Music
• Classical guitarist Richard Ullman at BMC: Brattleboro Music Center faculty member Richard Ullman will present a classical guitar recital on Saturday, April 2, 7:30 pm at The Stone Church at the corner Main and Grove streets.
Ullman will be presenting a wide range of classical guitar pieces that will take the listener on a tour from 16th century Italy, to early 18th century Germany, through 19th and 20th century Catalonia, with pieces by Albeniz and Mompou, ending up back in the States, with contemporary American guitar selections.
Ullman has been a teacher at the Brattleboro Music Center since 1991. Some of Ullman credits include his winning a national guitar competition in Washington, D.C., and even a screen credit: Ullman can be heard playing in the movie Meet the Parents . Tickets are $15, free to BMC students under 22. Visit www.bmcvt.org or call 802-257-4523 for more information.
• Fraser and Haas play in Brattleboro: Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, a fiddle-cello duo known for its exquisite presentation of Scottish-inspired music, will be in concert on Sunday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m., at the First Baptist Church on Main Street in Brattleboro.
Fraser is a world-famous fiddler who has a passionate and extensive following. He is recognized as one of the finest fiddlers and performers Scotland has ever produced and tours all over the world to great acclaim. In this more intimate configuration as a duo, Fraser and Haas will take their audience on a journey that includes haunting Gaelic laments and airs, spirited dance tunes and improvisations based on traditional and original themes.
Over the years, he has sought out musical companions who could match his passion, creativity and musical courage. Into this position stepped Natalie Haas, a cellist who first came to Fraser's West Coast music camp called Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School as an 11-year old. Haas and Fraser played their first concert together when she was 15. While she finished her schooling at Juilliard, they continued to perform and develop their singular sound. Now living in Montreal, Haas has a rich and varied musical life of performing, teaching, all the while inspiring young cellists eager to redefine the role of cello in traditional music and beyond.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and can be purchased on line at BrattleboroTix.com or call 802-257-1571 for more information.
• Heatons play at Headroom Stages: Sharing a love of traditional music and a penchant for presenting it with new interpretations, Boston duo Matt and Shannon Heaton and English singer Hannah Sanders and her musical partner Liz Simmons will bring warmth and comeraderie to a shared show at Headroom Stages at 17 Elliot Street in Brattleboro on Sunday, April 10, at 7 p.m. For tickets, go to www.headroomstages.com or contact aaron@headroomstages.com for more information.
Though their music represents different traditions and presentations (the Heatons play upbeat Irish dance tunes alongside evocative traditional-style singing, while Sanders/Simmons present moody English ballads and heartfelt original folk songs) their musical collaborations are enhanced by deep, personal friendship and a shared love of musical tradition.
Shannon Heaton and Liz Simmons have an additional musical connection through their band Long Time Courting. This all-female traditional and original folk ensemble recently performed to a full house at Stone Church Arts in Bellows Falls. Husband-and-wife Matt and Shannon Heaton offer updated and traditional Irish music on flute, guitar and voices. They have a fun, appealing stage show and a knack for engaging audiences.
Kicking off the performance will be a fresh, new duo of Hannah Sanders and Liz Simmons. They will present music which draws from English and American traditions, with traditional ballads as well as their own original material.
• Jamboree benefits Senior Meals: Brattleboro Senior Meals will host a fundraising jamboree on Sunday, April 10, from 1-6 p.m., at the VFW Hall on Black Mountain Road.
Brattleboro Senior Meals is a nonprofit food service organization that assumes the responsibility of meals preparation and distribution for the over 60 and disabled population of the greater Brattleboro area. Its programs include Meals on Wheels, Congregate Dining, and meals for The Gathering Place. Nearly two-thirds of the funding for BSM comes through government sources. The remainder is raised through participant donations, local sources and fundraising.
The host band for the jamboree is Wyld Nightz. They will be joined by The Miles Band, Electric Fence and the Guest Whoz. There will be food, raffles, drawings and door prizes. Admission is $5 per person. Doors open at noon. Call 802-257-1236 for further information.
Performing arts
• Spell Check! returns to Latchis: On Saturday, April 2, the Brattleboro Arts Initiative will host its third annual Spell Check! A Spelling Bee for Grown-Ups fundraiser on the main stage of the Latchis Theatre.
The 2010 champs, Straglurrs, will defend their title. And, the 2009 champs, To Bee or Not to Bee, will vie to win the title back. But, competition will be fierce from the other teams: NewBees, Spellebrities, Hilltop MontesSPELLori, Three and a Half Spellers, Godspell, Hoi Polloi, Dottie's Damsels, Spell Hath No Fury, Frankly, Scarlett, and as yet-unnamed team from The Commons.
So far, 13 three-person teams have registered to not only win the bragging rights but also the opportunity to display their team name or short phrase on the Latchis Theatre marquee. Returning once more for this fun-packed evening are Judge Archer Mayor's bicycle horn, Beekeeper Jim Maxwell's pronouncements, Alfred Hughes' many gown changes, and Master of Ceremonies Tom Bodett's tapestry of words, stories and running jokes.
Proceeds benefit Brattleboro Arts Initiative. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 for adults, $8 for kids at the door.
• Murder mystery dinner at BFUHS: On Friday, April 8, at 6 p.m., the Bellows Falls Union High School cafeteria will be transformed into a dinner theater as the Dramatic Performance Class presents My Fatal Valentine .
Dinner will include salad and garlic bread, chicken parmesan, sparkling lemonade and strawberry shortcake for dessert.
Dramatic Performance students Chase Perkins, Scott Martin, Rachel Greenberg, Jordan Adams, Basil Ketchum, Drew Guild, Rachel Hollar, Bruce Wells, Ryan Hitchcock, Spencer Martin, and Allen Scott will perform in a story about a convention of romance writers where the contenders for the LoveKnot Book of the Year Award are anxious to find out who wins the prize.
Editor Benton Fish tries to keep the award ceremonies civilized amid jealousies and rivalries. When the winner is announced and then abruptly murdered, it will be up to the amateur detectives in the audience to vote for who they think “dunit.”
Tickets are $15 and must be purchased in advance at BFUHS or by contacting any of the students involved. All proceeds will support the Dramatic Performance class upcoming trip to New York City, as well as the foods class.
For more information about Spell Check! A Spelling Bee for Grown-Ups, contact Gail Nunziata at 802-254-1109, ext. 3, or info@brattleboroarts.org.
• Southern Vermont Players host auditions: The Southern Vermont Players, under the direction of Bob DuCharme, announce auditions for the Neil Simon comedy, The Prisoner of Second Avenue.
The play revolves around the lives of Mel Edison and his wife Edna, who live on the 14th floor of an overpriced East Side apartment in New York City. Mel was once a well-paid executive of a New York company. Recently, the company has found the need to pare its payroll to make ends meet. As a result, Mel receives the axe. To help out during this family crisis, Mel's wife takes on a job. Then, she is sacked.
Mel spends his out-of-work days fighting the very environs of life. The polluted city air kills his plants on the terrace. The walls of his apartment are so paper-thin that the private lives of a pair of German stewardesses next door are an open book to him. His apartment is burglarized, and the thieves steal his Scotch and his tranquilizers. His psychiatrist dies. To see what can be done to help, Mel's well-meaning brother holds a family meeting with their three sisters: Pearl, Jessie, and Pauline. Then, the fun really begins.
The script includes parts for four women and two men. Additionally, some news announcer voice-overs are needed. Anyone interested in working on scenery or props, or as a rehearsal assistant is encouraged to attend an audition.
Auditions will be held on Monday, April 11, at 7:15 p.m., in the community room of the Brattleboro Savings & Loan building on Main Street in downtown Brattleboro, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 12 and 13, at 7 p.m. at Twin Valley High School, School Street, Wilmington. Rehearsals will begin on Wednesday, May 11.
There will be six performances at Memorial Hall Center for the Arts in Wilmington: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Aug. 11, 12, and 13; and Thursday and Friday, Aug. 18 and 19, all at 7:30 p.m., with a final matinee performance on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 3 p.m.
Visual arts
• Brattleboro Clayworks welcomes Bronna Zlochiver: Brattleboro Clayworks will host a month-long show of pottery by Vernon resident Bronna Zlochiver beginning April 1.
Zlochiver is the newest member of Brattleboro Clayworks. She makes hand-built and wheel-thrown functional stoneware pots. Her pieces are all highly practical and useful including lamps, bowls of varying sizes, coffee mugs, pitchers, soap dishes and more. She says of her pottery, “My passion is to make pots that people will actually use and enjoy.”
She has more than 40 years of experience working with clay. For much of that time, pottery was a weekend hobby. In 2008, Zlochiver retired from longtime service with the National Education Association and moved from the Washington, D.C., area to southeastern Vermont. In retirement, pottery has become more of a full-time passion.
On April 3, from 1 to 4 p.m., Brattleboro Clayworks will host a reception to open the show of Zlochiver's latest work. All pottery will be for sale. The show will run through the month of April and the works of other Brattleboro Clayworks members also will be available for purchase. Brattleboro Clayworks is located below Friends of the Sun at 532 Putney Road. Regular showroom hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lectures
• Professor examines causes of Cuban Revolution: Amherst College professor Javier Corrales will look at the causes of the Cuban Revolution in a talk at Brattleboro's Brooks Memorial Library on April 13. The talk, “Did Karl Marx Predict the Cuban Revolution?” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council's First Wednesdays lecture series and takes place at 7 p.m. (This talk has been rescheduled from April 6.)
The causes of the Cuban Revolution - and revolutions in general - are widely debated. In his talk, Corrales will review some of the most important - if flawed - theories.
Corrales is an associate professor of Political Science at Amherst College. His research has been published in many academic journals and he serves on the editorial board of Latin American Politics and Society and Americas Quarterly. He is co-author of the forthcoming book, Dragon in the Tropics: Hugo Chávez and the Political Economy of Revolution in Venezuela .
For more information, contact Brooks Memorial Library at 802-254-5290 or visit www.vermonthumanities.org.