On March 21, Los Cantantes del Lago gave a benefit concert in Atequiza, a small pueblo in the municipality of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos.

Rising star cellist Jose Gregorio Nieto will perform with pianist Marita Zimmer and clarinetist Charles Nath in a Viva la Musica concert Friday, March 3, 4:30 p.m. 

“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” opened Thursday afternoon at the Bravo Theatre.  This is the kind of play that ultimately scores humorous points while simultaneously commenting on our society.  If you are a fan of theater you will recognize the characters’ names from works by Chekhov.  In this play, the writer Christopher Durang has taken a blender and whipped up a story that includes themes from “The Cherry Orchard” and “The Three Sisters.”    Uncle Vanya’s play within a play becomes a commentary on global warming and the shallowness of our electronic communications. 

Distinguished musicians from Mexico, the United States, Costa Rica and France are listed in the line-up for  Chapala’s International Jazz Festival, to be held Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19 at the open-air stage located on the eastern leg of the city’s waterfront Malecón.

Friday’s opening night program, set to run for four hours starting at 7 p.m., begins with a 45-minute set by the hometown’s Big Band de Rafael Terríquez, followed by Las Billies, an all-girl a capella vocal sextet from Guadalajara. 

The Lake Chapala Chorale is back at it, popping up all over the area with their happy flashmob music. You may have heard them singing “We Are the World” at the recent International Brotherhood Festival in Ajijic, or the Villas Infantil fundraiser. Watch for them around town, they’re liable to show up anywhere. 

Chekhov is alive and well in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where adult siblings Vanya and Sonia reside in their old family home, mourning their lost dreams and missed opportunities.