High School's Musical, Poetry, and Tuesday Jazz

"Middletown High Goes to the Symphony", the fine concert adventure started in 1998 that links our local school with the professional musicians at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, returns on Tuesday April 7 at 7 p.m. in Bushnell Auditorium. If you have never made the short trip to Hartford, you are missing an impressive evening. The MHS Band, Choir and soloists are very well prepared by Marco Gaylord and Mike Gosselin and deserve all kudos. If you want to go, tickets are available at the High School, in the Town Clerk's Office inside Town Hall, and at any Liberty Bank branch in Middletown.

Susan Allison joins fellow poet Colin Haskins for a reading at 7 p.m. in Broad Street Books, 45 Broad Street. It's the second of three reading this month in support of Susan's new collection "Down By The Riverside Ways" (Antrim House Books) with the next one scheduled for April 26 at Millrace Books in Farmington.

Over the past decade, Colin Haskins has been quite active in the area hosting readings (he's the executive director of the Riverwood Poetry Series) and performing. He's possesses a sly sense of humor, sometimes caustic, but always entertaining. For more information about the reading, call 685-7323.

Tuesday Jazz at Public presents Kitty Kathryn with the Norman Gage Quartet from 6 - 9:30 p.m. Ms. Kathryn is certainly one of this area's fine assets, a jazz singer with a big repertoire and a style that's all her own. Joining her alongside baritone saxophonist Gage will be guitarist Rich Goldstein, bassist Paul Brown and drummer Ben Belillo.