Chocolate, wine, and all that jazz sweetens up the Festival of Arts this summer! Indulge your senses at the “Art, Jazz, Wine and Chocolate” series every Thursday night throughout the summer.

Wine and Chocolate Pairings: Sample a wide variety of Kendall-Jackson wines expertly selected to compliment and enhance the nuanced flavor of chocolates from XAN Confections. Cost: $20 (does not include Festival of Arts admission or reserved seating)

Bill Cantos has released six solo CDs; the most recent is Love Wins: New Standards For The New Millennium, a collection of new songs written in the style of classic jazz standards. Among his current projects, Bill can be heard singing the main title song “All Right Day” in the new film Home Run Showdown (co-written by Bill and his wife, Mari Falcone). He records and tours with Herb Alpert and Lani Hall and is also a featured live performer with Burt Bacharach.

The artists with whom Bill has toured and/or recorded include Phil Collins, Alan Bergman, Elton John, Leon Russell, Diane Schuur, Lisa Ono, Kirk Whalum, Bob Dylan, Brian Bromberg, Barry Manilow, Jay Graydon, David Foster, Kevyn Lettau, Deniece Williams, Debby Boone, Freddie Hubbard, Vikki Carr, Steve Amerson, Tony Guerrero, and Rita Coolidge. His songs have been covered by Ramsey Lewis, Lea Salonga, Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, and Cheryl Bentyne. Bill has a deep love for Brazilian music, and has worked extensively with many of Brazil’s best-known artists, including Sergio Mendes, Dori Caymmi, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Gal Costa.

Growing up in San Diego, California, Cantos received a Masters in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied piano with Fred Hersch. He currently resides in Los Angeles working on new projects with Mari, including songwriting with Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Johnny Mandel.

Pianist/composer/lyricist Mari Falcone is currently working on the new musical CHASING MEM’RIES, which will have its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood this fall, starring Tyne Daly.  In addition to writing songs for the show with legendary lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, she is the musical director and will compose the underscore. She has released three CDs as a solo artist (And All This, Embrace The Cross, and Christmas Peace); her instrumental music is a blend of classical, pop and jazz influences.

Among her many credits: she toured as keyboardist/conductor with Donna Summer, Amy Grant, Nell Carter, Debby Boone, Deniece Williams, and Vikki Carr; served as musical director for the Groundlings comedy troupe; composed The Garden Ballet, commissioned by the Florence Dance Company (Florence, Italy); wrote and produced Debby Boone’s album for children “The Snow Angel”; co-wrote the main theme and did additional scoring for the film “Home Run Showdown”; served as musical director for the Groundlings comedy troupe, as well as Off-Broadway musicals and regional theater around the country; and wrote special material for a variety of artists, including Louise Duart, who took Mari’s music to Broadway as part of the revue Catskills On Broadway.

Mari is also a playwright with several performed plays to her credit. She earned her Masters degree in classical piano performance from the University of Miami, a student of Rosalina Sackstein.