McGRATHPR.com – Sounds of the season and chilly air usher in winter and the holiday season in Metro Boston, the South Shore and Cape Cod, accompanied by ample opportunities to enjoy events and programs across the region. Here’s so much of what’s in store ahead in arts, culture, and entertainment:
WINTER CULTURE:
Metro Boston, South Shore and Cape Cod
The James Library & Center for the Arts
20/21/22: The James Library & Center for the Arts’ Juried Art Exhibition
Opening Day Open House: Friday, November 4,1 to 6 pm
Exhibition Dates: Friday, November 4 through Saturday, December 17
The James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Admission is free, open for viewing during business hours
The James Library’s juried exhibition, titled “20/21/22,” showcases and honors works of art created during the unprecedented era spanning the pandemic (Note: Covid-19 is not the exhibit’s theme, rather a showcase of work that artists have created during the pandemic’s timespan). The exhibit is juried by Sarah Hutt. For full prospectus and information, visit jameslibrary.org. Sponsored by Napier Financial and The Cordelia Family Foundation.
For more information about programs and events, visit The James Library at 24 West Street, Norwell, call 781-659-7100, visit online at jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Best Books of 2022 for Children
Wednesday, November 30, 6 to 8 pm
Buttonwood Books & Toys, 747 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Cohasset
Admission is free, 20% of purchases support The James Library
Inly School librarian, author, and national book reviewer Shelley Sommer and Buttonwood Book Manager Kristine Jelstrom-Hamill will present their top picks for holiday gifts. For this one day, Buttonwood Books and Toys will donate 20% of their online and in-store sales if you mention The James!
Donna Byrne and the Marshall Wood Trio
Saturday, December 10, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
The James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Tickets: $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students
Jazz singer Donna Byrne’s powerful voice, energetic personality, and life experiences give her music an almost spiritual feel, a soft and subtle charge which has brought admirations from jazz fans and the top artists in the industry. She’ll perform at the James with the Marshall Wood Trio, who, together, have been honing their craft for over 27 years. Musical selections will include a wide range of American Standards in their signature style.
Actor JT Turner Presents A Christmas Carol
Sunday, December 11, 7 to 8:15 pm
The James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Admission: $20 adults, $10 students
Witness the classic tale of A Christmas Carol come beautifully to life as actor J.T. Turner portrays Charles Dickens and every single character from the story in this one-man show. Charles Dickens was famous for bringing his A Christmas Carol to life for audiences every year, and this version brings all the drama, comedy and redemption Dickens intended. The performance is recommended for ages eight through adult. Note: A limited number of free tickets are available to seniors, courtesy of a grant from the Cordelia Family Foundation. Please be prepared to show a student ID at the door if purchasing a discounted ticket.
Choral Art Society
Tis the Season: Music of Comfort and Joy
Sunday, December 4, 4 pm
House of Prayer Lutheran Church, 916 Main Street, Hingham
Danica A. Buckley, conductor, Ellyses Kuan, piano, Julie Reimann, cello, Cheryl Przytula, trumpet
Choral Art Society of the South Shore presents a winter concert program of energetic and peaceful seasonal music, along with excerpts from Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Handel’s “Messiah,” plus its ever-popular sing along of familiar carols and seasonal songs. Danica A. Buckley, longtime artistic director and conductor, describes the concert as “the musical version of a cozy winter afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate.”
Make your conducting dreams come true! The Chorus hosts an online auction welcome bidders to conduct the chorus and audience in “Hallelujah” from Handel’s “Messiah”. Visit choralartsociety.org to bid. This always popular “pop-up” part of the concert allows audience members to join the chorus on stage to sing along, if they wish. CAS provides scores to borrow.
Tickets to “Tis the Season” are $22, available at choralartsociety.org, or at the door. For more information, email Membership Director Mihoko at mihokodesu@gmail.com, visit choralartsociety.org, or follow Choral Art Society of the South Shore on Facebook.
Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra
Image by Dan Busler Photography
Summer Holiday
Sunday, December 18, 3 pm
Pilgrim Congregational Church, 533 MA-28, Harwich Port
Tickets: $35 general admission, students and children are free
Founding Artistic Director Matthew Scinto, conductor; Sarah Joyce Cooper, soprano
A benefit performance for WE CAN (Women’s Empowerment through Cape Area Networking).
Summer has come early. Bask in some mid-winter warmth featuring soprano Sarah Joyce Cooper in Samuel Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915. Barber paints an idyllic, nostalgic picture of Knoxville, Tennessee based on text by James Agee. The work is a simple, dreamlike depiction of an evening in the American South, narrated by a child. The CCCO will also perform the Andante movement from Florence Price’s String Quartet No. 1, concluding with Charles Ives’ trip to camp with his Third Symphony “The Camp Meeting”.
Soprano Sarah Joyce Cooper has been hailed for her “meltingly beautiful” (Opera News) singing and “alluring” (Don & Catharine Bryan Cultural Series) stage presence. This spring, Ms. Cooper looks forward to making her debut with Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY as a resident artist. She will appear as Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola in a co-production with Syracuse Opera and as Sally in the new opera Stone Soup, by Joe Illick, with Tri-Cities Opera. In addition to several other solo recitals, Ms. Cooper looks forward to returning to MassOpera to perform in its Mirror Cabaret show, featuring scenes from Little Women and Roméo et Juliette.
PROGRAM:
IVES – Symphony No. 3 “The Camp Meeting”
BARBER – Knoxville, Summer of 1915
PRICE – Andante Moderato
For the full Season Five schedule of seven performances, concert programs and tickets, visit capecodchamberorchestra.org, or call 508-432-1668. Tickets are also available at each venue door by cash or credit card. For more information, email info@capecodchamberorchestra.org, or follow Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.
Pilgrim Festival Chorus
Joyeux Noël – Seasonal Music of France
Friday, December 2, 7:30 pm; Saturday, December 3, 7:30 pm, Sunday, December 4, 4 pm
St. Bonaventure Parish, 803 State Road, Plymouth
Tickets: Adults $25, Seniors $20, Students $15, Children 14 and under attend for free
Artistic Directors William B. Richter, conductor and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly, accompanist
Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC), the region’s principal not-for-profit community choral ensemble, presents a holiday season concert “Joyeux Noël”, The concert program features French music composed for Christmas, including Saint-Saens’ “Christmas Oratorio” and Charpentier’s “Messe de Minuit pour Noël” – a charming work incorporating ten traditional French noels (Christmas carols) that capture the joy and anticipation of Christmas Eve. Also on the program are French Christmas carols, including “Noël Nouvelet”, “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella,” and “Angels We Have Heard on High”. The concert concludes with John Rutter’s moving setting of the classic carol, “O Holy Night”.
Since 1999, PFC has been dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences, aiming to inspire a love and appreciation for choral singing in present and future generations. More than 80 vocalists of all adult ages fill out the ensemble. In addition to its winter concert, PFC presents an annual Messiah Sing in December, a larger choral work in spring, and summer concerts featuring pops-style programming.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, email info@pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook.
Messiah and Carol Sing-along
Friday, December 16, 7:30 pm
Church at the Green, 6 Plympton Street, Middleborough
Tickets: $10 for adults and youth ages 12+, available at the door. Children under age 12 are admitted for free
Pilgrim Festival Chorus co-director William B. Richter leads the audience in both carols and the familiar choruses from Part I of Handel’s masterpiece, concluding with the Hallelujah Chorus. Solos selected from Part I, the Christmas portion, will be sung by featured local vocalists. Organ accompaniment is performed by PFC accompanist/co-director, Elizabeth Chapman Reilly, music director at the church, often enriched by visiting guest instrumental musicians.
In Messiah Sings, popular throughout the area for more than 40 years, the audience can either sing or listen. Scores are available to borrow on site, or attendees are welcome to bring their own. Funds raised from this event support the PFC’s yearly operating expenses.
South Shore Ballet Theatre
Public and School performances:
Friday, November 18: Milton Elementary Schools (Collicot and Cunningham)
Tuesday, November 22: Scituate Elementary Schools (all four)
Saturday, November 26: Derby Street Shoppes, Hingham
Friday, December 2: Hanover Winter Fest
Friday, December 9: South Elementary, Hingham
Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party
Saturday, December 3, 11:30 am and 1:30 pm
Hingham Community Center, 70 South Street, Hingham
courtesy image
Tickets: TBA
Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea hosted by The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy herself! Sample refreshments as you enjoy a performance with excerpts from SSBT’s full production of this holiday favorite.
The Nutcracker
Saturday, December 17, 2 pm and 6 pm; and Sunday, December 18, 2 pm
Thayer Academy Center for the Arts, 745 Washington Street, Braintree
A welcome sign of the holiday season, South Shore Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker celebrates the magic of the holidays through the joy of dance. Come watch as Clara explores a world of magic from her family’s living room on Christmas Eve, through an enchanted forest of dancing snowflakes, and into the magical Land of The Sweets led by the Sugar Plum Fairy. This exciting, family-friendly production features 90 student dancers from our ballet training programs, representing communities on the South Shore from Plymouth to Quincy.
Tickets range between $20 to $30, and are available for purchase starting November 15 at Dance Recital Ticketing.
For more information about South Shore Ballet Theatre’s programs, tuition, scholarships, auditions or performances email ballet@southshoreballettheatre.com, visit southshoreballettheatre.com, call 781-312-7224, or follow South Shore Ballet Theatre on social media.
Americana Theatre Company
An Americana Christmas Carol – an original new work
December 10 through 18, on select dates, matinee and evening performances
Written by Derek Grant Martin and Jesse M. Sullivan, ATC co-artistic directors
It’s opening night of “A Christmas Carol” produced by formerly married couple Charles and Isabella Richardson, and everything has gone awry. Isabella is desperate to hold the production together, as Charles wreaks havoc on the whole production and the cast while portraying the role of angry, cruel and bitter Ebeneezer Scrooge – both onstage and off. Can the three ghosts of Christmas change his heart and save the production, his marriage, and Christmas as we know it? Take a seat and become enamored with this 10-person cast in a wildly funny, poignant, and beautiful debut production.
To purchase tickets, or for more information about Americana Theatre Company, visit americanatheatre.org/tickets, or call 508-591-0282.
Concord Women’s Chorus
Songs of Peace and Promise
Saturday, December 17, 4 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord
Jane Ring Frank, Director; Scott Nicholas, accompanist
The holiday concert season is celebrated in a celebration of the wintry season of light in song, through familiar holiday tunes, poignant Chanukah pieces and a mash-up of mass movements. Highlights include Gwyneth Walker’s “How Can I Keep from Singing?”, Paul Carey’s “A Cradle Song”, movements from Gabriel Fauré’s “Messe Basse”, Z. Randall Stroope’s “Missa”, Nicolas Porpora’s “Magnificat”, Bob Chilcott’s “A Little Jazz Mass” and more.
For more information, visit concordwomenschorus.org, or follow Concord Women’s Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.
Michelle McGrath PR | Media Relations has provided visibility for the arts and culture, non-profit, and small business sectors across the traditional, digital and social media landscape since 2010. mcgrathpr.com
