Tag: New England

Beatles to Bach, Jazz to Rock, Summer Means Music in Litchfield HIlls and Fairfield County Connecticut.

In concert halls, outdoor plazas and on the beach, music is in the air this summer in Western Connecticut. From classical to classic rock, there’s something for everyone on the rich agenda that includes string quartets, jazz all-stars and big bands in settings from the sandy Long Island shore to the leafy Litchfield Hills.

LITCHFIELD HILLS LUMINARIES

Two of the nation’s oldest and best known chamber music festivals take place each summer in Norfolk and Falls Village in the Litchfield Hills, along with a long-established jazz festival in Goshen. Rounding out the season are a new all-day Folk Music Jamboree in Falls Village and the second Beatles Festival in Danbury, this year a benefit concert for Sandy Hook relief.

Music Shed at Norfolk Chamber Music Festival
Music Shed at Norfolk Chamber Music Festival

Music Mountain in Falls Village, Connecticut, now in its 84th season, is the nation’s oldest chamber music festival. Concerts take place in Gordon Hall, dating to 1930 and noted for its legendary acoustics. Chamber music is only part of the lure of Music Mountain. The Saturday 6:30 p.m. Twilight series features jazz, Big Band and Country bands through August 17—with dancing on a festive outdoor dance floor. This year will include the first all-day Folk Music Jamboree from 12 noon to 9 p.m. on August 24. www.musicmountain.org

The Yale School of Music on its sylvan summer campus in Norfolk presents the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. The festival celebrates its 72nd season this year through August 17 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays by six internationally esteemed string quartets, playing alongside promising students and young professionals from around the world. Norfolk’s notable roster will include the Brentano Quartet, the Emerson String Quartet, and the Tokyo String Quartet. http://music.yale.edu/norfolk

The 18th annual Litchfield Jazz Festival August 9 to 11 at the Goshen Fairgrounds will continue its tradition of showcasing jazz legends along with up-and-coming talent on its tented big stage. One of the biggest names is two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole, who will sing with the Aaron Weinstein trio on Friday, August 9 at 9:15 p.m. See the complete line-up at www.litchfieldjazzfest.com

Jazz Fest
Jazz Fest

Danbury Fields Forever, the Beatles Music Festival takes place on Saturday, August 3, at the Ives Concert Park in Danbury from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. This second edition of the festival will present 10 bands in 10 hours, featuring tribute bands representing different eras of Beatles music. The festival will pay special tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four’s final performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool on Aug. 3, 1963. Proceeds for this concert go to Sandy Hook relief. For other performances visit www.ivesconcertpark.com.

Ives Concert Park
Ives Concert Park

FAIRFIELD COUNTY FESTIVITIES
The parks and beaches of Fairfield County will be offering many big names on big outdoor stages in Stamford and Norwalk and a notable Rock Concert will return to Bridgeport.

Stamford’s Jazz Up series in Columbus Park will take place at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday from July 10 to August 7. Featured performers include Yankee baseball star- turned-musician, Bernie Williams, Diane Reeves, Chick Corea, and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, a group formed by two son of the late jazz great Dave Brubeck. In case of rain, concerts will move to the Palace Theater. www.stamford-downtown.com/events

Alive at Five
Alive at Five

The Alive@Five series featuring rock and pop music takes the stage in Columbus Park at 5 p.m. on Thursdays July 11 to August 15. www.stamfordaliveatfive.com

Concerts are scheduled every Wednesday through September 4 at Norwalk’s scenic Calf Pasture Beach. The 2013 theme is Tribute Bands, with music saluting Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, Sounds of the Sixties, A Salute to the 70’s, and Woodstock. Many concerts are preceded by a classic car show. Admission is free, but non-residents pay a $5 parking fee. www.norwalkct.org

calf pasture beach island lighthouser (1 of 1)

Rock fans will gather from near and far (many with tents and campers) for the 18th, Gathering of the Vibes set for July 25 to 28 in Bridgeport’s Seaside Park. The festival began as a memorial party saluting the Grateful Dead and the good vibes and non-stop music on two stages goes on. www.gatheringofthevibes.com

For more information on summer events and restaurants and lodging in the area, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506, or visit their web site at www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com or www.litchfieldhills.com. Ask for a free copy of Unwind, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay shop and dine in western Connecticut.

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Farms and Barns Art Show at The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm in Litchfield Hills

February - Eric Sloane
February – Eric Sloane

The Silo Gallery at Hunt Hill Farm located in the Litchfield Hills on 44 Upland Rd. in New Milford Connecticut is hosting an opening reception on Friday, August 2 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. for the new Barns and Farms Exhibit that runs through October 5. Tosto, Laurence Neufeld, son and nephew of the Neufelds, and Art Kerber, of Millerton’s Green River Gallery who is offering a selection of Eric Sloane paintings, will be greeting guests at the reception. The artwork in the gallery is available for purchase, and Tosto will also be accepting future commissions.

Woldemar Neufeld
Woldemar Neufeld

This exhibit that is hung in the hayloft gallery at The Silo features the work of some of the areas best known artists: Eric Sloane and Woldemar Neufeld. Also on display will be works from Kate Neufeld, Woldemar’s sister, and by Merryall resident Frank Tosto.

The artists, each in their own style, have documented buildings, vistas and the history of their era. While the Neufelds and Sloane are deceased, Tosto carries on the tradition of recording the landscapes of our time for posterity.

Frank Tosto
Frank Tosto

This exhibit shows that barns are are more than just buildings. They are a witness to centuries of change. In this era of sustainable agriculture, part of the mission at Hunt Hill Farm is their focus on teaching future generations the importance of farming and barns through active adaptive usage of our historic buildings.

The Barns and Farm exhibit will be augmented in September by the addition of Barn Again, a retired Smithsonian Institution Main Street exhibit, now in the hands of Hunt Hill Farm.

The Silo Gallery and Store are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, please call Liba Furhman at (860) 355-0300 or visit http://www.hunthillfarmtrust.org.

For area information http://www.litchfieldhills.com.

About The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm
Drawing on the creative legacy of Skitch and Ruth Henderson, the Henderson Cultural Center at Hunt Hill Farm, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, is a vibrant and unique regional resource, offering the public opportunities to explore music, art, cuisine, and permanently protected historic open space.

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Summer exhibits at Silvermine Arts Center

Kite - Charles Hinman and Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein
Kite – Charles Hinman and Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein

Silvermine Arts Center, located in New Canaan, CT will be kicking off its summer exhibitions with an exciting collaboration of works by Charles Hinman and Gary Lichtenstein, and new works by Guild Artist Christ Durante. Silvermine’s new Viewing Room features presentations of new works on paper by Guild Artists Roger Mudre and Robert Gregson. The exhibitions will open on Sunday, July 28th with a reception from 2pm-4pm, and will run through September 7th.

“Kites” features the latest collaborative silkscreens between three dimensional painting pioneer Charles Hinman and Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein. A working relationship which began in 2011 with their prints Gems, this latest body of work continues their exploration into translating the visual vocabulary of Hinman’s signature hard-edged shaped canvas into the realm of prints. By combining a mutual understanding of color and the use of subtle hand embossing, they have created a suite of prints that epitomizes the core of Hinman’s ideology: “Though the works at first glance appear serene and placid, they are ever changing as the surface of the ocean or the expanse of the sky. Ever dynamic, they are ever alive.”

A prime example of this idea can be seen in Kite 2. At first glance, the silkscreen faithfully reconstructs Hinman’s paintings down to the inclusion of subtle lines referencing the support system of his three dimensional work. As the viewer gazes at the work, the true complexity of its arrangement of space unfolds into an ever changing visual experience that expands upon Mr. Hinman’s longstanding commitment to visual perceptions of space.

In his new exhibit “No Mans Land,” Guild Artist Chris Durante has constructed an environment of what he calls “considered hanging,” where viewers can visually and physically traverse his works. An artist who is never satisfied with making work that neatly fits into prescribed categories, Durante continually explores and blurs the lines between mediums and artistic genres. Using a combination of paintings, drawings,graffiti, found objects and a collection of other materials, Durante creates a space that furthers his exploration of boundaries into a visual experience, creating a thought provoking space, a “place of freedom,” if you will, where viewers can explore ideas. About his work, Chris comments, “The inability to couple a thought with a sustained and focused action can be an asset if one can be patient and accept that condition as temporary. Let the mind wander and the hand fiddle. Attention is a slippery proposition. The unison of idea and craft will come, eventually.”

Drawing - Robert Gregson
Drawing – Robert Gregson

Silvermine’s new Viewing Room, will present works by Guild Artists Roger Mudre and Robert Gregson. A selection of new abstract silkscreens by Roger Mudre which were produced in collaboration with Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein and an installation of recently created optically fetching geometric drawings by Robert Gregson will be featured through the summer. For more information about the exhibitions and other upcoming events at Silvermine Arts Center call 203-966-9700 or visit our website at www.sivermineart.org.

About Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Arts Center located in New Canaan, Connecticut is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Located on a four acre campus, the center consists of a nationally renowned artist guild, award winning school of art offering multi-disciplinary art classes for all ages, an art and fine crafts shop and galleries, offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually.

The center also provides innovative free and subsidized arts education in Norwalk and Stamford schools through its outreach program, Art Partners; and hosts a lecture series, performances, and special programs throughout the year. Silvermine Arts Center is a nonprofit organization.

Gallery Hours: Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1pm to 5 p.m. For more information, call (203) 966-9700 ext. 20 or visit the website: www.silvermineart.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Bruce Museum features Durer, Rembrandt and Whistler

Joachim and the Angel ca. 1504 Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528) Joachim and the Angel, ca. 1504 Woodcut From The Life of the Virgin Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly
Joachim and the Angel ca. 1504
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528) Joachim and the Angel, ca. 1504 Woodcut From The Life of the Virgin Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly

Located in Fairfield County Connecticut, the Bruce Museum located on One Museum Dr. in Greenwich is featuring prints of old masters and works from the 19th century through August 18th. This is one of the most distinguished local collections of prints that have been painstakingly assembled by Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly. The works include prints of Durer, Rembrandt and Whistler among other notable artists.

While Dr. Kelly’s collection has been comprised primarily of American 20th-century prints and prints by John James Audubon, in recent years he has also collected Old Master and 19th-century works extensively.

The Triumph of Mordecai Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669) The Triumph of Mordecai, ca. 1641 Etching and drypoint Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly
The Triumph of Mordecai
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669) The Triumph of Mordecai, ca. 1641 Etching and drypoint Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly

These encompass splendid sheets by the great German printmaker Albrecht Dürer, including a rare etching, woodcuts, and engravings of such iconic images as his Nemesis of 1502.

Dr. Kelly’s Dutch prints include several of the rare engravings after the influential Adam Elsheimer by Hendrik Goudt and no less than 28 images by the highly experimental printmaker Rembrandt van Rijn, ranging from early works of the 1630s to mature impressions from the 1650s.

Limehouse James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903) Limehouse, 1859 Etching, printed in black on laid paper From “The Thames Set” Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly
Limehouse
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903) Limehouse, 1859 Etching, printed in black on laid paper From “The Thames Set” Collection of Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly

Dr. Kelly’s 18th-century holdings include sheets by the great Italian artists Canaletto and Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo and several fine sheets from Los Caprichos by the renowned Spanish artist Francisco de Goya y Lucientes.

Completing the collection is a group of etched cityscapes and figure studies by the American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

Together the collection attests to the quality of some of the greatest printmakers in Western Art.

The exhibition – on view through August 18, 2013 and is accompanied by a scholarly catalog and a series of educational and public programs.

The Bruce Museum is grateful to Dr. Dorrance T. Kelly for sharing this extraordinary collection with the public.

About the Bruce Museum: Explore Art and Science at the Bruce Museum, located at One Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children under 5 years. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. Free on-site parking is available and the Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For additional information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376 or visit the website at www.brucemuseum.org. For area information on Fairfield County www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

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New England Carousel Museum offers workshops for kids July and August

summer_fun_workshop_20130703_1696611239

New this year, the New England Carousel Museum located on 95 Riverside Ave. in Bristol is hosting workshops for kids that are fun and educational too. The workshops run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and even include snacks! Kids are asked to bring their own-bagged lunch. The workshop cost is $25 a day; sibling and multiple class discounts are available. Be sure to register one week before the workshop begins by calling 860-585-5411. For more information www.thecarouselmuseum.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

On August 2, in a workshop called, Drawing About the Museum, kids will explore a variety of drawing mediums using the Carousel Museum collection as inspiration. Morgan, from The Art Truck, will teach techniques for using various materials, such as watercolor pencils, pastels, and more! Kids are asked to please wear old clothes or bring an art shirt. This workshop is for children ages 7-14.

summer_fun_workshop_20130703_1315169187

Firefighter Day is offered for children ages 7 – 9 on July 23 or August 8. If you children have ever wondered what it is like to be a fireman, this workshop is for them. Kids will find out about firefighting through the ages alongside Museum staff and members of the Bristol Fire Department. Explore real equipment and tour the Fire Safety House simulation.

A unique Carving workshop is being offered on July 30 or August 1 for children ages 9-14. During this workshop kids will learn to carve with an instructor from the CT Wood Carvers Association. A highlight of this is the instruction on important carving safety rules and carving techniques, including soap carving and mallet and gauge carving. Kids will gain inspiration from the carousel horses and rounding boards in the galleries of the museum, and create their own projects to take home!

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The last workshop is titled Painting Landscapes for the Carousel and is offered Aug. 6 or Aug. 15 and is for children ages 7-14. Kids will learn that there is more to carousel art than pretty ponies. Most carousels include beautiful landscapes and scenes of everyday life surrounding the inner workings of the machinery. In this workshop, a certified art teacher will guide children in designing and painting their own scenery panel. Children will go home with a framed masterpiece ready to hang on the wall. Please wear old clothes or bring an art shirt.

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Palace Theatre announces 2013-2014 Webster Bank Broadway Season

Palace Theatre Waterbury CT
Palace Theatre Waterbury CT

The Palace Theatre in Waterbury was built in the early 1920’s was active cultural scene prior to WWII. Famous New England theater impresario Sylvester Z. Poli opened the venue in 1922, after investing $1 million in its opulent décor. Designed by period architect Thomas Lamb in a Second Renaissance Revival style, the Palace Theater features an eclectic mix of Greek, Roman, Arabic and Federal motifs, grand lobby spaces and ornate dome ceilings, all in a palatial setting fit for a king.

Originally a movie/vaudeville house, the Palace evolved with the times over its 70 years of operation, presenting everything from silent films to Big Band music to contemporary rock concerts. Once considered the premiere performance venue in the Northeast, the Palace lights went dim in 1987. After 18 years of darkness and a $30 million three year renovation, restoration and expansion, the theater was transformed into a 90,000 square foot arena, housing a state-of-the-art theatrical facility in a historically preserved City landmark. Positioned as Greater Waterbury’s Center for the Performing Arts, this exquisite complex now showcases a performance schedule boasting professional Broadway performances, educational programs, top-quality family entertainment and more.

The Palace Theatre is not resting on its’ laurel’s and it getting ready to rock as it announces the 2013 – 2013-2014 Webster Bank Broadway Series that is paying tribute to some of the most iconic songs and biggest names in Rock and Roll history.

Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys

The season-long music fest kicks-off in October (9-13) with eight performances of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster musical about the rise of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Elf
Elf

In November (19-21), patrons will be rockin’ around the Christmas tree to the new holiday classic Elf The Musical, followed by the world-wide party musical Rock of Ages in March (21-22), featuring 28 classic 80’s songs by artists like Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Journey and more.

Hair
Hair

The musical series continues in May (2-4) with HAIR, a chart-topping and poignant musical journey through the tumultuous 1960s, and wraps up in June (6-8) with Million Dollar Quartet, the musical that united four of the world’s greatest rock and roll icons Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

As with any V.I.P. experience, becoming a Palace Theater Broadway subscriber has its benefits. Not only do customers reserve the same great seats for all five national touring Broadway productions, but they also receive a ten percent package savings on their tickets, as well as complimentary E-PASS privileges, which include advance email notice of new events with the opportunity to buy presale tickets before the general public.

Broadway Series subscription renewals for current subscribers are available and the Box Office is currently accepting orders for new subscribers. For more information or to receive a subscription brochure, call the Box Office at 203-346-2000 or visit www.palacetheaterct.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

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