Alameda’s own Island City Opera is currently presenting five performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s finest operatic masterpiece Rigoletto.

Altarena Playhouse lights up the East End with its latest offering, Ring of Fire, a musical revue of Johnny Cash tunes that also tells his life story in broad strokes.

For the second year in a row, Alameda resident Andy MacKay and Team Pipe-A-Thon visited 19 bars in Alameda on New Year’s Eve, bagpiping “Auld Lang Syne” to enthusiastic patrons. In the process they collected more than $3,200 for the American Cancer Society.

The 21st annual Sing-It-Yourself Messiah will be hosted this year by Christ Episcopal Church at 1700 Santa Clara Ave. (at Grand Street). The long-standing Island City tradition continues Saturday, Dec. 19, at 4 p.m.

Among the many musical talents that swirl around Alameda’s own Rhythmix Cultural Works, (RCW) is Stephen Schultz, a professor of music at Carnegie Mellon University. Schultz has put together two exciting musical offerings at RCW for the New Year. 
Classical Fridays at Rhythmix

The Frank Bette Center’s wheels of organization and creativity have been spinning for months in preparation for their current annual holiday boutique. Lots of red and green and sparkle have transformed the center into an inviting showplace for gifts galore, ranging in price from $3 to $200.

A collaborative project between local photographers, St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County, and the homeless called Visible goes on display this Friday at Redux Studios & Gallery, 2315 Lincoln Ave. in Alameda.

The Music Department at First Congregational Church Alameda, United Church of Christ invites the community to experience the wonder of the season as they present their Annual Christmas Concert entitled, “Love Is Christmas” on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m. in the church sanctuary.  

St. George creates top-shelf artisanal spirits here in town