Join the Nina Ott Quintet for a night of Afro-Cuban styled Latin-jazz at the James! Nina will be joined by Chris Lopes on bass, Eguie Castrillo on percussion, Bertram Lehmann on drums, and Edmar Colon on saxophone. Guests enjoy lively music rooted in jazz, influenced by Afro-Caribbean sounds, with elements of funk and soul.  Sponsored by Lynch Marini & Associates Inc., supported in part by grants from Hingham, Scituate and Norwell Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.  Tickets are $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students

For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the James Library & Center for the Arts

Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation, and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 11 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra (CCCO), the Cape’s professional collaborative orchestra, presents its final chamber concert of the 2022-23 season “CCCO @ The Cultural Center,” on Sunday, March 26, 3 pm, at Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St., S. Yarmouth.

“It is hard to believe we have arrived at our final Sandbar Chamber Series concert of the year, but here we are! We are looking forward to returning to the Great Hall at the Cultural Center, one of the special locations we recorded a virtual concert at in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be exciting to be back, this time with a live audience instead of cameras,” shares Music Director Matthew Scinto.

The musical program includes two string octets by composers Max Bruch and George Enescu, as well as featuring composer and vibraphonist Julian Loida. The CCCO and Loida will perform his original works for vibraphone and strings. Called “one of the Boston music scene’s most valuable players” by The Art Fuse, Julian Loida is a percussionist, composer, and producer. Loida’s musical curiosity and open-mindedness has propelled him towards a wide-range of sounds, genres, and artistic endeavors. He’s performed jazz, folk, and classical, collaborating with dancers, visual artists, songwriters/composers, and musicians of all stripes. The thirst to participate in and experience this range of sounds is partly a product of Loida’s synesthesia. Music is a full- body experience for him, with sounds often invoking involuntary sensations of color, texture, or even taste.

“I find Julian’s music to be a unique fusion of Bach, Philip Glass, and his own individual voice that is full of texture and colors that unfold effortlessly. I look forward to pairing this with the virtuosity of George Enescu’s Octet in particular, a piece the composer wrote at the young age of 18, which is a thrill from start to finish,” says Scinto.

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra prides itself on exceptional programming and its collaborative performances, a highlight of every season.  Season Five features four full-orchestra main concerts and three small ensemble performances offered by the Sandbar Chamber Series.

Committed to artistic integrity and excellence, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra embraces a mission to connect the diverse arts communities and individuals of Cape Cod inclusively. By collaborating with other disciplines of art and culture, the Orchestra aims to create unique concert experiences while providing exciting, enriching, and memorable orchestral music.  Spotlighting living composers is at the forefront of the orchestra’s mission; bringing audiences closer to the music of modern time, positioned as an essential and educational element to each performance program.  Other repertoire emphasizes the championing of works of living composers, as well as the music of the classical canon.

Tickets to “CCCO @ The Cultural Center” are $35, students and children are admitted for free. More information, the full season schedule, concert programs and tickets to all Season Five performances are available at capecodchamberorchestra.org, by calling 508-432-1668, or at each venue door by cash or credit card.  For more information, email [email protected], or follow Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.

Program

MAX BRUCH – String Octet in Bb

GEORGE ENESCU – Octet in C, Op. 7

JULIAN LOIDA – Music for Vibraphone & Strings

About Dr. Matthew Scinto, Conductor

Matthew Scinto is an emerging conductor based in Cape Cod, where he currently serves as Founder and Music Director of the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra and Visiting Director of Orchestra at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has twice studied conducting at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center, was recently finalist for the Assistant Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony, and currently serves as a cover conductor for the Portland (ME) Symphony. He received his Doctor of Musical Art’s degree from Boston University, where he received the Conducting Department Award for Excellence in Conducting. Dr. Scinto has been involved in Alzheimer’s care for the past several years, working with memory care facilities at Maplewood Senior Living in Brewster, MA and Bridges in Mashpee, MA. He is also a frequent guest of the Arts & Ideas program with the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod for caregivers and loved ones with memory loss. By using aspects of music appreciation and conducting, Dr. Scinto has developed curriculum for working with individuals dealing with memory loss, to allow them to reconnect to their loved ones and enjoy fun movement to music.

About Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra

Committed to artistic integrity and excellence, the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra’s mission is to connect the diverse arts communities and individuals of Cape Cod inclusively. By collaborating with other disciplines of art and culture, the Orchestra aims to create unique concert experiences while providing exciting, enriching, and memorable orchestral music.  Featuring living composers is at the forefront of the orchestra’s mission; bringing audiences closer to the music of modern time, positioned as an essential and educational element to each performance program.  Other repertoire champions the works of living composers, as well as the music of the classical canon.  For more information visit www.capecodchamberorchestra.org, email [email protected], or follow Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.

Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival (CCCMF), Cape Cod’s foremost summer chamber music presenter since 1979, previews its 44^th annual season with a “New York Benefit Concert” on Tuesday, March 28, 5:30 pm, in the Grand Gallery of the historic National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York.

Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival’s “New York Benefit Concert” features Artistic Directors Jon Manasse, clarinet and Jon Nakamatsu, piano, joined by guest violinist Kobi Malkin, presenting a rich and varied program of music by Milhaud, Von Weber, and Bartók.  Expressing their excitement about the season ahead, CCCMF’s Artistic Directors Manasse and Nakamatsu state that they “are thrilled to be opening our 44^th season here in New York, a great segue into an August filled with music on Cape Cod that includes a newly commissioned piece, and performances by the Emerson, Danish, and Isidore String Quartets, along with other captivating programs.”

Tickets to CCCMF’s “New York Benefit Concert” are $100 per person at the sponsor level, or $150 per person at the patron level, available at easy-ware-forms.com/capecodchambermusic/benefit.  Tickets are limited to venue capacity; advance purchase is recommended.  National Arts Club Safety protocols will be observed, masks are recommended, but not required. For the latest updates on the venue’s guidelines, visit nationalartsclub.org. For more information about Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival and its 44^th season, visit capecodchambermusic.org, or follow Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival on Facebook.

Project Arts Plymouth presents the benefit “A Night for Mike,” in support of Mike Landers, the nonprofit’s president, director and a founder, on Friday, March 31, 6 to 11 pm, at Plymouth Memorial Hall, 83 Court Street, Plymouth.  The evening’s entire proceeds support expenses incurred while Mike and his family have endured a courageous recovery, four-months to date, from his life-altering stroke.  Comedian Christine Hurley hosts as emcee, highlighting many special guests, live music from local performing artist peers, light hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, 50/50 raffles, a live and silent auction and more.  To become an event sponsor or contribute an auction donation, email [email protected].

On October 17, while diligently drafting a grant application for Project Arts Plymouth, Mike Landers suffered a stroke, leaving him unresponsive, as discovered by his wife, Candy.  He was rushed by med-flight to Boston for emergency surgery, but the stroke left him with right-side paralysis, unable to speak, swallow or walk.  After an extended hospital stay, he was transferred to a long-term rehabilitation facility, where he continues to undergo months of physical and occupational therapy, and speech pathology.

A local legend and unstoppable community servant, “Mayor Mike” developed traits of selfless service and perseverance through his challenging but musical youth in New Hampshire.  As a child, Landers focused his attention on music, beginning his career at the young age of eight, when he served as the bass player for his brother’s band, Sabinpie.  The band was discovered when Landers was just 15, and booked widely on tours to open for celebrity performing artists, with the likes of music legends B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Walter, Livingston Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, Steely Dan and countless others.  Landers developed crippling Still’s Disease at age 22, severely ill and hospitalized, facing the possibility of a life in a wheelchair.  Tapping deep, he persisted, recovering through unimaginable pain.

Several years and a marriage later, Landers launched Nightlife Music company, a booking and promotion business serving the arts and entertainment industry.  Landers and his wife Candy settled in Plymouth, where they have resided for 35 years, and where the couple have raised five children and enjoy 10 grandchildren.

Founded in 1995, Project Arts of Plymouth originated during a conversation at a local coffeehouse, evolving today to a Board team of motivated and dedicated volunteers, each bringing valuable entertainment and fundraising skills to the table. Now 28 years strong, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization endures in its commitment to inspire and promote the full spectrum of music and artistic expression.  Landers and his team tirelessly champion countless free, live summer concerts and weekly performance series on the Plymouth waterfront. Project Arts is funded entirely by local business sponsors and the support of individuals in the community.  All funds raised support concert production and advertising costs. Thousands of fans have enjoyed summer shows featuring celebrity performing artists, all afforded through the nonprofit’s mission.  Landers remains the force behind the organization, maintaining his lifelong commitment to “to do as much good for the world as I could.”

For many years Landers has also volunteered and produced events raising millions for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  His commitment to community service has reached many through his roles with Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce’s Industrial Development, Tourism, and Plymouth Summer Festival committees, the Summer Street Skate Park Committee, and Plymouth Bay Cultural District’s Council.  He is a long-time Town Meeting member and recently retired from his daytime career working at Plymouth Municipal Airport. His tireless commitment to advocacy and justice for those in need has come to the aid of countless individuals.

Landers continues to make constant strides with health professionals to regain mobility and communication, recently making notable progress.  He is engaging in intensive music therapy with practitioners who specialize in stroke-induced loss of speech. His path to recovery has been long, and its end is unclear.  Music continues to be his inspiration – recently resuming harmonica playing and attentively listening to musicians performing at the rehabilitation facility where he continues inpatient care.

Medical and family expenses have created a deep financial burden for the Landers family, while Mike dedicates his will and strength to his pursuit of recovery.  A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $50K to date, covering only a portion of the family’s crisis expenses.

Tickets to “A Night for Mike” are $30 each, or $500 for a table of 10, available at tickets.plymouthphil.org, a service generously hosted by Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra.  To purchase accessible seats, call the box office at 508-746-8008.  Free parking is available in Memorial Hall’s lot and in on-street parking spaces in close proximity.  To learn more about Project Arts Plymouth, or make a tax-deductible donation, visit projectarts.com.

South Shore Ballet Theatre, 45 Industrial Park Road, Hingham

Tickets:  $5 general admission, available at the door, cash only

Pre-Ballet and Primary A dancers will perform choreographed versions of their classwork celebrating the end of their school year. Classical and Intensive ballet program dancers present performances, as well as a short graduation ceremony for young dancers moving to the next level.

On display from Wednesday, April 12 through Wednesday, May 10, during business hours

Norwell Public Library, 64 South Street, Norwell, norwellpubliclibrary.org

SELA’s School of Early Global Education and Elementary School showcase their exhibition artwork at Norwell Public Library. Stop in to enjoy the diverse collection of projects and artwork students created throughout the school year.

Founded in 2004 in Cohasset as Su Escuela Language Academy, its private school launched with the goal of preparing English-speaking children to excel linguistically, academically, and socially in global society through instruction in a second and third language. In July of 2011, the academy expanded and opened the doors at its flagship campus in Hingham. Now established as SELA: The International Private School, its educational model has continued to expand, now offering programs for infants through age 5, in addition to the Private Elementary and Middle School programs for Kindergarten through grade 8. Today, with locations in Hingham and Norwell, SELA is the first and only Spanish full immersion school in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Currently, SELA serves nearly 300 students residing in 26 of the region’s communities. Nearly 70 highly-educated faculty members teach in full immersion programs, which includes three spoken languages at its school campuses. SELA’s flagship campus, offering programs serving children from infancy through grade 8, is located at 75 Sgt. William B. Terry Drive, Hingham.  Its recently opened second campus, currently enrolling programs for children up to age 5, is located at 137 Washington Street, Norwell.

For more information about SELA: The International Private School, its programs, tuition, and more, visit selaprivateschool.com, call 781-741-5454, and follow SELA on social media.

Wood Harbor Music, in association with SA6 Productions, presents “Music Meets Life Sciences – a Spring Concert,” on Saturday, April 22, 4 pm, Boynton Yards performance hall, 101 South Street, Somerville.  The concert features works for voice, harp, woodwinds, and strings, performed by small ensembles, including Wood Harbor Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Elijah Langille, The Pandora Consort, and The Random Consort.

In concept, “Music Meets Life Sciences” was born as a collaboration of its producers and the concert venue, Boynton Yards, Somerville’s new innovation hub, intersecting life science, culture and community, embedded in the world’s preeminent biotech supercluster. Boynton’s state-of-the-art performance space at 101 South Street spans a large section of its main floor community center, the perfect juncture for a concert.

Following Burckardt’s very successful debut performance of “Mount Auburn, Requiem in d minor” last fall, the accomplished musician and the premiere’s conductor Elijah Langille immediately began planning their next collaboration.  “Elijah suggested we consider producing a fall festival annually,” says Burckardt, “which inspired me to think further, contemplating a spring concert that featured smaller ensembles, and the idea took off.”  The current concert program was first inspired by Burckardt’s newest work – a piece for harp, winds, and strings, composed while recording the Requiem and preparing for its premiere.  Once solidified, the concert plans evolved into the precursor to forming a future nonprofit, aspiring to fund similar performances ahead.

The “Music Meets Life Sciences” program offers an eclectic “collision” of musical genres, spanning early music, Jazz, folk, and sacred works by contemporary composers, mostly from underrepresented communities in the performance arena, including women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ populations.  Works by composers Hildegard von Bingen, Rachel Burckardt, Mary Casiello, Javier Marquez, and Florence Price are featured.  Each piece is performed by a small ensemble, and three of the featured composers whose works will be performed will be present at the performance.

“Producing this concert culminates my 10-year collaboration with DLJ, the developer of the Boynton Yards life science campus, now my work neighborhood.  I connected with DLJ’s Managing Director John Fenton through my civil engineering ‘day job,’ assisting in early assessments of the property.  John noted he was ‘blown away’ by the premiere of my Requiem last fall, which prompted our collaboration to expand to include my musical interests and this spring concert,” shares Rachel Burckardt, concert organizer, composer and performing artist.  Each of the producers are committedly like-minded in Boynton Yards’ interest in serving as a fruitful intersection where science and culture merge.

Wood Harbor Chamber Ensemble, a facet of Wood Harbor Orchestra, makes its second public performance at this concert, under the direction of Elijah Langille, conductor. The ensemble includes professional musicians along with students from local music schools. Wood Harbor Orchestra is dedicated to the performance of works by local composers, focused on underrepresented groups in classical music, including women, people of color, and those in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Tickets to “Music Meets Life Sciences” are $22 adults, $15 seniors and students, $50 for preferred seating, and $17 early purchase through March 31, available on EventBrite at eventbrite.com/e/music-intersects-life-sciences-a-spring-concert-tickets-574819790467, or at the door, limited to capacity.  $10 flat rate parking is available in the garage under 101 South Street, from the Earle Street garage entrance. The building if fully accessible.  Public transit access is available via a short walk from the Union Square stop on the Green Line.

For more information about Rachel Burckardt, visit woodharbormusic.net.  For more information about Boynton Yards, visit boyntonyards.com.

Concert for the Earth featuring “Missa Gaia” Earth Mass
Saturday, April 29, 8 pm
First Unitarian Church of Worcester, 90 Main St., Worcester
Sunday, April 30, 4 pm
First Parish of Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington

Tickets:  $25, available at halalisa.org

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham, conductor, Accompanist Trevor Berens, piano, Jim Scott, guitar, Stan Strickland, saxophone, Bertram Lehmann, percussion

The Halalisa Singers present “Concert for the Earth,” an uplifting program that both celebrates the beauty of the earth and calls for action to stem the destructive tide of climate change. Jim Scott, co-composer of the “Missa Gaia” Earth Mass, joins the performance of this environmental world music liturgy for choir along with acclaimed saxophonist Stan Strickland. The work weaves lyrical melodic sections with international gospel traditions, the calls of birds and animals, and the songs of whales and is a joyful tribute to the planet, reminding us of the incomparable beauty, preciousness, and precariousness of nature.

The program also includes Kim Andre Arnesen’s “Song for Justice,” from his “Beatitudes for a Wounded World,” Gwyneth Walker’s call for resilience in “Tree of Peace”, Moses Hogan’s soulful arrangement of the spiritual “Wade in the Water,” and the  Diana Saez’s  flowing “Yemaya”, as well as Climate movement staples “The Tide Is Rising,” by Rabbi Shoshana Friedman and husband Yotam Schachter, and “Do It Now: Sing for the Climate,” calling us to build a better future right now.

A talented ensemble of thirty men and women, the Halalisa Singers are inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all.  Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham, this Lexington-based vocal ensemble is now in its twenty-third year offering unique performances in the Boston area.

For more information, email [email protected], visit halalisa.org, or follow Halalisa Singers on Facebook.

Club Cafe’s Sunday brunch cabaret series “The Ladies Who Brunch,” features a special performance of “Yesterday Once More:  A Tribute to the Carpenters”, featuring performing artists Katie Connor, Gail Phaneuf and Patti Hathaway, on Sunday, April 30, 11 am at Club Cafe’s Napoleon Room, 209 Columbus Avenue, Boston.  Tickets are $20.  For complete details and tickets, visit clubcafe.com.

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra (CCCO), the Cape’s professional collaborative orchestra, closes its fifth season with “Toward the Sea,” a special program detailing the events of the Pilgrim’s journey and acknowledging indigenous people, on Sunday, April 30, 3 pm, featuring a pre-concert talk at 2:15 pm, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 533 Main Street, Rt. 28, Harwich Port.  A reception featuring Native American art from members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe follows the concert with an opportunity to meet the guests and musicians.  The orchestra is conducted by Music Director Matthew Scinto, and features CCCO’s flutist Zach Sheets and Charles Overton, harp.  The program’s new work is the creation of CCCO Composer-in-Residence Cody Forrest.

“The more and more I looked into the history of the Pilgrims and Native people the more I felt compelled to acknowledge the whole story.  On one hand, the Pilgrim’s journey can be viewed as empowering – men, women, and children traveling into the unknown to begin a new life. On the other hand, we have a story of war and disease that completely changed the lives of the indigenous people, many who still live on Cape Cod today. The goal of our program is to provide a valuable, deep reflection on these historic events,” shares Director Scinto.

Performing artist, educator and Mashpee Wampanoag Ej Mills Brennan opens the concert with her original compositions “Breath of Prayers” on Native flute with vocals. Brennan maintains a firm belief in the healing power of the arts and has served as a music educator much of her life, working collaboratively to integrate arts through diverse topics.

The event’s pre-concert talk kicks off at 2:15 pm, led by Waban Webquish, an indigenous professional who provides education on the history and traditions of his cultural heritage through guided walks and seminars, as well as creating and distributing handmade Wampum jewelry, traditional indigenous items, and culturally sustainable foods. Musician, poet, and Wampanoag artist MaDarrius Maximus also participates in the pre-concert talk, sharing some of his original work.

CCCO’s Season Five finale takes a contemporary look at the Pilgrim’s journey to America.  Forrest’s world premiere work “Spirit of” is rooted in the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage, contextualized as a musical depiction of the historical events. Toru Takemitsu’s “Toward the Sea” for alto flute, harp and strings was commissioned in 1981 by Green Peace for their “Save the Whales” campaign. The work features a movement devoted to Cape Cod, and as the composer writes “is meditation and water wedded together,” further defining its importance. Tchaikovsky’s thrilling “Souvenir de Florence” closes the afternoon’s dynamic program.

“We have a vision to explore our community through new music, fostering significance in the documentation of the Pilgrim journey, as witnessed in Cody’s new piece,” shares Scinto. “Sharing this moment in history through new music allows us to usher the past into our reality today.  I hope these new sounds and experiences help us to reflect on the entire Mayflower story.”

Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra prides itself on exceptional programming and its collaborative performances, a highlight of every season.  Season Five has featured four full-orchestra main concerts and three small ensemble performances offered by the Sandbar Chamber Series.

Committed to artistic integrity and excellence, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra embraces a mission to connect the diverse arts communities and individuals of Cape Cod inclusively. By collaborating with other disciplines of art and culture, the Orchestra aims to create unique concert experiences while providing exciting, enriching, and memorable orchestral music.  Spotlighting living composers is at the forefront of the orchestra’s mission; bringing audiences closer to the music of modern time, positioned as an essential and educational element to each performance program.  Other repertoire emphasizes the championing of works of living composers, as well as the music of the classical canon.

Tickets to Toward the Sea are $35 for general admission, all students (with valid ID) and children admitted for free. More information, the full season schedule, concert programs and tickets to all Season Five performancesare available at capecodchamberorchestra.org, by calling 508-432-1668, or at each venue door by cash or credit card.  For more information, email [email protected], or follow Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.

Concert for the Earth featuring “Missa Gaia” Earth Mass
Saturday, April 29, 8 pm
First Unitarian Church of Worcester, 90 Main St., Worcester
Sunday, April 30, 4 pm
First Parish of Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington

Tickets:  $25, available at halalisa.org

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham, conductor, Accompanist Trevor Berens, piano, Jim Scott, guitar, Stan Strickland, saxophone, Bertram Lehmann, percussion

The Halalisa Singers present “Concert for the Earth,” an uplifting program that both celebrates the beauty of the earth and calls for action to stem the destructive tide of climate change. Jim Scott, co-composer of the “Missa Gaia” Earth Mass, joins the performance of this environmental world music liturgy for choir along with acclaimed saxophonist Stan Strickland. The work weaves lyrical melodic sections with international gospel traditions, the calls of birds and animals, and the songs of whales and is a joyful tribute to the planet, reminding us of the incomparable beauty, preciousness, and precariousness of nature.

The program also includes Kim Andre Arnesen’s “Song for Justice,” from his “Beatitudes for a Wounded World,” Gwyneth Walker’s call for resilience in “Tree of Peace”, Moses Hogan’s soulful arrangement of the spiritual “Wade in the Water,” and the  Diana Saez’s  flowing “Yemaya”, as well as Climate movement staples “The Tide Is Rising,” by Rabbi Shoshana Friedman and husband Yotam Schachter, and “Do It Now: Sing for the Climate,” calling us to build a better future right now.

A talented ensemble of thirty men and women, the Halalisa Singers are inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all.  Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham, this Lexington-based vocal ensemble is now in its twenty-third year offering unique performances in the Boston area.

For more information, email [email protected], visit halalisa.org, or follow Halalisa Singers on Facebook.

St. Bonaventure Parish, 803 State Road, Plymouth

Tickets:  $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens and $15 for students over 14

Children ages 14 and under are admitted free 

Chorus, soloists, and orchestra co-directed by William B. Richter and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly

George Frideric Handel, one of the great composers of the Baroque period, composed “Israel in Egypt” in 1738. After his “Messiah,” it is considered his most popular oratorio. With his extraordinary penchant for storytelling, Handel unfolds “Israel in Egypt” as the heroic, biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites as they escaped from captivity in Egypt. With dramatic artistry, Handel depicts the ten plagues visited upon the Egyptians and the crossing of the Red Sea. Notable for its use of its thunderous choruses, the work also includes several arias, performed in these concerts by PFC singer soloists.

Tickets for “Israel in Egypt” are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens, and $15 for students over 14. Children ages 14 and under are admitted for free. Tickets may be purchased in advance at pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or from PFC members. Tickets are also available at the door, limited to venue capacity. Pilgrim Festival Chorus considers the safety of its members and audience a highest priority. Masks are currently optional. Any changes to this policy will be posted on PFC’s website prior to performances.

Pilgrim Festival Chorus is a volunteer, not-for-profit choral ensemble dedicated to presenting diverse choral works that educate, enrich, and engage both its members and its audiences. PFC is funded in part by grants from a number of the region’s Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. PFC performances are produced in part by cooperation with See Plymouth and P

Saturday, May 6, 4 pm, Mashpee High School, 500 Old Barnstable Road, Mashpee

Sunday, May 7, 4 pm, Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy. (Rte. 3A), Scituate

Tickets:  $25 adults, youth ages 18 and under are admitted free 

Cape Cod Chorale and Choral Art Society of the South Shore choral ensembles, soloists and orchestra conducted by Artistic Director/Conductor Danica A. Buckley

In celebration of Cape Cod Chorale’s 40^th anniversary, the chorus, collaborating with Choral Art Society of the South Shore, an orchestra, and professional soloists, present the spring concert “Tribulations, Forgiveness, and Eternal Rest.”  The performance features a program of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Requiem”, “Hiob” (Job), a cantata by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, composed in 1831, performed as a regional premiere.

Founded in 1983, Cape Cod Chorale, a 65-member non-auditioned community chorus, draws singers from middle and upper Cape Cod, from Chatham to Falmouth, truly representing the Cape Cod singing community. The Chorale promotes the beauty of choral music and provides people who love to sing the opportunity to raise their voices in harmony. For more information, visit capecodchorale.org.

Founded in 1958, Choral Art Society of the South Shore, a welcoming, 50-member non-auditioned chorus of all ages engages, inspires, and enriches its South Shore-based members and greater community by pursuing excellence through a wide-range of challenging musical programs. The chorus, which rehearses in Scituate, is dedicated to the performance of all genres of choral music, from Renaissance to 21^st century. For more information, visit choralartsociety.org.

Saturday, May 6, 4 pm, Mashpee High School, 500 Old Barnstable Road, Mashpee

Sunday, May 7, 4 pm, Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy. (Rte. 3A), Scituate

Tickets:  $25 adults, youth ages 18 and under are admitted free 

Cape Cod Chorale and Choral Art Society of the South Shore choral ensembles, soloists and orchestra conducted by Artistic Director/Conductor Danica A. Buckley

In celebration of Cape Cod Chorale’s 40^th anniversary, the chorus, collaborating with Choral Art Society of the South Shore, an orchestra, and professional soloists, present the spring concert “Tribulations, Forgiveness, and Eternal Rest.”  The performance features a program of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Requiem”, “Hiob” (Job), a cantata by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, composed in 1831, performed as a regional premiere.

Founded in 1983, Cape Cod Chorale, a 65-member non-auditioned community chorus, draws singers from middle and upper Cape Cod, from Chatham to Falmouth, truly representing the Cape Cod singing community. The Chorale promotes the beauty of choral music and provides people who love to sing the opportunity to raise their voices in harmony. For more information, visit capecodchorale.org.

Founded in 1958, Choral Art Society of the South Shore, a welcoming, 50-member non-auditioned chorus of all ages engages, inspires, and enriches its South Shore-based members and greater community by pursuing excellence through a wide-range of challenging musical programs. The chorus, which rehearses in Scituate, is dedicated to the performance of all genres of choral music, from Renaissance to 21^st century. For more information, visit choralartsociety.org.

Open House Art Gallery Opening:  Friday, May 12, 1 to 7 pm

Exhibition Dates:  On view from May 12 through June 17

Admission:  Free and open to the public during business hours

Nationally-recognized artist Sarah Hutt’s exhibit “My Mother’s Legacy” features a 1,000-line poem wood-burned into the bottom of 1,000 wooden bowls. “On each bowl is written a line from my memory that reflects a mannerism, advice, or a remark I attribute to my mother. The bowls are piled randomly onto tables, where the viewer must pick up each bowl to read it. The act of lifting each bowl reminds me of my mother, because she had the habit of turning things over to see where they were made,” shares Sarah.

When Sarah was 13, her mother died of breast cancer. Over the years, she carried around so many memory fragments that she could not fit together to fully understand who her mother had been as a person. In 1995, she began to write all the things she could remember. Out of that list came these lines that are “My Mother’s Legacy.”

Sarah Hutt is a mixed-media sculptor whose work uses everyday objects to create interactive content to engage the viewer focusing on memory, dreams and the reality they create. She is a graduate of the Boston Museum School and winner of a 5th year Fellowship (with additional studies at Boston University and Mass College of Art). As a working artist, she exhibits her work and serves as a visiting artist and lecturer to numerous museums, galleries, and organizations throughout the country. Sponsored by The Cordelia Family Foundation.

For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the James Library & Center for the Arts

Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation, and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 11 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Join us as the James transforms into an intimate nightclub, complete with Emmy-winning pianist, composer, and producer Lenny Williams, and a cast of talented local celebrities. Let us entertain you with music and storytelling that is sure to leave an impression. Come laugh and lament to tunes you know well and songs and lyrics you’ve never heard before. It is sure to be an incredible evening! Seating is limited, so grab your tickets soon!  Tickets:  VIP front row seats: $50, general admission: $35

For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the James Library & Center for the Arts

Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation, and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 11 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Thayer Academy’s Center for the Arts, 745 Washington Street, Braintree

Tickets:  $20, available 4/1 online through Dance Recital Ticketing at 29965.danceticketing.com

South Shore Ballet Theatre’s Gala features an ensemble performance along with a showcase of solo and ensemble performances by SSBT dancers that competed in the Youth America Grand Prix.

Founded in 2008, South Shore Ballet Theatre (SSBT) is the South Shore region’s pre-professional ballet school featuring world class faculty, training tomorrow’s dancers today!  SSBT’s mission is to provide students and their families with the opportunity to develop an appreciation of ballet and related dance disciplines in a safe and nurturing environment, encouraging students to strive to achieve their fullest potential, regardless of course of study.

SSBT students frequently take the performance stage including the beloved full-length production of “The Nutcracker”, their annual Spring Gala and throughout the year collaboratively with local schools and arts programs, sharing the appreciation of dance with the local community.

SSBT staff are committed to supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. All students are welcome regardless of appearance, gender, race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or disability. SSBT maintains an open-door policy so that all individuals may join the SSBT community and share this art form.

SSBT’s programs include American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT®) National Training Curriculum, a breakthrough nine-level program that combines high quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development.  The National Training Curriculum consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to provide the highest quality ballet training to dance students of all ages and skill levels.

For more information about South Shore Ballet Theatre, its programs, tuition, scholarships, and performances, visit SouthShoreBalletTheatre.com, call 781-312-7224, or follow South Shore Ballet Theatre on social media.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street, Concord

Tickets: $25 adults, $20 seniors and students, $5 children ages 12 and under

Concord Women’s Chorus performs a spring concert program of stirring works that reflect the textures and rhythms, joys, and challenges of each new day. These ‘love songs to boat songs,’ explore the joys of a life well-lived. Emma Lou Diemer’s “When You Wake,” Gwyneth Walker’s “Love Shall Live Forever,” Z. Randall Stroope’s “Lux Aeterna,” Dan Forrest’s “Ubi Caritas,” Kevin Siegfried’s “Boat Song,” and Stephen Chatman’s “Love Songs.”

Concord Women’s Chorus is a 45-singer ensemble fostering the power of women’s voices through song. Singers hail from Concord and the greater Boston area. Artistic Director Jane Ring Frank conducts the chorus performing a wide variety of choral music, ranging from early music to contemporary repertoire, with an emphasis on works written for women’s voices.

CWC’s commitment to the mastery and performance of a dynamic repertoire for women transforms the act of choral singing into an instrument for collaboration, education, and connection. The ensemble features confident singers who care deeply about creating, through women’s voices, a source of strength and inspiration for themselves, the audience, and the world around us.

For tickets or more information, email [email protected], visit concordwomenschorus.org, or follow Concord Women’s Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

Join us as the James transforms into an intimate nightclub, complete with Emmy-winning pianist, composer, and producer Lenny Williams, and a cast of talented local celebrities. Let us entertain you with music and storytelling that is sure to leave an impression. Come laugh and lament to tunes you know well and songs and lyrics you’ve never heard before. It is sure to be an incredible evening! Seating is limited, so grab your tickets soon!  Tickets:  VIP front row seats: $50, general admission: $35

For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the James Library & Center for the Arts

Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation, and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 11 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Saturday, May 20, 4 to 8 pm, rain or shine

Sunset Point Camp, 138 Edgewater Road, Hull

Tickets:  $45, children under 12 attend for free, includes catered buffet with cash bar available

The Kerry Jon Walker Fund (KJWF), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping humanity and supporting those affected by poverty, presents its annual benefit evening Art Auction.  All proceeds support the fund’s mission, including mission service trips for teens supporting sustainable programs to improve health, education, and economic opportunity for those in need.

A family friendly evening of delights awaits where art and handmade crafts from local and international fine artists are on display in a festive atmosphere. Children’s activities, live entertainment by “World Music Award” winners Kalifa & Koliba, catering by “Best of the South Shore” winner Clandestine Kitchen and a cash bar are highlights. A Rwandan market table features one-of-a-kind African treasures, fine art selections and a local services auction. Purchases make wonderful gifts, support a great cause and may be taken home the same night.

KJWF provides financially challenged urban teen students the opportunity to create global objectivity and travel abroad in charitable service.  KJWF provides student service trips to Rwanda, where they have assisted 500 orphaned teens at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. While providing service to this community abroad, the Boston teens, most never having never traveled out of the country, gain a new understanding of the developing world.

Admission and auction purchases may be paid for by cash, check and credit card on site.  To learn more or support the Kerry Jon Walker Fund, visit thekerryfund.org.

Writer Chris Haraden shares his stories of literally growing up in the shadow of Paragon Park’s Giant Coaster.  From his home on the hill behind the park, Chris learned the stories of Paragon, and the broader scope of Hull’s history, from his grandfather, a park employee best known for walking the tracks of the roller coaster each morning before the gates opened.  Chris’s first job was in the penny arcade, where he might have embellished his age to be hired and where met his future wife, Marilyn – one of the many love stories that began on the shores of Nantasket Beach.

In addition to compiling a history of Paragon Park, he wrote ‘Storm of the Century: New England’s Great Blizzard of 1978” and contributed to “Hull & Nantasket Beach: Then & Now.” He is a writer for The Hull Times and serves on the Advisory Board of the Friends of the Paragon Carousel.  Sponsored by Napier Financial and the Hull Cultural Council. Tickets: $20 adults, $10 students

For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the James Library & Center for the Arts

Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation, and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 11 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy. (Rte. 3A), Scituate, Tickets: TBA

SELA students present “El Rey León,” (The Lion King) for their end of year performance. The musical offers performers and audience alike to experience both Spanish and Mandarin languages, incorporated into the performance – languages learned and spoken SELA! All ages welcome.

Founded in 2004 in Cohasset as Su Escuela Language Academy, its private school launched with the goal of preparing English-speaking children to excel linguistically, academically, and socially in global society through instruction in a second and third language. In July of 2011, the academy expanded and opened the doors at its flagship campus in Hingham. Now established as SELA: The International Private School, its educational model has continued to expand, now offering programs for infants through age 5, in addition to the Private Elementary and Middle School programs for Kindergarten through grade 8. Today, with locations in Hingham and Norwell, SELA is the first and only Spanish full immersion school in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Currently, SELA serves nearly 300 students residing in 26 of the region’s communities. Nearly 70 highly-educated faculty members teach in full immersion programs, which includes three spoken languages at its school campuses. SELA’s flagship campus, offering programs serving children from infancy through grade 8, is located at 75 Sgt. William B. Terry Drive, Hingham.  Its recently opened second campus, currently enrolling programs for children up to age 5, is located at 137 Washington Street, Norwell.

For more information about SELA: The International Private School, its programs, tuition, and more, visit selaprivateschool.com, call 781-741-5454, and follow SELA on social media.