class="briefsbodytext">Diablo Women's Chorale welcomes new members for fall rehearsals of its 70th holiday program "Stars," with rehearsals Monday evenings beginning Sept. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 399 Wiget Lane.

The chorale invites interested singers to arrange an informal audition with Director Mary Sorenson (925-256-8960) and rehearsals on Sept. 3 and 10.

"Stars" will be performed at St. Matthew the afternoon of Dec. 8. The program will include holiday and seasonal songs from the classical, pop, spiritual, jazz and Broadway traditions, some accompanied by a jazz ensemble.

Diablo Women's Chorale has been entertaining local audiences since 1943. Sight singing lessons are provided, as well as practice recording and CDs and more experienced singers have opportunities for solos and small group ensembles. This season, mothers and school age daughters will sing songs arranged especially for them.

Cardboard 'racing' at the Bedford Gallery

The Cardboard Institute of Technology has deconstructed the spectacle of car racing, challenging mainstream notions of competition and cooperation, in an exhibit called "Cardburg 2012: The Super Track!" at the Bedford Gallery now through Aug. 12.

CIT invites visitors to the gallery to take part in their unique brand of racing, which can involve forming a pit crew, racing in teams and sabotaging opponents, all in the cardboard realm.

"CIT projects always incorporate aspects of the world we live in, from pop culture, history and myth to contemporary life, said Bedford Curator Carrie Lederer in a news release. "The artists are entrepreneurial in spirit, and bring an array of skills and talents to their projects, using high-tech/low-tech hybrids as a motto for construction. Each installation is a unique, humorous and thoughtful statement about our local and global community, and our attraction to large-scale, exhilarating public events."

Visitors can come to the gallery and build their own cardboard stock car.

The gallery, in the Lesher Center for the Arts, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and from 6 to 8 p.m. on dates of evening performances at the Lesher.

Art, nature 'Captured' in upcoming exhibit

From Impressionist plein air painting to medieval bestiaries, artists have been committed to exploring the unfamiliar and unknown creatures and environments that share our world.

In the Bedford Gallery's upcoming show "Captured," running Sept. 6 through Nov. 18, the contributing artists will demonstrate the complex dialogue between the arts, scientific exploration and organic, found materials is being expressed in a contemporary context.

Looking to traditions as diverse as taxidermy, specimen boxes, and the cabinet of curiosities, this exhibition will address the changing nature of humans' relationships with the natural world.

The gallery, in the Lesher Center for the Arts, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and from 6 to 8 p.m. on dates of evening performances at the Lesher.

ORINDA

Film showcase returns with 'Late Bloomers'

The International Film Showcase returns to the Orinda Theatre Aug. 24-30 with the U.S. premiere of the Oscar-nominated Swiss comedy "Late Bloomers," in which four older ladies from a small village in Switzerland's Emmental region turn a corner store into a chic lingerie shop, which throws the whole community into disarray.

Show times are 1:30, 4 and 6:30 p.m. each day, with additional screenings at 8:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Check these websites for more information -- www.lfef.org or www.lamorindatheatres.com

Lafayette

Lafayette Gallery's 'Anticipation' opens Aug. 7

The new exhibition at the Lafayette Gallery, "Anticipation," will feature pieces created to evoke the anticipation of pleasurable things to come ... vacations, weddings, births, the changing of the seasons and the accompanying changes in light and color.

These works, in various media, will be for sale.

In addition, the Lafayette Sculpture Garden is open through the fall. The green and shady Sculpture Garden, with it's meandering pathways, is unique in the Bay Area, filled with works that vary from the whimsical to the earthy to the elegant, all in a gorgeous outdoor setting.

The Lafayette Gallery was founded over a decade ago; all 23 members are selected by jury. Open hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

'Keep it Simple' on exhibit through Saturday

"Keep it Simple," with works of art that are fresh, warm and relaxing, will run at the Lafayette Gallery through Aug. 4.

The pieces on display will be by the 24 gallery members, and will be for sale.

The show will be free, and will be held at the gallery, 50 Lafayette Circle.

Also, the Lafayette Sculpture Garden is now open for the summer and is filled with works that vary from the whimsical to the earthy to the elegant.

Moraga

'Nature of Collecting' through Sept. 16

"The Nature of Collecting: The Early 20th Century Fine Art Collection of Roger Epperson" will be displayed from July 8 through Sept. 16 in the Hearst and Brother Cornelius/Walker Foundation Galleries on the Saint Mary's College campus in Moraga.

Epperson was an East Bay Regional Parks ranger with a passion for California's environment and a deep love of art. Over a nearly 30-year period, Epperson amassed a collection of more than 300 beautiful, museum-quality works of art, collected piece by piece from antique stores, galleries, garage sales and, later, online sources.

Epperson died in a kayak accident in Hawaii in 2008. A slope on Mount Diablo has recently been dedicated as "Roger Epperson Ridge."

The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.