Muse Flashes
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Please send arts news items to MuseFlashes, in care of Kathleen Mellen, Box 299, Northampton, MA 01061, or email them to kmellen@gazettenet.com.
UMass music
The 2011 Solos and Duos Series produced by the Fine Arts Center at UMass concludes its 10th season Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. in the Bezanson Recital Hall with a concert by the Wadada Leo Smith/Günter "Baby" Sommer Duo. Tickets are $10; $5 for students, and are available for purchase through the Fine Arts Center box office, 545-2511.
The UMass Wind Ensemble, under the direction of James Patrick Miller will perform Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. On the program: the world premiere of István Szigeti's "For Fred, Concerto for Oboe and Wind Ensemble," as well as Igor Stravinsky's "Octet for Wind Instruments," Aaron Copland's "Emblems" and Witold Lutoslawski's "Fanfare for Louisville."
Tickets cost $10; $3 for UMass students; $5 for other students, senior citizens and children under 18. To purchase, call 545-2511, or visit www.umasstix.com/musicanddance.
The Recital Choir, Women's Choir and University Chorale will perform Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 165 Main St., Amherst. On the program: F.J. Haydn's "Little Organ Mass"; Z. Randall Stroope's "Arise My Love," "My Fair One" and "Come Away"; "Take Me to the Water," arr. Rollo Dilworth; and "Hey, Ho the Morning Dew," arr. James Mulholland. Free and open to the public.
The Vocal Jazz Ensemble will perform Dec. 5 at 8 p.m., in Bezanson Recital Hall. The program features arrangements by Catherine Jensen-Hole and graduate student Jon Gardner.
Tickets cost $10; $3 for UMass students; $5 for other students, senior citizens and children under 18. To purchase, call 545-2511, or visit www.umasstix.com/musicanddance.
The String Quartets will present a student chamber music concert Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Bezanson Recital Hall. On the program: Music by Dvorak, Schumann, Brahms, Ravel, Beethoven, Debussy and Prokofiev. Free and open to the public.
The UMass Percussion Ensemble and Symphony Band will perform Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. On the program for the Percussion Ensemble: Steve Reich's "Sextet for percussion and keyboards," Richard Rtythall's "Bolero for four percussionists" and Mauricio Kagel's "Exerpts from Rrrrr..."
For the Symphony Band: William Schuman's "Chester Overture," J.S. Bach's Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV645, Frank Ticheli's "Fortress" and Norman Dello Joio's "Variants on a Medieval Tune."
Tickets cost $10; $3 for UMass students; $5 for other students, senior citizens and children under 18. To purchase, call 545-2511, or visit www.umasstix.com/musicanddance.
The Chapel Jazz Ensemble, directed by Felipe Salles and Thomas Giampietro, with special guest Randy Brecker, trumpet, and Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Jeffrey W. Holmes, will perform Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. in Bowker auditorium.
Brecker has been shaping the sound of jazz, R&B and rock for more than four decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by a wide range of artists, including James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, among others.
Tickets cost $10; $3 for UMass students; $5 for other students, senior citizens and children under 18. To purchase, call 545-2511, or visit www.umasstix.com/musicanddance.
Benefit concert
The Hampshire Young People's Chorus and special guests, the Boston City Singers, will present a benefit concert for the Amherst Survival Center Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church 165 Main St., Amherst.
Boston City Singers was founded in 1995 to provide music training opportunities for low- and moderate-income inner-city youths. The singers have collaborated with such groups as The Boston Pops, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Yale Men's Alumni Choir, Boston Ballet and more.
Hampshire Young People's Chorus, directed by K.C. Conlan, teaches children vocal technique and fundamental music skills in a "comfortable and encouraging atmosphere."
The group has performed with Pioneer Valley Symphony, Amherst Ballet and Commonwealth Opera, among others. The Concert Choir appeared in "La Bohème" at Amherst College last year and won the children's choir division of WGBY's "Together in Song" choral competition.
December Dayz
The Amherst Club will host "December Dayz," a day of free family entertainment, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst. The event, billed as "a light-hearted relaxed get-together" will celebrate 10 special days in December.
"This is the Amherst Club's holiday gift to the community, but don't expect to hear anything about Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza," said club president Arthur Kinney. "We start hearing about those holidays as soon as Halloween is over and we tend to forget that there are many other special days in December which we can all share."
The days, which will be described by club members, include such titles as "Violin Day" (explained by Michael Greenebaum, conductor of the Valley Light Opera orchestra), "Chocolate-Covered Anything Day" (with commentary by Gazette columnist Phyllis Lehrer) and "Brown Shoe Day" and "Thomas Edison Day" (each with explanations by Eric Carle Museum puppeteer Joan Hanson. Other days include such titles as "Eat a Red Apple Day," (Bill Darity) and "Ding-a-Ling Day" (Sara Berger).
The Amherst Club, founded in 1983, raises money for local health and welfare needs.
'Poems for Marisa'
"Poems for Marisa," an exhibit of poetry and art curated by Angel Nieto, will be on view Dec. 5-9 at the Augusta Savage Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Poet Nieto penned the poems for his daughter. A native of Spain, he moved to Massachusetts in 1975. Now retired, he was a Spanish teacher for Holyoke schools, where he published several student poetry journals. A community activist in Holyoke and Hampshire County, Nieto is the founder of what later became the Latino Scholarship Association. He is a published poet and children's book author, and writes in English and Spanish.
The exhibit features illustrations by guest artists. There will be a reception Dec. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For information, call 545-5177.
Small works
This month and next, Hope & Feathers Framing and Gallery will host its first annual Small Works show with works in pastels, watercolors, sculpture, photography, painting and mixed media by over 25 artists. The exhibit will change daily and will be on view through January.
Gallery hours are Mondays through Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call 835-0197.
Postcard show
"Greetings!," an exhibit of 100 miniature paintings, photographs and works of mixed-media, each the size of a postcard, will be on view through Dec. 31 at Gallery A3, located at 28 Amity St. in Amherst. Featured is nearly 100 pieces of postcard-sized art by painters, photographers and mixed-media artists. Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m. For information, call 256-4250 or visit www.gallerya3.com.
