Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Start the New Year with Sherman Chamber Ensemble “Best of Baroque” Concerts

The Sherman Chamber Ensemble is pleased to announce its annual “Best of Baroque” concerts on Saturday, January 9 at 3 p.m. at Christ Church on Quaker Hill in Pawling, NY and on Sunday, January 10 at 4 p,m. at St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT.  Audiences will be treated to works by masters of the Baroque era played by the best of today’s chamber music artists.


The program will include music for harpsichord, flute and strings by Bach, Corelli and Vivaldi.  Special Guest Dylan Sauerwald, international prize winning harpsichordist will be joined by SCE Artistic Director and cellist Eliot Bailen, Susan Rotholz (flute), Michael Roth (violin), Sarah Adams (viola) and Peter Weitzner (bass).

Dylan Sauerwald is a distinctive continuo player, soloist and music director, and is active across the US and Canada. He won the first place title in chamber music at the Concours de Musique du Canada 2009 and was a finalist at the Montréal Baroque CBC / Galaxie chamber music competition 2007, both with Ensemble la Félicité. He has performed in halls from Montréal's Musée de Beaux Arts to Taipei's National Recital Hall to Boston's Goodlife bar.

Tickets for the concerts, which are open to the general public, are $30 per person at the door ($25 for students and seniors). There is a $5 discount on tickets purchased in advance ($25/20) at www.shermanchamberensemble.org or by sending a check to Sherman Chamber Ensemble, P.O. Box 578, Sherman, CT  06784.

Both concerts will be followed by an informal reception where audience members will have an opportunity to meet the musicians.  Performances at St. Andrew’s Church are presented in conjunction with the church’s Music in the Nave series.

For information and reservations, contact the Sherman Chamber Ensemble at 860-355-5930 or info@shermanchamberensemble.org. For more information www.shermanchamberensemble.org.  For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

ABOUT THE SHERMAN CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
World Class Music, Close to Home
Founded in 1983 by cellist Eliot Bailen, Artistic Director, and flutist Susan Rotholz, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble offers a year-round schedule of performances for all ages at venues in Connecticut and New York.

Guided by its mission to bring world class musicians to our communities and schools to perform a diverse range of music with an approach that is intimate and inclusive, the SCE has been described  by The New York Times as "about as close as it gets to the Platonic ideal of a chamber music concert." 

SCE offers Baroque programs, a summer chamber music series, educational activities and a year-round slate of musical events showcasing the best of live musical performance, from classical to bluegrass to jazz – plus children's and family concerts, school residencies and pop/rock coffeehouses. In addition to concert subscription and ticket sales, support for the 2015 season comes from private foundations, local businesses and many generous individual donors. 

Monday, January 4, 2016

Get galactic at Stamford Museum and Nature Center

In conjunction with the amazing new LEGO® universe, the Stamford Museum and Nature Center is hosting several interactive family workshops in January.



 On January 9 from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. there will be a Space Race activity where kids 6 and up will build and race a LEGO brick spaceship or car. 

On January 10, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m, another activity, Rebel Alliance Battle for kids 6 and up is planned. Kids will build and fly a LEGO X-Wing fighter or design your own spaceship.

On January 23 and 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m, there will be a session to teach kids how to film LEGO animation with I LUG NY facilitators. Led by Alex Kobbs, of KooberzStudios, learn and film stop-action animation with LEGO creations and mini figures. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Members: $40 (one adult & one child), $25 for each additional adult/child | Non-Members: $55 (one adult & one child), $25 for each additional adult/child (includes Museum admission). Pre-registration and pre-payment are required for all workshops. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited. Call 203.977.6521 to register.

The Stamford Museum Galleries are open, Monday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm; Sundays 11 am – 5 pm. Members: Free | Non-Members: Free with gate admission. A Billion Bricks 3: Galactic Travels runs through February 7. For more information visit stamfordmuseum.org or call 203.977.6521.  For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

A Whale of a time at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium Jan. 16-24

See what it's like to stand beside – and inside – a life-sized humpback whale in "Walk Through A Whale," part of the special fun Jan. 16-24 when The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk invites guests to "Celebrate Whales." This special week welcomes a 45-foot inflatable humpback whale into the Aquarium's central Newman's Own Hall.

Guests can stand next to the whale to get a real sense of its size.  Have your phone ready too, because it's a great selfie – you and a whale! Guests can even play Jonah and go inside the whale to see the scale of its internal organs, including its lungs, heart and stomachs. (Yes, stomachs, plural. Most baleen whales have three stomach compartments.)
The inflatable whale was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and is modeled after Salt, one of the most famous humpback whales found off New England. First seen in the mid-1970s, Salt got her name from researchers because of the unique sprinkling of white coloration on her dorsal fin. She has been studied more than any other individual whale.
Also during "Celebrate Whales" Jan. 16-24, bonus educational stations will let Maritime Aquarium guests touch real baleen, experience first-hand how blubber keeps whales warm, and learn why whale populations still haven't fully recovered from historic whaling practices.
The inflatable whale and educational activities during "Celebrate Whales" support the special exhibit "Animals Without Passports" open now through Jan. 2, 2017, in the Aquarium's IMAX® Theater lobby. Also created by NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, "Animals Without Passports" features Salt in explaining why humpbacks migrate between Cape Cod and the Caribbean, and the dangers they face en route.
The two exhibits, and bonus Aquarium activities Jan. 16-24, are all free with Aquarium admission. There's one more way to see life-sized humpback whales at The Maritime Aquarium: in the IMAX® movie "Humpback Whales," which offers amazing scenes of these beloved creatures on the Aquarium's six-story screen. The film, playing daily through May 26, lets audiences join scientists studying how the whales communicate, sing, play, feed and care for their young. Learn more about "Celebrate Whales" Jan. 16-24 – and all the exhibits, IMAX movies and programs at The Maritime Aquarium – by going to www.maritimeaquarium.org.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Momix Opus Cactus at the Warner Theatre January 9 & 10, 2016

On Saturday, January 9, 2016 and Sunday, January 10, 2016 the Warner Theatre will once again welcome the irrepressible Moses Pendelton and the internationally acclaimed dancer-illusionists troupe, MOMIX, as they present Opus Cactus on the Main Stage.

In this mesmerizing production, Opus Cactus brings the landscape of the American Southwest to life with Pendelton's signature illusionistic style to create dynamic images of cacti, slithering lizards and fire dancers which one reviewer describes as, "exploding with a sense of magic, danger, sensuality, quirkiness, humour and beauty that can be found in that often hidden world." This show is sure to captivate audiences of all ages!
MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists based out of Washington, CT and under the direction of Moses Pendelton. Known internationally, MOMIX performs on stages world-wide and has appeared in nationally-televised commercials. With nothing more than light, shadow, props and the human body, MOMIX has astonished audiences on five continents for over 35 years.
For tickets, call the Warner Box Office at (860) 489-7180 or visit www.warnertheatre.org
For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com