Las Positas College Unveils 2016 President's Speaker Series Lineup

From Las Positas College:

Las Positas College (LPC) in Livermore is pleased to kick off its 2016-17 President's Speaker Series on Wednesday, September 14 with a performance by Cascada de Flores at the Mertes Center for the Arts on the LPC campus. The 7 p.m. show celebrates Latino Heritage Month and coincides with the release of the group's new album, iLive!, produced live with vintage songs and the unexplored musical traditions of Mexico and the Spanish Caribbean while tapping into the vibrant genres of bolero, regal dazón, cumbias, malagueñas, and rancheras.

Taking to the Mertes Center for the Artsstage on Wednesday, November 16at 11:30 a.m. will be keynote speaker NASA astronaut Commander Victor Glover, who will follow his talk with a question and answer period. Commander Glover is one of just eight, and the only African-American, to be selected as NASA's new group of astronauts in four years. He received an undergraduate degree in engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and holds advanced degrees from the Air University and Naval Postgraduate School. He is an F/A-18 pilot and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.

This delightful series wraps up on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 with a 7:30 p.m.performance by acclaimed organist Dr. Philip Manwell at Asbury UMC Church, located at 4743 East Avenue in Livermore. Dr. Manwell's musical studies have taken him around the world, and he also earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the Julliard School of Music studying organ, theory, analysis, and research methodology with some of the musical masters of our time. As a solo recitalist and chamber musician, Dr. Manwell has played extensively throughout the United States and Europe, and has served as a church musician for numerous metropolitan congregations from the Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City to St. Francis Episcopal Church in San Francisco.

"Through this unique speakers series, Las Positas College continues its goal of offering high quality cultural and educational opportunities to both its students and the residents of the Tri-Valley region," said LPC President Dr. Barry Russell. "We are especially excited to welcome back Dr. Manwell to the LPC campus, where he served as a professor and Chair of the Humanities Department for 25 years," he added.

All events are free to the public. For questions or additional information, please call the Las Positas College Foundation Office at (925) 424-1010.

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