Northern California which draws teachers and students of all ages to learn ancestral ways of tending the earth and survival skills.

Tirza Dawn was the founder of yoga programming and the Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Trainings at the dhyana Center of Ayurveda in Sebastopol, California, which operated a community center of healing and education from 2010 to 2020.

Percolations is an on-going generative writing group... guided writing in a supportive environment, on the third Wednesday of each month.

No experience necessary. Please bring pen, paper and a willingness to share and listen. Facilitated by Jessica Morell and Julie Geiseke. Pay at door, $15/$10 for OCA members. Cash, Venmo, and cards accepted.

Meets third Thursday of each month, 4-6 PM in the auditorium. Contact Jerri Miller for info.

Our Karaoke night is taking a break in September for the Occidental Jazz Festival.
We’ll resume Karaoke night on Friday October 16th.

Nina Gerber and Chris Webster perform in the OCA Amphitheater.

Tickets are $35, $30 for OCA members. This show is expected to sell out, get tickets early!

Online sales end one hour before show starts (if not already sold out). Doors open at 2:30 PM. Bring your own seat cushion or low-backed chair. No outside food/drink (water OK). Waitlist will be available when show is sold out.

Regenerative Ayurvedic Yoga with Tirza Dawn

Come, step onto your mat with an open heart and an open mind.

Invest in your self care and join us for morning yoga in the OCA studio. $20 per class, $15 for OCA members. Yoga is offered Mondays from 10-11:10 AM and also on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:40 AM. The registration below is for Mondays.

Pay at the door for a-la-carte sessions or use the links below to pay ahead for four weeks at a time.

Tirza Dawn Naramore is a yogi, mother, artist, ceremonialist and lover of life.  She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 30 years and offers yoga retreats and trainings that center on optimum health, self realization and self love.  Her teachers are from many yoga and tantric traditions, but her primary lineages are Iyengar and Kali Ray.

Tirza is deeply devoted to community building and is honored to have created a number of community supported non profits including Mystic Family Circus and The AWAKEN Project, which serves families with children on the autism spectrum.  Tirza is proud to be the mother of 3 wild teenagers, including her incredible son who is diagnosed with autism.

Tirza’s spirituality is one of many influences and teachings. Beginning with a Christian up-bringing and being raised on a Christian commune in her early childhood, she later expanded into more earth-based ways. While in her 20’s Tirza was adopted into the Native American Church, where she learned from her relatives a way of living the “Beauty Way.”

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Tirza lived in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, directing the Mystic Family Circus, which was a performance group dedicated to cultural awareness and bridge building. She worked with Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, Reclaiming, Contraband, CELLspace and other Bay Area art collectives and non profits to provide conscious entertainment and “prayerformances” for the betterment of humankind and the planet.

In 2012, Tirza helped to found the Buckeye Gathering, an ancestral skills gathering in Northern California which draws teachers and students of all ages to learn ancestral ways of tending the earth and survival skills.

Tirza Dawn was the founder of yoga programming and the Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Trainings at the dhyana Center of Ayurveda in Sebastopol, California, which operated a community center of healing and education from 2010 to 2020.

2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 2-4 pm in the OCA Lobby

Interested in learning, sharing and reading short plays? Readers Theatre is a fun opportunity to express yourself.

Readers Theatre participants read scripts adapted from literature, while the ‘audience’ pictures the action by hearing the script being read aloud. It requires no sets, costumes, props, or memorized lines. Instead of acting literature as in a play, the performer’s goal is to read a script aloud effectively, enabling the audience to visualize the action. Performers bring the text alive by using voice, facial expressions, and some gestures. $15 participation fee, $10 for OCA members.

Alternating READER’S CHOICE nights: Can be play, poetry, story, essay, your own writing, OR ??????

For more information, email Joan Ambrosini, coordinator .

Regenerative Ayurvedic Yoga with Tirza Dawn

Come, step onto your mat with an open heart and an open mind.

Invest in your self care and join us for morning yoga in the OCA studio. $20 per class, $15 for OCA members. Yoga is offered Mondays from 10-11:10 AM and also on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:40 AM. The registration below is for Mondays.

Pay at the door for a-la-carte sessions or use the links below to pay ahead for four weeks at a time.

Tirza Dawn Naramore is a yogi, mother, artist, ceremonialist and lover of life.  She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 30 years and offers yoga retreats and trainings that center on optimum health, self realization and self love.  Her teachers are from many yoga and tantric traditions, but her primary lineages are Iyengar and Kali Ray.

Tirza is deeply devoted to community building and is honored to have created a number of community supported non profits including Mystic Family Circus and The AWAKEN Project, which serves families with children on the autism spectrum.  Tirza is proud to be the mother of 3 wild teenagers, including her incredible son who is diagnosed with autism.

Tirza’s spirituality is one of many influences and teachings. Beginning with a Christian up-bringing and being raised on a Christian commune in her early childhood, she later expanded into more earth-based ways. While in her 20’s Tirza was adopted into the Native American Church, where she learned from her relatives a way of living the “Beauty Way.”

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Tirza lived in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, directing the Mystic Family Circus, which was a performance group dedicated to cultural awareness and bridge building. She worked with Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, Reclaiming, Contraband, CELLspace and other Bay Area art collectives and non profits to provide conscious entertainment and “prayerformances” for the betterment of humankind and the planet.

In 2012, Tirza helped to found the Buckeye Gathering, an ancestral skills gathering in Northern California which draws teachers and students of all ages to learn ancestral ways of tending the earth and survival skills.

Tirza Dawn was the founder of yoga programming and the Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Trainings at the dhyana Center of Ayurveda in Sebastopol, California, which operated a community center of healing and education from 2010 to 2020.

Acorn MusEcology Project is proud to present the Northern California premiere of Alex Berko's Sacred Place, an immersive exploration of ecological spirituality set to the words of Wendell Berry, John Muir, William Stafford, and Rabindranath Tagore. Acorn's 27-voice ensemble will be joined by violin, cello, and piano to offer up this song cycle of reverential texts within a richly-layered soundscape. Additional original music by co-directors Sarah Dupre and Robin Eschner includes a new setting of poetry by the late Steve Fowler, co-founder of the Sebastopol Peace Garden, soil ecologist, and community builder. Acorn composer Chris Smith will usher listeners into the alchemical mysteries of human composting. Joni Mitchell, Moira Smiley, and other master songsmiths round out the program. With Acorn's signature approach to melding rich vocal harmony with the values of deep ecology, this concert will invite reflection on our place and purpose on the Earth, and on the wild intelligence speaking to us from beneath our feet.

"The earth says have a place; be what that place requires; hear the sound the birds imply and see as deep as ridges go behind each other...Listening, I think that’s what the earth says."  – William Stafford.

Transform Your Memories into Meaningful Narrative

A Writing Retreat in Beautiful West County 

Ready to tell your story? Your memories are waiting to become literature.

Discover the power of your personal story and learn to craft it with authenticity, depth, and literary grace.

Workshop Overview

Join us for an immersive memoir writing experience designed to help you uncover, shape, and share the stories that have defined your life. Whether you're a complete beginner or have been writing for years, this workshop will provide you with the tools and confidence to transform your memories into compelling prose.

What You will Learn: 

• Memory Mining Techniques: Discover how to access and explore your most meaningful experiences

• Narrative Structure: Master the art of organizing your life events into engaging storylines

• Voice & Perspective: Develop your unique authorial voice and choose the right point of view

• Scene Construction: Learn to craft vivid, cinematic scenes that bring your memories to life

• Truth vs. Accuracy: Navigate the ethical and creative considerations of memoir writing

• Character Development: Portray yourself and others with complexity and compassion

• Revision Strategies: Polish your work through effective editing techniques

Workshop fee is $147, $127 for OCA members. This workshop is limited to 8 participants and will be held in the OCA Studio.

Workshop Format

• Duration: One Saturday ( 4 hours total).

• Class Size: Limited to 8 participants for personalized attention

• Format: Interactive sessions combining instruction, writing exercises, and peer feedback

• Materials Provided: Writing prompts, handouts, and recommended reading list

Who Should Attend

• Aspiring memoir writers at any experience level

• Anyone interested in preserving family history

• Writers looking to explore personal narrative

• Individuals seeking therapeutic writing experiences

• Those curious about the memoir genre

What to Bring

• Notebook and writing materials

• Open mind and willingness to share (in a supportive environment)

• No previous writing experience necessary

Led By

Alaura O’Dell MFA, an experienced memoir author and writing instructor, will guide you through each step of the creative process with warmth, expertise, and encouragement. Alaura has guest lectured at Santa Rosa Junior College, Marin College and Sonoma State University. O’Dell is currently working on a memoir, which has attracted an international publisher. For over 30 years she has lead women’s workshops and classes, including with her company, Sacred Journeys for Women, facilitating retreats to sacred sites around the world. 

Bonnie Brooks performs songs from her latest album “Seasons of the Soul” backed by a stellar band of musicians. Join us for an evening of soulful and inspiring music from this Sonoma County songstress!

Tickets are $25, $20 for OCA members. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Acorn MusEcology Project is proud to present the Northern California premiere of Alex Berko's Sacred Place, an immersive exploration of ecological spirituality set to the words of Wendell Berry, John Muir, William Stafford, and Rabindranath Tagore. Acorn's 27-voice ensemble will be joined by violin, cello, and piano to offer up this song cycle of reverential texts within a richly-layered soundscape. Additional original music by co-directors Sarah Dupre and Robin Eschner includes a new setting of poetry by the late Steve Fowler, co-founder of the Sebastopol Peace Garden, soil ecologist, and community builder. Acorn composer Chris Smith will usher listeners into the alchemical mysteries of human composting. Joni Mitchell, Moira Smiley, and other master songsmiths round out the program. With Acorn's signature approach to melding rich vocal harmony with the values of deep ecology, this concert will invite reflection on our place and purpose on the Earth, and on the wild intelligence speaking to us from beneath our feet.

"The earth says have a place; be what that place requires; hear the sound the birds imply and see as deep as ridges go behind each other...Listening, I think that’s what the earth says."  – William Stafford.

Regenerative Ayurvedic Yoga with Tirza Dawn

Come, step onto your mat with an open heart and an open mind.

Invest in your self care and join us for morning yoga in the OCA studio. $20 per class, $15 for OCA members. Yoga is offered Mondays from 10-11:10 AM and also on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:40 AM. The registration below is for Mondays.

Pay at the door for a-la-carte sessions or use the links below to pay ahead for four weeks at a time.

Tirza Dawn Naramore is a yogi, mother, artist, ceremonialist and lover of life.  She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 30 years and offers yoga retreats and trainings that center on optimum health, self realization and self love.  Her teachers are from many yoga and tantric traditions, but her primary lineages are Iyengar and Kali Ray.

Tirza is deeply devoted to community building and is honored to have created a number of community supported non profits including Mystic Family Circus and The AWAKEN Project, which serves families with children on the autism spectrum.  Tirza is proud to be the mother of 3 wild teenagers, including her incredible son who is diagnosed with autism.

Tirza’s spirituality is one of many influences and teachings. Beginning with a Christian up-bringing and being raised on a Christian commune in her early childhood, she later expanded into more earth-based ways. While in her 20’s Tirza was adopted into the Native American Church, where she learned from her relatives a way of living the “Beauty Way.”

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Tirza lived in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, directing the Mystic Family Circus, which was a performance group dedicated to cultural awareness and bridge building. She worked with Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, Reclaiming, Contraband, CELLspace and other Bay Area art collectives and non profits to provide conscious entertainment and “prayerformances” for the betterment of humankind and the planet.

In 2012, Tirza helped to found the Buckeye Gathering, an ancestral skills gathering in Northern California which draws teachers and students of all ages to learn ancestral ways of tending the earth and survival skills.

Tirza Dawn was the founder of yoga programming and the Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Trainings at the dhyana Center of Ayurveda in Sebastopol, California, which operated a community center of healing and education from 2010 to 2020.

Regenerative Ayurvedic Yoga with Tirza Dawn

Come, step onto your mat with an open heart and an open mind.

Invest in your self care and join us for morning yoga in the OCA studio. $20 per class, $15 for OCA members. Yoga is offered Mondays from 10-11:10 AM and also on Wednesdays from 8:30-9:40 AM. The registration below is for Mondays.

Pay at the door for a-la-carte sessions or use the links below to pay ahead for four weeks at a time.

Tirza Dawn Naramore is a yogi, mother, artist, ceremonialist and lover of life.  She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 30 years and offers yoga retreats and trainings that center on optimum health, self realization and self love.  Her teachers are from many yoga and tantric traditions, but her primary lineages are Iyengar and Kali Ray.

Tirza is deeply devoted to community building and is honored to have created a number of community supported non profits including Mystic Family Circus and The AWAKEN Project, which serves families with children on the autism spectrum.  Tirza is proud to be the mother of 3 wild teenagers, including her incredible son who is diagnosed with autism.

Tirza’s spirituality is one of many influences and teachings. Beginning with a Christian up-bringing and being raised on a Christian commune in her early childhood, she later expanded into more earth-based ways. While in her 20’s Tirza was adopted into the Native American Church, where she learned from her relatives a way of living the “Beauty Way.”

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Tirza lived in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, directing the Mystic Family Circus, which was a performance group dedicated to cultural awareness and bridge building. She worked with Cirque du Soleil, Burning Man, Reclaiming, Contraband, CELLspace and other Bay Area art collectives and non profits to provide conscious entertainment and “prayerformances” for the betterment of humankind and the planet.

In 2012, Tirza helped to found the Buckeye Gathering, an ancestral skills gathering in Northern California which draws teachers and students of all ages to learn ancestral ways of tending the earth and survival skills.

Tirza Dawn was the founder of yoga programming and the Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Trainings at the dhyana Center of Ayurveda in Sebastopol, California, which operated a community center of healing and education from 2010 to 2020.

OCA is proud to present “Poets Meet Artists”, a collaboration where artists and poets work together to create a mutual celebration of both media. Poets honor visual artists by writing a poem to interpret their art, and artists created a piece of art to interpret a poem. Join us as we celebrate this special connection between poetry and art at our reception on Saturday, October 3rd where you’ll enjoy selected readings by the poets and the exhibit of paired works.

Poets and Artists included in this exhibit:

Suze Cohan

Marylu Downing

Andrea van Dyke

Sarah Dupre

Patrick Fanning

Steve Fowler

Elizabeth Herron

Rich Levin

Diane masura

Jessica Morell

Su Mcmurtry

Lesley Pickford

Elise Loveday Brown

Darcy Reinier

Oak Reinier

Di Starr

Judith Kinsey

Carol Swanson

Beth Anderson

Vesta Copestakes

John James

Saroj Heron

Emilie Munsch

David Brown

Diane Knopf

Laura Lake

Linda Kammer

Megan Enright

Barb Lawson

Experience the bright, shimmering sound of strings in harmony as the Gravenstein Mandolin Ensemble takes the stage at Occidental Center for the Arts. This talented local ensemble brings together mandolins, mandolas, mandocello, and guitar for a lively musical journey spanning folk traditions, classical favorites, contemporary arrangements, and melodies from around the world.

With the mandolin family’s distinctive blend of warmth, sparkle, and rhythmic energy, the ensemble creates a sound that is both intimate and wonderfully full. Join us for an afternoon of beautiful music, community, and the irresistible charm of many mandolins making music together!

The Gravenstein Mandolin Ensemble was formed in 2006 in Sebastopol, California, a town famous for its Gravenstein apples.  With humble beginnings, the six original members grew to its present size of fifteen, including the entire mandolin family: mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, with additional support from guitar and bass. The repertoire includes music from the Classical Era to the most contemporary works for modern mandolins; the geographical range includes music from Italy, Spain, Germany, Eastern Europe as well as Latin America.  Smaller groups, or “breakout” ensembles, often perform a variety of music, including Bluegrass, Celtic, Choro, and more. The GME has performed at the Green Center at Sonoma State University, the San Francisco Mandolin Festival and numerous venues through the North Bay Area.  In 2018, the GME co-hosted  the national convention of the Classical Mandolin Association of America, held in Santa Rosa.

John Metras, Music Director

Gus Garelick,  Concertmaster

First Mandolins:

Ed Hance

Dana Trillo

Second Mandolins:

Chris Eccles

Bob Baeyen

Eddie Guthman

Rich Nosker

Ella Smith

Mandolas:

Dan Baron

Dave Cohen

Jan Kahdeman

Mandocellos:

Rhonda Berney

Jan Hansen

Guitar:

John Metras

Bass:

Dorian Bartley

Bring your instrument down to OCA for our Bluegrass Jam Session!

Led by multi-instrumentalist David Pascoe, our monthly jam session is held on the first Tuesday of each month. We’ll meet in the OCA studio and take turns leading/choosing songs. Guaranteed to be a great time for all! $5 donation requested of participants. BYOB.

See you at the jam!

Join us for our monthly literary open mic night! Bring an original story to share or come and listen to stories told by your community members.

Storytelling

Prose

Recitations

all told in 7 minutes max

Please join us to share your original work. We will randomly select 7 (willing) audience members to read or recite their work. We want YOU!

$10/$5 for OCA members. Pay @ door. Beer/wine/refreshments available.

Please join us for a special event celebrating our 20th Anniversary and honoring Patrick Fanning with the Harmony Award!

Special musical guests and performers will entertain us at this fun event.

Admission to this event is offered on a sliding (pay what you can) scale basis.

The Harmony Award was created in 2025 to honor community members who have demonstrated their dedication to OCA, supporting the arts, and supporting their community. We are honored to present the 2026 award to Patrick Fanning.

David Luning returns to OCA for a special tribute celebrating John Prine's birthday. David will be joined by musical colleagues Jason Crosby, Ben Dubin and Victoria George.

Tickets are $35, $30 for OCA members.

This show will take place in our auditorium. Doors open at 5:30 PM.

David Luning knew at a young age the path his life should take. Throughout generations, troubadours and singers have harnessed the cultural landscape and passed it along, with the likes of John Prine and Townes Van Zandt paving the way with the telling of their stories. Following in those footsteps, the 29-year-old Sonoma County singer/songwriter's new record is the product of a massive turn in his life and taps into that cultural archive. Listening to ‘Souvenirs’ by John Prine, was a cornerstone moment, compelling Luning to leave Berklee College and follow in the tradition of these iconic troubadours.

2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 2-4 pm in the OCA Lobby

Interested in learning, sharing and reading short plays? Readers Theatre is a fun opportunity to express yourself.

Readers Theatre participants read scripts adapted from literature, while the ‘audience’ pictures the action by hearing the script being read aloud. It requires no sets, costumes, props, or memorized lines. Instead of acting literature as in a play, the performer’s goal is to read a script aloud effectively, enabling the audience to visualize the action. Performers bring the text alive by using voice, facial expressions, and some gestures. $15 participation fee, $10 for OCA members.

Alternating READER’S CHOICE nights: Can be play, poetry, story, essay, your own writing, OR ??????

For more information, email Joan Ambrosini, coordinator .

Rest & Renew at our Sound Bath!

Support your nervous system, release anxiety and stress, and harmonize your body, mind and spirit on the 2nd Tuesday of every month! Laura Benson has a Masters in Intuition Medicine(R) and is a certified sound healer who will guide you through a gentle meditation before each sound bath session. Bring your own yoga mat & blanket and come ready to rest and renew! In the OCA Studio.

Sliding scale pricing $25-$35.

A sound bath is a whole-body, immersive listening experience. During a sound bath, participants often sit or lie down, and are surrounded by the mostly non-melodic soundscapes created by a range of instruments played by the sound bath facilitator. Hence, they are “bathed” in sound.

Sound therapy is a non-invasive healing modality that utilizes the physical and physiological interactions of sound on our bodies and nervous systems to produce therapeutic results. In a sound healing session, specific sonic frequencies are used to soothe the central nervous system, calm the breath, and quiet the mind by encouraging the brain to move into more relaxed states, down from beta (fight-or-flight) and into theta and alpha waves. This increases present-moment awareness and reduces stress and anxiety. Sound baths have been found to be effective in improving mood, cognitive function, and overall mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

Crystal bowl sound baths are particularly powerful in that each bowl is tuned to a specific frequency that corresponds with a different chakra, or energy center, of the body. Based on specific needs, a practitioner can focus on releasing tension or clearing out stuck energy in specific chakras by playing certain bowls or intervals. 

While attending a sound bath, you may experience physical sensations brought out by the crystal sound bowls or gong, such as tingling in your limbs or scalp, slowing of your breathing, eye flutters, or small muscle spasms. Not to worry! These sensations often indicate the release of tension or emotional energy stored in the body’s energy systems.

Meets third Thursday of each month, 4-6 PM in the auditorium. Contact Jerri Miller for info.

Join us each month on the third Friday for a fun night of Karaoke! Come and sing or just enjoy the music and our community. Hosted by Jeffrey Seligson and Kevin Murphy.

Free event.

Nathan Stanley Band and Mission Blue honor the King of Mountain Soul

Join us for a musical tribute to the one and only Dr. Ralph Stanley!

Local bluegrass favorites Mission Blue open for the touring Nathan Stanley Band. Yes- Nathan is Ralph Stanley's grandson! Don't miss this incredible evening of unforgettable harmonies and picking from the legendary musical catalog of Ralph Stanley.

Tickets are $30 GA, $25 for OCA members. Online sales end at 6PM day of show or when sold out. This event will be held indoors. ADA seating available, please email info@occidentalcenterforthearts.org to arrange. Beer, wine, refreshments available. Art gallery open during intermission.

Legendary American bluegrass artist, Dr. Ralph Edmund Stanley, was internationally known for his unique, innovative style of singing and banjo playing. In 1976, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from Lincoln Memorial University, spawning the popular title “Dr. Ralph Stanley.” He was inducted into the International Music Hall of Honor in 1992, and the Grand Ole Opry in 2000, the same year in which his work was featured in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? - for which he won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

After considering retirement and even scheduling a farewell tour in 2014, Ralph Stanley later announced a welcome decision to continue gracing the country with his beloved, signature style of music.

On June 23, 2016, Dr. Ralph Stanley passed away while battling complications from skin cancer. He will forever be remembered in the hearts and minds of his family and fans, and his legend lives on through his music, which will inspire generations of artists to come.

Read more about Dr. Ralph Stanley here.

Nathan Stanley is the grandson of Bluegrass Music Icon Dr. Ralph Stanley and is no exception to the family tradition. Having garnered several charting singles in Inspirational Country Music and Southern Gospel Music, Nathan has come front and center as a music Evangelist.

Through decades of performing—spanning the U.S. and international tours—Nathan has achieved numerous milestones. In 2006, he performed for the Queen of England, and in 2011, his single “White Dove” (featuring Vince Gill) reached #1 on the Inspirational country music charts. That same year, his album “My Kind of Country” was named Classic Country Album of the Year by the National Traditional Country Music Association.

Read more about Nathan Stanley.

Mission Blue has quickly become one of Sonoma County's most beloved bluegrass bands, delivering their special brand of rhythm, instrumental craft, and harmony singing. A deep well of tradition informs Mission Blue’s sets – one can expect songs from the The Stanley Brothers, Larry Sparks, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Mac Martin and Red Allen, as well as bluegrass innovators such as J.D. Crowe and The New South, Hot Rize, Southern Blend and The Johnson Mountain Boys. They also salt each set with reinterpretations of country hits, folk songs and ballads. Based in Sonoma County, their traditional 5-piece format features Dana Frankel on fiddle, AJ Frankel on guitar, Sam Reed on banjo, David Thiessen on mandolin, and Tom Sours on bass fiddle.

Read more about Mission Blue.

OCA members: Join us for a volunteer recruitment event where you’ll meet other volunteers and OCA leaders, learn about the many ways to help OCA, and special perks available to our volunteer team members. There’ll be refreshments and raffle prizes too!

Fill out our volunteer application to get started or just come to the event and learn more. Our volunteer page also gives more detail on ways to get involved.

Free event. RSVP by email to info@occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Step into the enchanting world of Patrick Ball, one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world and a captivating storyteller whose performances weave music, legend, wit, and wonder into an unforgettable experience.

With the crystalline beauty of the Celtic harp as his musical voice, Ball brings ancient Irish tales and timeless melodies vividly to life, transporting audiences to a world of heroes and dreamers, mystery and mischief, heartbreak and humor. His masterful playing and gift for storytelling create an evening that is at once intimate, magical, and deeply human.

Join us at Occidental Center for the Arts for a spellbinding journey through the music and stories of Ireland with a true master of the tradition.

Tickets are $35, $30 for OCA members. Doors open at 6:30 PM, refreshments available. Art gallery open during event.

About Patrick Ball:

Whether in the stronghold of a Galway chieftain in the years before history began or yesterday in the snug corner of a pub in Dublin, the Irish have always delighted in storytelling. Their passion for eloquence and wordplay, their deep devotion to their mythical past, their ability to find joy and humor in a dark world, and their belief that the supernatural world could appear between one breath and the next made their stories and the telling of them unrivaled in the world of the oral tradition.

And always, amidst the storytelling, there was music. Jigs, reels and haunting airs graced the spaces between the tales. And first among Irish instruments, and the most honored, was the legendary Celtic harp. With its crystalline, bell-like voice and lavish resonance, it would soothe its listeners and lead them deeper into the realms of the imagination.

In Celtic Harp and Story Patrick Ball rekindles the fire and wonder of an evening of Irish storytelling. For in telling the marvelous old tales of wit and enchantment, and in playing the ancient, brass-strung harp of Ireland, he not only carries on two of the richest traditions of Celtic culture, but blends them in concert to create “a warm and magical performance.”

“An American master of the Irish instrument, a peripatetic modern day bard, combining tale-telling, history and music into a seamless compound that reaches all ages and types of listeners.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“It’s rare that we will feature a performer on our fine performances season for two consecutive years, but then Patrick is a rare artist ... The audience was entranced by his harp playing, amused by his storytelling. Patrick is a grand man who puts on a great show.”—APAP Report / Humboldt State University

“The SRO audience loved Mr. Ball's performance, asking when we will be bringing him back. Ball was a delight to work with, very professional, and he is superb at captivating an audience.”—APAP Report / Arizona State University

“Patrick Ball conjured some Druid magic ... weaving words and music into a spellbinding program.”—The Blade, Toledo, OH

2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 2-4 pm in the OCA Lobby

Interested in learning, sharing and reading short plays? Readers Theatre is a fun opportunity to express yourself.

Readers Theatre participants read scripts adapted from literature, while the ‘audience’ pictures the action by hearing the script being read aloud. It requires no sets, costumes, props, or memorized lines. Instead of acting literature as in a play, the performer’s goal is to read a script aloud effectively, enabling the audience to visualize the action. Performers bring the text alive by using voice, facial expressions, and some gestures. $15 participation fee, $10 for OCA members.

Alternating READER’S CHOICE nights: Can be play, poetry, story, essay, your own writing, OR ??????

For more information, email Joan Ambrosini, coordinator .

Join us on Halloween Eve for a fun night of dancing! Costume contest. Tickets $20/$15 for members.

Bring your instrument down to OCA for our Bluegrass Jam Session!

Led by multi-instrumentalist David Pascoe, our monthly jam session is held on the first Tuesday of each month. We’ll meet in the OCA studio and take turns leading/choosing songs. Guaranteed to be a great time for all! $5 donation requested of participants. BYOB.

See you at the jam!

Occidental Center for the Arts presents Electric Tumbleweed! One of Sonoma County's finest bands returns for our listening and dancing pleasure.

Tickets are $20/$15 for OCA members. Doors open at 7:30 PM. No dogs. Refreshments available. Free parking.

Electric Tumbleweed is a psychedelic outlaw country group based in Sonoma County, California. Founded in 2019 by members rooted in bluegrass, country, and psychedelic rock, the music is a hard driving mixture of twangy guitar and psychedelic noise, held together by a steady rhythm section with the cry of pedal steel layered in between it all. Electric Tumbleweed has maintained steady momentum in the Northern California music scene; backing David Nelson (New Riders of the Purple Sage) on multiple occasions; most notably at the Mystic Theater with guest Mark Karan (Ratdog) for a sold out performance. Electric Tumbleweed performed regularly at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads as a solo group as well as with Scott Law, Barry Sless (Phil Lesh and Friends) and Dave Zirbel (Sammy Hagar Band) are regular pedal steel players in the group. The band has been invited to play multiple festivals and events including The String Cheese Incident’s Hog Farm Hideaway, Ain’t Necessarily Dead Fest (backing David Nelson). We aim to keep our goals high, and to perform high quality music; focusing on writing and arranging new songs, and booking future tour dates. We are excited to release our debut full-length album in October 2021, which features Sam Bush (New Grass Revival), Barry Sless (Phil Lesh & Friends), and Lester and Dylan Chambers (The Chambers Brothers). The album features the artwork of Stanley Mouse/Jennae Bennett and was engineered and mastered by Grammy winning Oz Fritz (Tom Waits).

Don't miss this special evening where we’ll take a musical trip to Dublin with some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians and singers! Eamonn Flynn, Darcy Noonan, Hector Bragado and Felim Egan will dazzle us with their traditional and original "Dublinesque" harmonies. OCA favorites through and through, we're just delighted to bring back this spirited, talented group.

Tickets are $25, $20 for OCA members. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Refreshments available, art gallery open during intermission.

EAMONN FLYNN & DUBLINESQUE

Eamonn Flynn forges his own brand of Irish soul. The Dublin-born singer-songwriter/pianist got his start with The Commitments, a hit film about an Irish soul band, and has since worked with American blues and R&B stars Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Evelyn Champagne King, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Zigaboo Modeliste (The Meters), The Ray Charles Project, and many more.

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Flynn's new quartet DUBLINESQUE brings his deep soul and gospel roots together with the Irish music traditions he was raised on.

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"Dublinesque is my attempt to recreate the kind of parties we had in my parent's house, growing up in Dublin," explains Flynn. "There'd be neighbours and friends and it would always end up as a sing-song/jam session. Everyone would participate - if you couldn't hold a tune you'd perform a 'recitation' or tell a joke!

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"There was never any delineation between genres of music - whether it was Irish tunes and ballads, soul music or a Beatles song," he emphasizes.

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The band brings together three talented Bay Area Irish traditional musicians: fellow Irishman Félim Egan (The Black Brothers) on accordion, local favorite Darcy Noonan on fiddle, and from Basque country, Spain, Hector Bragado on banjo. They are also sometimes joined by special guests. Previous guests have included Glide Memorial Choir, Maria Muldaur, Mary Black, Róisín O, Michael Black, Shay Black, Autumn Rhodes, Margaret Graham and dancers from the Kennelly, Dillon and Whelan Schools of Irish Dance and the Cooley-Keegan Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí.

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"This is my chance to play with some of my favorite musicians and recreate those parties!" says Flynn.

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Flynn's latest of three solo albums is 'Anywhere But Home,' celebrating Dublin from his San Francisco pandemic perspective. It received praise and widespread airplay in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

"Flynn's songwriting moves with true emotional register across history, folklore and poetry…with grit and true Dublin savvy.” Deirdre Cronin - Irish Music Magazine

Please join us for a special groundbreaking book launch featuring Harmony Village’s own Dennis von Elgg, owner of The Redwood Needle Acupuncture Studio. This is a free event featuring selected readings by the author, audience Q&A, book sales and signing. Refreshments available. The book’s expected release date is September 1, 2026.

In Heart Stories, acupuncturist, educator, and Sonoma Coast author Dennis von Elgg explores the fascinating intersection of Traditional Chinese Medicine, modern cardiovascular science, and the stories we carry that shape our lives. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, contemporary medical research, timeless Eastern wisdom, and moments from his own journey, von Elgg invites readers to consider heart disease through an entirely new lens—one that recognizes the intimate relationship between physiology, emotion, stress, memory, and consciousness.

Rather than presenting Eastern and Western medicine as opposing viewpoints, Heart Stories reveals the surprising places where they converge. Along the way, readers encounter compelling patient stories, reflections from the author’s own life, practical insights for improving cardiovascular health, and an exploration of the emotional patterns that often accompany illness, resilience, and healing.

Written for both healthcare practitioners and thoughtful readers, Heart Stories is an exploration of what it means to heal—not only the physical heart, but the human heart as well. Blending science, philosophy, personal reflection, and clinical wisdom, it offers an invitation to see both health and human experience with fresh eyes.

"Drawing from decades of hard-won clinical experience, von Elgg reframes our tradition while respecting its roots, considering the classics in the context of modern research and cardiovascular therapy. With case studies that read like stories and invitations for us to reflect on both ourselves and our patients, this is one of those books that will make going to work all the more interesting and rewarding."

Dr. Jason D. Robertson - Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine

"This work bridges the measurable and the mysterious aspects of the heart with remarkable intelligence and humanity. Rooted in both cardiovascular science and Chinese medicine, it offers a rare synthesis — equally rigorous and deeply compassionate. Professor von Elgg offers a beautifully articulated exploration of what it truly means for the heart to be 'well.'"

Dr. Bianca Di Giulio, L.Ac.
Author of "Bridging the Gap: Integrative Oncology and the Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine"

"In 'Heart Stories,' Dennis von Elgg turns his holistic lens towards cardiology while finding deeper meaning and enjoyment in our lives. This book is a written treasure that will inform and delight practitioners and patients alike for many generations to come."

Robyn Adcock, DACM, LAc, CMT, Director of Pediatric Integrative Medicine, UCSF

"It is unusual for a book to give both the EKG and the 神 (shén) equal weight. With clinical clarity and a teacher's warmth, Dennis' book makes the case for psychocardiology and a way to meet the whole of a patient's being. For practitioners working where biomedicine and East Asian medicine meet, it's a thoughtful map of a territory that is too often left unexplored."

Toby Daly, PhD, LAc
Author of An Introduction to Chinese Medicine, The Saam Acupuncture Tradition, and Tracing Our Lineage

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dennis von Elgg, L.Ac., is an acupuncturist, educator, and author who has spent more than three decades exploring the intersection of Traditional Chinese Medicine, modern medical science, and the human experience. Living and practicing on California’s Sonoma Coast, he has dedicated his career to helping patients understand the relationship between emotional well-being, cardiovascular health, and the body’s remarkable capacity to heal.

His debut book, Heart Stories: An Inner Exploration of Heart Disease and Human Consciousness, weaves together clinical insight, contemporary research, Eastern philosophy, patient stories, and reflections from his own life to offer a fresh perspective on the Heart—not only as an organ, but as a center of physiology, emotion, and consciousness.

Dennis lives on the Sonoma Coast, where he maintains a private acupuncture practice, teaches, writes, practices yoga, coaches high school baseball, and treasures time with his son.

Through his writing, Dennis hopes to encourage a deeper conversation about healing—one that honors both scientific discovery and the wisdom found in our own lived experience, reminding us that the journey toward health is as much about understanding ourselves as it is about understanding the body.

2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 2-4 pm in the OCA Lobby

Interested in learning, sharing and reading short plays? Readers Theatre is a fun opportunity to express yourself.

Readers Theatre participants read scripts adapted from literature, while the ‘audience’ pictures the action by hearing the script being read aloud. It requires no sets, costumes, props, or memorized lines. Instead of acting literature as in a play, the performer’s goal is to read a script aloud effectively, enabling the audience to visualize the action. Performers bring the text alive by using voice, facial expressions, and some gestures. $15 participation fee, $10 for OCA members.

Alternating READER’S CHOICE nights: Can be play, poetry, story, essay, your own writing, OR ??????

For more information, email Joan Ambrosini, coordinator .

Rest & Renew at our Sound Bath!

Support your nervous system, release anxiety and stress, and harmonize your body, mind and spirit on the 2nd Tuesday of every month! Laura Benson has a Masters in Intuition Medicine(R) and is a certified sound healer who will guide you through a gentle meditation before each sound bath session. Bring your own yoga mat & blanket and come ready to rest and renew! In the OCA Studio.

Sliding scale pricing $25-$35.

A sound bath is a whole-body, immersive listening experience. During a sound bath, participants often sit or lie down, and are surrounded by the mostly non-melodic soundscapes created by a range of instruments played by the sound bath facilitator. Hence, they are “bathed” in sound.

Sound therapy is a non-invasive healing modality that utilizes the physical and physiological interactions of sound on our bodies and nervous systems to produce therapeutic results. In a sound healing session, specific sonic frequencies are used to soothe the central nervous system, calm the breath, and quiet the mind by encouraging the brain to move into more relaxed states, down from beta (fight-or-flight) and into theta and alpha waves. This increases present-moment awareness and reduces stress and anxiety. Sound baths have been found to be effective in improving mood, cognitive function, and overall mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

Crystal bowl sound baths are particularly powerful in that each bowl is tuned to a specific frequency that corresponds with a different chakra, or energy center, of the body. Based on specific needs, a practitioner can focus on releasing tension or clearing out stuck energy in specific chakras by playing certain bowls or intervals. 

While attending a sound bath, you may experience physical sensations brought out by the crystal sound bowls or gong, such as tingling in your limbs or scalp, slowing of your breathing, eye flutters, or small muscle spasms. Not to worry! These sensations often indicate the release of tension or emotional energy stored in the body’s energy systems.

Join us for our monthly literary open mic night! Bring an original story to share or come and listen to stories told by your community members.

Storytelling

Prose

Recitations

all told in 7 minutes max

Please join us to share your original work. We will randomly select 7 (willing) audience members to read or recite their work. We want YOU!

$10/$5 for OCA members. Pay @ door. Beer/wine/refreshments available.

Gradina is a Balkan music ensemble based in California’s North Bay area. 

We celebrate the seasons and their festivals through song and dance, bringing Old World rituals to new light and new generations to revel in the staying power of gratitude for life on Earth.

We sing both a cappella and with instrumental accompaniment. We lean toward traditional songs and arrangements. We present “sit-down” concerts for choral listening as well as dance concerts, and we are also available to teach most of the dances we present. We are honored to play with many Balkan musicians from near and far, and every concert is different, often with a different array of performers alongside the core group.

Our special guests will be Gaelen Genetti on Bulgarian kaval and Christina Penrose on clarinet.

Tickets are $25/$15 for OCA members. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Details coming soon. Save the date!

Meets third Thursday of each month, 4-6 PM in the auditorium. Contact Jerri Miller for info.

Join us each month on the third Friday for a fun night of Karaoke! Come and sing or just enjoy the music and our community. Hosted by Jeffrey Seligson and Kevin Murphy.

Free event.

Details and tickets available soon. Save the date!

Bluegrass and American Roots Music

Don't miss this incredible show at OCA! Bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis and her amazing band The RIght Hands will give us an afternoon show that you won't soon forget. Laurie will be joined by Brandon Godman, Hasee Ciaccio and other fine musicians for this performance.

Tickets are $35, $30 for OCA members. Doors open at 2:30 PM. Refreshments available, free parking. Art gallery open during intermission. ADA seating available - please contact us at info@occidentalcenterforthearts.org for details.

For nearly four decades, Laurie Lewis has gathered fans and honors for her powerful and emotive voice and her versatile, dynamic songwriting. She is a sought-after recording producer and an equally skilled teacher and mentor.

And she is an inspiration and a ground-breaker – across genres, across geography and across gender barriers.

Laurie has shown us how a woman can blend into any part of the classic bluegrass singing trio, and she showed us how a great voice could move fluidly between bluegrass and other types of music. She showed us how a female fiddler could emulate the strength and grit of the early bluegrass musicians. She has shown how a Californian can appeal to traditional bluegrass audiences, as well as winning acclaim in the worlds of Americana and folk music.

She has shown us how to lead bands of talented musicians – learning from them while helping them make their best music. And she has shown us how to thrive in a constantly changing musical environment – without ever sacrificing her art.

"Her voice is a rare combination of grit and grace, strength and delicacy. Her stories always ring true."

Linda Ronstadt

Bring your instrument down to OCA for our Bluegrass Jam Session!

Led by multi-instrumentalist David Pascoe, our monthly jam session is held on the first Tuesday of each month. We’ll meet in the OCA studio and take turns leading/choosing songs. Guaranteed to be a great time for all! $5 donation requested of participants. BYOB.

See you at the jam!

Rest & Renew at our Sound Bath!

Support your nervous system, release anxiety and stress, and harmonize your body, mind and spirit on the 2nd Tuesday of every month! Laura Benson has a Masters in Intuition Medicine(R) and is a certified sound healer who will guide you through a gentle meditation before each sound bath session. Bring your own yoga mat & blanket and come ready to rest and renew! In the OCA Studio.

Sliding scale pricing $25-$35.

A sound bath is a whole-body, immersive listening experience. During a sound bath, participants often sit or lie down, and are surrounded by the mostly non-melodic soundscapes created by a range of instruments played by the sound bath facilitator. Hence, they are “bathed” in sound.

Sound therapy is a non-invasive healing modality that utilizes the physical and physiological interactions of sound on our bodies and nervous systems to produce therapeutic results. In a sound healing session, specific sonic frequencies are used to soothe the central nervous system, calm the breath, and quiet the mind by encouraging the brain to move into more relaxed states, down from beta (fight-or-flight) and into theta and alpha waves. This increases present-moment awareness and reduces stress and anxiety. Sound baths have been found to be effective in improving mood, cognitive function, and overall mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

Crystal bowl sound baths are particularly powerful in that each bowl is tuned to a specific frequency that corresponds with a different chakra, or energy center, of the body. Based on specific needs, a practitioner can focus on releasing tension or clearing out stuck energy in specific chakras by playing certain bowls or intervals. 

While attending a sound bath, you may experience physical sensations brought out by the crystal sound bowls or gong, such as tingling in your limbs or scalp, slowing of your breathing, eye flutters, or small muscle spasms. Not to worry! These sensations often indicate the release of tension or emotional energy stored in the body’s energy systems.

Bring your original poems, prose or storytelling to our open mic night!

• We'll pick 7 performers from the hat - come share your work

• Read aloud or memorized - just keep it to 7 minutes or less

• 2nd Fridays of the month 7pm

Stories teach us about life, about ourselves & about each other. Help to create west county’s newest storytelling community. 7 Minutes Max is an evening of live stories, poems, or readings told in 7 minutes or less. Hilarious or sublime, poignant and personal tales told through the ancient oral tradition of storytelling, this evening will be sure to move, delight & intrigue you. This is an event for mature audiences & not intended for children. Interested storytellers will have a chance to throw their name in the hat to present their story. Remember, 7 minutes max! Notes allowed for readers.

$10 GA, $5 for OCA members. Pay at the door. Storytellers will be selected randomly from willing participants.

Beer/wine/refreshments available.

Details & TIckets available soon. Save the date!

Meets third Thursday of each month, 4-6 PM in the auditorium. Contact Jerri Miller for info.

Details & TIckets available soon. Save the date!

Lyrics Born - “Funkiest Rapper Alive”

Since releasing his first single “Send Them” in 1993, Lyrics Born has grown to become one of the most prolific and respected independent rappers in the Bay Area. We are beyond thrilled to host this performance in OCA’s intimate auditorium. Tickets will sell out quickly! OCA members will have first dibs on tickets starting in September.

Tickets are $35, $30 for OCA members. Public ticket sales start November 1. OCA members will have an advance purchase opportunity in October.

About Lyrics Born:

Lyrics Born relocated to the United States from his birthplace of Toyko, Japan right around the time Hip Hop was exploding on the East Coast. From the moment he heard Sugar Hill Gang’s 1980 classic “Rapper’s Delight,” the Bay Area Hip Hop luminary knew he’d found his calling.

While many of his peers signed major label contracts, Lyrics Born was repeatedly turned down because — even though he was meeting similar metrics and analytics — he says major labels didn’t know how to market him, being a rapper of Japanese, Italian and Jewish heritage.

“It was almost a blessing because it forced me to go out and create my own label, Mobile Home Recordings, and get my own distribution deals,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been able to continue to do what I do, because I own my entire catalog and I’m able to live off of that.”

Twenty-five years later, LB has obliterated the stereotypes of what an MC is “supposed to” look like and captured the hearts of countless fans who gravitate to his distinctive voice. He’s now the only Asian-American MC to release 10 studios albums and the first to play major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza.

From his Quannum Projects debut with Latyrx (1997’s The Album), to 2003’s seminal solo album Later That Day, he’s consistently pushed the boundaries of his craft. His newest project, Quite A Life, is like the exclamation point on his milestone year.
“Ten albums is a lot for any artist, let alone an indie artist who colored outside the lines, so to speak,” LB says. “I'm just appreciative there was always somehow a path for me, no matter how impossible it seemed — either on paper or in practice.”

As the first Asian-American to release a greatest hits compilation, he’s pumped out multiple smash singles throughout his career. From “Callin’ Out” and “I Like It, I Love It” to “I Changed My Mind” and "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" his material has always retained a musically eclectic feel.

The self-proclaimed “funkiest rapper alive” carries on his tradition of weaving funk and soul into classic, boom-bap Hip Hop on Quite A Life. Without the influence of icons like James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Zapp & Roger LB admits he wouldn’t be who he is today. Coupled with his love of rap pioneers such as KRS-One, Rakim and Snoop Dogg, LB’s music is the perfect Hip Hop and funk-flavored gumbo.

For live shows, LB often recruits a full band to “keep it all the way funky” for his audience. Coupled with wife/singer Joyo Velarde’s powerful voice, the unrelenting energy of his performances electrify every crowd.

Save the date and join us for the Fifth Annual World Music & Dance Festival! Dozens of activities await you at our unique, immersive celebration of music and dance from around the world. Open to all ages, all experience levels.

Free instrument check

Musical Instrument Lending Library

Free Parking

Free for kids 12 and under

Scholarships available

Tickets go on sale in December 2026.

Don’t miss out - join our mailing list for announcements!