New Year's Eve Reminder

As I write this (10 a.m.), the snow is swirling around and sticking to the roads making tough to maneuver. The forecast claims that the worst should be over by mid-afternoon.

Therefore, you may still want to make plans to go to Neely Bruce's "All Mozart New Year's Eve Concert" at 7 p.m. in South Congregational Church, 9 Pleasant Street.  The program, free and open to the public, includes "Sonata in A minor, K. 310", "Fantasy and Fugue in C major, K. 394", and "Sonata in D major, K. 284".  Phyllis Bruce (soprano) will join her pianist husband who promises that the concert won't last more than an hour, leaving time for a short reception and enough leeway to make plans for the rest of the evening.

Enjoy!

The Arts Take a Back Seat to the Holidays (sort of.)

This will be a fairly quiet week until the day after Christmas.  Wesleyan's Center for the Arts is quiet for the break between semesters (although the Spring 2010 schedule has been announced - more on that later) and the Russell Library closes at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve and does not reopen until 9 a.m. on Monday the 28th. 

One event that will take place before the holiday is the 4th and final Advent Organ Recital Wednesday (12/23) at 12:10 p.m. in South Congregational Church, 9 Pleasant Street.  Neely Bruce, music director for the Church, is the featured organist.  The event is free and open to the public - an offering will be taken for the Organ Fund.


The Buttonwood Tree gets back into action on Saturday (12/26) with an appearance by Tommy Monaghan, drummer and guitarist with the experimental jazz quartet A Probe Called Gnomes.  Opening the show at 8 p.m. in the jam band known as Frankpipe, another project involving Monaghan (a graduate of the Hartt School of Music).  For more information, go to www.buttonwood.org. 

Boney's Music Lounge welcomes the Liviu Pop Group with special guest Joe Grieco (keyboards, vocals.)  Grieco (pictured left) is a founding member of The Cartells and has worked with vocalist Phoebe Snow, singer-songwriter Al Anderson and Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step.  The music begins at 9 p.m. 

I mentioned above that the CFA Spring Semester 2010 lineup has been announced and tickets are now available online at www.wesleyan.edu/cfa/.  Among the highlights are 3 concerts in the Crowell Concert Hall Series including The Shanghai Quartet (Friday February 19), the Turkish music group Dunya (Saturday March 27) and the fine jazz saxophonist Bennie Maupin (Saturday May 1.) 

The Breaking Ground Dance Series presents Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group and its production of "The Good Dance--dakar/brooklyn" to the CFA Theater on Friday April 23 and Saturday April 24.  Described by choreographer Wilson as "post-African/Neo-Hoodoo modern dance", the piece is a collaboration with choreographer Andreya Ouamba and his Company, 1er Temps, based in Dakar, Senegal.  The reviews have been excellent and the performance is quite exciting.


That's just a smattering of the offerings at the University - don't forget the Distinguished Writers series and the free concerts at The Russell House as well as the fine exhibitions at the Davison Art Center, the Zilkha Gallery and the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies.  Those programs and exhibitions will be announced soon.

Have a safe and peaceful Holiday week.  

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.

Plenty to Do This Week (Part 1)

Monday December 7:
It's an evening of music on the Wesleyan campus with 2 fine concerts. At 6 p.m. in Memorial Chapel, Christopher Grundy (baritone) and Professor Neely Bruce (piano) present a recital of art songs by Busoni, Schubert, Brahms and Bruce. Joining them will be special guest Katherine Polit (soprano.) The event is free and open to the public.

At 8 p.m., Crowell Concert Hall will be the site for the annual Ebony Singers Fall Semester Concert. Under the direction of Pastor Marichal Monts, the gospel choir is truly filled with heavenly voices and even if you're not a religious person, this music will raise your spirits. Tickets are usually in short supply so call 860-685-3355 for more information.

Tuesday December 8:
The Wesleyan Wind Ensemble, Peter Hadley, music director, presents "WesWinds Wanders the World" at 8 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall. The concert, free and open to the public, will feature pieces composed by Alfred Reed, Robert W. Smith, John Philip Sousa and Jaime Texidor. On a personal, I attended the WesWinds Spring Concert and was highly impressed. You can't beat the price and the musicianship is excellent.

Wednesday December 9:
Stop by South Church, 9 Pleasant Street, at 12 noon for the 2nd of its Advent Organ Recitals. Students of Wesleyan Organ instructor Ronald Ebrecht perform and the music sounds great. It's free and open to all.

The Wesleyan Concert Choir and its special guest, the Pitee Chamber Choir of Sweden (pictured), presents "Jul Jul! A Winter Concert of Choral Music" at 7 p.m. in Wesleyan's Memorial Chapel. Conducted by Pitee's Music Director Erik Westberg, the concert, the first collaboration between the 2 ensembles, will feature music by Sandstrom, Norman, Rheinberger's "Gloria for Double Chorus", a special enactment of the Swedish "festival of lights" in honor of Saint Lucia as well as more familiar melodies. The concert is free and open to the public. As you will see in the comments below, the concert program will be repeated Thursday (12/10) at South Congregational Church at 7 p.m.

The Buttonwood Tree hosts its monthly Belly Dance presentation at 8 p.m. For more information, call 860-347-4957.

Much Ado about Everything (12/02-04)

Wednesday December 2:
That's Rita Parisi and she is your hostess for an "Edwardian Christmas Tea" at 12noon in the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library. In her guise as "Mrs. Gordon", she'll transport you back to 1908 and give one and all an appropriate picture of what life was like during the holiday season at the turn of the 20th Century. Ms. Parisi, founder of Waterfall Productions, creates these great shows that highlight her love of theater and costuming. Her presentation is part of the Library's "Lunch & Learn" series so bring a bagged lunch and the Russell staff will provide the dessert and beverages (perhaps tea and crumpets will be the order of the day.) The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 860-347-2528, extension 135.

South Congregational Church, 9 Pleasant Street, welcomes students of Wesleyan University organist Ronald Ebrecht for the first of 4 consecutive Advent Organ Recitals to be held each Wednesday of December (except 12/30) at 12:10 p.m. There is no admission charge but an offering will be taken for the Church's Organ fund. The Wednesday before Christmas, the organ recital will feature Professor Neely Bruce.

Thursday December 3:
The Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies at Wesleyan welcomes Kim Kono, Assistant Professor in the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department of Smith College for a 4:30 p.m. talk titled " Dangerous Companions: Cultural Cross-Dressing in Colonial Manchuria." Here's the department's description of the talk: "How dangerous is it to wear the clothing of another culture? Focusing on Imamura Eiji's short story "Companions" (Dtktsha, 1938), this talk will explore representations of Japanese and colonized subjects in colonial Manchuria attempting to "pass" as cultural others. While each of these characters tries to conceal his cultural identity through clothing, the effects of their cross-dressing differ because of their positions within colonial hierarchy. Kono will argue that these instances of cultural cross-dressing ultimately underscore the destabilizing effects of colonial assimilation policy, reveal the fragility of cultural identity and potentially pose a threat to both its participants and the colonial project." The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 860-685-2330.

The Elia Kazan Centennial Film Series at Wesleyan comes to its logical conclusion with the final movie of the director's long and somewhat controversial career. "The Last Tycoon" (1976), starring Robert De Niro, Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Jeanne Moreau, Jack Nicholson, and Anjelica Huston, is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's final novel (unfinished at the time of his death) - the screenplay was created by playwright Harold Pinter. De Niro plays a brilliant movie studio executive (based on MGM head Irving Thalberg) who has to deal with many different issues, from stubborn actors to fussy directors. It's a fascinating, if slow, look at Hollywood in the 1930s, unsentimental yet involving. The screening, which takes place at 8 p.m. in the Goldsmith Family Cinema of the Center for Film Studies on Washington Terrace, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 860-685-2220.

The Theater Department at Wesleyan presents "Our Day Will Come" Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Patricelli '92 Theater. The play is based on Seamus Heaney's "The Burial at Thebes", the Irish playwright's retelling of Sophocles' "Antigone." This production, the Senior Thesis Project of Ariela Rotenberg '10, is the culmination of three months of field research exploring music and other genres in the construction of narrative oral tradition in the Irish neighborhoods of Chicago. Heaney's play exemplifies the intersection of Greek drama and Irish oral tradition. David B. Jaffe, Visiting Professor of Theater, is the director. The event is free but one needs a ticket to attend. Call the Box Office at 860-685-3355 for more information.

Friday December 4:
The public is invited to the Mayor's Annual Holiday Celebration in the Foyer of the Council Chambers in City Hall. The event,, which begins at 9:30 a.m., is free and features music by the Joey Milardo Trio.

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Kenn Morr brings his songs and band to The Buttonwood Tree for an 8 p.m. show. Morr, whose voice is reminiscent of Greg Brown (less raspy, more melodic), writes little vignettes about daily life, about love, and other contemporary yet timeless themes. Joining him will be Bob Gaspar (drums), Dan Hocott (bass, guitar, vocals) and Tom Hagymasi (fiddle, button accordion.) For more about Morr, go to www.KennMorr.com. To reserve a seat or 2, call 860-347-4957.

Boney's Music Lounge welcomes Autopilot, a quartet based in Chester, who play an infectious blend of blues, Southern Rock, and r'n'b. They'll get going around 9 p.m.