Redlands' cultural year began in January with the announcement of "The Music Man" returning to the Redlands Bowl and wrapped up in December with the 25th anniversary production of LifeHouse Theater's "Scrooge."
In between, the Redlands Footlighters wrapped up their 64th season and began their 65th, the Redlands Symphony Orchestra moved from its 59th season into its 60th and Redlands Theatre Festival presented its 38th summer repertory season.
Redlands is home to a variety of musical, theatrical and fine-arts organizations, including the "grandfather" of them all, the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival, which began in 1924.
Following are some of the cultural highlights of 2010.
The Redlands Symphony Orchestra's Jan. 30 concert featured young cello soloist Jonah Kim, who was such a hit that he returned in October to open the symphony's 2010-2011 season.
The symphony presented three concerts in the spring, one featuring cellist Esther Back, winner of the University of Redlands' concerto competition. The final spring concert was an evening of Gershwin with piano soloist Jose Menor.
The most recent Redlands Symphony concert, in November, was the West Coast debut for Egyptian pianist Seba Ali. The symphony season continues in 2011 with four more concerts, concluding in May with a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with combined university and community choirs.
Music Festival began soon after the Redlands Symphony season ended.
The festival ran from June 25 through Aug. 20 and included "The Music Man," winners of the Young Artists' Auditions, three symphony orchestra concerts, two military bands, Inland Pacific Ballet's performance of "The Little Mermaid," the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Celtic music.
The Summer Music Festival also featured 10 children's workshops. Workshops and performances are free.
The RCMA announced the Broadway music for next summer's festival at the beginning of December. It will be Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," directed by LifeHouse Theater founder Wayne Scott.
Scott's LifeHouse Theater, now in its 17th season, presents eight plays throughout the year at a church converted into a theater.
Many of the plays are original musical adaptations of novels, fairy tales and biblical stories. This year's lineup included premieres of the biblical "Revelation" and "Pursued: A Jonah Story." Another new LifeHouse musical was an adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice."
Wayne Scott's "Scrooge," presented Dec. 11 to 15, was an old favorite coming back for a 25th anniversary performance. "Scrooge" was first performed in Redlands High School's Clock Auditorium, before there was a LifeHouse Theater in Redlands.
LifeHouse's season will continue Jan 14-23 with "A Song in My Heart," telling the stories of some well-known hymns.
Redlands' oldest theater group, the Redlands Footlighters, ended their 64th season in May and began their 65th in September with a pair of Agatha Christie plays, "The Unexpected Guest" and "And Then There Were None."
Comedy is a favorite with the Footlighters. They began the year in January with a comedic mystery, "Smoke and Mirrors." The comedy "Dearly Beloved" was presented in March and another comedy, "Born Yesterday," in November.
The Footlighters also offered a children's summer theater workshop. For the workshop, Pat Adeff wrote and directed "Dude! Where's My Script?!"
The Footlighters' season continues Jan. 13-30 with the comedy "Alone Together Again."
Redlands Theatre Festival is not as old as the Footlighters, but it is the oldest outdoor theater series in the Inland Empire, according to festival staff. The festival produced its 38th summer repertory season this year.
The five plays, running from July 9 through Aug. 21, were "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," "All the King's Women," "Steel Magnolias," "Pump Boys and Dinettes" and "Scapino."
Performances are in the outdoor Avice Meeker Sewall Theater in Prospect Park.
Cliff Cabanilla is the producing director of the festival, and most performers are involved in more than one play.
A newcomer to Redlands' theater lineup is the Redlands Shakespeare Festival. The festival's sixth season, featuring "Romeo and Juliet," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Hamlet," ran from May 13-30 in the Redlands Bowl.
The plays were presented in repertory, and the festival included a series of educational workshops.
This fall, the festival's board and artistic director Steven Sabel announced that next May's Redlands Shakespeare Festival will feature "As You Like It," "Titus Andronicus" and "The Merchant of Venice."
Redlands Art Association, founded in 1964, offers art classes, programs and exhibits at its gallery at 215 E. State St. throughout the year. Once or twice a year, it also holds outdoor shows and sales.
This year's Art in the Park show was May 8 and 9 in Smiley Park near the old City Hall, where people could stroll through the park and visit with artists at their booths.
Redlands Art Association also continued its spring and fall Cinema Classic series of foreign films shown at the Krikorian Theatre. The film series raises money for art education programs.
From Oct. 15-17, Redlands Art Association members and other artists exhibited their work at the 31st annual Art for Heaven's Sake show.
The show, held on the grounds and in the gardens of Redlands United Church of Christ, featured more than 60 artists. This year's featured artist was Brad Faegre.
An art festival almost as old as Art for Heaven's Sake is the San Bernardino County Museum's Wildlife Art Festival.
The 28th annual festival was held Nov. 20 and 21 at the museum in Redlands. The festival included paintings, sculptures, carvings and limited- edition prints by more than 20 wildlife artists.
Across town from the county museum is the University of Redlands, where there are many musical and theatrical performances and art shows throughout the school year, as well as lectures and other programs open to the public.
One of the most popular is the Feast of Lights, a Christmas service of music, spoken word and tableaux. This year's Feast of Lights, Dec. 3-6, was the university's 63rd.
This year also saw the first performance of a new choral group, Redlands Choral Artists.
The 12-member group gave its first concert Nov. 20 at Redlands United Church of Christ, directed Jean-Sebastien Vallee, also a choral conductor at the University of Redlands.
An older choral group in Redlands is the Inland Master Chorale, which celebrated its 30th anniversary with concerts May 15 and 16. Roger Duffer directs Inland Master Chorale, which began the 2010-11 season with a performance of Mozart's Requiem Oct. 16 and 17 and "An English Christmas" Dec. 11 and 12.
The Community Chorus of Redlands is about the same age as Inland Master Chorale. It was founded in 1979 by Jeffrey Rickard, who continues to direct the chorus since his retirement in 2008 from the University of Redlands. The chorus, which used to sing in the Feast of Lights, presented its third annual Christmas concert of anthems, readings and carols Dec. 10 and 11 in Redlands and Yucaipa.
A newer, but well established organization in Redlands is the Performance Loft, which presents a variety of musical groups and unusual theatrical performances at the Mitten Building. The Loft also presents artists' exhibits, interactive book signings, workshops and more.
The Performance Loft opened its 2010-11 season Aug. 27 with a concert of Gypsy jazz by the John Jorgenson Quintet.
Jorgenson, a graduate of Redlands High School and the University of Redlands, will bring his band back to the Loft for a performance Jan. 20.
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