LONG WHARF THEATER BACKSTAGE TOUR, sponsored by the Orange Players for members and guests, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 (Morning time to be announced) at the theater. For information and reservations, call Jacqueline Koral at 203-305-0840. Come to view the backstage workings of this venerable theater.{{more}}
THE ORANGE ARTS AND CULTURE COUNCIL will sponsor a bus to the first concert of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m., thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. The concert, “Triumphant Tchaikovsky” will spotlight Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op.64, with its breathtaking climaxes; Mendelssohn’s Concerto No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, featuring the notable 19 year-old violinist, Chad Hoope; and Theofanis’ Rex Tremende Majestatis, played on Woolsey’s awe-inspiring grand organ. At 6:45 p.m. the Student Showcase in the Woolsey Hall Rotunda will present the Woodwinds Quintet of the Neighborhood Music School, Susan Zoėlinger-Cross, Director. The NHSO is a treasure in our backyard. The OACC encourages other donors to help support their valuable transportation option for our residents. The bus for the concert will leave High Plains Community Center at 6:45 p.m. and will return to High Plains at approximately 10:30 p.m. To reserve a seat, call Pat Miller at 203-397-8915.
ART IN THE LIBRARY (176 Tyler City Road, Orange) continues the showing of the work of Radhika Malhotra and Linda Brinkerhoff through Sept. 30.
Oils, pastels, watercolors, charcoals and photographs can be viewed during regular Library hours.
THE GALLERY AT TOWN HALL (617 Orange Center Road, Orange) displays the oils of Rosemary Markham, longtime Orange resident and member of the Orange Arts and Culture Council, the Milford Fine Arts Council, Connecticut Plein Air Artists, Lyme Art Association, and the Connecticut Classic Art Council. The displayed work features Connecticut landscapes as well as landscapes throughout the United States. She is an award-winning artist who has painted in the Plein Air style of landscape painting for many years here and abroad. She has commissions and paintings in public buildings and private homes. Her work will be exhibited through Oct. 31 and can be viewed during regular Town Hall hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
CONNECTICUT NATURAL SCIENCE ILLUSTRATORS and The Peabody Museum co-sponsor a class for adults at the Peabody Continuing Education Center at Yale’s West Campus in Orange (the former Bayer facility). All beginning and experienced adults are encouraged to participate. For information go to www.CTNSI.com or ctnsi@gmail.com or call 203-934-0878.
AMERICAN LITERARY REVIEW announces its annual writing competition. Entries in three categories, Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction and Poetry are solicited and can be submitted until Oct. 1. There are $1,000 prizes in each category. For Short Fiction, there is a limit of 8,000 words, for Creative Non –Fiction, there is a limit of 6,500 words, and for Poetry, there is a limit of 1 to 3 poems per $15 entry fee. For entry information go to http://english.unt.edu/alr/contest.html.
SWING BAND “As Time Goes By,” will present a program at the Library (176 Tyler City Road, Orange) on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. Nostalgic refrains and rhythms will delight listeners (Is there room for dancing?). Classic melodies of a bygone era will fill the second floor Community Room. Call the Library at 203-891-2170 for more information.
MILFORD FINE ARTS COUNCIL (40 Railroad Avenue, Milford) opens the 2013-2014 Coffeehouse Season with the Suzanne Sheridan Band. The singer-songwriter has appeared at the Bitter End and Gertie’s Folk City. She also wrote for PBSTV. Her latest recording is of the music of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. For information and reservations, call 203-878- 6647.
THE ELLINGTON JAZZ SERIES (Sprague Hall, 470 College Street, New Haven) was founded 40 years ago when Yale President presented the first Ellington Medal to the Duke himself and a memorable series of concerts and residencies was initiated. Past concerts have featured jazz legends including Eubie Blake, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul; Robeson, Marian Anderson, Odetta, Max Roach, and Charlie Mingus, to name but a few. Series Founder and Director Willie Ruff has also appeared in concert. The Ellington Series also presents “Home Grown on Common Ground” that showcases the breadth of New Haven’s music communities by bringing together local talent and stars who have grown up in the New Haven area. Some past “Home Grown’s” have featured bassist Ben Allison, the St. Luke’s Steel Band and Orange’s own pianist, Christian Sands. The “Home Grown on Common Ground” Concert will take place on Friday, Oct. 4. For tickets and program information, call 203=432-4158.
R.J. JULIA BOOKSTORE (768 Boston Post Road, Madison) presents Samantha Gumer, who will discuss her memoir, “The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski” on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. R.J. Julia also announces Voices in the Bookstore, an opportunity for area writers of all genres — fiction, non-fiction, essays, poetry — to read from their work on Friday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. Call 203-245-3959. If you are a new writer interested in sharing your work, sign up — if you are a person interested in new writing — come listen! There is also a four-week workshop with Peter Fox on screenwriting planned, running from Sept. 21 to Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a full schedule of weekly events, go to books@rjjulia.com.
THE FIREHOUSE ART GALLERY (81 Naugatuck Avenue, Milford) continues the show Land and Sea until Friday, Sept. 27. Artwork for the next show, From Soil to Table, will take place on Friday, Sept. 27, Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday Sept. 29 from noon to4 p.m.
EASTBOUND THEATER (40 Railroad Avenue, Milford) will present “You Can’t Take It With You,” from Sept. 27 to Oct. 13. This is a classic comedy by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart featuring eccentric characters and lots of humor. Call 203-878-6647.
MAKE ART WORK, Career Strategies for Visual Artists, (GNHAC, 70 Audubon Street, New Haven) is a comprehensive program for visual artists, that begins Oct. 28, sponsored by the Greater New Haven Arts Council, The Alliance of Fairfield Council, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council with support from the Emily Remained Foundation. The program runs through June 2 and is designed to support artists who are in pursuit of a professional career as artists (actively showing and selling their work) to take the next step towards achieving their goals.
Topics include Goal Setting, Presenting and Pricing Your Work, Websites and Marketing, Working With Exhibitions, Beyond the Art gallery, Social Media and Putting It All Together. There will be six evening sessions and one Super Saturday Session. Each of the evening sessions will be held in New Haven, Hartford and Fairfield. On line registration is at www. makeartwork.org. For more information, call 203-772-2788.
SOMEWHAT OFF THE WALL is an exhibition and party given by the Greater New Haven Arts Council from which guests can take home works of art. It features drawings, jewelry, paintings, pottery, plants, textiles and woodcraft by outstanding artists who have each donated 3 pieces of their work. At 7 p.m., numbered premium tickets will be drawn and the guest who has that number can select a work of art from those displayed. Orange artist Judy Atlas is among those artists represented. For more information, call 203-772-2788.
ART STROLL AT WALNUT BEACH on Thursday, Sept. 19.The evening features art, music, food, drink – an end of the summer celebration. Participants include Sobobo Gallery (42 Naugatuck Avenue, Milford) at 6:30 p.m. for a reception, and to The Firehouse Gallery (71 Naugatuck Avenue, Milford), open from 7 to 8 p.m. Beach Gallery (2 Broadway, Milford), will feature the authors of “Sand In Our Shoes” and will unveil new art and a map of “Walnut and Myrtle Beaches-1926.” Starting at 8 p.m. D.J. Brian Smith will provide music for dancing at the corner of Naugatuck and East Broadway.
CIVIC ORCHESTRA OF NEW HAVEN, a group of 60 professional and serious musicians is seeking new string players, especially violinists. The orchestra plans to present two concerts in the 2013-2014 season. For more information about the orchestra, go to www.conh.org. To schedule an audition, go to conh@sbcglobal.net.
CALLING ALL SINGERS who would like to participate in two area groups looking for new members. The University Glee Club of New Haven is a non- auditioned group of male singers dedicated to great and enjoyable music making. They present concerts at the end of each semester and also perform for organizations and retirement facilities. Interested singers are invited to come to a rehearsal (held on Mondays-7: 15-9:30) in the chapel of Bethesda Lutheran Church (305 St. Ronan Street, New Haven) to check it out. For more information contact Lynn at 203-623-1276.