A `Night of Music and Poetry' slated for this Friday
Watsonville residents have a lot to be proud of: A rich farming history, the best (and the most) taquerias in the county, and of course, the Watsonville Center for the Arts, which this Friday features the monthly “Night of Music and Poetry,” showcasing local writers and musicians in both English and Spanish.
Yes, there's a new Center for the Arts in South County. For the past several months, a “Salon” night, dubbed “Night of Music and Poetry” (also known as “Noche de Musica y Poesia”) has featured local artists to capacity crowds. Typically held on the last Friday of the month, this Friday's session takes place at the brand-new Watsonville Center for the Arts, located at 375 Main St. in Watsonville.
According to Mireya Gomez-Contreras, the deputy director of the Santa Cruz Arts Council, the center is a culmination of two years of conversations with artists on the south end of the county who did not have a space to showcase their
work. The center opened officially in July. This Friday's event will be the third featuring live performances.
The monthly gatherings are curated and hosted by violinist Adam Scow. Scow has lived in Watsonville for four years, but his connection to the community goes way back. Scow and his family spent summers here throughout his childhood, and his grandfather was a local farmworker. Besides performing, he teaches violin both independently and works with El Sistema, which brings music to schools throughout the Pajaro Valley. (Scow was also recently elected to a vacant position on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board. Both of his
parents were teachers.)
“Salon” is a term that originated in the 19th century where artists gathered around a single host to share their work. Scow organized Salon nights with classical chamber music when he lived in San Francisco and opted to apply the term to these bilingual music and poetry nights. Last summer, he met with Watsonville Poet Laureate Bob Gomez and brainstormed a way to create a similar regular happening for local arts.
The idea was not so much a regular performance but an “exhibition space” where artists could present work that they might not play anyplace else. Past Salon nights have featured students and professional players performing music, alternating with poetry in both Spanish and English.
This month's Salon lineup includes poetry from Bob Gomez, Mina Reyes, Adela Najarro and Mireya Gomez-Contreras. The evening will also feature music from Scow and Jose Chuy Hernandez (who are both in the mariachi quartet Rosa Azul and teach for Sistema), Juan Ospina (flute) and Irene Herrmann (piano).
Without heavy promotion and just word of mouth, the first two nights were at capacity and held at El Ateno restaurant in Watsonville. This month's Salon now moves to the new Watsonville Center for the Arts and promises to be just as entertaining and well attended in this new space. Regular Salon attendees will be happy to know that El Ateno will be catering the evening.
As a celebration of the arts, Scow emphasizes that “it's just an easy way to bring everyone together.”