cello

Celebrating the Cello: A Partnership Between Sawyer Free Library and Rockport Music

~ Sawyer Free Library

This November, the Sawyer Free Library and Rockport Music are joining forces to celebrate the beauty, history, and enduring appeal of classical music through two special events centered around Bach’s Cello Suites.

Monday, November 10 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sawyer Free Library, Community Room, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester
Discover the timeless magic of the cello with acclaimed Haitian-American cellist Francesca McNeeley. In this engaging presentation, McNeeley will offer an intimate look into Bach’s Cello Suites—exploring their lasting influence, the expressive power of the instrument, and what it means to be a classical musician today. The program will blend live performance and conversation, offering listeners a rare glimpse into the art and spirit of the cello. Open to all. No registration required.

Friday, November 21 | 8:00 – 10:30 PM
Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main Street, Rockport
Experience Yo-Yo Ma—Live from Symphony Hall, right here on Cape Ann! Rockport Music will simulcast this sold-out Boston performance of Bach’s Cello Suites live on the big screen at the stunning Shalin Liu Performance Center. Join friends and neighbors for this FREE community event celebrating the power of music to connect and inspire.

A limited block of 25 reserved seats is available for Sawyer Free Library patrons.  Reserve your spot here.

Together, the Sawyer Free Library and Rockport Music invite you to share in this extraordinary celebration of music, creativity, and community—where timeless art and local partnership meet in harmony.

For questions, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION PRESENTS THE MUSICIANS OF THE OLD POST ROAD IN A PROGRAM CALLED ‘A CHRISTMAS PILGRIMAGE’

~ chasnaz

Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Gloucester Meetinghouse corner of Middle and Church Streets in Gloucester.  The accessible side entrance is at 10 Church Street. Event parking is available on the green and at additional parking lots nearby in the Historic District.

The ensemble, The Musicians of the Old Post Road, returns for the fourth season to perform their greatly anticipated annual holiday concert held at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. The program includes traditional favorites by Handel and Telemann and rarely-performed works by Bach contemporaries Christoph Graupner, Johann David Heinichen, Johann Christoph Pez, and Augustin Pfleger.

Tickets for A Christmas Pilgrimage are available at the door or online with more information at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org. Preferred seating $45; general $30; students $10 with ID; under 12 free. Thanks to a generous sponsor this concert is dedicated to the memory of Carol Ackerman.

The Musicians of the Old Post Road, a chamber ensemble based in the Boston area, specializes in works from the Baroque to early Romantic eras performed on period instruments. The ensemble is well known for bringing their audiences rediscovered masterpieces, works that are rarely performed in public.

Members of the ensemble, all specialists in period instrument performance, include flutist Suzanne Stumpf, violinist Sarah Darling, violist Marcia Cassidy, cellist Daniel Ryan, and fortepianist/harpsichordist Michael Bahmann. They are joined by four soloists well known to Boston area audiences: soprano Jessica Petrus; mezzo-soprano Sophie Michaux; tenor Jason McStoots; and baritone David McFerrin.