Thursday, Sept. 17 MUSICAL ZEN Sunkiss’d Mozart, a unique local chamber music organization, is opening its seventh season by partnering with Carmel Modern, a sleek art studio in downtown Carmel. The performance titled Blue combines music with the gallery’s new fall exhibition, Water Music, to create what is described as a “musical program of zen, vastness and resilience which captures the many moods of moving water.” Violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu is joined by celebrated cellist Ani Aznavoorian for two performances inside the gallery. Both women are the recipients of multiple awards for their skill and beautiful playing abilities. A light reception follows their performance. [PM] 3pm and 6pm Thursday, Sept. 17. Carmel Modern, 6th between Dolores and Lincoln, Carmel. $60. skmozart.com. Thursday-Friday, Sept. 17-18 IN THE SPOTLIGHT Do you get stage fright even thinking of joining a big cast? We are about to witness a birth of the first Central Coast Solo Festival, a four-day series of one-person plays. Presented by local theater initiative Soapbox Stageworks, it brings recognized solo artists to Monterey County, presenting plays by Karen Devaney (the Soapbox leader), Maya Catherine Foster, Talia Pura, Patti Dobrowolski, Kirk McGee and Rick Wind Herrera. The shows are directed locally. Watch one or all six, on various days, all bringing courageous solo actors into the spotlight. [AP] 7pm Thursday, Sept. 17, Friday, Sept. 18, Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26. Stanton Center Theatre, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. $20-$70. (831) 664-6587, soapboxstageworks.org. Friday, Sept. 18 LEAPS AND BOUNDS If you’re a rocker whose nickname is “Guitar,” you must be doing something right. Brad “Guitar” Wilson is certainly doing just that, influenced by some of the greatest guitar players of all time, including Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He’s toured with Chicago, Cheap Trick and others, including 12 European tours in just six years. Wilson 20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com BRIAN KEEPER Typically working on location (plein air) in acrylic on canvas, Brian Keeper is a Texan artist whose art show, Urbanscapes and Abstracts, opens at Austern Cohen Gallery. Keeper’s art survived the Texas Hill Country flood of 2025 after his home and art were submerged for more than three days under the raging Guadalupe River. An accomplished artist for more than five decades, this is the first exhibit of Keeper’s art on the West Coast. Look at cities and landscapes through his eyes, feel the weather in these paintings. Created for personal fulfillment, this large body of work (a collection of 500 pieces) remained largely unseen, until now. An opening reception is 5-7pm Saturday, Sept. 19 at 643 Lincoln St., Carmel. The gallery is open noon-4pm Wednesday-Saturday. [AP] 17-23 SEPTEMBER HOT PICKS To see more local events, and add your own, visit montereycountynow.com/events BRIAN KEEPER CAROLE PAVLO VISUALS CAROLE PAVLO Carole Pavlo (1942-2022) spent a quarter of a century in Monterey County, pursuing art—painting, etching and sculpting—but did not show much of her work during her lifetime. Now, Pavlo’s works are on display at The Carmel Foundation, presented in the show Guided by a Light. “Pavlo was a truly modernday Renaissance artisan using multiple venues and modalities within those venues to reach out and share her insights,” shared Josina Makau, Pavlo’s partner. An opening reception happens at 1-3pm Saturday, Sept. 19 in Diment Hall, 824 Lincoln St., Carmel. The exhibit is up through October. [AP] One hand-blown glass pumpkin is enough to marvel at, but how about 1,500 of them? The annual glass pumpkin patch of Carmel is back, celebrating 14 years and featuring many talented local artisans (see p. 23). MICHAEL TROUTMAN Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu of Sunkiss’d Mozart is opening the concer series’ seventh season in two performances with noted cellist Ani Aznavoorian on Thursday, Sept. 17.
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