Arts Around Town

BY CYNTHIA L. BAUDENDISTEL

MUSIC

CONCORD CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC 1317 Main Street concordconservatory.org

MUSIC OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT (LECTURE)

Dive into the history of the Enlightenment and how it influenced the music of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven were born in the age of the Enlightenment. It was a time when ideas ranged from the pursuit of happiness to the pursuit of knowledge and reason. January 12.

Courtesy of Concord Conservatory of Music

WHEN ART COLLIDES WITH MUSIC (LECTURE)

Explore how visual art intertwines with music between subjective and abstract ideas. Composer Arnold Schoenberg and artist Wassily Kandinsky created artistic works by looking inward—their creations represent their spiritual self. They believed that “art must be devoted to its individual element” and both greatly influenced the modern arts movement. February 8.

MUSIC & WATER (CONCERT AND LECTURE)

Concord Conservatory of Music partners with OARS and The River Stewardship Council to present Music & Water, an evening of appreciation for the beauty of our local river sheds. Guest speaker Allison Field-Juma, Executive Director of OARS, will guide you through topics about our local rivers alongside a chamber music program performed by Concord Conservatory’s faculty artists, featuring works evocative of and inspired by water. A rare opportunity to explore the relationship between nature and music. March 3.

CONCORD WOMEN’S CHORUS 81 Elm Street concordwomenschorus.org

SONGS OF PEACE AND PROMISE

Celebrate the wintry season of light in song through familiar holiday tunes, poignant Chanukah pieces, and a mash-up of liturgical movements. The program features skillful arrangements of “Coventry Carol,” “I Saw Three Ships,” and other beloved works from composers including Gabriel Fauré, Nicola Porpora, Cecile Chaminade, Z. Randall Stroope, and Bob Chilcott. December 17.

Courtesy of Concord Women’s Chorus

CONCORD ORCHESTRA 51 Walden concordorchestra.com

THE VERNACULAR EXPRESS

Join the Concord Orchestra and vocalist Jeffrey Korn as they perform a medley of Kurt Weill tunes arranged by Bernie Hoffer. From the jazzy works of George Gershwin to familiar American tunes from Charles Ives’ Second Symphony, this will be a night to remember. Arrive early on January 28 for a pre-concert conductor talk. January 28 - 29.

THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER 40 Stow Street theumbrellaarts.org

HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT

Add some music to the season with the Holiday Pops Concert presented by Boston’s newest orchestral sensation, Firebird Pops Orchestra, in person at The Umbrella Arts Center. December 16 & 18.

Firebird Orchestra

Courtesy of The Umbrella Arts Center

VISUAL ARTS

THREE STONES GALLERY 32 Main Street threestonesgallery.com

FROLIC

The annual holiday show at Three Stones Gallery is a celebration of this special time of year. Featured artist Bill Chisholm brings a contemporary approach and a photographer’s keen eye to his meticulous still-life paintings. Guest artist Rebecca Clark shares her whimsical pastels of landscapes and soft abstract forms. New works by represented artists and a curated collection of handmade objects by local makers set the scene for a beautiful holiday season. November 23 - December 31.

THE UMBRELLA ARTS CENTER 40 Stow Street theumbrellaarts.org

LOST AND FOUND

Explore this fascinating juried group exhibition that examines our relationships with familiar, unfamiliar, and defamiliarized found objects crafted into art. November 17December 30.

EARTH, SEA, SKY

Immerse yourself in this exciting exhibition of works by ceramic artists Suzanne Hill and Liz Newell and fiber artist Barbara Willis that find inspiration in the natural world and creatures that inhabit landscapes, seascapes, and skyscapes. Jan 8 - Feb 12.

THEATRE

CONCORD PLAYERS 51 Walden Street concordplayers.org

INDECENT

This riveting play is inspired by the true events surrounding the 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance—a play seen by some as a seminal work of Jewish culture and by others as an act of traitorous libel. Indecent charts the history of an incendiary drama and the path of the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it. Learn more in “Indecent Comes to Concord” on p. 26. February 10 - 25.