“I was nervous because I had no idea how it was going to be filmed, edited, or shown,” Firato said.

 

Photo courtesy Julie Firato
Rich Firato and actor Jeff Goldblum in the museum at Morgan’s Cove, Firato’s homage to his passion for pirates. Goldblum’s show featuring the “pirate village” begins streaming on Disney+ Jan. 19.

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

If you have a passion for pirates, check out the Disney+’s “The World Accord to Jeff Goldblum.” The new season hosted by the “Jurassic Park” and “Independence Day” actor is featuring outrageous backyards and you’ll see South Valley’s famous Morgan’s Cove pirate village. The homage to Disneyland’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride gets an eight-minute segment on the streaming online show.

Rich Firato and his pirate crew have been working over the course of two decades on his hobby of turning his home into a celebration of the pirate life. He and several of his family members got a wonderful surprise Jan. 19 when they watched the segment featuring Goldblum taking a tour of the backyard of their home in an east-side neighborhood of Morgan Hill. They watched the segment twice.

“I was nervous because I had no idea how it was going to be filmed, edited, or shown,” Firato said. “You see the intro to Goldblum’s show, then all of a sudden you see Morgan’s Cove, and then it got exciting. When I was talking to the actor on the boat, it was more exciting. It was pretty cool to think there’s Jeff Goldblum with Rich Firato. This is really cool.”

Firato’s mom, Marie, started crying with pride seeing her son on TV. And Rich’s wife, Julie, also was proud to see their unique home’s yard — including a one-third scale pirate ship — shared with millions of audience members.

“Who has their house featured on Disney+ with Jeff Goldblum?” Firato said. “To see me hugging Jeff Goldblum, it means so much now because he’s famous and a movie star and they chose us, the pirates of Morgan Hill.”

Are you a piano student with a competitive streak? If so, consider entering the 17th Annual Marian Filice Youth Piano Competition and Music Festival. Piano students from 5th – 12th grades can register to compete in the youth piano competition, while all other musicians can register to perform in the music festival.

The competition will consist of two divisions. The junior division is open to students who are in grades 5 through 8. The senior division will be open to students who are in grades 9 through 12.

Contestants will be expected to prepare two contrasting pieces from the classical repertoire (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Contemporary), and perform them by memory. Prizes range from $100 for third place in the junior division to $500 for senior first place winners. The winner will be invited to perform at the Gavilan College Bach to Blues Concert.

The competition takes place at 9 a.m. Sunday, March 6, with the award ceremony and festival concert at 3 p.m., at the Gavilan College Theater, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. Admission is free and adults must show proof of vaccination at the door, have a photo ID and masks are required indoors.

The deadline to enter is Jan. 28. The entry fee is $20 for the piano competition, and $20 for the music festival.

Applications are available at www.gavilan.edu/academic/music/piano_comp.php. Please mail applications and fees to Maria Amirkhanian, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd., Gilroy CA, 95020. Details: [email protected].