26TH ANNUAL BOAR'S HEAD FESTIVAL - WINSTED

First Church of Winsted located on 95 North Main Street in Winsted will present the 26th Annual Boar's Head Festival on Saturday, January 9th at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 10th at 3:30 p.m.. The Festival is "An Ancient Processional Celebrating Epiphany." It takes place in true medieval fashion complete with period costumes, live animals, and grandeur worthy of welcoming the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The Festival features continuous music with full choir, madrigal singers, organist, and brass ensemble. There are also a number of tooters, whistlers, fiddlers, pipers, dancers and drummers. The featured musical selections include Rutter's "Gloria," Adam Dressler's "O Holy Night," and Morten Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium" along with many traditional carols.

This ancient processional musical celebration of the Epiphany will feature: Medieval Pomp & Royalty, Herald Trumpeters
Carolers, Family Gentry, Woodsmen & Peasants, Good King Wenceslas & his Page, Monks, Shepherds & Their Sheep, The Holy Family & Donkey, and The Three Wise Men.  There will be performances by the Laurel City Singers, the Boar's Head Brass Ensemble and the The Boar's Head Carolers. There will also be a piper and a sword dancer.

Laurel City Singers under the direction of Adam Atkins is the featured festival choir with organist Christopher King. Also appearing will be The Boar's Head Carolers, Scottish Sword Dancer Karen LaVallee- Tente and Highland dancer Krysten McGhee with piper Ken Storrs.

Tickets are $15 Adults, $12 Senior and $9 Child 12 and under and may be purchased by calling 860-379-8966, or mail your payment and seating requests to: First Church of Winsted, ATTN: Boar's Head Festival, 95 North Main Street, Winsted, CT 06098. Make checks payable to: First Church of Winsted. Groups of 20 or more may deduct $3 from each ticket price. Doors open one half hour before each performance.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

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. 

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