Monthly Archives: May 2017

‘J.J. Audubon, The Nature of the American Woodsman’ is Final Topic Today in Estuary Center’s Spring Lecture Series

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The Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center (RTPEC) Spring 2017 Lecture Series presents three powerful lectures during early May. The final one will be held Tuesday, May 16, at 5 p.m. at the Lyme Art Association.
 
Dr. Gregory Nobles is a historian and author of the new biography, John Jay Audubon, The Nature of the American Woodsman. This lecture discusses J.J. Audubon, the naturalist and painter, as well as the rise of citizen science.

These lectures continue RTPEC’s tradition of  attracting leading scientists, artists and authors to lecture on interesting vital topics and critical issues on the Connecticut River Estuary and its watershed. Members of RTPEC are also working with Kimberly Damon-Randall to have a “Meet a Scientist event at the Lyme Consolidated School with the 5th grade class.

Piping Plover by John J. Audubon.

The RTPEC also plans to meet the explosive demand for their Science in Nature Education Programs in Middlesex County (Essex Elementary School) and New London County (Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, New London Harbor Elementary School, and East Lyme Elementary School). These are provided with the assistance of numerous private donors, the Kitchings Family Fund at The Community Foundation for Middlesex County, The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut,, and the Rockfall Foundation.

To date, the” outdoor classrooms” have included Hammonasset State Park, Old Lyme Land Trust’s Mile Creek Preserve and Lyme Land Conservation Trust’s Jewett and Pleasant Valley Preserve. In the Spring, RTPEC will also access natural areas of the City of New London.

This  Spring, RTPEC thanks the following partners for their support:
(a) Connecticut River Museum

(b) Town of Old Lyme

(c) Essex Meadows

(d) Lyme Art Association

(e) National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

(f) Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Cappella Cantorum Cofounder Barry Asch Announces His Retirement June 30 After 48 Years as Director, Conductor

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Barry Asch, who has announced his retirement June 30, 2017, after 48 years as director and conductor of Cappella Cantorum.

Cofounder, music director and conductor of Cappella Cantorum, Barry B. Asch, has announced his retirement from the Cappella Cantorum MasterWorks Chorus, effective June 30, 2017. Asch has conducted the MasterWorks Chorus for 48 years and his tenure has included over 70 Major Choral Works.

Cappella Cantorum’s Mission Statement states the “primary purpose” of the community chorus is, “… to learn, perform and enjoy great choral music while striving for excellence and for enrichment of its singers and audience.”  Asch initiated the SummerSings in 1987 and will conduct his final performance Monday, June 19, 2017, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 56 Great Hammock Road, Old Saybrook, when Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass will be sung accompanied by Deborah Lyon.

All singers are welcome to perform in this read-through of a great choral work.  The soloists will be as follows: soprano-Danielle Howard, mezzo soprano-Rachel Abrams, tenor-David Finley and baritone-Christopher Grundy. The event is co-sponsored by Cappella Cantorum and Con Brio.

Scores will be available and a $10 fee covers the cost of the event. The church is air-conditioned and handicapped accessible.

For more information call (860) 388-4110 or (860) 434-9135 or visit www.cappellacantorum.org or www.conbrio.org

The Cappella Cantorum Men’s Chorus was started by Asch in 1977.  The 2017 Cappella Cantorum Men’s Chorus Season includes five concerts in various locations throughout the shoreline and features “Music From Around the World”

Conductor Asch started the Annual Messiah Sing or Listen at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. The Ninth season is scheduled for Sun. Dec. 17.

Cappella Cantorum’s European Concert Tours started in 1981, with Asch directing.

A highlight of Cappella Cantorum, was singing five concerts in Carnegie Hall, New York, with Mid-America Productions.  Asch contacted Mid-America Productions, which resulted in this participation opportunity.

Old Lyme Residents Vote on Town Budget Tonight

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The Town of Old Lyme holds its Annual Budget Meeting this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium.  A vote will be taken on the town budget, which includes Old Lyme’s share of the Region 18 school’s budget, which was approved in a referendum on May 2.  The agenda for the meeting is at this link.

There are also board of selectmen meetings in Lyme and Old Lyme at 3:30 and 4 p.m.respectively this afternoon. The agenda for the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen meeting is at this link.

 

 

Kuslan Presents ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ Program Today, Followed by Performance at ‘the Kate’ in HD by The Met

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James Kuslan.

Opera devotee and popular lecturer on operatic topics, James Kuslan, will present an informative program on Richard Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier” at the Acton Public Library, 60 Old Boston Post Rd. in Old Saybrook on Saturday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. This event is sponsored by the Guild of Salt Marsh Opera and the Acton Public Library.

Kuslan is a graduate of Yale University’s School of Drama and has been a voice scout in the United States for the German classical recording giant, Deutsche Grammophon.

“Der Rosenkavalier” is set in Vienna of the past, and regarded as Strauss’s most popular and grandest opera concerns a wise woman of the world who is involved with a much younger lover. It combines comedy, fantasy, and drama. This program is free, open to the public, and handicapped accessible.

The Met in HD at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center features a simulcast of “Der Rosenkavalier” starring Renee Fleming, on May 13, starting at 12:30 p.m.

Final Weekend to See ‘Biloxi Blues’ at Ivoryton Playhouse

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Cast members of Biloxi Blues in rehearsal: Zal Owen, Conor Hamill, Ethan Kirschbaum, George Mayer, Alec Silberblatt, Chandler Smith, and Mike Mihm.

The Ivoryton Playhouse is leaving behind the music of Ol’ Blue Eyes and heading south to the steamy bayou country of Biloxi, Miss., with the opening of Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues on Wednesday, April 26. This semi-autobiographical play details his experiences as a young man in boot camp before he was shipped off to serve in the Second World War.

Biloxi Blues is the second chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy, following Brighton Beach Memoirs and preceding Broadway Bound, and is the only one in which Eugene is not the central character. Biloxi Blues won the Tony Award when it opened on Broadway in 1985 and ran 524 performances.

Simon’s hit play follows the adventures of Eugene Morris Jerome and his fellow Army inductees as they struggle through basic training near Biloxi, Miss. in 1943. An aspiring writer who sees himself as an outsider observing the craziness around him, Eugene hopes to somehow remain “neutral … like Switzerland,” but finds himself having to make tough choices.

Biloxi Blues is a comedy with real depth about young men growing up, learning about life and how to live together and finally, going off to war. These men are universal soldiers – facing the same fears, anxieties, and loneliness that grip all young recruits about to encounter the ultimate test of combat. Simon brings his great sense of humor and humanity to every word of this play.

A film was also made of the play starring Matthew Broderick and directed by Mike Nichols with screenplay by Neil Simon.

Biloxi Blues is directed by Sasha Bratt and features Zal Owen* as Eugene, Alec Silberblatt* as Arnold and Mike Mihm* as Sergeant Toomey. Cast also includes Andee Buccheri, Conor M. Hamill*, Ethan Kirschbaum, George Mayer, Moira O’Sullivan and Chandler Smith. Set design is by Glenn Bassett, lighting design by Tate R. Burmeister and costume design by Lisa Bebey.

Biloxi Blues opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on April 26 and runs through May 14.  Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $50 for adults; $45 for seniors; $22 for students and $17 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting www.ivorytonplayhouse.org  (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.)

The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.