An exciting day of musical and theatrical performances for all ages is sure to delight Butterfly Day attendees.
The music festival at Topanga’s Fourth Annual Butterfly Day will feature nationally renowned recording artists alongside showcases of local rising teen talents and young musicians of the Camp Cabaret All-Stars. The festival starts when doors open at 10 a.m. and continues all day until 6 p.m., closing with a groovin’ jam by Promised Land, in a tribute to the Grateful Dead.
Meet the Musicians
Michael Whitehorse Aviles, a San Fernando native and elder of the Gabrieleno Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, will begin the day with a Tongva ceremony to honor the sacred lands of Topanga and Tongva tribal territory. He is a descendant of the Southern Paiute and Western Shoshoni People of the Mojave River in the Mohave Desert near what is now Victorville, California, and regularly performs sacred Tongva ceremonies and land blessings on indigenous sites. traditional flute player and, with percussionist Kentyah, will honor the sacred lands of Topanga and Tongva tribal territory. He plays a traditional, indigenous flute and will be joined by percussionist Kentyah for an intimate improvised performance.
Donna De Lory is a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose radiant voice and expansive musical vision encompasses pop, world music, electronica and devotional mantras. She is also a Topanga mom who, with her husband Rob, was instrumental in developing the idea of the first Butterfly Day. In that inaugural event, Donna performed with the third-grade class of Topanga Elementary, with whom she wrote and recorded a song entitled “Butterfly Day,” sure to be reprised at this year’s festival! While Donna is well known for her work with Madonna as a singer and dancer—seen in the documentary film, Truth or Dare, and on Madonna’s world tours, her voice is heard on landmark albums and her own music has topped the Billboard Dance Chart. Simultaneously with her storied pop career, De Lory is one of the world’s foremost singers of devotional mantras and songs of spiritual inspiration.
Antonia Bath hails from Hastings, East Sussex, England, and has worked as an actor, singer and voiceover artist since graduation from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. She is Director of Camp Cabaret, a musical theatre camp located in Topanga and also sings in the band Kummerspeck, a Topanga Days local favorite for classic rock. She has performed nationally in the renowned Cirque Bezerk and has played venues nationwide from the Howlin’ Wolf to CBGBs.
Peter Alsop, Ph.D., is a beloved longtime Topanga resident, loving husband of Theatricum Artistic DirectorEllen Geer, Dad, Grandfather, video producer, feature film director, actor, and a Certified Experiential Therapist with an open mind and a sense of humor. He is a nationally known singer-songwriter, kids performer, educator and humorist whose 22 albums and seven DVDs have received eight Best Children’s Album awards. Peter is a board member of, and directs the “Kids Koncerts” at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, which is a community sponsor of Butterfly Day. This year the theater is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and will also celebrate butterflies at the event with a performance by its company of actors of vignettes from the upcoming repertory season!
Antonia Bath’s Camp Cabaret Allstars is in its 23rd year of providing an extraordinary outdoor musical theater experience for children. Founded by the “Queen of the Fairies of Goodness,” Antonia has a knack for pulling performances out of the shyest little members of the company and encouraging the fiery light within her stage-loving, performance-loving rising stars. Among other youth and teen performers, Camp Cabaret will showcase performances by teen campers Aurora Finetti, Allegra Frost, Iset Powers, Rebecca Land Hill, and Quinlynn Scheppner.
Aurora Finetti and Allegra Frost. These talented local teens are both alumni of Topanga Elementary Charter School and have performe in school musicals, Topanga Youth Services Talent Shows, and Camp Cabaret. Aurora Finetti recently sang the National Anthem at Topanga Days. Allegra Frost was the youngest entrant ever at the Santa Barbara Old Time Fiddle Festival and ended up winning third placein the mandolin competition.
Josephine makes melodies in her Canyon studio nestled above the Theatricum Botanicum. As a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, she recently released her debut EP, “Paradise,” and will soon follow with a counterpoint collection entitled “Lost?” set to be released in May. On the wild side, Josephine surfs whenever the waves are good and then pairs a relaxed musical soundscape with lyrics that reflect the paradox of our time. At Butterfly Day, Jospehine will be joined by her rockstar band: Max Shashoua on guitar, Pink Skies on bass, and Amanda Erwin on drums.
Promised Land Spread your wings and fly at Butterfly Day! Shake your bones, move your body and let your spirit ride on waves of sound, rhythm and tone through the spiritual wellspring that is the music of the Grateful Dead with this Dead-inspired jam band featuring Mike Russeck, Ashton Slater, Dan Stein, Jeff Hiller, Clinton Clark, and Kentyah, plus surprise special guests! Like a migrating monarch, ride The Golden Road past the Dark Star in search of the eternal Promised Land!
