Community Calendar

Visit the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History to explore the beauty and fine details of the natural world around us in this annual spring exhibit featuring works from over 50 local artists in a variety of mediums. Scientific illustration brings to life the intricacies of nature while deepening our knowledge and enriching connections. Every year, "The Art of Nature" exhibit continues to reveal new wonders—just like nature itself—offering fresh inspiration for curious minds. On view March 28 - May, 2026.

Join Santa Lucia Highlands Wineries for the 18th Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans Sun, Wind & Wine Festival, Monterey County's favorite Wine & food Event of the year!

Meet the winemakers and growers and taste more than 100 limited-release wines from 40 wineries, including Caraccioli Cellars, Landmark Vineyards, Mer Soleil, Morgan Winery, Siduri, Belle Glos, McIntyre, ROAR, Talbott Vineyards, Pisoni, Wrath and many more. The setting is dramatic: Mer Soleil Winery, a venue that opens its door only once a year to the public, for this event.

Enjoy delicious gourmet bites from the region's best chefs and restaurants. Experience our Bubbles Bar and Reserve a VIP Table with guaranteed seating and amenities for you and your guests. Enjoy live music, and even purchase wines to take home with you.

First Saturday Tours are a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the Arboretum or to deepen your understanding of the Arboretum's plant collections. Each tour is a little different depending on the time of year, the interests of the tour guide and the people who join in. You might learn more about the birds and mammals that make this land their home or about the amazing physical adaptations that plants have evolved to better deal with extreme weather and climate conditions.

Tours given on the 1st Saturday of each month - at 11am

Tour is FREE with paid admission!

Meet your tour guide(s) at the entrance to the Visitor Parking lot. Walks will be about one hour.

Tours cancelled if the weather is unsuitable.

Soul Collage is an insightful, incredible, dynamic activity. A collage is a powerful visual tool to focus your intentions; create a collage of images that will express your visions, your desires, your dreams and goals. Collage speaks to the subconscious which invites and allows incredible miracles to happen, dreams to manifest, goals to be realized, and our visions to become real. This is a playful process of creative fun. It might becomes one of your favorite past times, and now it is happening every first Saturday of the month!

There will be a short PowerPoint presentation of collages. You are welcome to bring images and personal photos, sharp scissors, and magazines. Everything else will be provided including more magazines

Join us for our next Sip & Stroll Saturday May 2nd, your support will benefit local businesses impacted by the recent tragic fire in Capitola Village. Enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting from an extensive variety of wineries, shopping at our locally owned boutiques and enjoy community connection in our beloved Village. Every sip makes a difference—come out, show your support, and help our local businesses rebound stronger than ever.

Don’t miss the fun at the Capitola-Aptos Rotary’s 4th Annual Kentucky Derby Party on May 2nd at Specialized Aviation in Watsonville. Dress to impress in your Derby best and compete in the Best Hat Contest. Place your bets and enjoy the thrill of the races. Explore amazing silent & live auction items. Sip on classic Mint Juleps and indulge in delicious Derby-inspired hors d’oeuvres, sandwiches, and desserts. Take your experience to new heights with helicopter rides (available for purchase) Best of all, every dollar raised stays local, supporting community nonprofits.

Join the Carmel Orchid Society at its monthly meeting to learn how to grow orchids in our local environment. First Saturday of every month 2 PM at the Community Church of Carmel Valley.
CarmelOrchidSociety.org

Find calm and clarity in the midst of daily life. This four part class offers a beginner-friendly, traditional approach to Heart Zen meditation to help cultivate mindfulness, even in the busiest moments of life.

Charles Meng is a Salinas-based retired educator with over 16 years of meditation experience. A former instructor at Monterey Zen Meditation Center, Charles is passionate about helping beginners find clarity and balance through simple, effective Zen practices.
Bring your own yoga mat! Chairs available upon request.

First Four Saturdays in May
May 2, 9, 16, & 23
This is not a drop in program. Attendance is required at all four sessions.

Please register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/zMmquMwrR0
Questions? Contact Magnolia at Magnolia.Coito@salinas.gov

Chamber Music Monterey Bay will present the highly acclaimed Calidore String Quartet for the final concert of our 2025-2026 Season. The Washington Post wrote of the Calidore, “Four more individual musicians are unimaginable, yet these speak, breathe, think and feel as one.” As was true for our previous ensemble, the Dover Quartet, this spectacular ensemble has appeared for CMMB only virtually, in 2020. We are thrilled to present them in person.

The Calidore Quartet brings a big program to their performance in Carmel: A beautiful quartet by Haydn (Op. 76 no. 5), a powerful work by Shostakovich, his String Quartet No. 8, which we haven’t presented in over 20 years, and Beethoven’s immense and profoundly moving String Quartet Op. 131. Writing of the Calidore, The New York Times said: “Deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct.” The Los Angeles Times noted that the Calidore are “Astonishing …shockingly deep… [with] the kind of sublimity other quartets spend a lifetime seeking.”

We hope to see you at Sunset Center to hear CMMB’s fifth and final concert, with an extraordinary ensemble and a powerful closing for our 59th Season.

The concert will be preceded by a 30-minute talk by Bay Area musicologist Ian Scarf. These informative and entertaining talks begin at 6:30 and will provide ticket-holders with deeper insight into the evening’s program.

Individual tickets are available for $30–$75. CMMB’s Kids Up Front & Free! program offers free tickets for young music lovers (grades 3–12) and music teachers. Discounted tickets ($15) are available for chaperones. Active members of the military and full-time students are eligible for discounts.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.chambermusicmontereybay.org or by calling the CMMB office at 831-625-2212, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information and to stay updated on all events and ticket sales, visit the website.

Contact: Chamber Music Monterey Bay
Phone: 831-625-2212
Email: info@chambermusicmontereybay.org
Website: www.chambermusicmontereybay.org

Chamber Music Monterey Bay (CMMB) announces its 59th season, presenting five evening concerts by world-class ensembles at the historic Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Concerts will be held on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., preceded by complimentary pre-concert lectures at 6:30 p.m., offering audiences deeper engagement with the repertoire and performers.

The 2025–2026 season continues CMMB’s mission to enrich the cultural life of the Central Coast by presenting exceptional chamber music performances, commissioning new works, and supporting community education and outreach initiatives. This season reflects CMMB’s dual commitment to preserving the legacy of chamber music while advancing its evolution through contemporary voices.

SEASON FINALE

Calidore String Quartet
Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. | Sunset Center, Carmel
Free pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m.

Closing the season is the Calidore String Quartet, described by The New York Times as possessing “deep reserves of virtuosity and irrepressible dramatic instinct.”

Franz Joseph Haydn – String Quartet No. 65 in D Major, Op. 76, No. 5
Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110
Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131
An evening of musical gravity and brilliance, this finale offers a masterclass in the enduring power of the string quartet.
About Chamber Music Monterey Bay

Founded in 1966, Chamber Music Monterey Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to presenting a world-class concert series, commissioning new works, and offering education and outreach that makes chamber music accessible to diverse communities. Its programming reflects a commitment to artistic excellence, cultural stewardship, and education for audiences of all ages.