Community Calendar

OLD LYME — Lyme Academy of Fine Arts invites both aspiring and experienced artists of all ages to participate in a free information session on Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Interested students will have the opportunity to tour the campus and studio spaces, and to learn more about the new art class offerings for 2022-2023, including the Studio Immersion and Young Masters Afterschool Programs.

In addition, live drawing demonstrations by Academy members will provide a glimpse into the high level of instruction that students receive at the Academy.

The session will also include an opportunity to meet the faculty, including Lyme resident and acclaimed artist Rick Lacey, Director of Youth Programs, and Edmond Rochat, new Director of Continuing Education and Principal Anatomy Instructor at Lyme Academy.

A registration table will be on site to facilitate enrollment in all ongoing and upcoming classes.

De Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities, newly opened on the Academy campus, will be open during the event.

Registration for the Information Session is appreciated for planning purposes but not required. To register for the Information Session, visit this link.

The mission of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is to teach the foundational skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture in the figurative tradition. By its commitment to training students in these skills and an engagement with contemporary discourse, the Academy will empower a new generation of artists.

Through its programs and related ventures, including the opening of de Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities on its historic campus, the Academy is committed to enriching the cultural life of the community. Learn more by visiting www.lymeacademy.edu.

OLD LYME/LYME — On Saturday, Sept. 24, Lyme resident Joe Fitzgerald, pictured left, will bring his Quartet to The Side Door at the Old Lyme Inn.

The Joe Fitzgerald Quartet comprises Fitzgerald on bass, Kenny Wessel on guitar, Frank Carlberg on piano and Anthony Pinciotti on drums.

Fitzgerald has been in the thick of the New York jazz world for the last few decades, performing, recording and touring internationally with many prominent artists including John Abercrombie, Donald Brown,  Dominique Eade, Lee Konitz, Datevik Hovanesian, Bruce Barth , Ted Curson , Kenny Wessel and countless others.

He is very much looking forward to this return to The Side Door. Visit this link to purchase tickets.

Guitarist and composer, Kenny Wessel has worked in projects playing jazz, ranging from straight-ahead to free music, and continues to explore world music, investigating points of intersection between jazz and North Indian music. He has toured and recorded with Ornette Coleman for over 12 years as a member of Prime Time.

He is currently on the faculties of Western Connecticut State University and the New York Jazz Workshop. For more info, visit www.kenwessel.com, or to contact Kenny, [email protected].

Originally a native of Helsinki, Finland, Frank Carlberg has carved himself quite a niche in the New York jazz community. As a leader, Frank’s groups include the Frank Carlberg’s Word Circus, the Tivoli Trio and The Frank Carlberg Large Ensemble.

In addition to his playing and composing activities Carlberg also serves on the faculty at New England Conservatory. He is also a partner in Red Piano Records, an artist run cooperative label.

Anthony Pinciotti is a dynamic, innovative drummer well versed in jazz, rock, and world music. Based in New York City, Anthony performs and tours extensively with many of the most vital and forward-looking musicians on the scene today.

For more information about The Side Door, visit this link.

OLD SAYBROOK — On Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m., Salt Marsh Opera presents a double bill at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center — ‘The Kate’ — in Old Saybrook.

It’s all about family dynamics in Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini and Trial by Jury by Gilbert & Sullivan. These one-act comedies by two of opera’s most famous composers are sure to be sold, out so reserve your tickets soon.

Gianni Schicchi, Puccini’s only comedy, is a laugh-out-loud farce about the Donati Family and the passing of their not so dearly beloved patriarch, Buoso Donati. The family fortune hangs in the balance as each member of the family looks to bend the late Buoso’s will to their advantage with the help of the conniving Gianni Schicchi.

In Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, the hijinks move into the courtroom when a jilted bride and her philandering groom battle it out in divorce court in this slightly updated production of the G&S classic.

Purchase tickets at this link for Friday and this link for Sunday.

OLD SAYBROOK — On Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m., Salt Marsh Opera presents a double bill at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center — ‘The Kate’ — in Old Saybrook.

It’s all about family dynamics in Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini and Trial by Jury by Gilbert & Sullivan. These one-act comedies by two of opera’s most famous composers are sure to be sold, out so reserve your tickets soon.

Gianni Schicchi, Puccini’s only comedy, is a laugh-out-loud farce about the Donati Family and the passing of their not so dearly beloved patriarch, Buoso Donati. The family fortune hangs in the balance as each member of the family looks to bend the late Buoso’s will to their advantage with the help of the conniving Gianni Schicchi.

In Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, the hijinks move into the courtroom when a jilted bride and her philandering groom battle it out in divorce court in this slightly updated production of the G&S classic.

Purchase tickets at this link for Friday and this link for Sunday.

OLD LYME — This Friday, Dec. 2, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., the public is invited to join a group of “Members with Cameras” from the Lymes’ Senior Center when they host an Opening Reception for a show of their photographs. The show will be held in Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall on Lyme St. These folks have been learning techniques related to expanding and enhancing the use of phones as cameras from long-time photographer, exhibitor, and instructor Fred Verillo. Choosing a subject and then improving it with photographic editing apps are just a few of the topics that have been covered in Verillo’s workshops. All are welcome to the free reception. Refreshments will be served.

DEEP RIVER, CT. — Cappella Cantorum will return to John Winthrop Middle School (JWMS, Deep River, CT) for the 2022-2023 season after a two-year absence.  Rehearsals are in full swing for the upcoming winter concert, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Other Holiday Favorites, to be performed Sunday, Dec 4, at 3 p.m. at JWMS.  Mark your calendar to join this musical celebration of the holidays.

Music Director Simon Holt will conduct, and the featured soloists are mezzo-soprano Rachel Abrams and bass-baritone Christopher Grundy. The chorus will be accompanied by pianist Patrice Newman and the Cappella Cantorum Orchestra.

Ticket prices are $15 for students, $30 for adults and $35 at the door. Tickets may be purchased in advance through any chorus member, on the Cappella Cantorum website through the link below, or by calling 860-532-0454.

This year marks the 53rd season of Cappella Cantorum, which was founded in Jan. 1970. The group has built a close partnership with the Region 4 School District for more than 30 years where Cappella can be found rehearsing at JWMS on Monday evenings and performing in the school district’s auditoria. Cappella has also donated acoustic sound shells to enhance the JWMS auditorium stage.

When COVID hit Connecticut in early 2020, Cappella Cantorum halted rehearsals that were already underway at JWMS and canceled its May concert. From Sept. 2020 to April 2021, the group hosted a popular Zoom series to help singers stayed connected and continue learning about music-related topics.

With the availability of COVID vaccines and improved treatments, the group began to plan its return to in-person singing for Fall 2021. However, changing state COVID guidelines made it difficult for Region 4 to allow community groups in school facilities, so Cappella rehearsals were moved to Trinity Lutheran Church in Centerbrook for the 2021-2022 season.

“We were so pleased to be coming back to JWMS for our rehearsals,” said Carol Cherry, President of Cappella Cantorum.“ Returning to John Winthrop is one step closer to normal for all of us.”

Cappella Cantorum is the premiere, non-auditioned, community choral group of the Connecticut Shoreline and Lower Connecticut River Valley. Its primary purpose is to give singers of all ages the opportunity to learn, perform, share, and enjoy great choral music. In addition to twice yearly concerts, the group promotes music education and appreciation through summer singing programs, vocal training workshops, Messiah Sing & Listen events, and other events open to the public.

Cappella Cantorum has no audition requirement and welcomes people of all ages who like to sing and want to expand their music knowledge and skills. This opportunity renews again on Monday, Jan 9, 2023, when you can register and join Cappella for their first rehearsal as the singers and administration prepare for their spring concert scheduled for Sunday, April 4, 2023, 3pm, at JWMS. Rehearsals are generally held at 7 p.m. on Monday nights in JWMS.

For more information, visit cappellacantorum.org or call 860-532-0454.

OLD LYME / OLD SAYBROOK — The Old Lyme Town Band (OLTB) under the direction of Richard Chiappetta, gives two holiday concerts this season. The first was on Sunday, Dec.11, and the second is on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m., when the band will perform at The Kate, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. Tickets for this concert are $8 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and can be purchased online at this link or at the door. Numbers for the performance at ‘The Kate’ include Farandole by Georges Bizet, which is not a seasonal piece but rather an exciting work that builds in speed and volume in all sections until the end and Lo, How A Rose E’r Blooming, a Christmas carol and Marian hymn of German origin, which is hauntingly beautiful. Those who have attended OLTB concerts in the past may remember the festive sounds of Hanukkah, a festive medley. A Very Merry (Minor) Christmas was written by the OLTB Director based on the tune of O come O come Emmanuel, but in a minor key. And who doesn’t love the OLTB’s closing number, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride … and by the way, we hear they do a great whip-crack! The band welcomes new members of all ages, from talented middle-school students to seniors, without audition when rehearsals begin again in January. The band rehearses at Christ the King Church in Old Lyme on Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. Visit the band’s website at http://www.oldlymetownband.com or speak to any band member to add your name to the band’s mailing list.