Britten and Bernstein: A Celebration (Saturday)

The Choristers, an ecumenical choir formed in 1978 by alumna of Ursinus College, will be singing at Trinity Lutheran Church, 100 W. Main Street, Lansdale, on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate Benjamin Britten’s 100th birthday with selected choral works including Jubilate Deo in E Flat, Te Deum in C, and the rarely performed Antiphon, Op. 56b. Also on the program are Leonard Bernstein’s mesmerizing Chichester Psalms (with guest soloist Andrew Zaayenga from the Philadelphia Boys Choir) and works by Vaughan Williams and Wills.

 

Thanksgiving Week 2013

Allentown Art Museum is holding a Books & More Sale all this weekend, Friday and Saturday, November 22nd and 23rd from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 24th from non to 4 p.m. Items on sale include new and used art books (some rare), classroom props, museum posters, and “freebies.”  More books are for sale at the Baum School of Art across the street from the museum, which is located at 31 N Fifth Street, Allentown, PA. And as long as you are there, check out the museum – you’ll be amazed at the art collection that can be found here!

Start at Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center for this year’s Fall into Winter; an artists’ studio and gallery tour which begins at 10 a.m. and continues to 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 23rd and 24th. Map and more details here. I just “discovered” the Taylor Backes Glass Studio and Gallery in Boyertown and was stunned by the beauty and artistry of the amazing pieces, large and small; I felt as though I was in a museum (where some of this gallery’s pieces can be found).

The community is invited to enjoy touring the studios of well-known artists in Boyertown, Oley, Barto, and the surrounding areas in this annual driving tour. Finish your holiday shopping early with everything from pottery and glass to paintings and jewelry. Included on the tour are the Heritage Center, Rohrbach Pottery, Barto;Bay’s Rock Shop, Boyertown; Studio B Art Gallery, Boyertown; Taylor Backes Glass Studio and Gallery, Boyertown; Dancing Tree Creations Artisans Gallery & Studio, Boyertown; and Clay on Main, Oley.

Don’t forget the culinary arts on display, and available for tasting, at the first annual Baconfest in East Greenville atThe Upper Perk Community Life Center at 104 Main Street on Saturday, November 23, 2013 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Two local holiday craft bazaars are scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd; one at Palm Schwenkfelder Church, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., and the juried art fair at North Penn High School, where Thanksgiving and traditional Americana crafts can be found, along with holiday items. More information on these, and other upcoming holiday craft fairs can be found in the Holiday Craft Bazaar post below.

A Winter’s Tale, reimagined with same-sex couples, is on stage at Muhlenberg College in Allentown today through Sunday, November 24, 2013. The thriller Nightwatch at DCP in Telford closes this weekend, while the play Miracle on Division Street in Souderton has its run extended through December 8th.

Lehigh Wind Ensemble and Allentown Band are performing together at Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 3 p.m.

For a sneak preview of concerts, theater, festivals and other events in December, check out the other pages on the ValleyArtScene site!

 

 

A good week for jazz

One can always count on a great live jazz concert on the third Thursday of the month at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 2871 Barndt Road, Harleysville, thanks to Jazz & Joe. This November, Jack Piccari and Friends will be playing from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. The event is free, a voluntary offering is received in a basket by the door. Home baked refreshments are served during intermission. Drop by anytime during the concert.

Friday night, November 15th, the Lehigh University Jazz Ensemble presents contemporary and classic jazz at Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E Packer Ave, Bethlehem, beginning at 8 p.m. $15 tickets can be bought online or at the door.

Michener Art Museum in Doylestown has their Jazz Night on Saturday, November 16th from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. The concert is sold out (but maybe they have a standby list?)

Zen for Primates is on stage at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown for this month’s Jazz Cabaret on Saturday, November 22nd at 7:30 p.m.

Holiday Craft Bazaar Season starts now!

Hereford Elementary School hosts the first local holiday craft fair of the season in the Upper Perkiomen Valley this Saturday, November 9th, starting at 10 a.m.

 On Friday, November 15th head over to Studios on Main at 258 Main Street (2nd floor), East Greenville for what might be Upper Perk’s first evening  Holiday Bazaar, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. This bazaar will be featuring handmade crafts, paintings, steeped teas, local vendors, and more. 

Palm Schwenkfelder Church Holiday Bazaar begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 23rd, and ends at 3 p.m. Featuring country and Victorian crafts, jewelry, woodwork, ceramics, needlework, and handpainted items, along with holiday baked goods, candies, homemade jellies and jams, and chow chow, you won’t be able to leave empty handed. 

North Penn Holiday Craft Fair, held every year at North Penn High School, Valley Forge Pike and Sumneytown Pike, Lansdale, to benefit their international student exchange program is on Saturday, November 23rd, 9:30 – 4:30.  This juried craft fair is filled with items ranging from pottery to hand painted silk, windsor chairs to stained glass, weaving to rug hooking to fish rubbings, and much, much more.

Der Belsnickel Craft Show, run by the Boyertown Area Historical Society will once more be held the weekend after Thanksgiving, on November 29 and 30, 2013 at Boyertown Area High School, 4th and Monroe Streets. Der Belsnickel started in 1970 as a way of preserving historic crafts. Over the years the show has grown dramatically and been recognized nationally for its emphasis on high quality traditional and modern crafts.

As part of the Hometime Christmas Celebration on Main Street in Upper Perk on Sunday, December 1, 2013, the Upper Perk Community Life Center, 104 Main Street, East Greenville, will host a craft bazaar with unique items by local craftspeople from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Marlborough Elementary School host their Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, December 7th beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m.

The final holiday craft fair in Upper Perk may be at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Main Street, Sumneytown, on Saturday, December 14th, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

If you know of any others in the area, tell us in the comment section below!

Concerts, Theater, and December Preview

I just updated the music, art, and theater pages with the latest on what is on stage starting the first weekend in November, and giving a hint as to what dates to save in December for some of the best local winter concerts.

Be sure and check out where you can hear great jazz, string ensembles, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, some Shakespeare, an onstage thriller, the best in local culinary arts, starting with the first annual Bacon Fest in Upper Perk – check Festivals page, and so much more!

Kegs and Corks – November 9, 2013

The Valley Choral Society (formerly the Choral Arts Society of the Upper Perkiomen Valley) is holding a Kegs and Corks fundraiser on Saturday, November 9, 2013, from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at Parents Hall, Perkiomen School (2nd and Seminary Ave, Pennsburg).

Musical entertainment will be provided by Basement Blues, Bob Barboni, Sarah Glazier and the Valley Choral Society.

Ticket price of $42 includes fabulous food (hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and desserts) along with samples of four wines and four beers, and an engraved wine glass. Tickets must be purchased in advance. NO tickets will be sold at the door.

First Friday in November

This is a good night to come share your musical talent,  or be part of the audience, in East Greenville at Java Good Day Cafe at tonight’s First Friday Open Mic, from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Or if you’d prefer an evening of Celtic tunes, drop by McCarthy’s Tea Room (534 Main Street, Bethlehem) tonight between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. and listen to Upper Perk’s own Terry Kane.

Thanks to their newly acquired liquor license, in addition to tea and a fine meal, you might also enjoy an Irish coffee, Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, Victory Hop Devil, or a Bloody Mary.

The stage version of Lois Lowry’s The Giver opens tonight at Souderton Area High School (625 Lower Road). There are two performances only of this one act play; Friday, November 1st and Saturday, November 2nd. Tickets may be purchased at the door; $5 for students and $7 for adults.

Friday and Saturday, November 1st and 2nd, a student production of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound is open to the public at Perkiomen School in Kehs Hall. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.