Category Archives: Arts

Old Lyme Celebrates Summer Solstice with 7th Annual ‘Make Music’ Day, June 21

Posted on by
Sunny Train will kick off ‘Make Music Old Lyme ‘with a family concert from 4 to 5 p.m. at Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau. LymeLine file photo.

OLD LYME–A popular live music stroll along Lyme Street, Make Music Old Lyme, returns Saturday, June 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. An international celebration of free music for all, the Old Lyme Arts District produces the town’s event in conjunction with the MusicNow Foundation.

Music for all ages will be offered by the Old Lyme Town Band. File photo by James Meehan.

With over a dozen performers, the seventh annual Make Music Old Lyme celebration takes place on Lyme Street, stretching from the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme where the Old Lyme Town Band will play, to the Old Lyme Firehouse where Colin Hallahan will entertain attendees.

The Colin Hallahan Band will again play in front of the Lyme Street Firehouse. LymeLine file photo.

Between these two locations, talented musicians from across the Northeast will give live acoustic performances on front lawns and sidewalks along Lyme Street. 

Chris Gregor will play folk vocals on guitar during Make Music Day on Saturday. Find him on the Center School lawn this year. LymeLine file photo.

Chris Gregor returns this year and will perform on the Center School lawn. Gregor’s mix of pop, Broadway tunes, and even operatic selections entertained audiences at the 2024 Make Music Old Lyme. 

Braiden Sunshine will play for fans on the side lawn of Nightingale’s Acoustic Café. 

Braiden Sunshine will perform this year on the side lawn of Nightingale’s Acoustic Café. File photo by Alan Poirier.

Kelly Riley, home from Nashville, will perform in front of the Memorial Town Hall. New to Make Music Old Lyme, Riley has opened for Willie Nelson, the Steve Miller Band, and Lyle Lovett with country and folk songs including her own original works.

Genres this year include bluegrass, folk, indie-rock, American standards, and pop.

Musicians scheduled to perform include: Chris Gregor, Braiden Sunshine, Colin Hallahan, Rodney Brown, Two of Us, Barbara Harvey, Jack Hardesty, Kelly Riley, John Charland, Band of Friends, The Scoville Unit Jazz Duo, Howling Hound Dogs, The Celestials, Paul Loether, and the Old Lyme Town Band. Kipp “Kid Caviar” Sturgeon will perform while strolling the event as well.

Before the stroll, Sunny Train will perform a family concert at Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) from 4 to 5 p.m.

A children’s craft will be available in front of the Old Lyme Historical Society from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Lyme-Old Lyme Lions Club will also be in front of Center School with grill items including hamburgers and hot dogs for sale from 5 to 7 p.m. Nightingale’s Acoustic Café and The Chocolate Shell will also be open and selling refreshments. 

The Lyme-Old Lyme Lions will once again do brisk business selling hot dogs and hamburgers in front of Center School. LymeLine file photo.

For those wishing to sit and enjoy one location’s performer, lawn chairs or blankets are encouraged. 

A ticketed performance by Sarah Mac begins at 7 p.m. following the music stroll. Tickets can be found at https://www.musicnowfoundation.org/event-details-registration/sarah-mac.

According to “Ramblin’ Dan” Stevens, one of the volunteer organizers of the event, “We’re excited for our lineup of incredible musicians for Make Music Old Lyme. We love the chance to showcase the amazing talent right here in Southeastern Connecticut as well as welcome home some of our great musicians, who are traveling and doing shows around the country.”

Launched in France in 1982, Make Music Day is an international musical festival open to all who would like to participate, and takes place in over 1,000 cities in 120 countries on June 21, the summer solstice.

The State of Connecticut Office of the Arts debuted the State’s effort in 2018 with 528 free musical performances at 224 locations across the state, including Old Lyme. 

For a complete lineup of activities (including weather updates), see https://www.exploreoldlyme.com/makemusic2025.  

A handout with musician locations will be available at the event or in pdf form on the website the day of the event.

The Old Lyme Arts District is a partnership of a dozen organizations and businesses promoting arts and culture on Lyme Street.

Make Music Old Lyme is supported by Connecticut’s Eastern Regional Tourism District and is sponsored by Pasta Vita, Essex Savings Bank/Essex Financial Services, the Herb Chambers Charitable Foundation, Bluewater Millwork & Construction, Mercer Advisors/Benchmark Wealth Management, and Shoreline Web News, LLC/LymeLine.com.

Additional Web Addresses:
Old Lyme Arts District: exploreoldlyme.com/artsdistrict 
Cultural Coalition: culturesect.org
MusicNow Foundation and Nightingale’s Acoustic Cafe: musicnowfoundation.org
International Make Music Day: makemusicday.org
Lyme-Old Lyme Lions Club: lymeoldlymelions.org 
Lymes’ Youth Services Bureau: LYSB.org
Old Lyme Historical Society: oldlymehistoricalsociety.org

Lyme Art Association Family Day Promises Creative Fun for All Ages, June 21

Posted on by

The event will be held Saturday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lyme Art Association.

OLD LYME–Lyme Art Association’s Family Day brings goats, music and more to the gallery grounds for free fun on Saturday. 

The event will be held rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 90 Lyme Street.

In addition to providing a chance to interact with goats, the event will include creative art activities, live music from award-winning songwriter Kelly Riley and refreshments. 

Join the association at 11 a.m. to honor the winners of the young artists show, WET: A World of Water: 

Ages 5 – 7: First place, Maddy Pietruszka; second place, David Ojeda; third place, Asher Lawrence

Ages 8 – 10: First place, Kiarra Yang; second place, Yulia Chen; third place, Hugo Gostkiewicz

Ages 11 – 13: First place: Pheobe Chen; second place, Mason Li; third place, Sophia Lin

Ages 14 – 18: First place, Danlu Li; second place, Jennifer Hui; third place, Ayla Jolly-Ballentine

Later on Saturday, check out Make Music Old Lyme, featuring a 4 p.m. performance by Sunny Train at the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau and musicians up and down Lyme Street from 5 to 7 p.m.

Lyme Art Association Hosts Three New Shows, Two on View Through July 17, Third Ends June 27

Posted on by
Reply
Pamela Pike Gordinier’s “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round” in acrylic & charcoal is one of the signature paintings of the “Expanding Visions” exhibition at the Lyme Art Association (LAA.) Image courtesy of the LAA.

OLD LYME—On Saturday, June 14. an Opening Reception and awards ceremony for both the “Expanding Visions” show and the Hudson Valley Art Association’s 92nd Annual Juried Exhibition will be held at the Lyme Art Association (LAA) from 5 to 7 p.m. All are welcome and admission is free.

The shows run through July 17. 

A third show titled, “WET: A World of Water,” will also be on view and runs through June 27 in the Association’s Mile Brook Gallery. 

Artists between the ages of 5 and 18 painted and drew pieces depicting life in and around the water. 

The awards ceremony for the youth show will be held during LAA’s Family Day at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 21.

The exhibitions will be on view at the Lyme Art Association, located at 90 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, CT. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

Witness Stones of Old Lyme, FloGris Museum Celebrate Juneteenth with Jazz & Poetry, June 22

Posted on by

Witness Stones Poets (left to right) Antoinette Brim-Bell, Rhonda Ward, Marilyn Nelson and Kate Rushin will read tributes in verse to enslaved people remembered on Witness Stones plaques. Photo courtesy of Witness Stones Old Lyme.

Free Admission to ‘Their Kindred Earth’ Photography Exhibit on African-American History to Follow

OLD LYME–Witness Stones of Old Lyme will celebrate Juneteenth with jazz music and poetry at the Florence Griswold Museum from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 22. 

The museum will offer free admission from 3 to 5 p.m. to view the closing day of Their Kindred Earth: Photographs by William Earle Williams, an exhibition that seeks to deepen understanding of sites of enslavement in Old Lyme and beyond. 

The museum will be closed on the federal holiday, which falls each June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. 

Sunday’s event on the museum’s north lawn will feature music by the Avery Sharpe Quartet and readings by Witness Stones Poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward, and Antoinette Brim-Bell, according to the event listing on the museum’s website. The poets will present tributes in verse to those remembered with Witness Stones plaques. 

Witness Stones Old Lyme for five years has been marking local sites of enslavement with brass plaques. The group during that time brought in the four poets and several successive classes of middle school students from Lyme and Old Lyme to help tell the stories behind the plaques.

Three of the markers are located on the Florence Griswold Museum’s front lawn to honor those who labored in a house that once stood where the Griswold House is now located, according to the museum. 

William Earle Williams, the museum’s artist in residence, will be on hand to sign copies of the newly released exhibition catalogue, Their Kindred Earth. Copies will be on sale at the event and in the museum shop. 

Seating for the music performance and poetry readings will be provided under a tent and additional lawn chairs are welcome and encouraged.

The museum is located on 96 Lyme St. In the event of rain, the celebration will be held at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, 2 Ferry Road.

CT Early Music Festival 2025 Concludes with Concert in Conn. College Today

Posted on by
Reply


OLD LYME/NEW LONDON – The Connecticut Early Music Festival (CEMF) returns for its 43rd season, presenting six concerts across the first three weekends in June. The festival brings together world-class musicians to perform both familiar and rarely heard works.

The Festival opened Saturday, June 7, at Harkness Chapel, Connecticut College, featuring Handel’s Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline. James Burton, Director of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, led the CEMF Ensemble in Handel’s tribute to his forward-thinking Queen, patron, and friend.

The Festival continued with a concert on Sunday, June 8, at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Old Lyme. Acclaimed flutist Emi Ferguson returned with a program of virtuoso sonatas by J.S. and C.P.E. Bach. Ferguson was joined by Guy Fishman on cello.

“This year’s Festival brings to life remarkable compositions from the 17th and 18th centuries,” said Artistic Director Ian Watson. “These performances, honoring the composers’ intentions, promise to be fresh and revelatory. They still have the power to transport us today!” 

“Our 2025 Festival showcases the rich tapestry of early music, from the brilliance of the three sopranos in Concerto delle donne, to intimate chamber music featuring viola da gamba and theorbo, to the thrilling sound of our Festival Ensemble performing Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons,” said Henry Clapp, Board President.

He adds, “Whether you are a seasoned early music enthusiast or discovering these treasures for the first time, we look forward to sharing these extraordinary performances with you!” 

After the first weekend, the festival continues with a series of four additional concerts as follows:

  • Saturday, June 14:
    St. John’s Episcopal Church, Niantic – Artistic Director Ian Watson performs a special concert of Baroque organ masterworks in memory of John P. Anthony, longtime President of the Connecticut Early Music Society.
  • Sunday, June 15:
    Chester Meeting House – In a program titled Concerto delle donne, three exceptional sopranos perform a stunning program of late 16th-century music composed specifically for professional female voices.
  • Saturday, June 21:
    La Grua Center, Stonington – An intimate evening of French Baroque chamber music, featuring viola da gamba and theorbo, perfectly suited to the acoustics of La Grua’s historic setting.
  • Sunday, June 22:
    Harkness Chapel, Connecticut College – The festival concludes with a celebration of the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, performed by Susanna Ogata (violin) and the Festival Ensemble.

All concerts are at 5 pm. To encourage wider access, CEMF is offering half-price tickets for individuals under 40, along with complimentary admission for students of all ages. Special series and mini-series ticket packages are also available.

For tickets and full festival details, visit ctearlymusic.org.