Voices of Joy at Adath Israel

This Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., Congregation Adath Israel presents "A Jewish A Cappella Concert" featuring Magevet (Yale) and Shir Appeal (Tufts).  Both groups have a long history of performing on campus, in Congregations and concert halls in the United States and around the world.  The concert takes place in the small sanctuary on the first floor of the synagogue.  If you look closely at the poster above, you'll see that the concert is being billed as "Elephants and Towels" -  read on.

Shir Appeal (pictured above) was founded in 1995 and is the only mixed-gender vocal group on the Tufts campus.  They perform a wide range of material, from Israeli classics (such as "Yerushalayam Shel Zahav" to Sabbath prayers ("Lecha Dodi") to contemporary songs ("Like The Dawn" by The Oh Hellos) by arranged by members and former members of the ensemble.   The mix of voices, harmonies, beats, and more makes Shir Appeal's music attractive to listeners of all ages and faiths. The ensemble has issued 10 CDs with the latest being 2016's "Perspective."  To find out more, go to www.shirappeal.com.  Tufts University mascot is Jumbo the Elephant - go to www.tufts.edu/about/jumbo to find out more about the monicker and the story behind it.

Magevet (above) has also been in existence since the mid-1990s, one of many vocal groups on the Yale campus.  Their repertoire also ranges from liturgical melodies to contemporary Israeli pop songs to pieces sung in Ladino (a combination of Spanish and Portuguese with Hebrew, Aramaic, Ottoman Turkish languages) to Yiddish classics.  Various versions of Magevet, (a Hebrew word that translates to "towel" - maybe they will explain - well, they better), have recorded eight albums since 1995, the latest being "Naveh Katan (a Small Oasis)" released in late 2016.  For more information, go to magevet.weebly.com.  

The concert is free and open to the public.  Thanks goes to the Edythe and Arthur Director Family Music Fund for sponsoring the concert. The goal of the Fund is to provide members of the Adath Israel community as well as the Greater Middletown community access to entertainment from around the world, artists and performers who work to illustrate the great scope of Jewish culture.  

Parking directly behind Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street, is not allowed but there is plenty of free on-street parking as well as several parking lots in the area (for instance, the lot behind the former Wesleyan bookstore on William Street or several lots off of Church Street). 

For more information, call the Synagogue office at 860-346-4709.  

An Evening of Jazz at MxCC

On Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m., join us for a FREE concert at Middletown Community College’s Chapman Hall and enjoy an evening of jazz, featuring Aja Wilson and Chris Casey. Concert is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested. Seats can be reserved a thttp://mxcc.edu/concert. This concert is sponsored by Middletown Commission on the Arts and MxCC Student Senate.

Free Ritchie Parrish Ritchie Concert at MxCC November 14

The energetic and highly entertaining band, Ritchie Parrish Ritchie (RPR), comes to Chapman Hall at Middlesex Community College on Friday, November 14 at 7 p.m. for a free concert.  This is the only New England appearance for the Canadian band, and the event is open to the public, with free parking available on campus. MxCC will be collecting non-perishable food or monetary donations for the Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown at the door.  Please register for this event at http://mxcc.edu/rpr.

RPR is made up of Steve Ritchie, Al Parrish and Rob Ritchie, who were the former rhythm section of the Canadian “supergroup,” Tanglefoot, an iconic acoustic folk band that disbanded in 2009. RPR started to take form, building on the acoustic roots of Tanglefoot and adding electric bass, electric guitar and percussion (Beaker Granger).  In 2013, the band released its first CD, Trans Atlantic, and began touring throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  Audiences love their trademark harmonies, original compositions, and energetic renditions of songs by legends such as Robert Plant and Bob Dylan. 

In a March 2013 review, The Beat Magazine said of RPR: "They sing raucously and passionately with big stirring harmonies....at times with roaring vigour at others with sparse intensity, creating many moods...songs full of humour, pathos and love."

“We chose to invite RPR to MxCC because Tanglefoot was popular among our local folk music community,” explained Adrienne Maslin, MxCC dean of students. “We have such a diverse population at MxCC with students of all ages and varying tastes in music, and we truly want to reflect that in the cultural opportunities we offer at MxCC.  Additionally, we want to expose our students and the community to different styles and musical genres they may not have considered.  This is such a wonderful opportunity for music lovers of all ages who want to experience a high-energy, first-class concert in a great local venue.”

Young, Gifted and Free

Sorry for the late notice but here's a free concert one should really try and get to. Saturday November 2, the Russell Library presents the Carducci Quartet at 2 p.m. in the Hubbard Room.

Based in Great Britain, the group has been playing together since the turn of the 21st Century and have built a repertoire from likely sources as Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Ravel. In recent years, they have become champions of "newer" composers such as Joseph Horowitz, Graham Whettam, Joby Talbot and Michael Zev Gordon. They are also involved in education of young students in Ireland and France.

Composed of violinists Matthew Denton and Michelle Fleming, violist Eoin Schmidt-Martin and cellist Emma Denton, the Carduccis are in the midst of a US tour that began in California and ends up here in the Northeast.

Take a break from raking leaves or tossing out political flyers and spend 75 minutes with this fine up-and-coming ensemble - you won't regret it. Seating is limited so be there a bit early (20-30 minutes.)

For a generous sample of the Carducci String Quartet's varied repertoire, go to www.myspace.com/carducciquartet.

The Art of Setting Words to Music

Charles Simic, the Bulgarian-born poet whose verses can both confound and astonish the reader, has just finished his term as the 15th U.S, Poet Laureate. His poems are often rooted in his childhood, spent in Yugoslavia during World War II. His images can be stark, such as the excerpt below from "Clouds Gathering":

Some evenings, however, we found ourselves

Unsure of what comes next.

Like tragic actors in a a theater on fire,

With birds circling over our heads,

The dark pines strangely still,

Each rock we stepped on bloodied by the sunset.
(from "Hotel Insomnia", copyright 1992, Harcourt Brace Janovich)

His words about war can be shocking.

Millions were dead: everyone was innocent

I stayed in my room. The President

Spoke of war as a magic love potion.

My eyes were open in astonishment.

In a mirror my face appeared to me

Like a twice-canceled postage stamp.


I lived well but live was awful.

There were so many soldiers that day,

So many refugees crowding the roads.

Naturally, they all vanished

With a touch of the hand.

History licked the corners of its bloody mouth.
(an excerpt from "Paradise Motel", printed in "The Voice at 3 A.M.: Selected Late and New Poems", Harcourt 2003.)

Charles Simic will give a free reading at 7 p.m. Sunday September 14 in Wesleyan University's Memorial Chapel, next to South College on campus front. The second part of the program will be a performance of Hartt School of Music Professor Robert Carl's "Simic Songs", 15 madrigals using Simic's poems as lyrics. Professor Neely Bruce is the music director and the 4 vocal soloists are Penney Kimball (soprano), Martha Smith (alto), Toby Twining (tenor) and Mark Johnson (baritone.)

Though the piece was composed in 2005, this concert is the world premiere. And it's free. Click here to read more poems by Charles Simic.

Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem at the Wadsworth Mansion

The beautiful Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown is hosting a series of free, Wednesday evening concerts this summer.

The season kicks off with a 6:30 PM show, this Wednesday July 9, with Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem.

Pull up a patch of lawn; open the picnic basket. Dance.

(Rani rehearses. The neighborhood posse dances.)