Congressional art competition

Congressman Mike Thompson is encouraging young artists from the First Congressional district to enter their work in "An Artistic Discovery," an annual art competition for high school students sponsored by the House of Representatives.

One student from his district will be chosen to have his or her artwork displayed in the United States Capitol for one year. This year's winner will receive three roundtrip airline tickets to Washington D.C. and qualify for a $3,000 scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The competition is open to high school students only and the deadline for entry is March 29. Semi-finalists will be chosen from each of the seven counties in the First Congressional District (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and parts of Sonoma and Yolo). From those, one finalist will be selected.

"We have had a great response in the past and I am always tremendously impressed with the quality and originality of the entries," Thompson said. "It's a wonderful opportunity to recognize the outstanding talent of the students in our district."

To register for the competition, students should contact their art instructor or Thompson's office in Napa at 226-9898.

Lauren Kim of Napa will be performing in the 53rd Annual Junior Bach Festival in Berkeley on March 26. This week-long event showcases outstanding Bay Area musicians, ages 7 to 21, who are selected after a three-day audition -- to be chosen to perform is a high honor for a young musician. Lauren, 9, is a home-schooled fourth-grader, who has been studying piano since she was 4. She is the daughter of Andrew and Connie Kim.

The Napa Valley Art Association will hold their monthly meeting Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. at 1520 Behrens St. in Napa. The demonstrating artist will be Robert Chapla, a Bay area artist who enjoys painting landscapes, printmaking and sculpture. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from Columbia, His current series of paintings focus on the slopes of Mt. Diablo as well as valley scenes. There is a $3 fee for non-members, payable at the door to attend the meeting. For more information, please call 265-9050.

The Napa Valley Barbershop Harmony Chorus celebrated 45 years of song at its Feb. 7 meeting. The local chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing received its charter Feb. 2. 1961 after Joe Greco, a former Napa mayor, placed an ad in the Napa Register for men who like to sing and got 29 responses.

Four of the original charter members, Tom Craft, Dwayne DeLong, Roger Sward and Bill Wright, attended the Feb. 7 celebration. DeLong and Sward are still active members of the chorus.

The full chorus, the chorus octet and quartets are available to sing at retirement homes, clubs, business associations and private parties. The Napa Chapter meets Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at the Nazarene Church, 3305 Linda Vista Ave., Napa and invites all men who like to sing to join. For more information, call Walt Eissmann at 257-2294.

Through March 24, the "Eagles Forever! It's Our Duty for Future Generations" contest invites participants to visit www.eaglesforeverorg to submit stories and artwork on the topic, "The Bald Eagle is Back -- Why is that Important to America?"

Two winning contestants, one in the 500-word story category and one in the artwork category, will receive a trip for four to Washington, D.C.

The contest will culminate with an Endangered Species event in Washington D.C. on May 4.

The Eagles Forever! contest is open to all ages. For contest rules, entry details, prize information and to view sample essays and artwork visit www.eaglesforever.org. Contest entries will be accepted online and via U.S. mail through March 24. The contest is being sponsored by Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest law firm based in Oakland.

Maestro Hugo Rinaldi returns to the Jarvis Conservatory to conduct the spring session of the popular Opera Appreciation Lecture Series.

The class is open to teens and adults with all levels of opera experience. These sessions will focus on "The Magic Flute"; "Il Tabarro & Pagliacci" and "Lucia di Lammermoor."

There will also be a special lecture on the "Mystery and Art of Conducting."

Classes will meet Monday from 7 to 9 p.m., April 3, 10, 17, 24, May 1 and 8 at Jarvis Conservatory at 1711 Main St., Napa. Participants are invited to attend a cookie and punch social preceding the first class on April 3, at 6:30 p.m. to meet and mingle with their classmates. The cost of the course is $40 per person. Early registration is recommended, space is limited. Call the Jarvis Conservatory at 255-5445 to register.