Author Talk at SFL with Virginia Pye: The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann – this Tuesday

Join the Sawyer Free Library on Tuesday, November 19, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm for an author talk with Virginia Pye on her latest novel, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann.

The event is taking place at the Library at 21 Main Street in Downtown Gloucester. The Bookstore of Gloucester will be onsite selling copies of her works.

About The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann:

Set in Gilded Age Boston, the novel follows Victoria Swann, a bestselling romance author, who defies her publisher to write from her own perspective, becoming a champion for women’s rights. As she loses her standing, she finds an ally in her young editor, discovering that both writing and reading can be powerful acts of defiance.

About Virginia Pye:

Virginia Pye is the award-winning author of four books, including Shelf Life of Happiness, which won the IPPY Gold Medal. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, and other publications. She has an MFA from Sarah Lawrence and teaches at GrubStreet in Boston.

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

Sawyer Free Library Annual Meeting: Wed, 11/13

Please join us for the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library Corporation’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 13 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. It will be held at Gloucester Stage located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. The annual meeting is open to the public, but only corporators can vote. Refreshments will be served.

The evening will allow the community to come together and celebrate the Library’s achievements, learn about its finances and engage with the Library’s board members and staff. There will also be an update on the 2025 Sawyer Free Library building project.

New members of the Library Corporation and Board of Trustees will be elected, and the Mary M. Weissblum Volunteer Award will be presented to Simon Paddock. Each year, the award is given by the Trustees to recognize and show appreciation for the Library’s outstanding volunteers who help to maintain and promote its services and programs. 

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS, PLANS AND PRIORITIES FOR THE LIBRARY

Refreshments will be served. No registration is required. Questions? Contact: 978-325-5500.

This Week at the Little Art Cinema

The Furies: September 6 & 7 @ 7:00

Scarlet: September 8 & 10 @ 7:00, September 9 @ 3:00

This week our Anthony Mann series continues with The Furies! In 1870s New Mexico Territory, megalomaniacal widowed ranch owner T. C. Jeffords (Walter Huston, in his final role) butts heads with his firebrand of a daughter, Vance (Barbara Stanwyck), over her dowry, choice of husband, and, finally, ownership of the land itself. Sophisticated in its view of frontier settlement and ablaze with searing domestic drama, The Furies is an often-overlooked treasure of American filmmaking, boasting Oscar–nominated cinematography and vivid supporting turns from Judith Anderson, Wendell Corey, and Gilbert Roland.

We also have Scarlet, Pietro Marcello’s follow up to Martin Eden. Shortly after World War I, veteran Raphaël returns home from the frontlines a widower and father to an infant daughter. Raised in rural Normandy, the child Juliette grows into a headstrong young woman who dreams of greater possibilities. She seeks refuge in the nearby woods, where she meets a witch who promises scarlet sails will one day take her away from her village. Reckoning with her future and swept away by a rakish young pilot (Louis Garrel) who literally falls from the sky, Juliette never stops believing in the witch’s prophecy. Tracing Juliette’s journey throughout the 20 years of great invention between the world wars, Scarlet delicately weaves together music and fantasy, history and folklore, realist drama and ethereal romance, to craft a timeless story of a young woman’s emancipation.

You can also find the rest of our showtimes at www.littleartrockport.com!

1st Annual GCACC NEXT GEN Corn Hole Tournament is on Sunday June 4th! Sign up now!

The 1st Annual GCACC NEXT GEN Cornhole Tournament is presented in partnership by the Greater Cape Ann Chamber’s NEXT GEN Cape Ann Young Professionals Committee and the American Legion Post 98.

Please join us on Sunday, June 4 for a day of fun competition! Food and beer will be available for purchase as well as raffles!

To sign up, please click here. The deadline to sign up and pay is June 1st

Sawyer Free Library’s GLO CON 22′ – SAVE THE DATE – Saturday, April 30

Save the date for the Sawyer Free Library’s first-ever Comic-Con which will be on Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  It is an All-Ages event celebrating comics and graphic novels, as art, as literature, and as a part of pop culture!

Photo ops with characters? Check! Workshops with comic book authors and artists? Check! Fandom games and activities? Check! Fantastical story time and crafts for the kids? Of course! Don’t miss this celebration of all things comics and pop culture.  Costumes are encouraged!  Registration only required for workshops! For more information visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Sawyer Free Library to host presentation “Gloucester Urban Renewal” by historian Beth Welin

The Sawyer Free Library will be hosting the first two-part series: “Urban Renewal in Gloucester,” presented by Beth Welin, local historian and director of Manchester Historical Museum, on Saturday, October 23 at 2 pm.

See images of old Gloucester and learn about the city’s history and redevelopment. Attendees are encouraged to share personal memories throughout the presentation.

Part two of the series will be Saturday, November 6 at 2pm. Registration is not required but mask are for all that attend.

For more details, go sawyerfreelibrary.org

The Book Fair at The Glance!

Saturday, June 29 & Sunday, June 30

Second Glance Thrift Store | 2 Pond Road, Gloucester

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Second Glance Thrift Store presents The Book Fair at The Glance with a wide variety of reading choices. Come shop from a selection of high-quality books pulled from premium inventory and saved for this special two-day blowout event. Thousands of titles are available at this book bonanza with something for everyone.

The Book Fair at The Glance on Facebook

Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. All proceeds benefit The Open Door.

The mission of The Open Door is to alleviate the impact of hunger in our community. We use practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in need, and to engage others in the work of building food security. The Open Door serves residents of Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Essex, Ipswich, Topsfield, Boxford, Rowley, Hamilton, and Wenham.

To find out more about The Open Door or donate online, visit FOODPANTRY.ORG.

Friday, April 5th: the GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION presents ‘MASTERPIECE,’ an a cappella concert by the SKYLARK VOCAL ENSEMBLE

The internationally acclaimed a cappella choir Skylark will perform a program called ‘Masterpiece’ at 7:00pm with a 6:00pm pre-concert talk on Friday, April 5th in the historic (1806) Gloucester Meetinghouse at the corner of Middle and Church Streets.  A reception to celebrate the performers follows the concert.

Over the centuries, art has inspired music, and music has inspired art. In this innovative multi-faceted program, Skylark will offer musical reflections and reactions to the visual arts from the ancient to the modern.

Skylark’s program will pair a specific piece of art with a particular musical composition from the same time period. Beginning with watercolors and music by Felix Mendelssohn and Hugo Alfvén, the program will progress through the impressionists Renoir and Monet – paired with music by Ravel and Debussy – to art and music of good friends Pablo Picasso and Francis Poulenc.

From Picasso, Skylark will introduce audiences to the work of Adolf Wölfli, from the Art Brut style. Wölfli was a prolific artist during his long residence in the Waldau Clinic, a psychiatric hospital in Bern – Skylark will pair his art with Wiegen-Lied, music by Per Nørgård, and lyrics by Adolf Wölfli.

Contemporary composer James MacMillan’s beautiful The Gallant Weaver recalls elegant Celtic knot work designs found in the Book of Kells.

Skylark was nominated this year for 2 Grammy Awards and is known for a sublime blend of classically trained voices with perfect pitch, exquisite dynamics and a broad range of repertoire.

This is Skylark’s debut performance in the Gloucester Meetinghouse, offering North Shore music lover’s a top-tier concert choir experience close to home.  Comprised of some of the most distinguished classical vocal soloists from around the country, Skylark’s singers have joined together to create a tour de force a cappella ensemble that thrills audiences with their dynamic range, rhythmic prowess, and sheer beauty of sound.

Tickets available at the door and online at

http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

Preferred                  $45

General                     $30

Students                   $10 with ID

12 & Under              Free

No one turned away for lack of funds; just ask at the entrance desk.  Note: side entrance with elevator available at 10 Church Street.

Skylark Photo_1

Skylark has quickly become one of the premier recording choirs in the United States, earning accolades from critics at home and abroad, including Gramophone, Classics Today, the BBC, and Limelight Magazine (Australia).  Skylark’s most recent three recordings have all placed in the top 10 of the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart.  Award-winning CDs include ‘Forgotten Dreams’ (2014), ‘Crossing Over’ (2016), ‘Winter’s Night’ (2017), and ‘Seven Words from the Cross (2018).

Please join us for this rare musical feast!

 

The Orchestra on the Hill Chamber Ensemble performs ‘Bach and Beyond’ in the historic Gloucester Meetinghouse

‘Bach and Beyond’ will take you on a musical journey around and through the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In the first half, soak in the serene exultation of Trumpet Concerto No. 2 by Tomaso Giovani Albinoni to gain an understanding of why this popular composer was so intriguing to Bach.  Next, venture onward to Bach’s vibrantly fast-paced Orchestral Suite No. 2 with haunting melodies for the flute.  Then hold on your seat for Bach’s powerful Prelude and Fugue (“the Wedge”) in E minor for organ solo played by Jeffrey Mead on the mighty 1893 Hutchings-Fisk pipe organ.

In the second half you will meander forward in time to Mozart’s exquisite Clarinet and String Quintet, in which Bach’s influence runs through like a golden thread. And finally we return to Bach for his glorious and brilliant Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, a musical challenge for the whole ensemble including harpsichord and famous for it’s trumpet fanfare, to complete the journey.

TICKETS ONLINE OR AT THE DOOR – cash, check or credit card

Preferred                  $45 (front center 3 rows & rear gallery front row)

General                     $30

Students                   $10 with ID

12 & Under              Free

LOCATION AND MORE INFORMATION

The Gloucester Meetinghouse (home of the Unitarian Universalist Church) is located on the green at the corner of Church and Middle Streets.  Event parking is allowed on the green and is available at other parking lots nearby and on the street in the Historic District.  An elevator up to the Sanctuary level is available from the side entrance at 10 Church Street.

For advance ticket purchases and more information please visit www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

March 16, 2019 Bach and Beyond Concert, Poster, Final Version

‘The Americas, Land of Many Cultures,’ a choral concert by Albany Pro Musica and Camerata Coral from Puerto Rico

Saturday March 2nd 2019 at 3:30pm in the Gloucester Meetinghouse, corner of Church and Middle Streets

March 2, 2019 THE AMERICAS, LAND OF MANY CULTURES Concert PosterA festive choral concert in English and Spanish celebrating the diversity of the Americas presented by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation

The Americas, Land of Many Cultures. Distinctive harmonies and thrilling rhythms sung by two great choral ensembles will transport you in a journey celebrating diversity, multiculturalism, inclusiveness, and acceptance; the values that hold the Americas strong.

Puerto Rican chorus Camerata Coral join’s Albany Pro Musica Concert Chorus in homage to the musical heritage of the New World, featuring evocative music from North and South America and the Caribbean.

$45 Preferred, $30 General, $10 Students with ID, Under 12 free – Note: no one turned away due to lack of funds.  Tickets at the door or in advance with more information at http://www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

PROGRAM

Albany Pro Musica: CANADA
Ambe by Andrew Balfour (b.1967)
I Lost my Talk by Jeff Enns (b.1972)
Come Home
by Donna Rhodenizer (b.1961)
Snow Song
by Trent Worthington (b.1963)

Camerata Coral: LATIN AMERICA 
La flor de la canela, Chabuca Granda (1920-1983), arr. Luis Craff (Perú)
Soy pan, soy paz, soy más, letra: Luis Ramón Igarzábal música:Piero, arr. Julio Barragán Saucedo (Argentina) 
Bésame mucho
, Consuelo Velázquez (1916-2005), arr. Julio Morales (México)
Hoy mi Habana, José Antonio Quesada (b. 1960), arr. Ernesto Herrera (Cuba) 
Cantos de Quisqueya
, arr. Juan Tony Guzmán (Dominican Republic)

Intermission

Albany Pro Musica: USA
By and By by Carol Barnett (b.1949)
Sure on this Shinning Night by Morten Lauridsen (b.1943)
From a Railway Carriage
by Steve Murray (b.1939)
A Jubilant Song
by Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008)

Camerata Coral: PUERTO RICO
Piel canela, Bobby Capó (1922-1989), arr. Rubén Colón-Tarrats
Nave sin rumbo, Syvia Rexach (1022-1961), arr. Javier Asencio
Cedro abajo, Modesto Nieves (b.1951), arr. Jesús Ernesto Ochoa
Creo en Dios, Tony Croatto (1940-2005), arr. Eduardo Sarmiento Toledo
Homenaje a Maelo
, Bobby Capó y Tite Curet Alonso (1926-2003), arr. Jesós Ernesto Ochoa

FINALE Choirs combined
Borinquen, Edmundo Disdier (1927-2016), arr. Rubén Colón-Tarrats 
We Can Mend the Sky
by Jake Runestad

The concert concludes with both choirs combined in the poignant call to love by celebrated American composer Jake Runestad. We Can Mend the Sky’s lyrics are based on a poem by an immigrant from Somalia and two Somali proverbs:

In my dream I saw
A world free of violence, hunger, suffering
A World filled with love
Now awake in this world
I beg, let my dream come true
If we come together, we can mend the sky.