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Community Events ~ February 2010


Chopin by Candlelight Concert Series
Part I: Chopin for Lovers on Valentine's Day

In league with thousands of events around the world, the Music Committee of First Parish on the Common in Bedford has launched a four-part concert series, Chopin by Candlelight, one of the few local series planned in celebration of Frederic Chopin's 200th birthday.

The first event, Chopin for Lovers, will take place at 4 pm on February 14, Valentine's Day afternoon. Click this link for information on this and upcoming concerts in the series.

Chopin for Lovers concert-goers will gather in the Bacon Room of First Parish on the Common for hors d'oeuvres and a cabaret performance of popular songs derived from Chopin melodies. Bradford Conner will be joined by vocalists Cynthia Mork and Benjamin Sears as well as cellist Nathan Kimball in performing such tunes as I'm Always Chasing Rainbows and Could It Be Magic. After the interval, the music will move to the grand piano in the First Parish sanctuary where pianist Leslie Amper will play the works on which the popular songs are based. Drinks and delectable desserts will follow in the Common Room.

Suggested donation: $20 (adults); $10 (seniors/students). Ages 12 and under accompanied by an adult are invited to attend without charge. Proceeds will support the work of First Parish in Bedford. Tickets are available in the church office during regular business hours.

Valentine's Dance Party at the Dance Inn
 
Dance the night away with your sweetie!  The Dance Inn is holding a Valentine's Dance Party on February 13th. Come to Cary Hall (Lexington's Town Hall) at 7 pm for  a dance lesson followed by a light buffet, ballroom dancing and entertainment.

BCA member Tom Larkin's sister, Thelma Goldberg, will be our host, and Tom has made a contribution to the Dance Inn, which enables Bedford residents to purchase tickets at $25 each. We're hoping to get 2 tables (or 10 couples!) from Bedford.
 
To join the fun, go to TheDanceInn.com and use their secure system to buy your tickets, or contact Thelma with any questions at 781-863-5360 or by email.

At the Bedford Free Public Library
  • Celebrate Chinese New Year at the Library onSaturday, February 13, from 2 to 4 pm. You're invited to the Library Meeting Room where a dozen Bedford Middle Schoolers will present a busy afternoon of crafts, puppets and exhibits. In hands-on activities for the whole family you'll learn about tangrams, make a good luck fish and pick up candy with chopsticks. You can even watch your name being written in Chinese characters!
  • This year's popular Sunday afternoon lecture series, presented by Dr. Daniel Breen,  focuses on the Civil War. The programs continue on Sundays through the end of the month (February 7, 21 and 28). There is no need to pre-register.
  • The Thursday film series continues at 7 pm: Ghost Town, February 4; Amelia, February 11; Coco Before Chanel, February 18; and The Boys Are Back, February 25.
Check the library's website for additional information on services, programs and events.

Book Talk by Kenneth Gloss

The Bedford Historical Society has invited Kenneth Gloss of Boston's Brattle Book Shop to speak at their monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 24, at 7:30 pm in the meeting room of the First Church of Christ, Congregational at 25 The Great Road, Bedford.

Gloss will present his popular lecture, Is there value in your old and rare books? and take questions after he speaks. The audience is encouraged to bring books for evaluation.

The program is free, open to all and handicap accessible. For information, call 781-275-7276 or
visit www.bedfordmahistory.org.

At Middlesex Community College
  • MCC will host Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People and Their Families, a traveling exhibition of photographs and text created by the award-winning Family Diversity Projects, on Monday through Friday, February 1 to 5, in Henderson Hall Gallery on the Bedford campus at 591 Springs Road. Call 978-656-3363 for information. 
  • The College's One World Series will host motivational speaker Michael Miller in a special program titled Get What You Want From Life at 10:30 am on Wednesday, February 17, in the Lowell Campus Cafeteria, 33 Kearney Square. The event is free and open to the public. Call 781-280-3763 for information.
  • Middlesex Community College Foundation will host a murder-mystery dinner theater fundraiser presented by Mystery CafĂ© at 7 pm on Saturday, February 6, in The Courtyard by Marriott, 270 Concord Road, Billerica.  Mobfathers, an interactive adventure will feature well-known Hollywood "mobsters," such as Marlin Brand "O," Mucho DeNiro and Tony Fontana.  Tickets are $45 per person (including dinner). Proceeds benefit the MCC Foundation. Call 978-671-2103 for reservations.
At Emerson Umbrella In Concord

Philip Hamilton's VOICES Project is an original a cappella performance piece that showcases the voice as a versatile and expressive instrument throughout time and cultures. Performances will take place on Saturday, February 13, at 8 pm and on Sunday, February 14, at 3 pm. These performances are funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies and the Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund.

There will also be a Vocal Arts Workshop with Philip Hamilton, Saturday, February 13, from 1 until 2:30 pm. Students will be led through participatory exercises that give them a chance to try new vocal styles and learn creative ways to use voice, explore vocal improvisation and create group compositions. The workshop fee is $25; contact Emerson Umbrella, 978-371-0820, to register.

In Lowell

Body & Soul, an exhibit of oil paintings and block prints, sings with a sense of place and meaning.  In this exhibit, artists Susan Jaworski-Stranc and Gail Zwerling celebrate the moment and reveal the radiance of the ordinary. Body & Soul shows in the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, second floor of the A-Mill, from February 3 to 28.  There will be a reception for the artists Friday, February 5, 6:30-9PM. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 11am to 4:30 pm.  For information, visit theloadingdockgallery.com or call Maxine Farkas at 978-349-8069.

The Whistler House Museum of Art and Lowell's Image Theater collaborate to present a Valentine's weekend celebration featuring Boston artists Bobbi Carrey and Will McMillan and their cabaret performance If I Loved You at the Parker Gallery on Worthen Street. Performances take place on
Saturday, February 13 with a cocktail reception at 7 pm and a show at 8 pm; and Sunday, February 14 with cocktails at 2 pm and a show at 3 pm. Tickets: $59 (couple) and $30 (individual); call 978-452-7641 for reservations.