Saturday, June 4 – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hadley Town Common, Hadley, Massachusetts

Celebrating all things local and agricultural, this free festival offers asparagus-themed family entertainment, games and activities. At noon, it’s Mister G and the Global Citizen Ensemble performing with Marcos Carreras. Meet Curious George and Nature Cat. Stroll the Makers & Farmers Market. Visit the Beers and Spears tent for local food and craft beer. Enjoy live music on the Rooted in the Valley Stage from 3 –7 p.m.
 

The Five College Early Music Program will be holding its patented Painless Auditions the first week of classes. These are open to students, faculty and members of the community. The relevant information follows. We would be grateful for any publicity you can provide.

The Five College Early Music Program welcomes students, faculty, and community members interested in auditioning to SING or PLAY in one or more ensembles, including the COLLEGIUM choir, BAROQUE ORCHESTRA (modern string players and adventurous pianists are encouraged to try this!) and chamber music, MEDIEVAL and RENAISSANCE ensembles and VOCES FEMINAE. The auditions are "painless" experiences, held at all the campuses. Performances sponsored by the program feature baroque and Renaissance music played on modern and period instruments and sung in historically-informed style. Consider beginning RECORDER, VIOLA DA GAMBA, LUTE or RENAISSANCE TROMBONE! We also offer instruction on period instruments (recorders, sackbut, viol, lute, etc.) for modern players, in beginning ensembles and lessons. Credit is available for ensembles and lessons for MHC, UMass and HC.


Tuesday, September 4:
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 3:00 – 4:30 PM: Room 170 Fine Arts Center, UMass
5:00 – 6:30 PM: Room 7 Music Center, Amherst College
Wednesday, September 5:
1:00 – 4:00 PM: Room 210 Pratt Hall, Mount Holyoke College
Thursday, September 6:
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Music Lounge, Hampshire College
Friday, September 7:
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Room 170 Fine Arts Center, UMass
4:00 – 5:30 PM, Room 103, Sage Hall, Smith College


For Further Information, contact the Early Music Office at 538-2079
https://www.fivecolleges.edu/earlymusic/
or e-mail reisenst@mtholyoke.edu
 

Easthampton, MA (date): For the past four years, Easthampton resident and documentary filmmaker Meagan Murphy and her team have worked to create The Breast Archives, a groundbreaking documentary about women and their breasts. The film features nine women, most of whom were filmed with their breasts exposed. In a series of interviews, they explore, critique and celebrate the complex role of the breasts and their role in body image, health and social identity.

The screening will take place at The Academy of Music in Northampton, MA at 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 on Sunday September 17th. Tickets are available at https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1521137. The film will begin at 5pm.

Please view the trailer here:

View on Vimeo.

Private screenings of the film have been met with inspired and thoughtful dialogue. When the lights come up, audiences are moved to share how the internalization of media images, religion and cultural contexts have influenced their relationships with their bodies and one another. The enthusiastic testimony isn’t limited to breast-havers: men often rave that The Breast Archives has connected them more deeply with the experiences and feelings of their partners.

Murphy is hopeful that the local community will support the film and its aim of engaging all people in a liberating, compassionate and expanded relationship with breasts. The honesty and generosity of the nine women in the film empowers all women to resist and rise above the media’s demands that our womanhood be conformist and that our breasts be perfectly formed, exclusively sexual or solely nurturing.

As the project plans for its first public showing, Murphy is launching an ambitious IndieGoGo fundraising campaign on September 14th in order to raise funds to market the film internationally.
 

Changes In Latitudes, the nation’s premier Jimmy Buffett tribute show, will be playing a special Thanksgiving weekend show at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Saturday, November 26 at 8:00 PM. Tickets for the show are $15. There will also be a pre-concert Parrothead Tailgate Party that begins at 6:00 PM.

Changes In Latitudes is an eight-piece band which authentically recreates all of the sights and sounds of a real Jimmy Buffett concert, bringing a taste of Margaritaville to audiences wherever they go.. They have been touring up and down the coast from Maine to Florida (and even the Caribbean!!!) for the past decade, living on island time as they perform everybody’s favorite Jimmy Buffett songs about beaches, boats, burgers and bars.

To find out more about Changes In Latitudes visit their website at http://www.ChangesInLatitudes.com, where you can meet the band’s members, check out their photo album, listen to audio clips, watch video of the band in action, view their complete performance schedule, and purchase CDs of their own original “Trop-Rock” music.

Changes In Latitudes at the Shea Theater $15
Saturday, November 26 8:00 PM

Pre-concert Parrothead Tailgate Party 6:00 PM

The Shea Theater
71 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA
http://www.TheShea.org 413-863-2281

Changes In Latitudes
http://www.ChangesInLatitudes.com
 

On most days Roger Salloom has come to believe that “community” is a sacred word. That being said, this 28 year tradition has good wishes for a head start in that direction.

The longest running free concert in Northampton Massachusetts’ history happens again simply because Roger Salloom keeps doing it and the people keep coming. 28 years is longer than a number of the business in Northampton have been running and definitely longer lived than most of the live music venues.

On Aug. 27, 2011, Roger Salloom will bring his 8 piece band into the Academy of Music at 7:00pm. The horn section will have featured artist, and Grammy award winner, Charles Neville (The Neville Bros., BB King, James Brown, Big Joe Turner, Jimmy Reed et al).

Opening will be The Chandler Travis Philharmonic, then newcomer Jamie Kent who reappears after a striking set last year. Joining Roger’s band will be the young, gifted and beautiful Jessica Freeman who has just completed a set at New Orleans’ most prestigious jazz club, Snug Harbor. Also, folks will hear the tasty Barbara Ween on vocals. In the back doing all the heavy lifting with be JD (Jeff Dostal) on bass, Dave Lincoln on drums, Tom Filiault and Joe Boyle on lead guitars.

“..a superb storyteller…” Rolling Stone Magazine

FOR INTERVIEWS- PLEASE CALL DONALD TAYLOR AT 413 499 5934

Date is Aug. 27,2011 7 PM
Academy of Music, Northampton
274 Main Street
Northampton, MA 01060-3107
(413) 584-9032
 

AMHERST, MA: Award-winning activist songwriters Emma’s Revolution and Appleseed recording artists Kim and Reggie Harris headline a star-studded lineup performing on the Amherst Common next month, 11am to 7pm, Sunday, July 10 at the first-ever Common Good Festival. There is no charge for admission.

Emma's Revolution's best known work, "Peace, Salaam, Shalom", is sung around the world and has been called the "anthem of the anti-war movement." As Pete Seeger said of their latest CD: "This record is part of the worldwide revolution which will save this planet..."

Kim and Reggie Harris have brought their warm and exciting performances of music rooted in the African-American experience from the Underground Railroad through the Civil Rights movement to such venues as Washington DC's Kennedy Center, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Smithsonian Institute, and even a festival in Austria.

Other performers also include Grammy-winning Native American flute player Joseph FireCrow, local reggae band Rebel Alliance, and award-winning activist songwriter Tom Neilson.

In addition, the festival will feature local sustainability and social justice activist groups and businesses, craft vendors, cooperative games, children's activities, a magician and more. Magician Jeff Pyzocha is sure to astound and amaze audiences of all ages.

The event will raise awareness of Common Good Finance, a nonprofit organization working to bring real democracy to communities in Western Massachusetts and throughout the country. The organization employs four full-time staff and calls itself "a revolution with a bank", because its proposal centers on member ownership of Common Good Bank, a planned alternative to the badly managed megabanks that came close to destroying the US economy in 2008.

Unlike other banks, Common Good Bank will offer community members full local control and a true voice in their financial future: every member will have an equal vote in setting policy, from creating lending guidelines to determining distribution of profits. Founded by William Spademan of Ashfield, Common Good Finance has launched a grassroots membership campaign to finance the bank, which will provide a full range of conventional FDIC-insured banking services to area residents and business owners.

"Money decides what happens in the world. If we want to save our communities and our planet, we have to control the money. We need to stop waiting for someone else to fix the economy -- and take responsibility for it ourselves," said Spademan, who has spent nine years developing the project. "At the festival, we will give people a glimpse of the Common Good Economy -- and offer the community some great music and a whole lot of fun at the same time."

The festival website is CommonGoodFestival.com. The website for Common Good Finance is CommonGoodBank.com. For more information, please call (413) 628-3336 (9 AM to 7:30 PM Eastern Time), or e-mail info@CommonGoodBank.com.

Journalists: William Spademan, President of Common Good Finance, is available for interviews.

Event Summary:
Common Good Festival and Sustainable Economy Fair
Sunday, July 10, 2011
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Amherst Town Common, Amherst, MA
Rain or Shine
Entertainment: music, food, games, children’s activities, magic
Music Performers: Emma's Revolution, Kim and Reggie Harris, Joseph FireCrow, Tom Neilson, Rebel Alliance, others TBA
Contact: (413) 628-3336, info@CommonGoodBank.com


Abstract:
Award-winning duo Emma’s Revolution and Underground Railroad performers Kim and Reggie Harris headline a fun-filled festival to promote a Common Good Economy, a proposed democratic, community-centered economic system, July 10, Amherst, MA.

Photos:
Emma’s Revolution hi-res color:
Kim & Reggie three hi-res B&W choices at: http://kimandreggie.com/photo_download.htm
Kim & Reggie color: (photo credit: Robert Corwin, NERFA 2007)
 

BEV GRANT & The Dissident Daughters at the Echo Lake, Leverett
Saturday, June 12 - 7:30 pm

Bev Grant and the Dissident Daughters will present radical social commentary in 3-part soprano and alto harmony at the Echo Lake Concert Series in the Town Hall, 9 Montague Rd., Leverett, MA, on Saturday, June 12. The show starts at 7:30 pm. Admission: $10 - $12. For info: 413-548-9394 and www.bevgrant.com

Bios:
Bev Grant is a veteran social activist, feminist, labor singer/songwriter, "cultural worker" from Park Slope Brooklyn, where she has lived for over 30 years. She is the co-creator of a women's labor history multi-media presentation entitled "We Were There!" and has recorded five albums, including a companion cd and songbook for the show, called "We Were There!", a solo cd entitled "IN TUNE", a 7-song ep with her current group, Bev Grant & the Dissident Daughters, called “CHEEKY WOMAN”, and two albums with her former band, "Human Condition".

Bev is an award winning songwriter and has used her music as an organizing tool in both community and union organizing, often writing songs for specific issues or campaigns and facilitating the creation and use of music by others. Examples are “Take A Walk In My shoes” written for a domestic violence survivor’s advocacy group called Voices of Women Organizing Project (VOW) and "No Sweat!", performed by Bev and co-writer, Pat Humphries, at the University Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) conference in the summer of '99. Bev's work is described in Sing Out! Magazine as "unhesitatingly fervent, unflinchingly personal and reflecting the diversity of a real person's musings."

In 2006, Bev won the Honorary BAXten Arts and Artists in Progress Award. The BAXten award honors "individuals in the arts who have revealed and transformed our creative world by instigating enduring change deepening the definition of their field and paving the way for others.

Bev's Dissident Daughters offers 3-part soprano and alto harmonies bellowing out like the Andrew Sisters gone Red! This ensemble, swings, rocks, jumps, soothes and kicks ass. The Dissident Daughters are Angela Lockhart and Carolynn Murphy.

Angela Lockhart is a poet, singer, playwright and Artistic Founding Director of Living Lessons Inc, a not for profit educational theatre company that toured the metropolitan New York-New Jersey area during the 1990s. Angela recently became the Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Women's Chorus where she continues to use her talents to raise social and political consciousness through spoken word, song and theatre. Angela has self published her poetry in a chapbook entitled, "What Is It You think You See" and was recently published in a women's political poetry anthology entitled "From the Web." Currently, Angela sings and tours with the legendary Bev Grant and "The Dissident Daughters."

Carolynn Murphy is a singer, dancer, guitar player and percussionist. Born and raised in Queens, NY, Carolynn grew up watching her mother tap dance and sing popular American songs around the kitchen while getting dinner ready. Her father played jazz piano, and Carolynn was exposed early on to the wild syncopated sounds of Thelonious Monk. Carolynn studied music and dance at an early age and loved to perform for family, friends and at school productions.

While studying at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Carolynn was the guitar player and song collaborator for the Barefoot Blues Band, a women’s folk trio, a local favorite. With this group she combined her training in environmental education with cultural activism, performing at environmental centers, Earth Day rallies, and other local benefits.

After graduation from college, Carolynn moved back to NYC and began a passionate immersion in American vernacular dance. She studied rhythm tap dance and apprenticed and performed with Manhattan Tap. She was also a solo performer busking on the streets of New York City. She was schooled in the art of swing dance, spending Monday nights at Well’s in Harlem where she danced with the Savoy era greats– Buster Brown, Leroy Griffen, and Frankie Manning. She later took up percussion studies at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and was the drummer for the jazz quartet The Leisure Kings.

Currently, Carolynn is one of the lead singers and percussionists in a cover dance band called The Maladjustments. She also sings and plays percussion with Bev Grant & the Dissident Daughters. Carolynn appreciates the sense of unity she shares with Angela and Bev. The individual strength she feels from contributing her creativity to the group and the opportunity to share ideas on all levels helps give voice to our own struggles and ideals.
__________________________________________________________________
This is the last concert of the Spring at the Echo Lake.
Upcoming Concerts at the Echo Lake - put these on your calendar

* Sept. 19 - Larry Kirwan, lead vocalist and stratocaster of black47. Larry has produced two solo recordings, Kilroy Was Here and Keltic Kids. He also has published two books, Liverpool Fantasy and Green Suede Shoes: An Irish American Odessey.

* Oct. 16 - Colleen Kattau and Some Guys - incredible vocalist of folk, jazz and Nueva Cancion, Colleen combines music that will bring the house down with a powerful sense of social justice.

* Nov. 18 - Dana & Susan Robinson - the heart and the soul of folk music,they integrate styles from the Appalachian, Celtic, and African traditions to create a fresh and contemporary sound
 

Music of Josquin des Prez (c.1450 to 1521)

Tuesday Dec. 1, Bezanson Recital Hall, UMass, 8:00 PM

Wednesday Dec. 2, St. Theresa's Catholic Church, South Hadley 8:00 PM


Sublime motets, chansons and instrumental works by the great master of the High Renaissance, performed by the voices, viols and winds of the Collegium, directed by Robert Eisenstein.Josquin was recognized as a towering genius in his own time, beloved by Martin Luther and recognized by another contemporary as the equal of Michelangelo. In his music we find a rare combination of sheer beauty, sophisticated compositional techniques and powerful expression.


Euridice Ensembles

Monday, December 7, 8:00 PM Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall, Smith College


A concert by the students and faculty of the varied ensembles of the Five College Early Music Program, including medieval chamber music for fiddles, voices, organ, harps and citole, music for Renaissance viols, Baroque chamber music and the Baroque Orchestra performing a Handel concerto for flutes and strings and Corelli's famous Christmas Concerto.


Voces Feminae

Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall, Smith College Saturday December 12, 4 PM


Voces Feminae, directed by Catherine Bell, presents a concert of French music, works to include those by Léonin, Pérotin, Jannequin and Clérambault. Saturday, December 12th at 4:00 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall, Smith College.


Admission is free and open to the public for all concerts.




For Further Information, contact the Early Music Office at 538-2079

http://www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/earlymusic/

or e-mail reisenst@mtholyoke.edu
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Jane Stephenson
Greenfield Center School
413-773-1700
admissions@centerschool.net
http://centerschool.net

Arts and Crafts Rumpus in Greenfield-- for ages 1-100-- December 5th from 10-4

Greenfield, Massachusetts Greenfield Center School is hosting its annual Rumpus-a colossal arts and crafting event for all ages. Rumpus features a craft fair of 25 selected artisans from the region, a silent auction, open house, and art workshops for children ages 3-12. In addition food, music and crafting demonstrations will be offered all day.

All are welcome to attend Rumpus. Shoppers will find a lovely array of fresh, beautiful hand-made wares to choose from. The silent auction will offer artwork along with goods and services from the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Children can find many engaging art activities to dive into all day. Crafting demonstrations from weaving to blacksmithing to felting to jewelry making will be in continual progress. Parents of school-age children will have the opportunity to learn more about the Center School, meet current teachers, parents and students. Warm, sweet and savory food, live music and friendly people await you at the Greenfield Center School on December 5th.

"Last year's event drew over 1200 people" says Jane Stephenson of the Greenfield Center School. "This craft fair is quite dynamic and unique. It is loaded with very beautiful, fresh and exciting hand-created wares. It's a fantastic place to buy locally hand-made gifts."

More information about Greenfield Center School and the December 5th Arts and Crafts Rumpus can be found at www.centerschool.net

Greenfield Center School, 71 Montague City Road, Greenfield, MA 01301, 413-773-1700

All are welcome at Greenfield Center School Rumpus.

Greenfield Center School, a K-8th grade progressive school for the Pioneer Valley since 1981.
 

Immediate Release:

Writers in Progress is pleased to announce a Celebration and Reading on Saturday, October 24, 4:30-6:30 pm, at our studio in Florence, MA, #359 at the historic Arts & Industry Building. The reading will feature prose by the members of the 2008/2009 Manuscript Intensive Series, Janine Roberts, Sharron Vaillette, Dusty Miller, Julia Mines, Kyra Anderson, and Elizabeth French.

The Reading is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Writers in Progress is a valley Literary Arts Center, offering creative writing workshops, seminars & retreats, coaching, editorial services and a live reading series. Our workshops have been ongoing since 1992.


When: Sat, Oct 24, 2009, 4:30-6:30 pm
Where: Writers in Progress, Studio #359, Arts & Industry Building, 221 Pine Street, Florence, MA 01062
What: Reading and Celebration

Contact: Dori Ostermiller (413) 582-0101
dorio@writersinprogress.com
www.writersinprogress.com

 

For Immediate Release: October, 2009

What: Faculty Recital: Kivie Cahn-Lipman, Cello; Judith Gordon, Piano, and Ayano Kataoka, Percussion, at Smith College
When: Saturday, October 3, 8 p.m.;
Where: Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall, Smith College, Northampton; Mass;
Tickets: Admission is free.
Ticket Information: 413.585.ARTS (413.585.2787), www.smith.edu/smitharts
Publicity Manager: Joan P. Maxson, 413.585.3222, jmaxson@smith.edu


Northampton: Smith College music faculty members Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello and Judith Gordon, piano, and guest artist and UMass faculty member Ayano Kataoka, percussion, perform music by Cage, Saariaho, Schnittke, Golijov, and Harrison. The concert is free and open to the public.

Ayano Kataoka, a percussionist and marimbist, is a versatile performer who regularly presents music of diverse genres and mediums. Last season, together with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History, Ms. Kataoka gave a world premiere of Bruce Adolphe's Self Comes to Mind for cello and two percussionists, based on a text by neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, and featuring interactive video images of brain scans triggered by the live music performance. Recent highlights include a theatrical performance of Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale at the 92nd Street Y with violinist Jaime Laredo and actors Alan Alda and Noah Wyle, performances of Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and percussion at The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with pianists Emanuel Ax and Yoko Nozaki, and a performance for the Sonidos Latinos concert series at the Caramoor Music Festival with Paquito D'Rivera. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts Music, her Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory, and her Artist Diploma degree from the Yale School of Music. She joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts in 2008.

Pianist Judith Gordon joined the Smith College music faculty in 2006. She gave her New York recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s‘Introductions’ series, and was selected as Boston Globe 1997 ‘Musician of the Year.’ With the Boston Pops she has performed Mozart, Saint-Saens and Ravel concertos and with groups from Boston Modern Orchestra Project to Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra she’s explored repertory from Bach and Hindemith to Boulez and Rachmaninoff. In addition to her Smith colleagues Judith works with artists and groups including vocalists Lisa Saffer, Mary Nessinger, Krista River, William Hite and James Maddalena; cellists Andres Diaz and Rhonda Rider; violists Marcus Thompson and Roger Tapping; violinists Rose Mary Harbison; Imani Winds; Borromeo, Daedalus, Lydian and St. Lawrence string quartets; Lighthouse Chamber Players, Collage New Music, and Santa Fe New Music. The composers with whom she has often collaborated include Martin Brody, Peter Child, John Harbison, Lee Hyla and Peter Lieberson. In 2008 she premiered and recorded Donald Wheelock’s Piano Variations. Ms. Gordon performs and teaches at festivals including Charlottesville (VA), Rockport (MA), and Music from Salem (NY) where she is an artistic co-director. She is an Assistant Professor of Music at Smith College.

Kivie Cahn-Lipman who holds degrees from Oberlin and Juilliard, and is a Doctoral candidate at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, has performed to critical acclaim solo or chamber recitals in Weill, Alice Tully, and Merkin Halls, Symphony Space, the Miller Theater, and on 96.3 WQXR’s “Young Artist’s Showcase” in New York and 98.7 WFMT’s “Live from Studio One” in Chicago. He is the founding cellist of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), described by the New York Times as “one of the most adventurous and accomplished groups in new music” and by the New Yorker as “brilliant” and “a powerhouse of new-music programming.” With them he has recorded for Naxos, Bridge, New Focus, and Canteloupe. He is a Lecturer in Music at Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges.

Photo of Percussionist and Marimbist Ayano Kataoka

Joan P. Maxson
Publicity Manager/Performing Arts
Smith College
(413) 585-3222
jmaxson@email.smith.edu
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Kaplan Bucciarelli, Program Coordinator.
PHONE: (413) 439-1984
EMAIL: rekindle@jewishwesternmass.org

Rekindle Shabbat: The Pause That Renews

PIONEER VALLEY – Haven’t you ever just wished that life came with a “Pause” button?

According to Jewish tradition, it does. And now, groups of families throughout the Pioneer Valley are reconnecting with that tradition. No hefty tomes of obscure theology, no hours in a house of worship, no expectations: just joining other families over that particularly Jewish sacrament: a hearty meal and a celebration of the Sabbath “pause”.

Over the past six years, and in over 400 households throughout Western Massachusetts, the Rekindle Shabbat program has connected Jewish and interfaith families with the celebration of the Jewish Sabbath. Jews traditionally cease from their weekday work for the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew), and celebrate with a special meal Friday night.

“We really see the program as a way to take a breath, stop, get together with friends and connect. Shabbat is a gift we can give to our families and ourselves every week,” said Janet Kaplan Bucciarelli, the program’s coordinator.

Despite the challenges of assimilation and the general drift away from traditional practice, many Jewish and interfaith families have expressed a renewed interest in that lost knowledge and hands-on experience.

“When I joined the Rekindle Shabbat program three years ago, I thought it would be a program for the children. When I look back, I have learned as much as my kids,” said an Amherst mother of two.

“Before Rekindle Shabbat, I had no idea how to do Shabbat. Now, it is a part of our lives,” she said.

Each participating family in Rekindle Shabbat is matched with a host or guest family. Together they share the home-based Friday night Shabbat celebration on three pre-determined dates.

This year’s dates are Dec 11, Jan. 29, and April 30. The first two dates fall on the holidays of Hannukah (Festival of Lights) and Tu B’Shevat (Festival of the Trees, a newer holiday honoring trees and our connection to the environment), so the catered dinners provided by the program will include information about how to celebrate these holidays, and hosts will guide some informal learning as well.

Rekindle Shabbat is open to Jewish and interfaith families with children, high school age and younger. Households returning for a 3rd or more year are requested to join with a household new to the program. Couples and singles are also welcome as space allows. The three catered meals and supplementary materials, valued at over $200 per family, are free to first year participants, and $36 for returning households. First year participants also receive a tool kit of items needed to practice the simple Shabbat rituals of lighting the candles, and blessing the wine and bread.

Participants can choose to either be a guest or to host another family in their own home. Interested households need to sign up by October 15th at the program’s website, www.RekindleShabbat.org. Rekindle Shabbat is a program of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts with support from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and William and Lynn Foggle.

# # #
 

A R E N A C I V I C T H E A T R E
PRESENTS THE MUSICAL
THE KING AND I

Arena Civic Theatre will present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical The King and I, at the Shea Theatre in Turners Falls on Oct 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 8:00 PM, with matinees at 2:00 PM on October 18 and 25. Tickets are $13 general admission, $11 senior citizens, and $8 for children under 12. They can be purchased at World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield, The Jones Library in Amherst, or at the door. Reservations can be made by calling the Shea at (413) 863-2281, ext. 3.

The King and I is based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The story was derived from
the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Leonowens’ book, The English Governess of the Siamese Court, was autobiographical, although its historical accuracy is questionable. The musical boasts familiar songs such as Whistle a
Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, Something Wonderful and Shall We Dance? It also contains the ballet, Small House of Uncle Thomas, based upon Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The musical originally opened on Broadway in 1951, and ran for 1,246 performances, winning the Tony Awards for
Best Musical, Best Actor (Yul Brenner), and Best Actress (Gertrude Lawrence) along with other awards. The musical was made into a popular film in 1956, for which Yul Brenner won an Oscar
for Best Actor. The ACT production features Jerry Marcanio of Royalston as The King, and Emily Nagoski of Northampton as Mrs. Anna. Also appearing are
Dawn Mayo (Leyden) as Lady Thiang, Matt West (Shutesbury) as Kralahome, Rob Campbell
(Shelburne Falls) as Phra Alack, Cam Cote (Williamsburg) as Prince
Chulalongkorn, Atticus Moeckel-Cole (Deerfield) as
Louis, and Lindsey Anderson (Greenfield) as Eliza. John Darrow
(Huntington) plays Captain Orton and Alan Dallman
(Amherst) plays Lt. Edward Ramsey. Featured as the secret Burmese
lovers, Martha King-Devine (Sunderland) portrays
Tuptim, with Abraham Oyola (Charlemont), The Shea Theater’s original
Valley Idol winner, as Lun Tha. The cast also
boasts of 24 Royal Children, several Royal Wives, Royal Dancers and
Royal Guards from Amherst, Greenfield, South
Hadley, Williamsburg and all around the Pioneer Valley. The cast
totals 50 performers.

The production’s Director is Catherine King (Leverett). Musical
Director is Rebecca Phelps (Hatfield), with Choreographers
Kathy Dunn (Greenfield) and Melanie Reneris (Turners Falls). Lynn
Omasta (Hatfield) is Stage Manager, with
Sondra Radosh (Amherst) as Producer. Barbara Kasper (Easthampton) is
Costume Designer and Rachel Roy (Greenfield)
is Lighting Designer. King also serves as Set Designer, with Steve
Woodard (Leverett) as Master Carpenter


Sondra M. Radosh
413-549-1511
 

Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Frances N. Nwajei
Phone: (617) 216-4494

Date of event: Saturday, October 3, 2009
Location: The Iron Horse Music Hall
20 Center Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Cost: $10/adv $13/door

NoCi, Forwarding Unity Through Music presents:
The gems of west africa AND AMERICA TOUR
Black Rebels and Mamadou

Iron Horse Music hall is pleased to announce the appearance of World Roots Conscious Reggae band, Black Rebels and world fusion artist and 2007 Humanitarian of the year award winner, Mamadou on Saturday October 3rd at 10pm. This promises to be a night to remember with original African Roots Reggae and West African world fusion performances delivering a soul awakening musical experience.


Black Rebels are a multi generational and intercultural group fusing Reggae and African vibes with a message of love, righteousness and world unity. Their energy and creativity onstage is duplicated in the studio and they’ve released a half dozen albums and counting. Black Rebels have played all down the East Coast, West to Texas and California, across the Atlantic, in Cape Verde and West Africa. Their recordings have been played globally spreading their conscious message across world nations.


Mamadou and his band perform original music that combines African rhythms and lyrics with western musical influences. At the heart of the music is the drum, making a connection with the soul of the singer and the audience. Mamadou has performed with the most celebrated musicians of Senegal including Baaba Maal, Africando and the Grand Soda Mama.


Black Rebels and Mamadou are available for advance interviews about the tour and their music.

For more information and to be included on the guest list, please contact nk.noci@gmail.com or check out www.mamadou.com, www.myspace.com/blackrebels, www.a3dinc.org.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2009
Amherst, MA

Music on Main’s Seventh Season, “A Diversity of Music” begins with
An Afternoon of Chamber Music
Sunday, October 4, 2009, 3 pm
First Congregational Church in Amherst, 165 Main Street, Amherst

Music on Main opens its seventh season with a new quartet of widely experienced and highly talented instrumentalists. Pianist Alissa Leiser, Violinist Joel Pinchon, Clarinetist David Schneider, and Cellist Marie-Volcy Pelletier come together from backgrounds rich in performance and musical education. They will present Beethoven’s Trio in B Flat Major, Op. 11, for clarinet, cello and piano (1798); Allen Shawn’s Cabaret Music for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1948); and Shubert’s Trio in B Flat Major, Op. 99, for violin, cello and piano (1828).

An Afternoon of Chamber Music will be held at the First Congregational Church, 165 Main Street, Amherst at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the church office or at the door as subscription (for all three concerts) for $30.00 each. Individually tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6.00 for children and students. A family rate is also available for $25.00. An informal reception with the performers follows each concert. For more information, call the church office at 413 253-3456 or Carlton Brose 413 256-8425 E-mail: firstchurch_amherst@comcast.net or visit www.firstchurchamherst.org.

Parking for Music on Main is available in the church lot behind the church, corner of Spring and Churchill Streets, as well as nearby streets (restrictions do not apply on Sundays). First Church sanctuary and lounge are wheelchair accessible from Main Street.
Music on Main has two goals: to bring interesting artists and groups to valley audiences, and to make our acoustically pleasing sanctuary available to musicians as a new Amherst venue. Proceeds from the concerts will help complete the cost of the restoration of our superb 1897 Steinway A Drawing Room Grand Piano and support the church’s music program.


FUTURE CONCERTS: On February 28, 2010 Music on Main will present Jerry Noble and Bob Sparkman in duets for piano and clarinet. Inspired by such “jazz luminaries” as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, and the Condon Mob, this duo became an instant hit when they joined up in 1995. They have since recorded five compact discs of their favorite tunes like Good Talks, Still Talkin’, Talkin’ It Over, Sweet Talk and Something Mellow, Something Blue.
On April 11, 2010 Grammy-nominee Evelyn Harris and the Ku’umba Women’s (A Cappella) Choir will surprise and delight. They sing from a wonderfully diverse repertoire of African-American Spirituals and branch out from there to blues, folk songs, oldies-but-goodies, African freedom songs and sacred and contemporary material from the African Diaspora. “Ku’umba” (pronounced koo-yoom-ba) is the Swahili word for creativity. This performance will swell with creativity.
-end-end-end

 

Moriah Chamber Choir Reaches Out to the World
A concert to benefit the students of the Mathieson Music School of Calcutta, India

What: Moriah Reaches Out to the World: A concert to benefit the Mathieson Music School
Where: Church of the Atonement, 36 Broad Street, Westfield, MA
When: Sunday, September 27, 2009, 4:00 p.m.
Admission: Free. Suggested donation to the Mathieson School: $5 per person

WESTFIELD, MA, September 15, 2009 - Westfield, MA and Calcutta, India will connect through music in a fundraising concert presented by the Moriah Chamber Choir, a division of the Young Singers of Greater Westfield. The concert is being organized to raise funds for the Mathieson Music School, a school for some of the poorest children of Calcutta, India, which was damaged heavily by a hurricane this past spring. The performance will take place at the Church of the Atonement, 36 Broad Street, Westfield, MA on Sunday, September 27 at 4:00 pm. The choir will sing music based on Indian ragas, as well as Celtic tunes, gospel favorites, Broadway hits, folk, classical, and contemporary music in an afternoon of truly international music making. Donations for the Mathieson School will be collected; admission to the concert is free.

Three years ago, the Young Singers of Greater Westfield (YSGW) began a cultural enrichment and exchange program with the Mathieson Music School (MMS). YSGW and MMS each include about 60 students ranging in age from seven to seventeen, and both have made music an important educational focus. Through this collaboration, students in the two organizations have been establishing a musical partnership and an ongoing friendship, allowing children from India and the U.S. to make a personal and meaningful connection with young people from another country. They are learning about each other's culture and music, and, by exchanging drawings, letters, and workings, they can make music "together" even though they are separated geographically.

The Mathieson Music School was founded by cellist Anup Kumar Biswas in memory of Father Theodore Mathieson, an Anglican priest who died in 1994. Father Mathieson had been involved with the running of an orphanage in Calcutta for over 50 years and had established a unique musical tradition where children were taught both Western and Indian classical music. Many of his students went on to enjoy successful musical careers, the most distinguished being Biswas himself, whose unique talent Father Mathieson spotted when the boy was still in the care of the orphanage. Towards the end of his life, Father Mathieson became very concerned that after his death the musical aspect of the children's lives would also die. He and Biswas conceived the idea of founding a special music school in Calcutta to continue the tradition and good works the priest had established. In February 1994 the dream of providing ongoing education and musical opportunities for the poorest children in Calcutta was realized when the Mathieson Music School was launched.
The children at the MMS are selected on a basis of need, either because they are orphans or come from destitute, illiterate and often emotionally disturbed backgrounds. Musical training not only furnishes the children with a way of expressing themselves, it also offers them the means of securing life-long employment. The flourishing Indian film industry, military establishments, hotel and entertainment sectors are all crying out for Indians literate in both classical Indian and Western music, and trained musicians have an earning potential two to three times that of the average Indian school graduate. The majority of former Mathieson students have obtained work solely because of the academic and musical skills they acquired at the school.

The Moriah Chamber Choir is the teenage division of Young Singers of Greater Westfield, an auditioned chorus of nearly 65 young singers ranging in age from nine to seventeen. The chamber choir includes eight to twelve accomplished young women who perform regularly with the other YSGW divisions and who give special concerts to raise funds for charitable causes. The group is directed by Janet St. Jean, a seasoned music educator, conductor and accompanist who is also the Director of Choral Music at Westfield Middle School North.

Moriah will be accompanied by pianist and guitarist Clifton J. (Jerry) Noble, Jr.

The performance is free and open to the public. Donations to the Mathieson School will be collected. For more information, email info@ysgw.org or call (413) 536-5156.

Web: www.ysgw.org
 

Hammer of the Gods will be performing their award-winning Led Zeppelin
Experience show in the historic City Stage Theater, Springfield Symphony Hall
34 Court Street, Springfield, MA 01103 on September 19, 2009
to the delight of countless of Massachusetts' Zeppelin fans.

Featuring a state of the art light show, powerful sound system, high
quality equipment and a thrilling stage presence, Hammer of the Gods
presents an authentic and exciting performance suitable for audiences
of all ages.

Rock fans young and old have praised the brilliance of this premier
Led Zeppelin Experience spectacle, continuing to crowd venues and fill
seats at every show. Striving to recreate Led Zeppelin's powerful and
mystical music legacy onstage, Hammer of the Gods delivers a
powerful performance second to none.

To purchase tickets please visit http://www.symphonyhall.com

For more information, please visit http://www.hammerofthegods.com or
contact info@hammerofthegods.com
 

For Immediate Release:

Writers in Progress is pleased to announce our Late Summer Open House and Open Mic, with featured reader, Dori Ostermiller, on Saturday, September 26, 4:30 - 6:30 pm.

Readers Welcome! Please bring a few pages of poetry or prose to share!

This event is free and open to the public, and will take place at our lovely studio-#359 in the Arts & Industry Building in Florence, MA. Wine, cheese and other refreshments will be served.

Writers in Progress is the valley’s literary arts center, offering workshops & retreats, editing, consulting, coaching and a live reading series. Our workshops have been ongoing since 1992.

About the featured reader:

Dori Ostermiller, MFA, Director of Writers in Progress, is the recipient of a MA Cultural Council Artist’s Grant and a Tobias Wolff fiction award. Her work has appeared in many journals, including The Bellingham Review, Calliope, Alligator Juniper, Roanoke Review and The Chautauqua Literary Journal. Dori has taught writing and literature at several area colleges. Her first novel, Fire Weather, is forthcoming from Mira in Sept 2010.

When: Saturday, Sept 26, 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Where: Writers in Progress, #359, Arts & Industry Building, 221 Pine Street, Florence, MA 01062
For more information call: (413) 582-0101
www.writersinprogress.com
 

A THREE PART WORKSHOP for women in relationships with other women. Led by Shana Hiranandani, Personal Life Coach. By completion, each couple will discover new approaches to attaining a strong and passionate relationship. Join Shana at Valley Hands Creative Space in Northampton, MA on Oct. 7th, 14th and 21rst from 6 -8 PM. Cost $150 per couple (includes all 3 meetings). Please call 413-341-3158 or visit www.uniquepeople.net to register.
 

BRATTLEBORO – Twilight Music presents An Evening with Jonatha Brooke at New England Youth Theatre in Brattleboro, VT on Friday, September 25 at 8:00 pm. One of the leading singer/songwriters in the folk/rock field since the early 1990's, Brooke merges elements of folk, rock and pop, with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. Billboard Magazine calls her "one of the most gifted and unique artists of the decade."

Jonatha Brooke is touring in support of her eighth solo album, The Works, a collection of songs inspired by the quintessential father of all American singer/songwriters, Woody Guthrie. When Guthrie died of Huntington's disease in 1967, he left behind a trove of unpublished lyrics, ramblings, notes and letters that his daughter, Nora, organized into the Guthrie Archives. An invitation from Nora to peruse the archives led to The Works, the album of new songs with never before heard words by Guthrie, and music by Brooke. The CD features keyboardist Joe Sample, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Steve Gadd and steel guitarist Greg Leisz, with guest appearances by Keb' Mo', Derek Trucks, Glen Phillips andEric Bazilian. Brooke's concerts showcase the best of the new Woody Guthrie "works" along with songs of her extensive repertoire.

Brooke and fellow Bostonian Jennifer Kimball began playing music together in the 1980's while attending Amherst College in western Massachusetts. After performing as Jonatha & Jennifer during their college career, the duo took a break, during which time Brooke focused on her ballet career. In 1989, the two friends, eventually to be re-named The Story, reunited and recorded albums for Green Linnet and Elektra Records.

In 1994, Brooke parted ways with Kimball and pursued a solo career. Her second solo album, 10 Cent Wings, released in 1997, marked the shift from her earlier folk-pop to more of a radio-friendly style. In the late 1990's, Brooke began working independently of major record labels by starting her own label, Bad Dog. In 2002, she performed a pair of songs on Disney's Return to Never Land soundtrack, contributing an original composition (I'll Try) and a cover (The Second Star to the Right). Brooke has been featured as a guest vocalist with artists such as Lisa Loeb, Chris Botti and Patty Larkin. In 2008 she participated in an album called Songs for Tibet, which is an initiative to support Tibet, Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and to underline the human rights situation in Tibet.

"Brooke restores artistry to the popular song with a distinctiveness not heard or enjoyed since the prime of Joni Mitchell and Carole King." - Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

"Brooke has one of the most distinctive voices in the crowd of singer-songwriters, both as a writer and a vocalist." - The San Francisco Chronicle

New England Youth Theatre is located at 100 Flat Street in downtown Brattleboro, VT. Tickets for the concert are $25. For more information, to reserve tickets or to order tickets by mail, call 802-254-9276 or visit www.twilightmusic.org. Advance tickets are also available in Brattleboro at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery, Turn It Up and In The Moment Records. For additional information, visit www.jonathabrooke.com and www.neyt.org.
 

North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Where Orange is the New Green

Event Name: Eleventh Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival
Event Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, 2009
Event Time: 10 a.m. to 5 PM both days. Shine or Rain
Location: Forster’s Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Rd. Orange, MA 01364
Directions and Info: www.garlicandarts.org
Media Inquiries Contact: deb@seedsofsolidarity.org (978) 544-9023
Admission: Adults $5 per day, $8 for weekend pass. Kids 12 and under free.

Bring the whole family to the phenomenal North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival. The ‘Festival that Stinks’ is a fabulous, affordable, inspiring celebration of the harvest season. Enjoy the bounty of over 100 vendors: amazing artists, farmers and community organizations; strengthen communities by purchasing locally grown and crafted. Gain skills for interdependence: learn to grow garlic, press cider, mill lumber, make paper, do tai chi, go solar. Nourish yourself through chef demos, fantastic food and demos at the wondrous wood fired bread oven. Transform trash into compost (last year only three bags of garbage for 12,000 people)! Celebrate with friends old and new: incredible performers, wonderful workshops and garlic games galore. Will last years raw garlic eating contest record of 52 cloves be broken? Kids [of all ages] are free-range at the festival! In between garlic and egg tosses and tug of garlic, they’ll make garlic paper, coil clay, craft with wood, and visit our new tent featuring the work of young artists. One youth artist is the youngest of three generations of women artists, all exhibiting at the festival.

Two solar stages entertain all weekend: The music stage line-up is fantastic: Ray Hendricks, Planet Zydeco, Unit 7, Leah Randazzo Quartet, Naiakete Band, Mawwal, Tony Vacca and Friends, and Viva Quetzal. The fabulous family stage features the Inside Out Dance Co, Peter Siegel and Jay Mankita, Airborne Joel, Tim Van Egmond, puppet shows, musical miming, and dance performances galore.

Travel the garlic globe with celebrated local chefs including Chez Albert’s Paul Hathaway, Baku’s Pat Ononibaku, El Greco Café’s Kosta Pitaridis, plus fresh and local food artists Andy Sussman, The Kitchen Garden, and Stockbridge Herbs. Energize your life through a weekend of workshops such as solar electricity for home and business, heating with wood, and permaculture gardening, plus great vendors in our new Local Living area. Heal and relax with a Tai Chi or yoga workshop. There’s something for everyone you love, so bring your friends and the entire family.

On October 3 and 4, follow your nose to beautiful, historic Forster’s Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Road, Orange, MA. Visit www.garlicandarts.org for directions, pet policy, and lists of vendors, and full schedule of entertainment and activities, demos and workshops. Inflation buster admission at $5.00 per day for adults, weekend pass $8.00, kids 12 and under free. Bike, hike, carpool for a raffle entry. Save time and fuel: ride the free shuttle from nearby parking lots off Route 2, exit 14. Wheelchair accessible parking and restroom facility provided. Multiply the fun: enjoy CISA’s Eat the View, Conway’s Festival of the Hills, and the Eagle Eye Institute Hikeathon at Tully Lake on this same glorious October weekend.

The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is organized by a volunteer committee of neighbors and Seeds of Solidarity Education Center, a non-profit organization. Supporters include the Forster/Stewart Family, local businesses, and 200 community volunteers! The success of this non-profit, all volunteer event now enables the festival to support other community-based art and agriculture projects.
 

Smith College Theatre announces audition dates for its first two main-stage productions of the 2009-2010 season.

What: Auditions for Fall Theatre Productions at Smith College: Mrs. California By Doris Baizley, Directed by Sam Rush and Las Meninas By Lynn Nottage, Directed by Ellen W. Kaplan

When: September 8 and 9 from 7-10 p.m. (Tues and Wed.) and callbacks on Sept. 13 from 7-10 p.m. (Sunday).

Where: Theatre 14 (Mrs. California), Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre (Las Meninas), Mendenhall Center, Smith College, Green St., Northampton, Mass.

For more information email or call directors. Sam Rush: 413.585.3249, srush@smith.edu; Ellen Kaplan: 413.585.3207, ekaplan@smith.edu Scripts available to peruse in the Josten Library in the Mendenhall Center at Smith College

Publicity Manager: Joan P. Maxson, Tel. 413.585.3222, jmaxson@email.smith.edu

Ticket Information: Tel. 413.585.ARTS (2787), boxoffice@smith.edu, or visit www.smith.edu/smitharts
 

SH’MA
SACRED LISTENING & THE PRACTICE OF
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION


CONTACT:
Daniel Berlin, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist & Certified Spiritual Director
29 C Cottage Street
Amherst, MA
413.549.2773
batkolwhisper@gmail.com
www.batkolwhisper.com

Dr. Daniel Berlin will be offering a 10-week Spiritual Direction program beginning September 30th at 7pm in his Amherst office.

Spiritual Direction helps us to cultivate a greater awareness of the Sacred in all aspects of our lives. The focus is on how we recognize the Divine component within our experiences. This approach is useful to those who see their lives as a spiritual journey.

Typical concerns of individuals engaged in Spiritual Direction include:
? Seeking guidance and healing.
? Yearning for connection with the Divine Presence.
? Wanting to listen with greater reverence and compassion to oneself and others.

For pre-registration, call 549.2773. To learn more about Daniel and Spiritual Direction, visit his web site at www.batkolwhisper.com.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Young Singers of Greater Westfield Invites New Members to Audition


WESTFIELD, MA, August 25, 2009 - Young Singers of Greater Westfield (YSGW) is kicking off its ninth season, and they are inviting singers in grades two through twelve to join their choruses and share in the fun and excitement of performances, choral festivals, exchange concerts, retreats, and more in one of the area's most affordable after-school music programs.

Each audition is brief (about 15 minutes), easy, and fun. They give new singers a chance to meet YSGW Artistic Director Janet St. Jean and Assistant Director Elizabeth Dominick and help them determine the best singing situation for each student. Auditions can be scheduled by calling Mrs. St. Jean at 563-5156 or by emailing her at janetstjean@ysgw.org. Auditions will be held early in September by appointment at North Middle School, 350 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA.

YSGW includes approximately 65 singers organized into three chorus divisions by age. The Junior division is for students in grades two to four; they rehearse every Wednesday afternoon from 4:15-5:30 p.m. The Senior division, which is for students in grades five and up, rehearses Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Moriah is the group's chamber choir for grades eight and up; their rehearsals take place on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. All rehearsals are held at North Middle School on Southampton Road in Westfield. They begin in mid September and run through through April, with a winter recess in December.

Each chorus performs a variety of types of music, including folk, jazz, contemporary, and classical. Singers have the opportunity to work closely with professional musicians and educators regularly perform with each other and with other groups in the area, including other choral groups, symphony orchestras, and individual performers. The groups present two concerts annually, as well as attending choral festivals, singing with other local musical groups, and performing at area functions. YSGW offers a terrific way for students to develop their vocal skills and musical knowledge while having a great time.

For more information on joining the Young Singers of Greater Westfield, visit their Web site at http://www.ysgw.org or call (413) 563-5156.
 

Hello all!

On our MySpace site, http://www.myspace.com/dookiefrookie, we have been collecting submissions from our over 700 friends of YouTube vids featuring local bands or venues!

Here's the first on we received!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvtxaxusbCQ&feature=player_embedded