Category: Connecticut Travel

The Singer Songwriter Network and the Torrington Historical Society are once again collaborating to present the Ladies n’ Lyrics Summer Concert Series on the grounds of the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, 192 Main Street, Torrington. The event will take place on Thursday evening, June 23, 2016 from 6-8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.; music will begin at 6:30 p.m. For added enjoyment bring your comfortable lawn chair and a picnic supper. This is the fifth year that the Singer Songwriter Network has presented concerts at the Society. For this upcoming concert, the SSN is welcoming back Lara Herscovitch and Thea Hopkins, both of whom have performed at the Torrington Historical Society in the past.

Internationally touring songwriter Thea Hopkins (www.theahopkins.com) has been described as a “standout songwriter” by the Washington Post and as an “artist whose narratives drip with metaphor and imagery” by Americana UK. Her summer 2015 tour included performances at the Greenbelt Festival (UK), the Mosley Folk Festival (UK), the Woody Guthrie Festival (OK), and the Outside the Box Festival (MA). This was her third tour of England in three years. She is currently recording a new CD to be released later this year. “The beauty of Thea’s voice is matched by the brilliance of her lyrics,” stated Roberta Schwartz of Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange.

With her voice “clear and smooth like expensive liquor,” she stands “above and beyond the pack” (Northeast Performer). A former Connecticut State Troubadour, Lara brings a charm, authenticity, and love of performing that immediately resonates with diverse audiences. She has appeared as a guest on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor and tours from Maine to Miami. She also has extensive experience as a policy social worker, and has worked in the US, Latin America and Asia on behalf of disadvantaged individuals, focusing on education, community development, and juvenile justice. Echoes of these themes resonate throughout her music. “Singer songwriter Lara Herscovitch doesn’t write songs just for the ears, but also for the heart and soul.” (Daily Journal, Tupelo, MS). For more information about Lara visit www.LaraHerscovitch.com

Tickets for the event are $10 and may be purchased at the door or online. Tickets may be purchased in advance at http://www.ssnt09.org or at www.ladiesnlyricsjune23.eventbrite.com. Torrington Historical Society members are entitled to a discounted admission of $5; members can purchase their discounted tickets at the door. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Wilton Historical Society located on 224 Danbury Road is offering a creative Father’s Day workshop for kids ages six to twelve that allows them to let their imaginations run wild!

In this fun workshop, kids will use potatoes to make easy and appealing stamp designs which they can use to make Father’s Day cards and wrapping paper.

While making their project, Museum Educator Lola Chen, will talk with the children about the origins of Father’s Day and its history in the United States. There is even a healthy snack included to keep the creative juices flowing!

Wilton Historical Society members $10 per child, maximum $25 per family; Non-members $15 per child, maximum $35 per family. Please register: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257.

Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 www.wiltonhistorical.org. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council is presenting the sixth annual Open Your Eyes Studio Tour on June 25 and 26, 2016 in the towns of Litchfield,Bantam, Northfield and Thomaston, CT. The 2016 tour will feature 25 artists and artisans who have their studios in Litchfield, Bantam, Northfield and Thomaston. Participating visual artists and artisans will open their creative spaces and show their processes to the public during the days of the tour. Free Ticket Packets can be ordered through the website and include a map, directions sheets, and convenient sign-in stickers.

The Studio Tour on June 25 and 26 are free to the public. This year’s tour artists include painters, photographers, sculptors, collage and multi-media artists, ceramicists, textile artists, jewelers, a mask maker, illustrators, metal and glass artists, and woodworkers. The artists and artisans are: Richard Heys, Jennifer Sabella, Anne Marie Papineau, Suzan Scott, Susan Wakeen, Jill Davenport, Arif Imse, Joe Yeno, Alex Bouteneff, Carol T. Moore, Amber Maida, Cynthia Zinser, Jessica Jane Russell, Albert Coffill, Bantam Tile Works, Trisha Haulenbeek, Alessandro Morosani, Doreen Breen, Claudia Duhamel, Robin McCahill, Ten to One Artists Group, Will Cummings and Mindscape Industries Artists.

The Tour Preview Party will be held on Saturday, June 18 at Renaissance on 387 Torrington Rd. in Litchfield from 3-5 pm and will be the only time the Tour artists will all be in the same location at once with samples of their work. Attendance is free, donations welcome, and information about the party is available on the event website http://www.openyoureyestour.org.

Free tickets are available online. The free ticket system helps the art council determine how many people go on the tour and which studios are visited. The free ticket packet includes: your anonymous ticket stickers for signing into each studio, your map and brochure with artist and tour information and driving directions. Tickets will also be available the day of the tour at Info Stations in Litchfield and Thomaston. For more information visit the Art Council’s website. For more area event information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Wilton Historical Society located on 224 Danbury Road is hosting a new exhibition through October 15 that will feature both old and contemporary baskets.

This exhibition showcases the work of select contemporary basket makers including Jonathan Kline, Stephen Zeh, Lois Russell, Kari Lonning, and Marion Hildebrandt and contrasts them with historic baskets from the Society’s permanent collection. The work of these artists is grounded in the use of natural materials including brown ash, black ash, hickory, willow and reed.

Working with familiar forms ranging from wide, shallow baskets to lidded baskets; large rectangular, loosely woven baskets to upright hampers; baskets designed for use in harvesting vegetables and fruit; carrying or storing a variety of household objects, their beautifully crafted work shows the influence of Shakers, Native Americans, and the traditions of the Northeast. A highlight of the exhibition are the contemporary Nantucket baskets made by Harry A. Hilbert and Gail Halvorsen.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

On June 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friends of the Ives is presenting the first Art at Ives, Juried Fine Art & Crafts Show.This two-day event will highlight more than 75 artists from across the nation with a wide variety of high-quality original works and a diverse scope of art forms representing every major category; ceramics, fiber, drawing, painting, digital art, photography, glass, metal work, mixed media, sculpture, wearable art, jewelry and wood.

Discover how to create origami, the Japanese art of folding paper or drawing portraiture with live art demonstrations. Great food and live music, along with children’s events featuring the magic and wonder of the art of puppetry will be included. The event will be rain or shine and admission is $5. Children under 16 are free. Get tickets at www.artatives.eventbrite.com.

A program directory and the Ives website will showcase each artist’s work and provide artist contact information. Art at Ives will be a promoted event in the Connecticut Office of Tourism Open House Day 2016 – a one day statewide celebration of Connecticut’s fascinating world of art, history and tourism.

Ives Concert Park is the ideal location to host this event that seeks to advance the visual arts in Western Connecticut by providing increased visibility for artists. The long-term goal of the Art at Ives Juried Fine Art & Crafts Show is to expand awareness of the arts and enrich the artistic, cultural, educational and economic vitality of the region for years to come.

For more area event information and places to stay and things to do and see visit the website of the Litchfield Hills Visitors Bureau.

Music Mountain, America’s oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, kicks off its 87th Anniversary Season on Sunday, June 5th (3PM) with a gala performance and reception featuring the multiple Grammy award winning ensemble, Emerson String Quartet! The summer will feature 15 weekends of incredible music including returning favorite chamber ensembles and musicians, including pianists Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu; first-time guests, including the great pianist Richard Goode; the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring an array of Jazz ensembles and musicians and introducing, for the first time at Music Mountain, in five concerts, the incredibly talented artists of the Catskill Jazz Factory; and the second season of the new Music Mountain Master Classes for Young Artists plus so much more! See why the New Yorker called Music Mountain “The Summer Shrine of the String Quartet.” Concerts are scheduled through September 11.

The Emerson String Quartet has accumulated an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades. In a season of over 85 quartet performances, mingled with the Quartet members’ individual artistic commitments, the Emerson plays extensively throughout North America. Multiple tours of Europe include dates in Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom, among many other countries. Based in New York City, The Emerson String Quartet is Quartet-in-Residence at Stony Brook University.
Chamber music concerts continue with Borromeo String Quartet (June 12); Penderecki String Quartet with Maurycy Banaszek, viola (June 19); Cassatt String Quartet with Colin Carr, cello (June 26); and Cantata Profana (July 3).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on Saturday, June 11 with The Galvanized Jazz Band! The series continues with The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (June 18); New Black Eagle Jazz Band (June 25); and Swingtime Big Band (July 2).
Specially Priced Concerts are as Follows: Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Sunday, June 5 (3PM) are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2016 concert. All tickets to the Peter Serkin/Julia Hsu, Piano 4 Hands Concert on Sunday, July 10 are $60.

Tickets for the Mid-Summer Benefit Concert with Richard Goode on Sunday, July 31 (3PM) are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2016 concert. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception with the Shanghai String Quartet, and pianists Gilbert Kalish and Jonathan Yates are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2017 concert.

The 87th season will continue to offer two ticketing options to complement their established family friendly ticket prices. Concert goers will be able to reserve their favorite seat(s) in advance for a one-time payment of $60 per seat, per season. For information on how to reserve a seat and specific seat availability, please call 860-824-7126. Music Mountain also continues its popular Gold Pass program. Major Gold Pass benefits include: Admission to all concerts; Priority Reserved Seating (subject to availability); $20 price for one guest per Gold Pass. Cost for Gold Pass Memberships: Individual: $780; Pair: $1,500. For a list of other benefits and more information, please call 860-824-7126. All Gold Passes are transferable.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm. Group rates and pre season ticket plans are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit http://www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.