Plenty to Do (Part 2):12/10-12/12

Thursday December 10:
A reminder - the Chamber Choir from School of Music in Pitea (sometimes spelled with 2 "e's") Sweden, Erik Westberg, Music Director, performs a free concert at 7 p.m. in South Congregational Church, 9 Pleasant Street.

There will be an program of Javanese & Balinese Gamelan and Dance at 7 p.m. in Wesleyan's World Music Hall, Wyllys Avenue. The free event features presentations by the beginning and advanced classes under the direction of I.M. Harjito, Sumarsam, Urip Sri Maeny, and Peter Steele, preceded by Youth Gamelan Ensemble under the direction of Joseph Getter and Satrio Wicaksono.

Al Bower and Cocomo Rock host the "Writers Out Loud: Literary Open Mic" at 7 :30 p.m. in the Green Street Arts Center. If you wish to take part in the event, sign-ups begin at 7. For more information, call 860-685-7871.

Friday December 11:
The Buttonwood Tree welcomes singer-songwriter Kristen Graves at 7 p.m. The concert is a fundraiser for Simply Smiles - "Simply Smiles is a 501c3 charity organization dedicated to providing bright futures while improving the daily lives of impoverished children. Simply Smiles was founded in 2003 when we began work on our inaugural project, The Casa Hogar Children's Home in Oaxaca City, Mexico. Based out of donated office space in central Connecticut, and relying heavily on an extremely dedicated network of donors and volunteers, Simply Smiles has become a highly respected and rapidly growing organization." To find out more, go to www.simplysmiles.org.
Ms. Graves, the creator of 3 solo CDs, has been an active performer/composer since 2000. Originally from the Midwest, her music is passionate and lively, poetic and meaningful. To find out more, go to www.kristengraves.com.
To reserve a seat, call The Buttonwood at 860-347-4957.

The reggae-funk-fusion sounds of Toussaint Liberator & Buru Style return to Boney's Music Lounge, atop Fishbone Cafe on lower Court Street. Joining the band will be D.J. Lord Lewis. The fun and funk begins at at 9 p.m.

Saturday December 12:
Holiday on Main Street continues with a slew of events from 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. For a complete rundown, call the Chamber of Commerce at 860-347-6924.

You may already know about ARTFARM's Very Merry Solstice Circus Celebration taking place at First United Methodist Church, 24 Old Church Street - if not, click here for the complete rundown. If your child or grandchild is not involved with the INSTANT CIRCUS workshop, you may still want to attend the "Circus for a Fragile Planet" performance at 7 p.m. It's a fun way to learn about the environmental issues facing us all (whether you believe global warming is a concern or not, the presentation is worth attending.) For more information, call 860-346-4390 or go to www.art-farm.org/.

The Buttonwood Tree presents an evening of drumming, dance and didgeridoo as the duo of Imakhu & Worldwind performs at 8 p.m. Their show has a bit of everything, from belly dance to beautiful songs to magical stories and topped off by the didgeridoo, a wind instrument (you can see several examples in the image on the left, although you don't get a sense of how long the instrument can be - some ca be up to 10 feet long!) believed to be developed over 1500 years ago by an Aboriginal tribe. To find out more about the duo, go to www.imakhu.com.

"Prison Progress" is the name of Wesleyan student Sylvia Ryerson's Senior Project. Described as "a multi-media inquiry on the narrative of the U.S. prison expansion, specifically in central Appalachia. This performance, which uses film, digital audio and live solo and small ensemble pieces", takes place at 8 p.m. in the CFA Hall - the event is free and open to the public but call the Box Office at 860-685-3355 for directions.