Petaluma
NYE Gala Concert
SkyHill Cultural Alliance rings in the new year with its 17th Annual New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, a Petaluma tradition that favors elegance over excess and music over noise. The program brings together works by Beethoven, Mahler, Copland, Ives and John Zorn, performed by a chamber ensemble led by pianist Elizabeth Walter and featuring guest violinist Joseph Edelberg, concertmaster of the Santa Rosa Symphony. Complimentary wine and cheese will be offered before the show, with Champagne and chocolates afterward. Two performances allow audiences to choose between a matinee-style sendoff or an early evening toast. 3 & 6pm, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Unitarian Universalist Church, 16 5th St., Petaluma. Tickets $60, skyhillconcerts.org.
Fairfax
Grateful Voodoo
If one’s idea of holiday spirit involves dancing and a little New Orleans funk, Grateful Voodoo has them covered. The Bay Area jam collective returns to Peri’s Tavern with its Holidaze Dance Party, blending Grateful Dead staples with Crescent City grooves and a rhythm section built for motion. With a rotating lineup of seasoned local players and a crowd that knows when to let go, Grateful Voodoo keeps things loose and celebratory. 5–8pm, Sunday, Dec. 28, Peri’s Tavern, 29 Broadway, Fairfax. Tickets $10, peristavern.com.
Sebastopol
Wild Worlds
Showstoppers Artist Collective heads into January with Wild Worlds, a dual exhibition with works by Patti Fulton, whose animal portraits and human studies reflect decades of medical illustration and ranch life, and Monique Nguyen, exhibiting under the name Tara Mo, whose vibrant abstract paintings explore color and movement. The show spills across neighboring spaces, creating a conversational flow between image and sensation, realism and intuition. Guests can linger over treats, browse boutique art or partake in a community collage table stocked with materials and open to all ages. 1–3pm, Saturday, Jan. 10, Showstoppers Artist Collective, 186 N. Main St., Ste. 110, Sebastopol. Free; donations welcome, supershowstoppers.com.
San Rafael
Watercolor Theory
If one’s greens keep turning muddy or their blues won’t behave, this workshop aims to settle the score. Multidisciplinary artist Suzy Kopf leads a hands-on introduction to watercolor color theory at Marin Museum of Contemporary Art that focuses on the practical magic of mixing, matching, dulling and brightening pigment with intention. Participants will work through guided color exercises, build a personalized color chart and leave with a clearer understanding of which hues harmonize, which clash and why. No prior experience is required—this an ideal launch for beginners and a refinement for practiced painters. 1–4pm, Saturday, Jan. 10, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, 1210 Fifth Ave. (at B Street), San Rafael. $105 MarinMOCA members / $123 non-members, plus $20 materials fee paid to instructor. suzykopf.com.
