Two Christian Calimesa Community Concerts

Two sacred concerts are scheduled in March under auspices of the Calimesa Community Concert Series, now in its 31st year of family-friendly music production. The public is invited to attend both concerts free of charge in the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church, with a free-will offering received at each event. Chiz Rider, an internationally recognized trumpeter and recording artist, will present a program of traditional and contemporary Christian music at the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, March 5, at 7 p.m. From his home in State College, Pennsylvania, Rider and his musical team schedule 250 concerts a year in North America and international locations. Largely self-taught since he discovered his father’s high school trumpet in a closet at age four, Rider’s musical style has been influenced by such versatile performers as Wynton and Brandon Marsalis, Maynard Ferguson, and Louis Armstrong. He has performed with popular Christian artists including Newsboys, Larnell Harris, Michael W. Smith, and others. The second concert, on March 19 at 6 p.m., features Pro Deo, an all-volunteer Inland Southern California choir and string ensemble. The 60 musicians, whose Latin name translates as “For God,” will sing and play – all together and as vocal and instrumental soloists and small groups -- in a program of traditional hymns and contemporary worship music. Started in 2013, Pro Deo is a young – mostly collegiate – multi-ethnic performance group with high-level musical standards, according to Dr. Robert Soderblom, director of the Calimesa concert series. The organization’s international flavor can be sensed from the names of three individuals who share in its leadership, Soderblom smiles. “The founders are Lauren Horinouchi and Emerald Waworoendeng-Leung, and the music director is Alva Waworoendeng.” Both the March concerts are at the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church, 391 Myrtlewood Dr. (4th and Myrtlewood) in Calimesa. A dedicated telephone line provides recorded information and directions for the concert at (909) 795-4960, Soderblom concludes.