DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 14 * * All Arts News On the Web * * February 11, 2010

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


      Stop in for live music and more at the Fairfax Music Sessions at the Foothills Bakery in Fairfax most Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m., at various restaurants around Franklin County throughout the week, at the Bayside in St Albans Town most Sunday afternoons, and the Cambridge CoffeeHouses at 7 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
     These gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. The booked performances and acoustic Open Mike Nights feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.

      Find links to these events and more in our Spotlight!

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ART ON THE WALLS

ST. ALBANS--Champlain Collection presents a special Sweetheart Art Show on Saturday starting at 1 and running until 4 p.m. The featured artists include Harald Aksdal, Corliss Blakely, Darlene Burke, and Sean Dye.
      "We have something new from everyone including Corliss' new iPhone art," Norm Choiniere said. "Ms. Burke is new to us. She is a decorative artist from St. Albans who does murals and very colorful pieces.
      "We will give away a framed Harald Aksdal print." The Sweetheart Art Show will also feature a wine tasting from Jeff's Seafood wine shop, local chocolate truffles from Sweet Nothings, gourmet coffee by Brown and Jenkins in Cambridge, and a $75 gift certificate for a dinner at Chow Bella.
      Norm Choiniere has operated the custom frame shop, fine art gallery, and fine art publisher in the St. Albans area for more than 30 years. The Collection is the exclusive publisher for renowned artists Fred Swan and Sean Dye and show the works of Vermont artists Corliss Blakely, Bob Eldridge, Barbara Pafume, Anna Vreman, and more. They carry original artwork, giclees, canvas transfers, limited edition prints, signature editions and posters.
      "We hope there is no Nor'easter," Mr. Choiniere said. The forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies in the morning but becoming partly sunny with just a 30 percent chance of snow showers for the show. "The works will remain here for at least a couple of weeks."
      The Champlain Collection is now open in Hungerford Plaza across from the St. Albans Messenger every Monday through Friday, 9:30-5:30 p.m., and Saturday 9:30-4 p.m. They try to host a show at least every other month.
      Call 802.524.3485 or click here for more info.


ON STAGE LIVE

ST. ALBANS--Chow Bella presents the Carol Ann Jones Trio on the front stage tonight at 6:30. Guitar lion Andre Maquera and string tiger Will Patton join Ms. Jones in an evening stroll through the music jungle. The confirmed audience includes Keeghan Nolan and Gary Spaulding.
      "It will be an acoustic masterpiece," Mr. Maquera said.
      Ms. Jones' debut indie album, Out of the Blue, showcases her broad range of music from All About the Wheels and Mr. Engineer (that would be St. Albans' theme song) to the Farmhouse Blues. The whole band, Carol Ann Jones & The Superchargers, will play the main stage on May 1.
      Chow Bella also offers Music to Dine By with John Cassel on the piano on Wednesdays at 6:30 and the jazz and improv of Vern Colburn on the Piano on Fridays at 5:30. Call 802.524.1405 or click here for more info.


SOUTH HERO--The South Hero Community Library hosts a Contra Dance with caller Mark Sustic and Fiddleheads in the Folsom Educational Center tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. Email for more info.


ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Historical Museum hosts a Valentines Big Band Dance with music by the Joe Levesque Big Band, dancing, appetizers, and a silent auction, all to benefit Common Ground on Saturday at 7 p.m.
      Admission is by $10 suggested minimum donation at the door.


BURLINGTON--The National Public Radio broadcast of From the Top with Christopher O'Riley will tape the Vermont Youth Orchestra and other special guests live on Friday at 8 p.m. at the Flynn.
      Interim conductor Andrew Massey will lead the orchestra and VYO percussionist Nicholas Bonaccio in Ritmico Con Brio from the "Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra" by Joseph Schwantner. The program also features two movements from the "Suite for Bassoon Quartet," composed by VYO bassoonist and composer Tim Woos. The work will be performed by The Bassooniacs, an ensemble from Maine, who will be joined by Mr. Woos for this performance.
      Admission is $48, $38, and $30. Call 802-86-FLYNN or click here for more info.

      The performance broadcast will air on the stations of Vermont Public Radio on May 16 at 5:00 pm.


BURLINGTON--The 20th annual GospelFest brings together the New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church Gospel Choir, the New Alpha Children's Choir, the Burlington Ecumenical Gospel Choir and the Men's Gospel Chorus for a Valentine's Day music extravaganza in honor of Black history and music at the Flynn on Sunday.
      Admission is $16 or $10 for children 10 and under. Call 802-86-FLYNN or click here for more info.


JEFFERSONVILLE--The Village Tavern hosts Open Mic at 8 p.m. on Thursdays.


FAIRFAX--The regular Music Session continues Saturday with acoustic instrumentalists playing traditional songs at the Foothills Bakery, 1-4:30 p.m. Admission is free by donation.


WATERVILLE--Cambridge Arts Council presents community dances on Saturdays at 7 p.m. in the Waterville Town Hall. The evening will feature contras, squares, circles, play parties and singing games and all dances will be taught. Bring a partner, the entire family, or come alone. Caller Mark Sustic offers dance instruction. Frank Heyburn and Michele Lajoie play. Guest musicians with acoustic instruments are welcome. Admission is $5 per person and $10 for families at the door.


FACES IN THE NEWS

     The Vermont Youth Orchestra has named Ronald Braunstein of New York City as Music Director and conductor for the VYOA. He will begin his tenure this Spring for the 2010-11 concert season. Maestro Braunstein served as the Music Director of the Juilliard School of Music pre-college orchestra and is Music Director of the Mannes Philharmonia at the Mannes School of Music.
      M. Braunstein was graduated from the Juilliard School where he received his BFA in conducting. He has also studied at Fontainebleau and at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Salzburg Mozarteum, and has received numerous grants from the Rockefeller Foundation. His principal instructors have been Herbert von Karajan, Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Bernstein, and Nadia Boulanger. He will move to Vermont this Spring.
      Call 802.655.5030 or click here for more info.


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

     Magnum Photos is a photographic cooperative owned by its photojournalist members. The Magnum library has about one million photographs in both print and transparency in the physical library, with 350,000 images available online. The archive of more than 180,000 press prints has been sold to computer tycoon Michael Dell's MSD Capital which will place it at the University of Texas at Austin for study and exhibition.
      The site has info about the agency itself, the photographers, past and present, news, an online store, new features, and the In Motion section that "assembles visual narratives for online and offline platforms, including screenings in museums, festivals, and workshops."


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site.


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


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      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2010 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine).
      Thanks to recent misuse of copyright material on the Internet by individuals and archival firms alike, we emphasize that your rights to this article are limited to viewing it and printing it for personal use only. You must receive explicit permission from the All Arts Council and the author before reprinting or redistributing this article in any medium.