Acoustic Modesto music series features folk artists Friday

The Modesto acoustic series Music at the GMC continues Friday.

The intimate concert series from Modesto Unplugged and ModestoView brings the duo The Singer & The Songwriter to Modesto’s Gottschalk Music Center. The folk pair blends influences from jazz and pop in their music. The Singer & The Songwriter features Rachel Garcia and Thu Tran who together won the West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest in 2012. Also performing is indie-folk songwriter and award-winning arts educator Xanthe Alexis.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 general, children 12 and under are free. For more information, call 209-543-5306 or visit www.modestounplugged.com.

ITSA Film Festival

The best in short film and animation returns to Sonora with the seventh annual ITSA Film Festival this weekend.

The Imagination Talent Shorts Animations festival will screen close to 70 films from all across the world. The opening night special presentation will show the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Generation on the Wind” with an appearance by its producer, writer and director David Vassar. Filmmakers, actors, writers and more will be among the special guests over the weekend. Saturday evening will include a special horror presentation of short films called Reel Scary starting at 9:20 p.m.

The festival opens at 6 p.m. Friday with the “Generation on the Wind” screening at the Sonora Opera Hall. It continues 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday at Sonora Opera Hall. The Friday night screening is $15 advance, $20 door. All other screenings are free and open to the public. For more information, call 209-962-0342 or visit www.itsafilmfestival.com.

Carnegie Center pop-up exhibition

The next Carnegie Arts Center Centennial pop-up exhibition starts this weekend.

The “Along the Lines” exhibit will feature prints by Rob Stevenson. Modesto Junior College art professor Stevenson celebrates 100 years of Carnegie history with new printmaking work created for the center’s final pop-up show. The display will be on view for 10 days starting this weekend end ending Nov. 20. The gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday. Admission is free. For more information, call 209-632-5761 or visit www.carnegieartsturlock.org.

Vocalosity at Gallo Center

Experience the aca-awesome of a cappella with the new touring live concert show at Gallo Center for the Arts on Tuesday.

The production was created by Deke Sharon, the music director for this hit films “Pitch Perfect” and “Pitch Perfect 2” and the TV series “The Sing-Off.” The show features an ensemble of young vocalists performing some of the biggest and latest chart-toppers. The repertoire also ranges from Gregorian chant and barbershop quartet sounds to doo-wop and classical choral.

Tickets are $29-$69. For more information, call 209-338-2100 or visit www.galloarts.org.

Modesto author Ken White sets book signings

Modesto author Ken White has a handful of book signings set for the next several weeks, promoting his latest work, a children’s book titled “That Happiness Thing: A Hometown Fable.”

White will be at the McHenry Mansion Visitor Center and Gift Store, 924 15th St., Modesto, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 19.

On Nov. 26, he will sign books at the Modesto Barnes & Noble, 3501 McHenry Ave., from noon to 4 p.m.

White also will be at this year’s Dickens Fair in downtown Modesto, peddling and signing his books at the McHenry Museum from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 3.

This story was originally published November 8, 2016 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Acoustic Modesto music series features folk artists Friday."