Jazz and Chamber Music Concerts @ Westport Arts Center

Continuing Westport's legacy as a performing arts destination, the Westport Arts Center is excited to announce its upcoming Chamber and Jazz Music line-up featuring both internationally renowned talent and local rising performers.

The season will run from through May 2017 with concerts scheduled to take place at the Westport Arts Center and the Saugatuck Congregational Church in Westport, CT.

The Arts Center's Jazz series will begin with a solo performance by Steve Katz, a former member of Blood, Sweat and Tears, on Sunday October 16, 2016 at 3 p.m. The concert will be accompanied by a book signing by Mr. Katz of Is Steve Katz a Rock and Roll Star?

New to the Jazz schedule this year are two Thursday night concerts -- featuring Alta and Matt DeChamplain on November 3 and The Saxtet under the direction of Darren Litzie on January 19, 2017 -- a great way to spend the evening after work.

Unique to the Westport Arts Center series, each concert includes commentary by the Arts Center's Performing Arts curators, which will provide an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation for the music performers and genres.

Individual concert tickets and season tickets are now available for both the Chamber and Jazz Music series. Season ticket holders enjoy significant benefits. In addition to a cost savings of up to 15%, season ticket holders receive reserved preferred seating at all concerts and an opportunity to engage with the musicians immediately following the concerts. The tickets are transferable. New to 2016-17, each season ticket holder will also receive the benefit of sponsoring two students to also attend a concert.

Tickets can be purchased at www.westportartscenter.org or by calling the Westport Arts Center at 203/222-7070. A limited number of discounted Senior tickets will be available for presale at the Westport Center for Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Avenue, Westport. Corporate sponsorship and group ticket opportunities are also available.

Chamber Music Concert Schedule

Jenny Lin

Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 3 p.m. at the Saugatuck Congregational Church

Jenny Lin is one of the most respected young pianists today, admired for her adventurous programming and charismatic stage presence.

The Heida Hermanns International Voice Competition (Unitarian Church Westport)

Semi Finals: November 5

Finals: November 6

Now in its 45th year, the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition is a showcase for exceptional musicians from around the world. The Competition is held annually on a rotating basis in voice, strings and piano and is a springboard for the careers of extraordinarily talented musicians. Presented by the Connecticut Alliance for Music.

Pedja

Sunday, December 4, 2016 at 3 p.m. at the Saugatuck Congregational Church

Hailed by critics as a "thinking" musician with engaging stage presence and a gratifying combination of virtuosity and eloquence, pianist Pedja Muzijevic has defined his career with creative programming, unusual combinations of new and old music, and lasting collaborations with other artists and ensembles.

Horszowski Trio

Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 3 p.m. at the Saugatuck Congregational Church

Described by The New Yorker as "destined for great things," when the members of the Horszowski Trio - Jesse Mills, Raman Ramakrishnan, and Rieko Aizawa - played together for the first time, they immediately felt the spark of a unique connection.

Jason Vieaux

Sunday, April 7, 2017 at 3 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, "among the elite of today's classical guitarists" (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. NPR describes Vieaux as, "perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation."

Jazz Music Concert Schedule

Steve Katz

Sunday, October 16, 2016, 3 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center

A previous member of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Katz' performance will feature a solo concert and a book signing for Is Steve Katz a Rock and Roll Star?

Alta and Matt De Champlain

Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center

Performing together since they were 15, the DeChamplains focus on Jazz standards. For this special performance, they will perform the music of Jewish composers.

The Saxtet under direction of Darren Litzie

Thursday, January 19, 2017, at 7 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center

Pianist, composer and educator Darren Litzie will perform a tribute to Benny Goodman and Stan Getz.

Jazz Jam

Sunday, February 26, 2017, at 3 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center

Free-wheeling jam session with community musicians, including Jazz, Blues, and other styles.

Greg Wall

Sunday, March 5, 2017, 3 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center

Rabbi Wall (also known as "the Jazz Rabbi") is a celebrated musician and recording artist who performs a blend of jazz, world, and Jewish music.

The Art of Watchmaking at the American Clock and Watch Museum

The American Clock and Watch Museum located on 100 Maple Street in Bristol is hosting a special lecture on the art of watchmaking on Sunday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m.  Watch expert, David Sokosh the the owner of Brooklyn Watches, a New York based company be the guest lecturer. He builds wrist watches by combining vintage Swiss pocket watch movements from the 1960's and 70's, a variety of dials and contemporary stainless steel wrist watch cases.

Sokosh has always been fascinated by the late nineteenth century, from furniture to printing presses to clocks.  He studied traditional gelatin silver photography at Western Connecticut State University, but his muse led him to explore wet-plate collodion and tintype, techniques used by Matthew Brady during the Civil War.  In the middle of his college career, he took time off to apprentice with a clockmaker, in Bethel, CT, and learned about antique mechanical clocks, which led to an interest in mechanical watches, which led to his creation of Brooklyn Watches, in 2009.

He began selling his watches at the Brooklyn Flea and on the web. To date he has built and sold nearly 500 of these unusual mechanical watches. 

Sokosh will speak about the history of clocks and watches, his interest in vintage technologies, and how he started Brooklyn Watches while disassembling and then re-assembling one of his time pieces.

A reception with light refreshments will be held prior to the program. The event is $5 for museum members and $10 for non-members. To purchase tickets for this special program in advance, please call the museum  860-583-6070 or drop by when the museum is open--seven days a week, from 10-5. Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.

About  The American Clock & Watch Museum 

 The museum houses one of the largest collections of American clocks and watches in the world with approximately 6,000 timepieces in its collection. As visitors travel through the museum’s eight galleries, many timekeeping devices chime and strike upon the hour.  Located in the historic "Federal Hill" district of Bristol, the museum is housed in an 1801 Federal-style home with a sundial garden that is meticulously maintained by the members of the Bristol Garden Club.

The museum is open daily  from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  There is an admission charge. For more information, call 860-583-6070 or go to www.clockandwatchmuseum.org.

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Dots Obsession - Alive, Seeking for Eternal Hope @ The Glass House

This September, from the first through the twenty-sixth the Glass House located on Elm Street in New Canaan Connecticut is hosting a very special installation for a limited time called Dots Obsession - Alive, Seeking for Eternal Hope by Kusama.

Photo © YAYOI KUSAMA

Yayoi Kusama: Narcissus Garden at the Glass House New Canaan, Connecticut May 1 to November 30, 2016

Photo © YAYOI KUSAMA

Photo © YAYOI KUSAMA

Yayoi Kusama: Narcissus Garden at the Glass House

New Canaan, Connecticut

May 1 to November 30, 2016

In this  installation, Kusama creates an "infinity room" experience with the Glass House itself covered with polka dots.  Visitors who attend the exhibition during this period will be offered the unique experience to simultaneously see the world through the eyes of both Philip Johnson and Yayoi Kusama.  The Glass House's window walls and doors allow the artist to create a one-of-a-kind signature "infinity room." 

The polka dots directly engage the architecture of the Glass House, complementing its structure and aesthetics, breathing new life into the house.  For Kusama, the polka dot represents an individual, its own universe. Similarly, Philip Johnson created his own private universe at the Glass House, sculpting every aspect of landscape experience into his own universe.  

In addition, the landscape Narcissus Garden also by Kusama will also be on view.  The Narcissus Garden comprising 1,300 floating steel spheres, each approximately 12 inches in diameter (30 cm) has ben installed in the Lower Meadow and forest, creating a dramatic view to the west of the Glass House. Drifting in the newly restored pond, the spheres will move with the wind and follow the pond's natural currents, forming a kinetic sculpture. Their mirrored surfaces will reflect the surrounding Pond Pavilion (1962), wooded landscape, and sky.

The Glass House is open Thursday - Monday from 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 pm and tickets start at $25 and includes a tour of the site. For more information www.theglasshouse.org.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Local Lore and Ghostly Thrills Await at “A Haunting at Mill Hill”!

As the sun sets, the spirits come out to play... Take a lantern-lit tour through the old Mill Hill graveyard at the Norwalk Historical Society's 6th annual, “A Haunting at Mill Hill”, Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22, 2016. Mill Hill is located at 2 East Wall Street, Norwalk, CT. 

 Listen to NEW chilling tales from eerie Norwalk spirits at 6:00pm, 7:30pm & 9:00pm. Each tour is approximately 1 hour.  Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.norwalkhistoricalsociety.org, starting October 1st. Early bird tickets are available through October 19th. Refreshments follow each tour in the historic 1826 “Little Red  Schoolhouse”.  Bring a flashlight and a friend!  Not recommended for children under 8 years old.

Among the crooked stones of Mill Hill, the ghostly entities are waiting to share their stories of death, murder, destruction and mayhem.  Norwalk mobster and murder victim, Luigi Apicella and rabies victim, Myron Olmstead, will be a couple of the ghosts you will meet from Norwalk's colorful past.  All the stories are true and researched by local historians, Madeleine and Ed Eckert.

Watch your back, as you make your way through the graveyard… new ghostly thrills will await you!  Local haunted house and special effects experts Greg Kling and George Holomakoff have joined the Haunting team to incorporate a few bone-chilling surprises! 

Ticket sales begin October 1, 2016 online at www.norwalkhistoricalsociety.org.  Early bird tickets available through October 19th - Adults/Teen: $15.00 & Child (8-12): $10.00.  Tickets purchased after October 19th or at the door (if available) - Adults/Teens: $18.00 & Child (8-12): $12.00. The net proceeds support the Norwalk Historical Society's education programs and museum exhibits. The Norwalk Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 

For more information visit www.norwalkhistoricalsociety.org, e-mail info@norwalkhistoricalsociety.org , or call 203-846-0525. 

For more area information and to sign up for a monthly newsletter www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Two top events in western CT for foodies!

The aroma of steaming chowder and the tantalizing scent of garlic, await autumn visitors to Western Connecticut, home to three of the season's top food festivals.

Chowdafest, New England's largest cooking competition, will be held at Westport's Sherwood Island State Park on October 2, a new location spacious enough to accommodate the growing fan base, while another popular event, the tenth annual Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival takes place October 8-9, 2016 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds.

YOU ARE THE JUDGE AT CHOWDAFEST

At this SOUPerbowl of festivals to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank, attendees are the judges as more than two dozen of the regions best restaurants compete in four categories: classic New England Clam Chowder, Traditional Manhattan and Rhode Island chowders, "creative" chowders that might be anything from sweet potato to Cajun shrimp, and bisque soups such as Butternut Squash and Golden Corn. Everyone receives a spoon, pencil and ballot and can sample unlimited chowder and soups, grading entries on a scale from 7 to 10. Winners are announced at the end of the event.
For tasting variety, samples are offered at the Cheese and Cracker Corner, at ChowdaMex featuring salsas and chips and at a beverage center stocked with beer and wine. The ChowdaKIDS area will provide samples of ice cream and milk as well as free chef hats, coloring books and stickers provided by Stop & Shop, the event sponsor.
Admission is $15 for adults, and ages 6 to 12 pay $5, children under 6 are free. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds from this food festival to fight hunger have provided over 100,000 meals for the CT Food Bank. For information, see www.chowdafest.org

GARLIC IN ITS GLORY

Foodies flock each year to the Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival where they enjoy cooking demonstrations, informative food talks, lessons in growing garlic, plus free samplings of garlic dips, spreads, cheeses and oils from specialty food vendors. Visitors can buy farm-fresh garlic as well as other bounty from the fall harvest. All of that is the warm-up for some serious eating that includes treats like homemade roasted garlic sausage with peppers and onions, garlic marinated steak sandwiches, garlic roast pork sandwiches, deep fried garlic, and even garlic ice cream.
Live bands add to the festive feel, fine artisans are on hand offering hand made crafts and young visitors will find rides and games to keep them entertained.

The Garlic Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday October 8 and 9 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, Route 61 just north of town. Adult admission is $8, Seniors: $7, under age 12, just $1. Find more details at www.garlicfestct.com

Calling all auction lovers to Falls Village Oct. 15

The David M. Hunt Library is now selling tickets for its 15^th Annual Auction in the Village to be held on Saturday, October 15 from 5-8pm at the Center on Main in Falls Village.  Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door on the day of the event.  Tickets can be purchased at the library, by calling 860-824-7424, or by visiting http://www.huntlibrary.org.

This year’s Auction in the Village will feature live and silent auctions, catering by Ciesco Catering Company, music by Vance Cannon and wine, beer, and the library’s signature Green Man Grog.  A silent auction will take place 5 and 7pm with a live auction conducted by Betsy Howie starting at 7:15pm sharp.  

The Silent Auction will feature a broad selection of quality auction items including artisan crafts, artworks, items for the home, kitchen and garden, and the season’s hottest new books.  Day passes to Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, a Kate Spade handbag, tickets to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and gift certificates from area restaurants. 

The Live Auction will have Betsy Howie returning as auctioneer to celebrate the library’s 125 years of service the community.   In addition to a pair of premium tickets and a backstage tour of the Broadway hit WICKED, there will be two nights at the top-rated New Orleans B&B La Belle Esplanade.  The jewel of the Live Auction will be a European Holiday Markets Viking River Cruise for two with travel taking place by the end of this year.  This 8-day cruise focuses on European holiday traditions old and new and includes a Category D cabin and on-board meals.  Air travel not included.  Choose between four different cruises along the Danube, Rhine, or Seine.  Destinations include Paris and Normandy, or Austria, Hungary, Germany, and Slovakia.  Plan now for your holiday cruise from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.  Full details can be found at huntlibrary.org/events/auction-in-the-village.

Auction in the Village is one of the NW Corner’s most popular social events and a great opportunity for the community to support the Hunt Library and make new friends.  Dress is casual.  Cash and checks only.  All proceeds benefit the David M. Hunt Library, a 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization. 

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

New England's Largest Haunted Graveyard & Witch's Dungeon...

It is that spooky time of year again and Bristol Connecticut in the Litchfield Hills is "spook central"!

This will be the 50th year for the annual Witches Dungeon Halloween Classic Movies Museum in Bristol. The Graveyard Of Classic Ghouls sets the atmosphere as you enter the dungeon where accurate life-size figures of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, and others are featured in 13 scenes or dioramas based on the vintage movie chillers. Many of the figures are made from the actual life casts of the actor's faces, plus some original costumes or props, in a wax museum style setting with special voice tracks by Vincent Price, Mark Hamill, and John Agar. Many Hollywood props are on display and vintage films may be shown outdoors, weather permitting.

While waiting for each wax museum tour, you can view actual film props, actor's life casts and movie posters, or step into our film room, to view classic silent horror movies, shown on film, not video. Featuring far more life size figures & original movie props than we have ever had on display before! Figures based on the classic films of Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and more.

The new location for Witches Dungeon is 98 Summer Street, Bristol Historical Society in Bristol. The hours are Friday through Sunday evenings, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, Oct 7-9, Oct. 14-16, Oct.21-23 and Oct. 28-31. The Museum is not recommended for children under age 7. For additional information visit http://www.preservehollywood.org.

The Witch's Dungeon is also planning several special guest appearances this year in honor of their 50th anniversary. On October 1, from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Victoria Price, Vincent Price's daughter  and Puppeteer & director, Bill Diamond will be guests of the museum. On October 21, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Daniel Roebuck - actor in films - "Final Destination" & "River's Edge" will be on hand and on October 31 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Sara Karloff, Boris Karloff's daughter  and Puppeteer & Director, Bill Diamond will be guests of the museum.  

For chills, make haste to the Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce Family Theme Park in Bristol, which has been called "The granddaddy of the horrifically good time." An unholy order of monks keep watch over the graves in the dark caverns of the Catacombs here and a dark and misty fog envelops the graveyard where zombies and night stalkers have wakened from the dead. Some are real, others are amazing animatronic creations made by The Haunted Graveyard's crazed staff. Recommended for adults, teens and very brave children, the park opens at dusk weekends from September 30 through October 30, and runs to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Lake Compounce will also be operating 17 thrill rides including Boulder Dash, Ghost Hunt, Down Time, and Zoomerang. Proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Associations. For tickets visit https://www.lakecompounce.com or http://hauntedgraveyard.com.

To sign up for our monthly newsletter on Litchfield Hills and Fairfield County visit www.litchfieldhills.com

Take a scenic autumn stroll in Saugatuck

On Saturday, October 8 join the Westport Historical Society for one of its most popular walking tours, a stroll through Old Saugatuck accompanied by guide Bob Mitchell. The one-hour tour begins at 3:00  p.m. and ends with a drink on the house at one of Saugatuck’s favorite haunts, the Black Duck.

As you make your way through the neighborhood that sits along the tracks near the Westport train station, Mitchell will discuss Saugatuck’s past as a manufacturing hub and the tight-knit, predominantly Italian community it was to become. Most of what we now know as Westport was once called Saugatuck, after the river, though when the town was incorporated in 1835 from parts of Norwalk and Fairfield, it was given the name Westport.

The walk will begin at the NY-bound side of the train station, where rail service was launched in 1848, making Westport more accessible for visitors and, in turn, giving residents better access to New York City. Railroad construction brought an influx of jobs, filled mostly by Irish and Italian laborers, and the young community eventually was called Little Italy. In 1958, a swath of buildings bisecting Saugatuck was demolished to make way for the Connecticut Turnpike.

Here are some bits of Saugatuck lore you’ll learn about: The Saugatuck Grain & Supply Company (1929), Luciano Park, the Westport Bank & Trust branch office, the Hedenbury Tin Shop, the Banyan Coffin Tack Factory, the first Saugatuck firehouse, the mattress factory, the William F. Cribari Bridge (the oldest movable span in Connecticut), and the Saugatuck Manufacturing Company, which made buttons from Brazilian ivory nuts. In addition you will hear wonderful stories from people who gre up in Saugatuck when life was simple and family ties strong.

The tour was created to give participants insights into Westport’s history and show how resilient Westporters have been in retaining the character of our town, even as the landscape changes and Saugatuck undergoes an impressive renaissance. There is a $10 donation. Members $8. Children 12 and under are free. Reservations are suggested: (203) 222-1424. Meet in the Saugatuck Railroad Station, NY-bound side.

For more area event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

America's Pastimes: Sports and Recreation in Litchfield @ Litchfield History Museum

This season, the Litchfield History Museum has planned an exhibition celebrating the world of sports in Litchfield as it exemplifies one of America's favorite generational pastimes.

Sports and recreation are universal experiences. Whether we make it to the big leagues or never leave our backyards, these activities play important roles in our lives. They promote health and wellness as well as leisure and relaxation. They teach us about competition, but also about working together. They help build teams and form lasting relationships. Above all else, they encourage us to move, to think, and to interact.

This exhibit highlights the role of sports and recreation in Litchfield from its founding to today, showcasing the stories and experiences of Litchfield residents, players, coaches, fans, and enthusiasts. To communicate the active nature of this history, the exhibit groups together sports, games, and leisure activities of both past and present based on the actions they entail, from swinging a tennis racket to playing a game of chess. The exhibit incorporates several hands-on interactives for visitors to enjoy.

So whether you want to swing a bat with the Tri-State Champion Cowboys, race your way through the Litchfield Hills, splash around in Bantam Lake, ride a high wheel to the town green, score a basket in the school gym or play cricket with the students of the Law School, this is one exhibit you won't want to miss!

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

New art show@ Gregory James Gallery Capturing the Essence of Special Moments at Treasured Places

New landscapes and seascapes by Thomas Adkins  that capture the essence of special moments at treasured places compose the new art show at the Gregory James Gallery located on 93 Park Lane in New Milford Connecticut.  The power of this show will attract discerning people who cherish the landscapes around them and those that find it more and more difficult to stay connected to the sublime feeling they have when, for example, a passing storm creates high drama in the sky above white farmhouses and idle green pastures bordered by autumnal trees shrugging off leaves.

Increasingly the power of Southbury Conn., artist Tom Adkins’ paintings lies in his power to pull off a form of artistic alchemy. He doesn’t merely produce masterful realistic landscapes and seascapes, he manages to synthesize the feeling of a place at the exact moment when its emotional impact has reached an apogee—one that will be gone in a flash but also remains forever in Adkins’ painting of the scene.
“My goal is to capture that fleeting moment in time when atmospheric conditions and lighting, along with the natural design in nature, seem to bring a bit of magic to the landscape,” the artist says, and he has done that better than ever in the 30 new Connecticut landscapes and Maine seascapes to be presented in a solo exhibition Oct. 8 through Nov. 12 at the Gregory James Gallery in New Milford. An opening reception is scheduled for Oct. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the gallery.

“I’m trying to capture that moment in time. It has an effect on me and that’s what I try to share with people,” elaborates the artist, who mentions a particular fondness for a painting of a bucolic twilight scene in Bethlehem, Conn. As a cow drinks along the edge of farm pond flushed with the reflection of the orangey-peach sunset, above still-green grass salted by early snow, geese hasten toward warmer climes and bare trees stand like sentinels of winter. “I have noticed over the years with these solo exhibitions that my work is getting much more defined,” Adkins says. “All paintings start out very rough and painted in a broad brush stroke, and as the painting develops and I push and pull the warm and cool tones helping to enhance the sense of perspective and atmosphere striving for that reality of location.”

For Thomas Adkins, it’s not simply a matter of heading to his outdoor “office” and finding the perfect situation in the rural hills of Northwest Connecticut or the coast of Maine, where he has a property. 
“I spend a great deal of time traveling to familiar locations in New England waiting for those special conditions,” the artist says. 

When everything is right about the place and time, then the challenge begins for this veteran en plein air painter. “It is my desire to share with others that special bond we have as humans with the natural beauty around us, which is so often lost in the day-to-day challenges of life,” he says. “Creating a painting is not about copying a subject, it’s more about transferring your feeling and thoughts, your first impression and something about yourself to the canvas. In landscape painting, you’re not painting an object like a portrait, your composing a color and compositional score not unlike a musical score and hopefully your viewers will have felt that experience.”

Traveling back and forth between Maine and Connecticut offers the artist a great deal of geographic variety, although the hills around Litchfield county and coastal Maine have a very similar quiet presence, Adkins says. However, the lighting is quit different. Maine seems to have a softer and cooler feel than Connecticut’s brighter condition.

“The small towns and villages of both locations share something unique I believe a wonder of what it may have been like in years gone by,” the artist says.

Thomas Adkins has been showing and exhibiting for over 30 years in some of the Northeast’s finest galleries and has won numerous awards. He has shown in number of museums and is in the Permanent Collection of the New Britain Museum of Fine Art. A graduate of Paier College of Art of New Haven, who also completed graduate classes at the School of Visual Arts of New York, he has worked as art director and creative director for some of Connecticut’s and New York’s most prestigious advertising agencies.

For more information, call the Gregory James Gallery at (860) 354-3436. The gallery’s website is www.gregoryjamesgallery.com, and the artist’s website is www.thomasadkinsfineart.com.

For more area information and to sign up for our monthly newsletter www.litchfieldhills.com