Popular Duo to Host Park Concerts

For parents and children, the music of J. P. Nightingale is a familiar sound. For 19 years the duo--John and Pam Woods on guitar, mandolin, flute, spoons and vocals--has made several albums, toured Southern California schools, and, since 1985, produced the popular Theater Arts Festival for Youth, or TAFFY festival, at the Peter Strauss Ranch in Agoura.

Following the success of the early TAFFY festivals, J. P. Nightingale decided to expand its programs to feature family-oriented ethnic music. For the fifth year, John and Pam Woods of Canoga Park are joining forces with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to host the first two of five monthly “Sunday Concerts in the Park,” also at the Peter Strauss Ranch.

“We really have an ethnic thrust to most of our music, incorporating many styles so children are learning about cultures in a fun way,” John Woods said.

The first concert in this year’s series, Sunday’s Mother’s Day program, will feature country singer-songwriter Jerry Lansdowne and the traditional Irish folk music of Deirdre Mary Rogers. The second, on June 2, will feature Arco Iris, a South American group that blends siku , or panpipes, with synthesizers and the quijada , an Incan percussion instrument fashioned from a cow skull.

The last three concerts in the series will be co-sponsored for the second year by the Topanga Banjo/Fiddle Concerts & Folk Art Festival Inc. These include, on July 14, the Family Cultural Group featuring Jouita Sison and Friefe Nitoy Gonzales from the Philippines; on Aug. 4, folk singer Sam Hinton and bluegrass music by The Witcher Brothers, and on Sept. 8, Hawaiian songs from Michael McClelland and Bernie Mallonie and dancing by Opuulani Agla Halali.

“We are definitely focusing on international music this year,” said Jean Bray, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service. “We are also working to establish the Peter Strauss Ranch as a culture center. This is one more activity that moves us closer toward that goal.” The facility includes an amphitheater, cottage, lawn and lots of easy-access trails, Bray said.

“Some of our first concerts brought only about 50 people,” Bray said. “But last year, we had as many as 1,000 at a single show. Usually the numbers are somewhere in between, but we’re slowly growing.”

“Sunday Concerts in the Park” begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Peter Strauss Ranch (Lake Enchanto), 30000 Mulholland Highway, Agoura, with country music by Jerry Lansdowne and Irish folk music by Deirdre Mary Rogers. Admission and parking are free. Call (818) 597-9192.