Art & Theater – Page 32

The Art Roundup 22/10/13

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Tell me more, tell me more: Tickets are on sale now for the Palace Theatre’s production of the musical Grease, which will be on stage at the Palace (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) from Friday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Nov. 12. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and most Saturdays throughout the run, 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $25.

• What big ears you have: In the meantime, inspire your next generation of stage performers when the Palace Youth Theatre takes the stage to present Red Riding Hood Tuesday, Oct. 18, and Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). Tickets start at $12 for this show featuring students in grades 2 through 12.

• A new view: Your favorite work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) may be presented in a new context. Many of the museum’s galleries, including the entire second floor, have recently gotten some new additions, according to the website. The museum is open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $15, $13 for 65+, $10 for students, $5 for 13 to 17 and free for kids 12 and under. Admission is also free to all on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m during Art After Work. This week’s (Thursday, Oct. 13) live entertainment is “Doctor Gasp’s Halloween Special” featuring Halloween-themed folk and ragtime songs (see the story on page 38). The tours at 5:15 and 6:30 p.m. are “Myths at the Museum.”

Halloween magic
Master illusionist David Caserta will present Haunted Illusions on Friday, Oct. 14, at the Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). The show features feats of levitation, disappearance and reappearance and more, with dramatic lighting and pyro smoke, according to the website. Tickets for the general public cost $45.

• Fashion, art, music, comedy: Support NAMI NH at Live Life Loud, an event featuring Doublesolid Apparel that will showcase new designs as well as music, art and comedy on Sunday, Oct. 16, at Angel City Music Hall (179 Elm St., Unit B, in Manchester), according to a press release. Proceeds from the event will be donated to NAMI NH (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the release said. Doors open at 6 p.m.; general admission tickets cost $20; VIP tickets (which include a T-shirt, swag bag, preferred seating and more) cost $100 (plus fees for all tickets). Showtime is at 7 p.m. and the event will feature Drag Queen Diva Amanda Playwith as the emcee. For tickets, go to angelcitymusichall.com.

• Classic Phantom: Before there was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera there was Lon Chaney’s take on the classic horror character. Chaney starred in the 1925 silent big screen adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, which will screen Friday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) featuring live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis. The event is free and open to the public.

ART

Opening

• “THE WOODS WRAP AROUND YOU” Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com) will have an exhibition, “The Woods Wrap Around You,” on display during October, featuring hand-colored monoprints by Loretta CR Hubley. A reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 14, with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation by the artist and a live piano performance inspired by the exhibition.

• “FROM THE HIPPIE TRAIL TO THE SILK ROAD” exhibit fromTwo Villages Art Society will run at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) Oct. 21 through Nov. 12. This is an exhibition by Kathleen Dustin that includes her original artwork, inspired by and juxtaposed with jewelry and textiles from around the world that Dustin has collected during her travels. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Exhibits

• “MY YEAR OF TOYS: AN ART JOURNAL” at Gallery 6, the art gallery at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org), on view now through Oct. 16. For this exhibition, author and illustrator Sandy Steen Bartholomew created a drawing of one toy from her large toy collection every day for a year. Gallery 6 is free and open to the public; paid museum admission is not required to enter. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon.

• “STORIED IN CLAY” The New Hampshire Potters Guild presents its biennial exhibition “Storied in Clay” at the exhibition gallery at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters (49 S. Main St., Concord) through Oct. 27. Visit nhpottersguild.org.

• “STILL: THE ART OF STILL LIFE,” a contemporary art exhibit at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; twiggsgallery.wordpress.com, 975-0015), will feature work by artists Caleb Brown, Shela Cunningham, Bess French, Marcia Wood Mertinooke, Barbara Morse, Shawne Randlett and Marlene Zychowski and will run through Saturday, Oct. 29.

Get into the groove

Let’s hear it for the ’80s band

By Mya Blanchard

listings@hippopress.com

We may not have time machines to bring us back to the past, but we have music that allows us to relive those moments. This is what the audience will experience at the Back to the Eighties Show with New York City-based band Jessie’s Girl at the Palace Theatre in Manchester on Friday, Oct. 14.

Jessie’s Girl vocalist Mark Rinzel, who is originally from outside the Washington, D.C., area, moved to New York after college. He recalls walking the streets of Manhattan visiting his brother in the early ’90s and knowing that he, too, wanted to be there. Rinzel got involved with music when he was 5 or 6 years old. He started picking up instruments like the piano and the bass, and participated in musical theater.

Once in New York, Rinzel joined his brother’s band and auditioned for musicals. He started producing and performing with independent rock bands, became a professional thespian touring with Jesus Christ Superstar and, around 15 to 16 years ago, started performing in tribute bands.

Meanwhile, Jessie’s Girl had been doing an ’80s show at the now-closed Canal Room on West Broadway.

“It ended up being one of the most successful nights that the bar had. Once a week, hundreds of people would come, so clearly there was an audience for it,” Rinzel said.

Their lives collided when the members of Jessie’s Girl saw Rinzel performing in a Police tribute band.

“The guys from the ’80s show saw me doing this about a little over 10 years ago and they were looking to add new singers to the mix,” Rinzel said. “So they saw me singing all this Sting stuff and they were like, ‘Hey, do you want to join our ’80s band,’ and I said ‘That sounds fun.’”

Since then Jessie’s Girl has performed with some of the biggest names in ’80s music, like Colin Hay, Howard Jones and Berlin. They have also been a part of a popular weeklong ’80s-themed cruise, in which they are typically one of the favorite acts.

According to Rinzel, ’80s bands are not hard to come by, but coming across one that is on the level of Jessie’s Girl isn’t something you see every day.

“You can go … all over the country … even up and down the eastern seaboard, and you can find ’80s bands in every town. … [I always joke] we’re about 10 times better than we even need to be. I think that’s what people respond to,” Rinzel said. “Almost all of [the band members] are sort of veterans from the Lower East Side.”

The level of talent in conjunction with the high energy makes for a show that’s in a league of its own.

“It’s a mixture of … [a] high-caliber performance but also just a lot of spontaneity and fun, and I think people respond to that.” Rinzel said.

In 2020 the nights of performing came to a halt due to the pandemic.

“We had to put it away for a year and that was very painful for a lot of us, for everyone,” Rinzel said. “And of course there was so much suffering everywhere, and if the worst you can say is I didn’t get to sing in my ’80s band for a year, you did alright.”

For him, the opportunity to be on stage and make others happy has always been one of the things he’s loved the most about performing. But it’s the early post-Covid shows that rank high as his favorite part of his history with Jessie’s Girl.

“The show has become for me … just a lot more meaningful post-Covid. … When people started to come back to the shows, you kind of realize how much you missed something,” Rinzel said.

With the pandemic on a downward curve and safety precautions in place, the Back to the Eighties Show with Jessie’s Girl returns to New Hampshire for another ecstatic performance. “It’s not just bringing them back to the ’80s. It’s also just getting them out of their seats and having a lot of fun with it,” Rinzel said. “We play with hits. We give people what they want to hear.”

Back to the Eighties with Jessie’s Girl
When: Friday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: Tickets range from $35 to $42.50
More information: Visit palacetheatre.org or call the box office at 668-5588 to purchase tickets

Featured photo: Mark Rinzel of Jessie’s Girl. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/10/06

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Irish tenor concert: St. Joseph Cathedral (145 Lowell St., Manchester) will host a concert featuring world-acclaimed Irish tenor Emmet Cahill on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m, the first public performance there since the cathedral’s renovation. The concert will include Irish songs, sacred hymns and popular standards. Cahill recently made his sold-out debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall. His Irish album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard World Music Charts. Recent appearances include NBC’s Today show, New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Pentagon, and Atlanta Symphony Hall. Admission is $35 at the door, or $50 at 6:15 p.m., which includes a pre-concert meet-and-greet with the artist. Tickets are available at emmetcahill.com.

• Stone walls at Shaker Village: Canterbury Shaker Village’s popular two-day Stone Wall Workshop series returns on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30. Led by master stone artisan and mason Kevin Fife, this hands-on workshop introduces participants to the engineering and aesthetics of the Shakers’ stone wall-building skills through the restoration of a wall section at the Village. Tuition for returning participants is $150; for new participants it’s $250. For more information and to register, visit shakers.org.

• Dancing about New Hampshire: New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) will present The Shire, a performance by NSquared Dance, on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester). The Shire is a bioregional exploration of the state of New Hampshire through the lenses of location, economics, historical references, agriculture, nature and the region’s culture. Admission is free. See nhdancecollaborative.com.

• Autumn art exhibit: The Franklin Gallery at RiverStones Custom Framing (33 N. Main St., Rochester) will host an exhibit during the month of October called “Change of Seasons.” An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 6, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend. “Change of Seasons” is a multi-artist exhibit centered around fall. RiverStones Custom Framing and the Franklin Gallery are open Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. See riverstonescustomframing.com.

• Light and dark: The New Hampshire Art Association will host its newest showcase, Light and Dark II, at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) Oct. 5 through Oct. 30. The works center around ideas of light and dark and black and white, as well as Halloween themed works, according to a press release. The opening reception, a Black and White gala, will take place on Friday, Oct. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear creative black and white or vintage costumes and there will be refreshments. See nhartassociation.org.

• Fiction contest: Monadnock Writers’ Group is hosting its regional Three-Minute Fiction Slam on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 9:45 a.m. at the Peterborough Town Library, (2 Concord St., Peterborough). Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners. The first-place winner will advance to the statewide finals and a chance to win $250. Everyone is invited to take part in the free competition by either participating or observing the fun. The competition challenges writers to perform original pieces of fiction in three minutes or less before an audience and a panel of judges. The regional event is part of an annual competition sponsored by the New Hampshire Writers’ Project. See monadnockwriters.org.

— Hannah Turtle

ART

Opening

Exhibits

• “OUT OF THE WOODS” fromTwo Villages Art Society at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) is on display through Oct. 8 and features a series of collaborative vignettes paying tribute to the seasonal changes of New Hampshire, created by a group of five local artists known as the 9th State Artisans. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Workshops and classes

• ART CLASSES Art classes for teens and adults, including Pottery, Stained Glass, Intermediate Watercolor and Clay Hand Building. Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester). Five-week sessions. Classes met for two hours a week. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com for the full schedule and cost details.

• DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org or email arthousejb@gmail.comfor more information.

• GENERAL ART CLASSES Weekly art classes offered for kids and adults of all skill levels and cover a variety of two-dimensional media, including drawing and painting with pastel, acrylic, watercolor and oils. Classes are held with small groups of students. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Kids classes, open to ages 10 and up, are held on Thursdays and Fridays, from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. Adult classes are held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuition is pay-as-you-go at $20 per student per class, due upon arrival. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

THEATRE

Shows

• MURDER FOR TWO The Winnipesaukee Playhouse (33 Footlight Circle, Meredith, winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) runs through Oct. 9; tickets cost $25 to $42. Showtimes are on various dates and times, Tuesday through Sunday.

• THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) will present The Government Inspector, presented by Phylloxera Productions, Oct. 7 through Oct. 23. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., and tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors.

• FREAKY FRIDAY Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) youth company presents Freaky Friday on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for youth and $15 for adults.

• THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS The Community Players of Concord present The Wind in the Willows at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord) Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m., and tickets cost $15.

• DISNEY’S THE ARISTOCRATS KIDS The Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, peacockplayers.org) youth theater company presents Disney’s The Aristocrats Kids Oct. 14 through Oct. 23. Showtimes are on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

• RED RIDING HOOD Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) youth company presents Red Riding Hood on Tuesday, Oct. 18, and Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for youth and $15 for adults.

• TITANIC THE MUSICAL The Manchester Community Theatre Players present Titanic the Musical at the Manchester Community Theatre Players Theatre, located at the North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester). Showtimes are on Fridays, Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, and Saturdays, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available at manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

• GREASE The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) presents Grease Oct. 21 through Nov. 12. Showtimes are on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., with one Thursday-at-7:30 p.m. show for each production ( Nov. 10 for Grease). Tickets cost $25 to $46.

• SHREK THE MUSICAL The Epping Community Theater will present Shrek the Musical Oct. 21 through Oct. 30 at the Epping Playhouse (38c Ladd’s Lane, Epping). Visit eppingtheater.org.

• TUCK EVERLASTING The Winnipesaukee Playhouse (33 Footlight Circle, Meredith, winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) youth theater presents Tuck Everlasting running Oct. 27 through Nov. 6, with showtimes Thursday through Sunday. Tickets cost $11 to $17 for students and $14 to $20 for adults.

• ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY The Winnipesaukee Playhouse (33 Footlight Circle, Meredith, winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) youth theater presents Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, running Oct. 27 through Nov. 6, with showtimes Thursday through Sunday. Tickets cost $11 to $17 for students and $14 to $20 for adults.

• ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) and Lend Me a Theatre present Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Nov. 4 through Nov. 20. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., and tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors.

• SWEENEY TODD The Actorsingers present the musical thriller Sweeney Todd at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua) Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6. Ticket sales are TBA. Visit actorsingers.org.

• JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at The Village Players Theatre (51 Glendon St. in Wolfeboro; village-players.com) Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 6, and Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13.

• THE DROWSY CHAPERONE The Riverbend Youth Company presentsThe Drowsy Chaperoneat the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford) on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2:30 p.m. Ticket sales are TBA. Visit svbgc.org/amato-center.

Classical

Events

• ORCHESTRAL SHOWCASE “NATURE & MYTH” at Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem; 893-7069) will run Sun., Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., and Sat., Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Featuring sounds from Beethoven, Walker, Grieg and Sibelius. Presented by New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets range from $5 to $30 for in-person seating. Visit nhpo.booktix.com.

• NATURE & MYTH The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 118th year with an orchestral showcase, “Nature & Myth,” featuring music by Beethoven, Walker, Grieg and Sibelius, on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m., at the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem). Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $8 for kids. Visit nhphil.org.

• BEETHOVEN AND FRIENDS The Nashua Chamber Orchestra presents its fall concert “Beethoven and Friends,” with performances on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Nashua Community College (505 Amherst St., Nashua) and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. at Milford Town Hall (1 Union Square, Milford). The program will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F, as well as Symphony No. 1 in G by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges; Impromptu Op. 5 by Jean Sibelius; and Andante and Rondo ongarese, Op. 35 by Carl Maria von Weber. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors age 65 and up, military and college students. Admission is free for youth under age 18. Visit nco-music.org.

• CHRISTMAS WITH THE CROONERS Tickets are on sale now for the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra’s production of “Christmas with the Crooners,” happening at The Colonial Theatre (609 Main St. in Laconia) on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. The show features a mix of traditional carols and modern holiday tunes by crooners Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams and more. Tickets range from $22 to $32 for adults and from $12 to $22 for students. Visit coloniallaconia.com or call 1-800-657-8774 to purchase tickets.

Warner Fall Foliage Festival returns

Food, parade and more bring crowds to small town

By Hannah Turtle

hturtle@hippopress.com

Since it began in 1947, the Warner Fall Foliage Festival has been a mainstay for the small New Hampshire town, attracting guests from all over the area. After two years of absence, locals are all the more excited for this year’s festivities.

“This started 75 years ago as a community organization to promote Warner and to raise funds for various town organizations,” said Ray Martin, the festival’s president. “It’s a great festival. We usually see about five or six thousand people over the weekend.”

For a town with a population under 3,000, it’s a big affair. The festival hosts many activities over the weekend, including midway amusement rides, over 70 craftsmen selling their wares, a 5K road race, live musicians, a lobster and chicken barbecue and more.

A highlight is the annual grand parade, held on Sunday at 1 p.m., featuring many town organizations and groups. The theme for this year’s parade is “Fantastical Tales of All Time.” Martin said he’s “looking forward to seeing what people do with it.”

“We usually have about 10 or 12 floats,” Martin said of the parade. “Since it’s all about fall foliage, the more leaves you can incorporate, the better off you are.”

Musical acts will include The Not Fade Away Band, a Grateful Dead tribute; bagpipe performers; a jazz big band; Annie and the Natural Wonder Band, which celebrates nature through song, and many more. The performance stage will also host a kids’ dance party on Sunday morning.

In addition to all the classic festival fare, the festival will feature some more unique attractions. There will be an oxen pulling competition, an ice cream eating contest hosted by local ice cream shop The Velvet Moose, pony rides and face painting. All events are kid-friendly. A children’s parade is set for Saturday afternoon.

For those looking forward to the craftsmen and vendors, this year’s lineup will also include some unique options, including handmade dolls clothes, eggshell jewelry, chainmail jewelry, lawn art, beef chips, gemstone crowns and more.

For an event of its size, the Warner Fall Foliage Festival requires a lot of hands to put on.

“It’s an all-volunteer outfit. Nobody’s paid to do anything. We usually have about 200 volunteers from all over town,” said Martin. “That — the volunteering — that’s my favorite part. Everybody in town gets into it. It’s nice to see.”

Warner Fall Foliage Festival
Where: Along Main Street, Warner
When: Friday, Oct. 7, 6 to 9 p.m. (midway); Saturday, Oct. 8, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 9, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets: free admission
More information: wfff.org

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/09/29

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Nature’s beauty: The Manchester Artists Association presents “Nature’s Beauty,” an exhibit celebrating art and nature at the NH Audubon Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn, 668-2045). The exhibit will be on display at the center (which is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) from Friday, Sept 30, to Wednesday, Nov 30. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, Oct. 9, from noon to 3 p.m.. A portion of the proceeds goes to benefit the Audubon.

• Saint Anselm art’s opening night: The Chapel Art Center at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Dr. in Manchester; anselm.edu/chapelart) hosts its first opening of the academic year on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., called “Dilecta, Reflections on a Permanent Collection Part I: An Abundance of Considerations.” At 4 p.m. the Chapel Art Center will host a Fine Art Series concert titled “An Atlas of Time: On My Recent Music” by Professor Wang Lu of Brown University.

Fall benefit art show
On Saturday, Oct. 1, artists and artisans will gather at Greeley Park (Concord Street in Nashua) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a fall art and artisan show to benefit the Betty J Borry Breast Cancer Retreats. The art show includes a variety of media: acrylics, oils, mixed media, photography, wood turning, jewelry, and more. The show will host a raffle table and a free activity, Kindness Rocks, where aspiring artists of all ages can try their hand at painting a rock with a kind message. The Betty J Borry Breast Cancer Retreat is a nonprofit organization that offers adventure-based retreats to women of all ages and stages of breast cancer living in New England. To learn more about the Betty J Borry Breast Cancer Retreats visit bjbbreastcancerretreats.org.

• Watercolors in Epsom: “Inner Peace,” an exhibit of watercolor paintings by Sylvia Brofus, Carolyn Sherman, Eve Kjellberg, Patricia Robinson, Claudia Tufo, Sofia Eastley and Fred Brewster, opens at the Epsom Public Library (1606 Dover Road in Epsom; espomlibrary.com, 736-9920) Saturday, Oct. 1, through Wednesday, Nov. 12. The theme of the exhibit reflects how the members of this group find peace by placing their focus on lines, shapes, colors, atmosphere and dark and light values, and how experimenting in the elements of painting helps to open their eyes, minds and hearts to inner harmony, according to a press release The exhibit is open for viewing Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The opening reception will be Saturday, Oct. 1, from 3 to 5 pm.

• Portraits at the Library: The Peterborough Town Library (2 Concord St. in Peterborough) hosts the first solo exhibition by local oil painter Mia Stendahl, opening on Friday, Oct. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. Stendahl’s exhibit, “Little Biographies,” will also be available to view during regular library hours. In addition, Stendahl will be offering an artist talk on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. Stendahl’s “Little Biographies” will be on view in the Peterborough Town Library’s Community Arts Gallery from Friday, Oct. 7, until the end of November. For more information and to register for the artist talk visit peterboroughtownlibrary.org.

Artist in Residence
Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com) has named Gemma Soldati, a New Hampshire-based performance artist, as Artist in Residence for the next year, Sept. 2022 through August 2023. Soldati, whose work is clown inspired and developed in front of live audiences according to a press release, recently performed her The Adventures of Sleepyhead at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord and will perform the show a the Players Ring in Portsmouth Nov. 25 through Nov. 27 (see playersring.org). At Kimball Jenkins, she will curate at least one public presentation and actively engage with the community on campus, the press release said. See gemmasoldati.com.

— Hannah Turtle

ART

Events

• BRIDGES & CONNECTIONS SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM The Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441, andresinstitute.org) hosts its annual Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium through Oct. 2. For three weeks, invited artists from all over the world will stay in Brookline to create sculptures for permanent installation at the Institute’s 140-acre outdoor sculpture park and trails. The public is invited to meet the artists and watch them work at designated times, TBA. A presentation of the completed sculptures at their permanent sites will take place on Sunday, Oct. 2. Visit andresinstitute.org/symposium-2022.

Opening

Exhibits

• “THE PEOPLE’S SCULPTOR: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ROGERS” Exhibit celebrates the art of American sculptor John Rogers, who came to Manchester in 1850, and explores the influence that Manchester had on Rogers’ life and work. Presented by the Manchester Historic Association. On view now through September. Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62 and up and college students, $4 for youth ages 12 through 18, and is free for kids under age 12. Call 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum.

Fairs and markets

• CONCORD ARTS MARKET The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the last market scheduled for Oct. 15. Rollins Park, 33 Bow St., Concord. concordartsmarket.net. Visit concordartsmarket.net/summer-arts-market.html.

THEATRE

Shows

• DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID, the season-opening musical at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588), will run through Sunday, Oct. 2. The shows run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., with a show also on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.

• MISS HOLMES The Milford Area Players present Miss Holmes at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford) through Oct. 2, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Visit milfordareaplayers.org.

Classical

Events

• WINDS OF TIME Symphony New Hampshire presents “Winds of Time,” with performances on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center in Nashua and on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord). It features Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4, Du Puy’s Quintet for Bassoon and Strings in A minor III, Weber’s Clarinet Concertino in E-flat and Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings. Tickets cost $10 for youth ages 13 to 17 and full-time students age 29 and under and range from $20 to $60 for adults and from $18 to $55 for seniors age 65 and up. Admission is free for youth under age 13. Visit symphonynh.org.

• PORTSMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FALL CONCERT will be held at The Music Hall Historic Theater (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. The program will feature Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings. Tickets cost $20 for students, $30 for seniors age 60 and up and range from $25 to $35 for adults. Visit portsmouthsymphony.org.

A musical journey

Mezzo-soprano Zaray Rodriguez Rossi presents an immigrant experience

By Hannah Turtle

hturtle@hippopress.com

An upcoming concert at the Palace Theatre’s Spotlight Room aims to tell a story about the many experiences of freedom and of being American. Journey to Freedom: A Chamber Concert of American and Cuban American Music will follow the journey of America through the eyes of a Cuban American immigrant.

The concert is organized and headlined by Zaray Rodriguez Rossi, a vocalist and Metropolitan Grand Opera Finalist who has performed internationally and is now the recipient of a grant from the New Hampshire Arts Council to share her work with the local community.

“The purpose of the grant was really to allow artists to create,” Rodriguez Rossi said. “At the time, I was focused on the fact that everyone was really going through a lot in their lives, and we all have very differing opinions and backgrounds, but there was one thing that could be agreed upon, which is that no matter our differences, we’re all still human beings who want the dignity to pursue our joy, and to pursue freedom — that’s a universal experience of what it is to be human.”

“From the perspective of being Cuban and also American, I found a lot of similarities in the pursuit of freedom,” Rodriguez Rossi said. “I found a link between the New Hampshire motto of ‘live free or die’and that fundamental idea, with the fact that this freedom is something many Cubans on the island do not have. It was special to me to be able to create something that tells a story musically, to explore what makes American music.”

Rodriguez Rossi immigrated with her family to Miami from Cuba in 1995 through the immigration lottery.

“This was during a time when communism was really affecting the lives of a lot of Cubans,” she said. “There was a chance to flee that kind of environment, and to come to the States with the ability to start a new life.”

Since coming to the United States, Rodriguez Rossi has found success with her career as a vocalist, earning degrees from both the Opera Institute at Boston University and the University of Miami. During her travels as a performing artist, Rodriguez Rossi met Dr. Jose Lezcano, a Grammy-nominated classical guitarist and composer who resides in Keene, and the two teamed up to create and perform a new composition for the program.

“It ended up being a coincidence that he was also Cuban American, but from one of the first generations that immigrated in the ’60s. I would say meeting him was more than just a coincidence,” she said. “For the composition, we both chose poetry from Cuban dissidents and Cuban Americans. The first two movements are in Spanish, with translations for the audience, and the third one is in English. You’ll see a throughline in thoughts, about what freedom looks like.”

The program begins in the traditional American musical canon, with works by Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, as well as works by African American composers including William Grant Still and Charles Brown.

“There’s a piece on the program by Charles Brown called ‘Song Without Words,’which literally has no words, just sounds that come from the piano and from the voice. In that way it’s up to the audience members for their interpretation,” Rodriguez Rossi said. “They could hear sorrow, they could hear joy, whatever the audience hears is what they’re meant to.”

From there, the program transitions to the works of Cuban American composers, including the work composed for the event.

“You’ll see the essence of Cuban rhythms with that American influence, so it will be a bit of a melting pot, but that’s what America is,” Rodriguez Rossi said.

For Rodriguez Rossi, the takeaway is all the things that bind the music, and us, together.

“I want the audience to leave having had a thoughtful musical experience,” she said. “Of course there will be beautiful music, but I want to allow them to get invested in the story, whatever that means to them. It’s meant to explore, and ponder, and most importantly to feel. To add warmth and light into our lives.”

Zaray Rodriguez Rossi
Journey to Freedom: A Chamber Concert of American and Cuban American Music
Where: The Spotlight Room at the Palace Theatre, 96 Hanover St., Manchester
When: Saturday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m.
Tickets: $20 at zdrmusic.org
More information: Visit zdrmusic.org or palacetheatre.org

Featured photo: Zaray Rodriguez Rossi. Courtesy photo.

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A musical journey

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