Arts briefs: Mahtomedi alums to play in Wildwood Artist Series finale

Mahtomedi High School alumni Paige Koebele and Gerardo Leon- Aguilar will be the featured performers Saturday during the final concert of the 2011-12 Wildwood Artists Series.

Koebele, a 2009 graduate, is a soprano and will sing operatic arias and musical theater pieces. She is pursuing a degree in vocal performance at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.

Leon-Aguilar, a member of the class of 2005, plays the euphonium and bass trombone. He is pursuing a degree in music education at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

The concert is at 7 p.m. in the Chautauqua Fine Arts Center, 8000 N. 75th St. in Mahtomedi. Tickets are $12 for adults, $9 for ages 62 and older, and $6 for students. Call 651-269-9888 for more information.

WCT puts out call for actorsWoodbury Community Theatre will hold auditions Monday through Wednesday for its next show, "A Wizard of Oz."

Tryouts for kids in grades K-5 will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. Auditions for adults and students in grades 6-12 will be conducted from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Merrill Community Arts Center, 380 Rivertown Drive.

To sign up for an audition, go to www.woodburycommunitytheatre.org and click on the link designated for each age group.

Those who try out will need to bring a piece of sheet music and be prepared to sing 36 bars of a song. They should also bring a photo and dates when they can't make rehearsals, which begin May 21, or performances, which are set for July 13-21. Callbacks will be held on Friday.

For more information, e-mail wctheatre@gmail.com.

Earth Day program: Organic gardeningAmy Field, who has worked as a chef for two of Hawaii's top spas and as a private chef for celebrities including Jane Fonda, Ellen DeGeneres and Bette Midler, will discuss how to build a sustainable future through organic gardening, mindful eating and getting connected to food sources in an Earth Day program next Sunday.

The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Carpenter St. Croix Nature Center, 12805 S. St. Croix Trail.

Field will show how to make a container garden, and heirloom and biodegradable pots will be provided. She also will talk about how to get involved in a community-supported garden.

Cost is $15. For more information, call 651-437-4359.

Valley Chorale sings spiritual songsSoloist Aleks Knezevich and the Woodbury High School Choir will join the Valley Chamber Chorale in a program called "Spiritual Songs" at 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. next Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 114 N. 4th St.

Sting's "Love Is the Seventh Wave," the African American spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and renditions of a Monteverdi motet are among the numbers included in the program.

Tickets are $27 for adults, $22 for students and seniors. For more information, call 651-430-0124.

Library holds spring book saleUsed books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, puzzle books and other items will be sold during the Stillwater Public Library's annual Spring Book Sale. It runs from 10:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursday, and from 10:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 224 N. 3rd St.

For more information, call 651-275-4338.

TIM HARLOW

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