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Jean Paul Al Arab and his 6-month-old led police on a brief foot chase during a University at Buffalo ceremony. The school said the grad violated rules about who can participate in the commencement.

A One-Night Only Evening of Everything Acoustic Evenings Has to Offer The series concludes Friday, June 6, and we are expanding from our traditional three songwriters’ format for the first time ever for a special celebration of music and love. There are so many great talents in and around San Diego. For one night only, explore an array of excellent artists all assembled to deliver songs of love to you. Enjoy Acoustic Evenings exemplified, featuring Lee Coulter, Julia Sage, Dave Booda, Monette Marino, Santiago Orozco, Jesus Gonzalez, Jefferson Jay, Bri Schillings, and Michelle Lerach. One night only—and leave with a few new favorite artists. This show is dedicated to our friend Jamie Shadowlight. Lee Coulter Lee Coulter is a multinational, multiracial singer-songwriter blending folk, soul, rock, reggae, blues, and jazz-pop to bridge cultural gaps and uplift audiences. Born in Australia to a Vietnam War–veteran father and a Thai-Indonesian mother who survived political violence, Coulter's music reflects his journey navigating generational trauma and personal growth. After winning a statewide songwriting competition in college, he pursued music full-time, moving to San Diego in 2006. As an independent artist, he achieved a #1 single on iTunes Australia and New Zealand in 2018, won Best Acoustic/Folk Song at the 2021 San Diego Music Awards, and earned recognition from Sirius XM. He has also opened for major acts and performed at TEDx events. Beyond his original work, Coulter supports his career through live gigs at resorts, weddings, and corporate events, bringing passion and connection to every performance. As a single father and creative force, he continues to inspire through music, collaborations, and children's books, spreading messages of unity, resilience, and shared humanity. Julia Sage Julia Sage is a self-taught Chilean musician and cantautora who has been writing, singing, and channeling songs for as long as she can remember. She started her professional career in her early teens and continues her musical journey to this day. Always trying to develop new skills and teaching herself new, unusual instruments, she fearlessly ventures into different melodic realms with an obsessive passion that, ironically, keeps her sane. Dave Booda Dave Booda is a writer, musician, and social entrepreneur. He has played over 1,000 shows as a singer-songwriter and has published over 250 essays for his blog, boodaism.com. He has led over 400 workshops on connection, touch, and relationships and has consulted for, facilitated experiences, and performed for companies, communities, retreats, festivals, conferences, birthday parties, weddings, funerals, and gatherings of all kinds—with the intention of inspiring authenticity, connection, and group cohesion. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former naval officer and currently serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Intentional Community while touring and living at different intentional communities in North America. Monette Marino Inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame in 2023, Monette Marino is a world-class percussionist. She began drumming at age 8 and has spent over 20 years studying under expert drummer Mamady Keïta from Guinea. In 1999, she earned her teaching certificate from Keïta and opened a branch of Tam Tam Mandingue in San Diego. She later received her diploma from Mamady Keïta and Tam Tam Mandingue in 2011. From 2004 to 2012, she managed Keïta’s world tours, assisted in teaching master classes, and performed with his ensemble, Sewa Kan, traveling to over 20 countries across six continents. As a solo artist, Monette released her debut album, Coup d’Eclat, and founded her own percussion school, MO’RHYTHM. She also developed the iPhone MoRhythm Africa Djembe/Dunun Play Along app. Before focusing on West African percussion, Marino studied rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, and Korea. Her repertoire spans jazz, salsa, samba, reggae, funk, disco, R & B, rock, and country. Passionate about drumming traditions worldwide, she honors the cultural heritage passed down through rhythm. Santiago Orozco “It's about getting to know yourself, finding yourself,” says singer-songwriter Santiago Orozco, a Bogotá, Colombia, native who has spent the last decade discovering himself living in coastal Southern California and on the road. In 2015, Orozco relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles and, two years later, revived his award-winning outfit, Todo Mundo, which was voted Best World Music group at the 2011, 2014, and 2015 San Diego Music Awards; winner of NPR’s 2015 Tiny Desk Contest; and recognized by the City of San Diego's Commission for Human Relations in 2014 for spreading diversity through music—in an evolved and reinvigorated incarnation: WITHN. Incorporating electronic elements into Orozco’s well-established acoustic guitar sound, WITHN draws inspiration from house rhythms, Caribbean moods, Spanish rumba, reggae, and Brazilian, Balkan, and Middle Eastern grooves while maintaining a solid foundation of relatable music meant to be experienced live and in person. Orozco, for the first time, sings entirely in English, a decision he made to better connect with his audience in person and through WITHN’s 2018 album, "Colors + Moments". Orozco has also performed at Lightning in a Bottle, Joshua Tree Music Festival, South Africa’s Smoking Dragon Festival, River Fest, and Kaaboo Del Mar and has supported international and national touring artists, such as The Roots, The Wailers, The San Diego Symphony, Fred Wesley, Mike Love, Los Amigos Invisibles, JJ Grey & Mofro, Lucinda Williams, Richard Thompson, Sister Nancy, Chris Isaak, Aterciopelados, Jarabe De Palo, Vokab Kompany, The Bunny Gang, and El Gran Silencio. Jesus Gonzalez Jesus Gonzalez is a visionary local San Diego musician who draws inspiration from nature, poetry, and the overall experience of being alive. Jesus creates original and improvised songs that invite you to be present with your heart and the magic of the moment we’re all living in. In a recent interview with NPR’s Top Shelf artists series, Jesus said, “At the core of it all, I think my music is simply shouting ‘Can you believe we’re all here?!’” Using a looper, Jesus creates layers of soulful vocal harmonies, different instrumentation, and percussion to create vast lush sounds that are sure to help you fall deeper into your sense of self. Jefferson Jay Jefferson Jay founded Acoustic Evenings at The Athenaeum in 2008 after completing his master’s thesis at San Diego State University on the library’s history. He has since founded the San Diego Music Hall of Fame and a nonprofit organization aimed at disability rights called Everybody One. He created a fully inclusive animated holiday musical series, called "The Hunt for the Holiday Spirit," to advance authentic representation in the media and has just released his 15th album, "Engagement". He would love to connect and discuss any or all of this with you! Bri Schillings Singer-songwriter Bri Schillings says, “I write, sing and play songs that are born from the heart.” She feels that music has the power to heal through what she calls “soul vitamins.” Her seductive and powerful voice will take you on a journey where the heart and the soul meet. Michelle Lerach Michelle Lerach is a lawyer and advocate who sang her way through college in a piano bar, but music has been a defining force in her life from early childhood. She formed her first band as a vocalist in sixth grade, then studied violin and viola before switching to guitar in junior high. She wrote and recorded her first original songs while in college and was initiated into the music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha. Her life and career took her in a different direction, but she credits Jamie Shadowlight with bringing music—and the incredible musicians she is performing with tonight—back into her life. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

Kosuke Matsuda will present his solo recital on Monday, January 6th, 2025, at 5 p.m. at the Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater. This recital marks a significant milestone for Matsuda as it concludes his Doctor of Musical Arts degree and launches his 2025 season as a music performer. The concert showcases works by John Cage, Kaija Saariajo, and Hans Werner Henze, whose compositions integrate Japanese concepts of silence and sound as central musical elements. Through these pieces, Matsuda aims to explore how silence can be shaped by sound and gesture, offering a nuanced interpretation of its depth and meaning. In his doctoral research, Matsuda delved into the conceptual differences of silence in Japanese culture, analyzing its representation in literature and its influence on music. The Japanese language itself offers over seven words to express varying forms of quietness and tranquility, each with unique contextual nuances. This recital invites audiences to experience these dimensions of silence brought to life through music. This recital also serves as the beginning of Matsuda’s 2025 concert season, which will include a solo performance in Tokyo, Japan, on March 12th, 2025, and additional engagements throughout the year. Join Kosuke Matsuda on January 6th for an evening of profound musical exploration, where sound and silence intertwine to create a deeply reflective concert experience. Kosuke Matsuda, originally from Nagasaki, Japan, began his career as a percussionist, deeply inspired by the natural soundscape of his hometown. Matsuda pursued a master’s degree at Aichi University of the Fine Arts. He continued his studies in the United States, earning a second master’s degree and Artist Diploma at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. Currently based in San Diego, he is completing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at UC San Diego. Visit: https://music-web.ucsd.edu/concerts/cms_index.php?now=1&query_event_code=20250106-Matsuda Kosuke Matsuda on Facebook

Thursday–Friday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. December 5–6 [Students can leave materials overnight Dec. 5 and work in the studio from 1–4 PM (without instruction)] (2 Days, 6 total hours of instruction) La Jolla Studio $100/120 + $20 materials fee paid to instructor This fun and focused class emphasizes the basics of creating a painting. Emphasis in this class will be on an impressionist technique of painting using an “alla prima” (wet into wet) style of painting, keeping loose brushwork, thick paint, and eliminating detail. We will emphasize composition, color, form, and lighting. There will be a still life setup. I do a painting demonstration in each class. Materials: Paints: Your preference of paints: oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache … you name it!  Please include Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light (cool yellow), Cadmium Yellow (warm yellow), Cadmium Red Light, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Viridian Green or Phthalo Green. Plus any colors of paint that you would like to use. Brushes: Bring a variety of brushes for your choice of paints that include #2, #4, #6, #8. Good quality brushes make a difference. Other materials: 12” x16” paper palette pad; odorless Turpenoid and linseed oil for oils; soft vine charcoal; 1.5- or 2-inch palette knife; paper towels; two small jars with lids; spray bottle for acrylic painters; sketchbook; color pencils; four canvas or canvas boards, 11” x 14” or your preference. Good quality watercolor paper for watercolor painters. Suggested items:  Masterson Sta-Wet Palette Seal to keep paints moist; glass palette to go inside the box making paint easier to mix; Silicoil jar with spring in the bottom to clean brushes; two tall containers to hold clean and used brushes at your station in the studio. Please email me at sharoncaroldemery@gmail.com if you have any questions. I am always available to help. Max students: 13 Sharon Carol Demery moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, where she studied and began her career. There she developed her modern art with an affinity for vibrant color, purity, and simplicity depicting images of abstraction that retain their cohesiveness. She was associated with the 1970s Abstract Illusionism movement. Primarily considered to be an abstract painter, her artistic facility and mixed-genre style depict an artist capable of eluding classification working in both abstraction and representational painting. Sharon has shown in galleries and museums around the country, and her work is in many private and public collections. An award-winning artist, her work has been reviewed and written about in numerous publications like Art Magazine, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Images and Issues. Sharon taught painting at Arizona Western College in Yuma, as artist in residence, from 1979 to 1981, after which she moved to San Diego, where she attended UCSD and received the Professional Certificate in Art and the Creative Process. She attended Platt College and received a diploma in graphic design. She also studied human development at San Diego City College. Sharon has been teaching at the Athenaeum’s School of the Arts for 10 years. She has been influenced by her many travels on three continents and the great works of masters like Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse, Bonnard, Kandinsky, Grace Hartigan, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Thiebaud, and Diebenkorn. She says, “Painting for me is about discovery, growth, and human emotion. My goal is to continue studying the masters old and new to continue my journey in painting.” Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

The Library's Autumn Concert Series takes place on Fridays from September 6 to October 25. Each concert will begin at 1 p.m. in the Winn Room. Doors will open 15 minutes prior to the performance. On September 27, Vania Pimentel will perform a variety of Brazilian music on piano. Concert pianist Vania Pimentel, born and raised in Brazil, has been promoting Brazilian music in creative recital programs. She has a BA in Music and another BA in Philosophy from Brazil, KA graduate artist diploma from Germany, Masters in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, and DMA from the University of Houston. Her doctoral dissertation was on Brazilian toccatas, and her CD “Brazilian Toccatas and Toccatinas” was praised by the Brazilian Academy of Music and newspaper critics in Rio de Janeiro in the year of 2000, five hundreds years of Brazil’s discovery by the Portuguese. Dr. Pimentel became a member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and worked as an assistant teacher at the Moores School of Music and the Texas Music Festival. In Brazil, she had worked for 14 years as a piano professor in Curitiba, PR. Her first award at a piano competition was at the age of seven in Rio de Janeiro. Her top awards are from J. S. Bach International Piano Competition in Paris (1984), and Jaen Competition in Spain (1982). Dr. Pimentel lived in Italy from 2005 until 2009, and performed at the series Pianomaster in Gravedonamon Lake Como, and chamber music at the Blaue Blumen concerts in Frankfurt. Afterwards, she lived in San Diego until 2022. She performed recitals at Palomar College, Fallbrook Library, Coronado Library, Encinitas Library, the Athenaeum, Carmel Valley Library, and chamber music in Temecula: Classics at the Merc. She performs frequently in Brazil, and has given masterclasses at many universities there. In 2020, she performed and taught at the 37th Music Workshop of Curitiba, in Paraná state. Last year she presented a solo recital during the Music Week of Lapinha, PR, and last April at the Chapel Santa Maria in Curitiba. Currently she lives in Miami.

The Education Department can’t — and the Legislature won’t — do what it takes to repair the damage.

The Education Department can’t — and the Legislature won’t — do what it takes to repair the damage.

Was the murder of a young Palestinian man in the West Bank an anti-gay hate crime? NPR identifies the accused killer and explores the parallel systems of justice that have yet to resolve this case.

Columbia cancels its main ceremony, while Emory's events will now take place in the suburbs outside its Atlanta campus. The moves come after weeks of protests against the war in Gaza.

Pioneering disease investigator and beloved global health mentor Joel Breman died on April 6 at the age of 87. Breman was part of the team that investigated the first known Ebola outbreak in 1976.