News

Click here to read about the summer's FEATURED ARTISTS!

Visit the site's GUESTS page.

Click here for site NEWS.

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Welcome to the site's thirteenth summer! For those of you who are return visitors, welcome back! Welcome, too, to those of you who are here for the first time. The News page is THE place to find important reminders and the most current information about the site! This includes what's new for the summer and month-to-month changes taking place. Please check back periodically - you can get to this page directly from the Home Page and all the other major sections of the site. The page also contains the site's Twitter/Facebook postings so you can find news and updates all in one place. (Latest and Final Summer Update: September 20)

FOR FIRST-TIME VISITORS: This site contains a monthly listing of free concerts and music-related events in Orange County and parts of Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire. There are two phases to the site: Fall/Winter/Spring, and the Summer version of the site which is here now through September 30. Most of the events listed are offered to the general public or residents of certain cities free of charge. Events in clubs, bookstores, cafes and other similar venues covered elsewhere generally are not included. You can start your visit to the concert listings by clicking on the "Free Concerts" link above. There is no fee to access the information, and access is now open without an e-mail for the final two weeks of Summer 2015. More than 120 cities in the Orange County, Los Angeles County and Inland Empire areas are included in the listings. Last-minute updates can always be found on Twitter and Facebook, too, and you can scroll down a little further on this page to find that information. Please take the time to look through some of the other areas of the site as well: read an essay or a poem, view the work of the summer guests or take a look at some of the "Extras" (a few other things you can find for free during the summer). NEVER BEEN TO A SUMMER CONCERT? It's simple . . . pack a picnic dinner or buy a meal at the concert venue, bring a blanket or beach chair (or call the venue to ask about their seating policy), and sit out under the stars and listen to some great music!

FOR EVERYONE:: THANK YOU ALL FOR ANOTHER GREAT SUMMER! The final update for the summer of 2015 has been posted. There will be no overlap between September and October listings, and the Fall version of the site will return October 1. October listings should be available by the end of the day on Oct. 1, and next weekend a bit of "preview" information for the start of the month will be posted on Facebook and Twitter. The September essay update on solar energy will remain posted as well, including information on the Solar Decathlon taking place in Irvine in October, an event which is open to the public. You can find the information on the Essays Page. A few other things to remember . . . This summer's theme has been "Light Year," and you can read more about it in the "theme" section below. Short descriptions of some of the sections of the summer site also are included on this page. NEW THIS YEAR - Facebook/Twitter posts are included on the main Concerts By Date page under the calendar so that visitors can check for the most recent updates before viewing the listings..

. . . And, finally, for those of you who have been with the site during the Fall/Winter/Spring, you know that there were several problems during the year with the site being hacked. As a precaution for the summer, some site materials again have been posted on another server at another of my websites, www.fringe-benefits.webs.com. Check there if you are unable to access the full listings here.

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• Featured Artists - Featured Artists are musicians or concert series drawn from the summer concert performances. Two artists are named each month, one for the first half of the month and one for the second half, and one series is also included. Many thanks once again to all the 2015 Featured Artists. Read more about them through September 30 on the "Featured Artists" page!

• Guests - Each year special guests/artists have been invited to display works which either express or interpret the summer theme. Please see the special note about summer guests on the "Guests" page.

• "Concerts By Music" Page - Concerts are listed by city and date, for all cities combined and for each of the three areas covered (Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Inland Empire), as well as by type of music. Trying to separate the concerts by type of music has been problematic for several reasons. First, some cities and venues do not list information on the type of music for every concert, only the band/artist name. Second, some bands list the type of music they play in widely divergent categories (such as R&B/Dance/Latin Jazz), making it difficult to place them in any one format. Finally, some cities/venues do not list groups performing, only phrases such as "live music all day long." To find information based on types of music being played at the concerts, go to Concert Listings by Music. The page is updated along with the regular concert listings. As always, any input visitors would like to provide as to how to improve the page would be appreciated.

A NOTE ON THE CONCERT SPONSORS: For several years now, some cities and organizations have had to cut on back summer programs, including concert programs. Although programs have stabilized somewhat as compared to a couple of years ago, many are still in a much-reduced format as compared with the earliest years of the site. Some of the concerts and other activities taking place (movies, etc.) are able to continue only through the generous support of program sponsors. If you enjoy the programs and want them to continue, I cannot stress how important it is to support and thank all the sponsors of these programs, whether they are cities, community organizations or area businesses.

2015 THEME: "LIGHT YEAR"

In the summer of 2014, the site revolved around World Fairs/World Expos, leading up to the opening of the 2015 Expo in Milan, Italy. The Expo opened in May and will remain open through October. You can read more about it in the special feature section in the Essay Archives or visit the Milan Expo website at www.expo2015.org. As part of last summer's essays, information was also presented on another celebration taking place this year, what the United Nations has designated as "The International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies." This summer's site is an acknowledgement of that celebration. Why? According to the International Year of Light website (www.light2015.org), the initiative is intended to "highlight to the citizens of the world the importance of light and optical technologies in their lives, for their futures, and for the development of society." A link to the short video introducing the year is included below, as presented by the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE, www.spie.org). In just over a minute, the video shows only a small number of the ways light and light-based technologies affect people's lives: through agriculture, transportation, telecommunications, computers/visual displays, lasers, microscopes, space exploration, medicine, manufacturing and solar energy, to name a few.

But there is also another reason for the "light" in this year's theme. At the moment I am working on several other projects and am not sure how much time will be available to devote to the site. For now, all other special additions to the site, including guest artists, poetry and the essays, are temporarily on hold for 2015. If it works out that I will have the time to complete these portions of the site, they will be added as the summer progresses. I'll probably know more toward the middle of the month. So, if need be, this summer's version might be a little "lite," so to say. You can find ongoing updates on this page.

For those of you who may be at the site for the first time, each summer (since 2006) has had a different theme. Dorothy completed a book about the site which is still pending publication, and in conjunction with that book, all past summer sites have been recoded and reposted. Visitors can view those past summer sites, as well as find a book preview, by visiting the Book Preview page.

CONTRIBUTING TO DOROTHYSWEBSITE.ORG In the entire time of the site's existence, no one has ever been asked to pay anything to visit the site or view the listings. However, contributions to defray the fees and expenses associated with keeping the site going are appreciated. The site currently is accepting donations through "Go Fund Me." These donations are considered gifts, and although they are much appreciated, they are not tax deductible. Go Fund Me does not request much in the way of information from donors, only a valid credit card and name. Names may be hidden/kept anyonymous for public viewing if desired. To reach the site's "Go Fund Me" page, click the link in the left column on most pages, or go directly to www.gofundme.com/dorothyswebsite. Thank you for your generosity!

ONE FINAL THOUGHT ON THE CONCERTS: All of the concerts in the listings are free to the general public, and there are some truly outstanding programs. However, many of the groups and organizations sponsoring these concerts incur substantial costs in bringing them to you year after year. Several concert support organizations have had to begin charging a ticket price for entry to some, if not all, of the performances. Donations which allow organizations presenting the concerts to continue their tradition of bringing quality music to the general public at no charge are always appreciated.

. . . AND ONE REQUEST FOR VISITORS: Survey forms are sometimes passed out at concerts/event venues, and the question "How did you hear about this event?" is often asked. If you are attending an event you found on this site and receive such a form, it would be much appreciated if you let them know that you found the information on www.dorothyswebsite.org. Thank you!

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