Out & About
By Jessica Laskey
April 2025
All That Jazz
Rio Americano band excels in national competitions
Rio Americano High School’s AM Jazz Ensemble competes in the Essentially Ellington Festival this May at Lincoln Center in New York—a competition where the band has been a finalist 12 times.
That’s not all. For the past eight consecutive years and 15 years overall, DownBeat magazine selected the Rio jazz band as one of the top high school bands in the country.
The band was honored this year at the annual Charles Mingus Festival in New York. James Sidebotham, Aaron Holst, Salome Ospina, Joel Cooper, Ezra Erickson, Henry Dall-Parker and Sofia Bo Ix-Siu won in the combo category. Bassist Ezra Erickson earned the Mingus Spirit Award. Ospina, a pianist, and Bo Ix-Siu, a vocalist, received four-year $30,000 annual scholarships to The New School’s Mannes School of Music.
“Our students and their families come to us knowing that this will be the place where young musicians can find a second home for their high school years and achieve whatever their dedication, creativity and talent allow,” says Josh Murray, director of the AM Jazz Ensemble for 18 years.
RIVER CLEANUP
The American River Parkway Foundation’s annual Spring Clean-Up is Saturday, April 12, from
9 a.m. to noon.
Winston Churchill Middle School sixth-graders Simone Barnes and Abigail Lee are spreading the word about the cleanup as part of a school project to protect area waterways.
“Our class is working to preserve our natural watersheds and help our environment,” Barnes says. “Our goal for the end of this project is to bring awareness about our watersheds and what our communities can do to help.”
Spring Clean-Up locations are Ancil Hoffman Park, Discovery Park, Guy West Bridge, Howe Avenue river access, Paradise Beach, River Bend Park, Sunrise Recreation Area and Watt Avenue river access. To register, visit arpf.org/events/springcleanup.
FREE TAX HELP
Residents can file taxes online or in person through United Way California Capital Region’s Free Tax Preparation program.
Households that earned less than $67,000 in 2024 can file for free and get help from trained tax volunteers to maximize cash back from state and federal credits.
United Way helps thousands of families each year collectively receive nearly $10 million in tax credits. For information, visit yourfreetaxprep.org.
PHOTO MONTH
Photography Month Sacramento is back, featuring work by local professional and amateur photographers.
Led by the nonprofit Viewpoint Photographic Art Center, the April event includes special exhibits, receptions, photoshoot meetups, workshops, lectures, field trips and more at area galleries, museums, educational institutions, libraries and stores.
For information and a list of events, visit photomonthsacramento.org.
BIKE SWAP
North Natomas Jibe’s third annual Bike Swap is April 25-26 at the North Natomas Aquatic Center.
Bikes are sold Sunday, April 27, to raise money for Inderkum High School’s Bike Tech program and Joey’s Food Locker. Last year’s event raised $4,300.
For information, visit jibe.org/bike/jibe-bike-swap.
MERCY CENTENNIAL
Dignity Health Mercy General Hospital turns 100 this year.
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1925, Mercy General has grown into a multi-state nonprofit network of 10,000 physicians, more than 60,000 employees, 41 acute-care hospitals and more than 400 care centers in California, Arizona and Nevada.
The health system leads the way in medical advancements, including pioneering cardiovascular programs and community health initiatives.
For information, visit dignityhealth.org.
POETRY MONTH
The Sacramento Poetry Center plans a bevy of events around town for National Poetry Month, including hosting award-winning African American poet, painter and novelist Clarence Major on Saturday, April 5.
The center hosts weekly readings, offers workshops and publishes a monthly newsletter, quarterly periodical and annual review of new and established poets.
“We have worked quietly but relentlessly to foster recognition of Sacramento’s writers of all genres,” board member and former Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor says.
For information, visit sacpoetrycenter.org.
STUDENT AWARDS
Students from schools across the region won big at iTheatrics’ Junior Theater Festival West at SAFE Credit Union Convention Center.
Honored as All-Stars were California Middle School’s Isabel Baldwin and Paige Winn; NorCal School of the Arts’ Trek Campbell and Jacob Watson; Musical Mayhem Productions’ Alina Guintu and Jace Fisher; Katherine L. Albiani Middle School’s Orion Harmon and Henry Pullen; and others from Redding Performing Arts Center, Woodland Opera House and Elk Grove Musical Theatre Company.
The festival highlights young people and educators creating student-driven musical theater with participants from 16 states, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and China. For information, visit juniortheaterfestival.com.
BALLET HONOR
Sacramento Ballet was honored by state Sen. Angelique Ashby for the company’s 70th anniversary.
The ballet was presented with a California State Senate Resolution for extraordinary contributions to the arts, including fostering artistic innovation and diverse talent, welcoming renowned dancers and choreographers, and ensuring accessibility to dance for all communities.
“This resolution is a testament to the hard work, dedication and artistic excellence that Sacramento Ballet has upheld for 70 years,” Artistic and Executive Director Anthony Krutzkamp says.
For information, visit sacballet.org.
CHANNEL 24
Sacramento’s newest live entertainment venue is open for business. Channel 24 presents a variety of musical acts, starting with Tucker Wetmore on Thursday, April 24.
The 2024 Sacramento Music Census revealed a market gap for mid-sized live music venues. As a result, Another Planet Entertainment created the 2,150-capacity complex at 1800 24th St., filling the need between small clubs and grand-scale auditoriums.
“We have so many artists touring through Northern California that have to skip Sacramento because there is not an appropriately sized venue for them to play,” says Allen Scott, Another Planet Entertainment’s president of concerts and festivals. “Channel 24, right in the heart of the city, fills that need, and we hope that the venue quickly becomes an integral part of Sacramento’s vibrant live music scene.”
For upcoming shows, visit channel24sac.com.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
