LIVERMORE – The Bankhead Theater has a weekend of music planned in the middle of May.

On Friday, May 13, at 8 p.m. the Bankhead will come alive with the music of the great Sir Paul McCartney with Stroll Down Penny Lane, a performance that has something to be discovered for even the biggest of Beatles fans. Tickets are $20 to $58 with student/military personnel $20.

Later that weekend on Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m. the Bankhead will be turning a spotlight to the next generation of music greats, with East Bay Jazz at The Bankhead. Tickets are $25 with student/military personnel $10.

Dates, times, and ticket prices for other events available at www.LivermoreArts.org

Both concerts will take place at the Bankhead Theater in Downtown Livermore.

The music of the most iconic songwriter of our age, Paul McCartney, is presented in Stroll Down Penny Lane in a compelling live performance with beautiful accompanying films. Spanning McCartney’s career – from early influences, to the Beatles, through the Wings period, and beyond, his beloved songs are performed by some of the Bay Area’s most sought-after career musicians. Audiences will be treated to songs that have never been performed in concert – anywhere, by anyone.

This live-in-concert experience includes McCartney’s music and influences, from early rock and roll – like Little Richard – until now, spanning sixty years of music, and is a beautiful chance to explore and appreciate his incomparable ballads, a form McCartney adopted when he was a teenager and grew to become the genre’s acknowledged master. This special evening is a chance to delve deep into the music and see the origin of a song and the musical devices that McCartney used to move us so deeply. Audiences will discover the collaborations that led to the creation of a song and the history of the era in which McCartney’s music is forever embedded.

The Napa Valley Register summed the show up by noting, “...even the most die-hard Beatles fans attending the show discover something they had not known.”

East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars, currently in its sixth season, is an after-school program for high-caliber musical performance and education for high school jazz musicians. East Bay Jazz’s two ensembles, big band and combo, rehearse on a weekly basis and frequently perform between January to June. In East Bay Jazz students develop their skills within the jazz idiom, gain real-world performance experience, and share their love of music with the East Bay community and beyond. Led by founder and director Spencer Sussman, tenor and bass trombonist, composer/arranger, and educator from the Bay Area, East Bay Jazz’s educational programs are fully supported by Livermore Valley Arts, whose mission to offer a broad range of arts opportunities and experiences to engage the community includes supporting and fostering the next generation of artists in our community.

Since 2016, over 100 talented students have participated in the program. Presently, there are 21 students currently enrolled (and counting), who come from all over the East Bay, from Fremont to Brentwood. These students develop a passion for jazz and music performance. There are those who are already jazz connoisseurs that here have more exciting opportunities to connect with others about their passion. There are those who enjoy music performance that become more deeply interested in jazz as they progress through the program. Whatever their background, most importantly this program has fostered a musical community for students of the East Bay, which helps create lasting memories during these formative years of their lives.

The Tri-Valley audience can support this next generation of musicians and witness mission in action at a matinee at the Bankhead on May 15. The Bankhead Theater continues with safety protocols such as enhanced air circulation and no touch ticketing. Proof of vaccination is no longer required for entry at ticketed performances, unless noted as part of a contractual obligation with the artist.

Tickets for all shows in the 2021-2022 Bankhead Presents season are available online, by calling 925-373-6800, or at the box office windows.