music

MUSIC ON MEETINGHOUSE GREEN 2023 OPENS ON JULY 7TH!!!

~ chasnaz

JOIN US! for the eighth season of our free, outdoor summer concert festival called Music on Meetinghouse Green starting on July 7th at 6:00pm with the John Baboian Berklee Jazz Ensemble. Mayor Greg Verga will be on hand to offer opening remarks. Your free-will donations will support the great work of Pathways for Children. The Causeway Restaurant will be on hand with mouth-watering chowders and lobster rolls for your picnicking delight, so bring folding chairs or blankets with some extra cash!

Location: 50 Middle Street, at the corner with Church Street, on the lawn in front of the Unitarian Universalist Church, Gloucester’s historic 1806 Meetinghouse. Parking: free on-street and in several parking lots nearby; limited HC parking on the green. More info at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
 

MUSIC ON MEETINGHOUSE GREEN, FULL SUMMER SCHEDULE

OUR SPONSORS
Thanks to our sponsors, who make this unique music festival possible, 100% of your free-will donations go to our non-profit community partners.

  • Platinum: John & Janis Bell, J.J. & Jackie Bell, Scobie Ward, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Massachusetts Cultural Council, anonymous Lanesvillian Friends
  • Gold:  BOMCO, Michael Bresnan & Mary-Ann Sherry, Linzee Coolidge, anonymous Appreciative Neighbors
  • Silver: Fred Cowan & Dick Gardner, JoeAnn Hart & Gordon Baird, Charles Nazarian, John & Sandra Ronan, Karen Bell, Beverly & Addison-Gilbert Hospitals, Dick Prouty
  • Bronze: Jerry Ackerman, Peter Calkins & Susan Casey, Pat Johnson & Jeff Henderson

JOIN US ON FRIDAY EVENINGS ALL THROUGH THE SUMMER. HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!!

Musical Storytime at SFL @ 21 Main Street on Friday morning, June 16th

~ Sawyer Free Library

Sawyer Free Library is excited to present Musical Storytime @ 21 Main Street on Friday, June 16 at 11:15 a.m. for our youngest patrons and their caregivers!

Join Ruthanne Paulson for some musical fun at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in Downtown Gloucester. It will be a festive morning of Spring fun, stories, singing, dancing and playing music.

There is no registration needed. Questions? 978-325-5500 or sawyerfreelibrary.org

Firebird Pops Orchestra returns to Hammond Castle Museum for a night of music from the silver screen this Friday evening!

~ Hammond Castle Museum

Firebird Pops Orchestra returns to Hammond Castle Museum for a night of music from the silver screen this Friday evening!

A smaller, chamber orchestra division of FPO will perform creative existing and custom arrangements of iconic film scores on our seaside lawn. Conductor Brendan J. Kenney will lead the chamber orchestra through the sweeping, magical scores of films and tv series such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, The Avengers, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz, and more!

General admission is $40. Tickets are available at www.hammondcastle.org.

As always, special event ticket holders are eligible for a 20% discount on self-guided tours prior to 3pm on the day of the ticketed event. Parking is free.

All proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the 13th century, French cloister archways which are located at the front of the museum.

Photo by CMO Photography Studios.

Community Concert Co-Sponsored by Sawyer Free Library on Saturday, July 30 at 11am

~ Sawyer Free Library

Community Concert with THREE libraries! Join Sawyer Free, Rockport & Manchester-by-the-Sea libraries at Masconomo Park in Manchester for a great family outdoor summer show! Lots of fun with TWO musical groups: Ants on a Log joins Bee Parks & the Hornets for this fun community event!

Saturday, July 30 at 11:00am! Open and free to all!

Rain location is Manchester Elementary School.

For more information visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or 978-325-5500

Celebrate Black Music: A Soul Conversation at the Sawyer Free Library with Schuyler Traughber

~ Sawyer Free Library

On Thursday, June 16 from 5:30 – 7:00pm, the Sawyer Free Library is hosting a presentation by local author and long-time music industry insider Schuyler Traughber on Soul Music’s history in pop culture focusing on a “Study of the Soul Music Environment” by Harvard Business School for CBS/Columbia Records in 1972. “The Harvard Report” has contributed to a powerful era, musically, while controversially contributing to the demise of Stax Records in the mid-1970s and Motown being sold to Boston Ventures/MCA Records in the 1980s, enriching corporate America’s distribution-control of Black Music.

 Schuyler Traughber has worked as a road musician, arranger, producer and label executive for We Produce/Stax Records, CBS Records, Motown Records as well as U.S. Business Rep for King Records/MCA, Tokyo. After fifteen years as a Music Business/Management faculty member at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Sky currently resides in Gloucester and is co-author of an upcoming book: “POWER 101, The Harvard Report, Soul Music, & The American Dream.”

The event will take place on the Main Floor of the Library, located at 2 Dale Avenue in Gloucester. It is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5555. 

HALLOWEEN MOVIE SPECIAL: TWO FACES OF FRANKENSTEIN, AT THE GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE

~ chasnaz

Two scary silent movies with live accompaniment on the pipe organ, Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Celebrating the season of dark and windy nights, hobgoblins, and scary creatures, the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation presents two landmark silent movies featuring the Frankenstein monster and accompanied by world-renowned sonic artist and organist Peter Krasinski.

The first movie is a short 1910 Thomas Edison photo-play, the first motion picture version of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. This silent movie features sophisticated special effects for its time. Unsuspecting audiences were dazzled when it was released. Now nearly 110 years old, this rarely-seen film continues to amaze audiences with its powerful visuals.

The second is the brilliant 1931 Frankenstein movie that launched Boris Karloff’s career as the famed monster. The film had no musical score, creating the perfect opportunity for improvised accompaniment by a virtuoso on the pipe organ like Peter Krasinski. Karloff’s rendition of Frankenstein is a classic horror film, scaring and delighting family audiences for over 90 years.

Peter Krasinski returns to Gloucester this year to work his improvisational magic on the historic Meetinghouse’s sonorous 1893 Hutchings/Fisk pipe organ. Known as a sonic artist and maestro of the pipe organ, Krasinski tours all over the world performing with classic silent movies. The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is grateful to our 2019-20 Autumn/Winter/Spring sponsors who have made this series possible.

The Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Unitarian Universalist Church, is located at the corner of Church and Middle Streets. The event is handicapped accessible via the side door at 10 Church Street. Parking is available on the green, on-street and at additional parking lots nearby in the Historic District.

Tickets are $20 Adults, $10 Students, 12 & under free.

Tickets are available at the door or online with more info at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

CAPE ANN CLASSIC CARS ON THE GREEN

~ chasnaz ~ 1 Comment

SECOND ANNUAL CLASSIC CAR SHOW COMES TO MEETINGHOUSE GREEN, CORNER OF CHURCH & MIDDLE STREETS IN GLOUCESTER ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 10:00AM TO 2:00PM

With the historic 1806 Meetinghouse in the background, this early fall show attracts a variety of fine classic cars from around the North Shore. The audience is invited to vote for their favorite classic cars in 9 categories and trophies will be awarded at the conclusion of the event.

The car show is free and open to the public with donations to the ongoing preservation of the Meetinghouse gratefully accepted. It is a delightful family-friendly event with food vendors and live Dixieland-style music performed by John’s Giddy Gang. Tours of treasures inside the Meetinghouse will be available and include performances on the grand 1893 Hutchings-Fisk pipe organ.

Owners of classic cars may register on the day of the show ($10 fee) at the entrance to the Green or in advance by emailing car information to c.nazarian@gloucestermeetinghouse.org

The Meetinghouse (home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church) is located in the heart of Historic District. Please consult map for directions since there are several one-way streets. Parking is available in a number of nearby municipal lots and on the street. The rain date is Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 to 5:00PM.

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

~ chasnaz

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

~ chasnaz

‘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

~ chasnaz

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.