Music
• Dixie Bee-Liners play in Putney: Twilight Music presents an evening of bluegrass and roots music from far and near at The United Church of Putney on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 pm.
The Dixie Bee-Liners are a Virginia-based sextet that features soaring vocal harmonies, dynamic instrumental styles and performances filled with jaw-dropping grit, humor and emotion. Vermont/New Hampshire-based Hot Mustard features hard-driving double banjos, close harmonies and old-time fiddle tunes, all hot and spicy.
Husband and wife team Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward have fronted The Dixie Bee-Liners since they formed the band in 2002. Lead vocalist Brandi Hart's thoughtfully penned originals cover a broad range, from hard-driving bluesy scorchers to ancient-toned instrumentals. She plays rhythm guitar, Nashville guitar, fiddle and mountain dulcimer. Bluegrass veteran Buddy Woodward has played with John Starling, Steve Earle, Rosie Flores, Jim Lauderdale, The Coal Porters, Bill Keith, and many others. A gifted songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he plays the mandolin, guitar, banjo and bass.
The Bee-Liners line-up includes four other award-winning musicians. Sav Sankaran's crackerjack vocals and rock-solid downbeat on the bass are ovation-inspiring highlights of the band's performances. Sara Needham's warm, earthy touch on the fiddle and her alluring vocals bring an intriguing edge to the Bee-Liners sound. Banjoist Zachary Mongan's playing style is an engaging blend of traditional and contemporary influences. And joining The Dixie Bee-Liners on select dates in 2011 is dobroist Leah Needham.
Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival band competition winner Hot Mustard features Bruce Stockwell on banjo and vocals, April Hobart on guitar and vocals, Bill Jubett on banjo, fiddle and vocals and Kelly Stockwell on acoustic bass. Bruce Stockwell is a member of newgrass/folk trio The Stockwell Brothers, and the winner of the 2005 Merlefest bluegrass banjo contest.
The United Church is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney. Tickets for the concert are $18 general admission/$16 students and seniors. For ticket reservations and information, call 802-254-9276. The concert is presented in conjunction with Next Stage Arts Project, and is sponsored in part by The Putney Inn. For more information, visit www.dixiebeeliners.com, www.hotmustardbluegrass.com and www.twilightmusic.org.
• Griffin and Pearson in Grafton: The Old Tavern at Grafton welcomes Bruce Griffin and Moby Pearson, a piano/violin duo who will perform as part of the inn's Music Series. The show will be held at Phelps Barn, the inn's pub, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10. or if guests have dinner at the inn that evening, the concert is free.
The concert will feature classical works featuring Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.
Violinist Moby Pearson grew up in the Boston area where he studied with Lucy Parker and George Zazofsky. Pearson's active chamber music career has included extensive periods as principal violinist with the Apple Hill Chamber Players and the Atlanta Chamber Players.
A native of Vermont, pianist Bruce Griffin received his formal musical training at the Peabody Conservatory of Music studying with Walter Hautzig and Leon Fleisher. He has appeared in solo recitals and chamber music programs throughout the country as well as soloist with the Vermont Symphony and Tacoma Symphony Orchestras. He is presently a member of the Abendmusik Chamber Players.
Dinner will be served in The Old Tavern restaurant from 6-9 p.m., or guests can dine in Phelps Barn from their Pub Menu from 5-9 p.m.
• Anderson performs benefit for Estey Organ Museum: On Sunday, Feb, 20, at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 190 Main St., organist Clark Anderson will present Wondrous Machine, a fundraising concert for the Estey Organ Museum featuring the church's magnificent Estey pipe organ.
Anderson says he fell in love with the instrument while preparing to accompany the Brattleboro Concert Choir's performances of Bloch's Sacred Service on the organ last spring. “Many people told me afterward that they never realized how beautiful the organ was,” he says, “so I thought maybe it was time to try to feature the organ more.”
The concert is designed to do just that, with every piece of music chosen to highlight the organ's particular Romantic-era sounds. The result is an eclectic mix of music, according to Anderson, from familiar hummable tunes to more unusual items. Many of the works are arrangements for organ of music written for other instruments, a common practice in the Romantic era.
“These organs were designed to mimic an orchestra, and consequently to be able to play almost anything,” says Anderson, “so in addition to music written for the organ, the concert will include music originally composed for brass, oboe, or strings by composers as diverse as Bach and Richard Strauss.”
Anderson has been playing the organ in concert and for churches since the age of 13. Though his formal career has been in the business world, he has found time to perform concerts around the United States, Europe, and Asia. He also served as University Organist and Assistant Conductor at Princeton University. Anderson moved to Brattleboro in 2007 and says he has been delighted to make the acquaintance of so many wonderful Estey organs.
Admission is $15, by suggested donation. For more information, visit www.esteyorganmuseum.org.
• Choir begins new season: The Brattleboro Concert Choir, under the direction of Susan Dedell, will soon begin rehearsals for Handel's great choral masterwork, Israel in Egypt, which will be performed with soloists and full orchestra in Persons Auditorium at Marlboro College on May 22.
Israel in Egypt is a monumentally exciting rendering of the Exodus story, as the music narrates in graphic detail the tale of the deliverance of the chosen people from bondage in Egypt. As in the Messiah, Handel proves himself to be the master of choral and orchestral drama, and the chorus and orchestra are important actors in this colorful and stirring tale of ultimate triumph.
The Brattleboro Concert Choir sings an intriguing and challenging repertoire of music, and is committed to bringing the uplifting experience of choral music to singers and audience alike. The chorus has been directed by Susan Dedell since 1990, and is open by audition Rehearsals for Israel in Egypt begin on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Singers interested in joining the chorus are warmly invited to call the Brattleboro Music Center at 802-257-4523 for more details.
Performing arts
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at BUHS: The Brattleboro Union High School Music Department will present the popular musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (Feb. 17, 18, and 19) in the BUHS Auditorium.
The Thursday performance will begin at 4 p.m. and a special matinee will also be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening performances will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for all seats at Thursday's show and the Saturday matinee, $10 for all seats at Friday's and Saturday's evening shows. Senior citizens' tickets will be $6 for all performances.
Tickets will be available in the front office of the high school between the hours of 7:00 am and 2:30 pm. or at the door. Further information is available from the BUHS Ticket Desk at 802-451-3407.
• Love stories at the Grafton Public Library: Have a love story you're longing to tell? Or one you'd love to hear?
On Sunday, Feb. 13, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Grafton Public Library, storyteller and author Annie Hawkins and librarian Michelle Dufort will host a gathering of stories in celebration of Valentine's Day. Come and present your unscripted 5-minute story about a person, place, possession, pet, or anything you deeply love. Or just come and listen. Hawkins will kick off the fun with her story and then the stage will belong to you. Note that “unscripted” means that the text is in your heart, not on a page.
All programs at the Grafton Public Library are free and handicapped accessible. Visit www.graftonpubliclibrary.org for more information, or call 802-843-2404.
Visual arts
• Winter classes start soon at In-Sight: The In-Sight Photography Project on Flat Street in Brattleboro is gearing up for its next session of classes. Classes begin the week of Feb. 14.
JP, In-Sight's very own PhotoShop expert, will teach the digital photography class during the winter session. Students will learn techniques for photo editing and also experiment with new technology. Several spots are still available, contact In-Sight at 802-251-9960 or [email protected].
Books
• Durrow reads at The Book Cellar: Heidi Durrow will read from her Bellwether Prize winning and best-selling debut novel, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, at The Book Cellar in Brattleboro on Friday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m.
In the spirit of authors like Jamaica Kincaid and Toni Morrison, Durrow looks unflinchingly into issues of race and identity through the eyes of Rachel, a young girl of mix-race ancestry. Rachel is the victim of a violent act of desperation carried out by her own mother that leaves her orphaned and unmoored in a world that seems to have no place for her.
Readers grow with Rachel as she uncovers the truth about a personal history which is neither black nor while, neither good nor bad. This is a coming of age novel you do not want to miss. Last year, The Book Cellar's staff met Durrow while she was promoting her book before its publication. It was clear then she is a writer poised to explode onto the scene. They are thrilled with her success and can't wait to share her work with the community.
Seating in the store is limited, reserve your space by contacting The Book Cellar at 802-254-6810 or [email protected].
• Becky Dennison Sakellariou in Bellows Falls: Poet Becky Dennison Sakellariou will be appearing at Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m., followed by an Open Mic led by the River Voices Poetry Group from 2-4 p.m.
Dennison Sakellariou will be reading from her new collection, Earth Listening, which contains poems that reflect the complex tapestries of the two very different worlds that Sakellariou inhabits.
She was born and raised in New England and has lived all of her adult life in Greece. She has worked as a teacher, writer, editor, and counselor, and her poetry has been published in a number of anthologies and journals. Since 2007, she has been “making her way home” to New Hampshire to live part of every year.
The Open Mic period is for those who want to read their poetry or from very short stories (1-2 pages), read from their favorite author, or just listen. Call 802-463-9404 for reservations.