ABOUT THE JARVIS CONSERVATORY
. Utilizing a grant from the Jarvis family the Conservatory began operation in Napa, CA, in 1995, providing training and support for artists. The Conservatory is dedicated to serious art forms not often available in other places, and at the same time, art forms relating to the large Hispanic community of Napa. All Conservatory productions take place in what has been described as a jewel of a theater, and an acoustic marvel, 220 seats on the main floor and the dress circle (balcony).
The Conservatory's latest innovation is Leticia Jarvis' new Art Film showings on Saturday Nights at the lovely Conservatory theater. Since this is the first time such films have been available in the Napa area they are sure to prove popular.
Saturday Opera Night brings singers from around the San Francisco Bay Area on the first Saturday of each month, offering them exposure to a live audience and the ambience of a professional theater. Singers are professionally accompanied on the piano while the members of the audience get exposure to a fun evening with many forms of singing.
Previously, the annual Zarzuela workshop
was a vehicle for training performers in an
intensive multi-disciplinary program and an ideal vehicle to initiate people
of all backgrounds to the fine arts. In addition to the usual theatergoer, this
brings in the young and the Hispanic people, and those who can't afford the
theater. Since 1995, eleven Zarzuela workshops and four Baroque
Ballet workshops have been conducted, all with multi-week training in the areas
of voice, dance, acting, stage movement and language for the artists involved.
More than 550 artists have participated in the workshops. A treasure trove of 16
professional DVD's record the Zarzuela productions and are available for sale on
this web site. Rare Baroque Ballet recordings, in both DVD's and Cassettes are
also available.
Baroque Ballet workshops
were
conducted utilizing authentic choreography, masking, costumes and music. The New
York Public Library participated in videotaping
the latest production for their dance archives as well as doing a documentary of
the workshop leading up to the performance. This program was also aided by the
National Endowment for the Arts who made a grant to assist in recording the production.
Production credits to the New York Baroque Dance Company.
Performances that are staged at the Jarvis Conservatory are professionally videotaped utilizing the latest HD digital recording techniques and the videos are made available to public broadcast stations, to educational institutions and libraries. Numerous productions have been up linked via satellite to PBS stations throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and have reached upwards of a million viewers.
Other activities of the
Jarvis Conservatory include
workshops and performances in chamber music and puppetry. And since 1994 the Jarvis
Conservatory conducted Opera Appreciation classes with Conservatory
Instructor, Maestro Hugo Rinaldi. In 1999 the Conservatory began it's
annual Holiday Choral Ensemble featuring Bay Area Choirs.