CONCORD: Violinist Siri Smedvig, trumpeter William Kasel, and pianist Bonnie Anderson will perform "Between Worlds" on October 1 at 2pm in the Performing Arts Center, 51 WaldenStreet in Concord. This program will treat listeners to the sumptuous sonic worlds of brass, strings and piano, as displayed in compositions of Faure, Biber, Kreisler, Vitali, Bartok, Hindemith, Arutunian and others. The performance will also feature poetry including work by Pulitzer Prize recipient American poet Elizabeth Bishop.

Violinist Siri Smedvig studied violin with Joseph Silverstein, Boston Symphony Orchestra's Concertmaster (1962-1984) while attending Harvard University. She studied and performed five summers at Tanglewood Music Center. Siri has performed with numerous orchestras
including the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Handel & Haydn Society, Seattle Symphony, and American Symphony. She is currently Concertmaster of Concord Orchestra and Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and has an active teaching studio.

Trumpeter William Kasel studied with Rolf Smedvig, and Roger Voisin, both former Principal Trumpets for the Boston Symphony while attending Boston University. He studied and performed three summers at Tanglewood Music Center. William has played with Boston
Opera, Empire Brass Quintet. He is currently trumpeter in Concord Orchestra.

Accompanist Bonnie Anderson studied piano at Juilliard School, Michigan State, and French Piano Institute in Paris. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from Boston University. Bonnie is on the piano faculty at Phillips Andover Academy and has an
active teaching studio.

Admission to this performance is free, with donations gratefully accepted to help support the event.

CONCORD: Kerem Shalom—Vineyard of Peace—of Concord, warmly invites the community to join them for the High Holy Days 5784! This year’s services and programs begin on September 15 with Erev Rosh Hashanah and conclude on September 25 with Yom Kippur. Services will take place both in-person and online and include: Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, Yom Kippur, Early Childhood Family Services, Tashlich at the Old North Bridge (in-person only), Torah Study with Rabbi Sam Pollak, Musical Musaf Service with the Tiferet Ensemble (in-person only), and Mindfulness Meditation. See keremshalom.org for the full schedule as well as registration and further details.

CONCORD: Concord Women’s Chorus (CWC), fostering the power of women’s voices in song, invites new singers to join its ensemble at “Open Rehearsals” on Tuesdays, September 12 and 19, 9:30am, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street. Artistic Director and Conductor Jane Ring Frank welcomes newcomers to join rehearsal, audition and learn more about the fall season. Rehearsals continue through 2023-24 on Tuesday mornings, 9:30am-noon, also held at Trinity.

CWC welcomes singers with prior choral experience including good sight-reading skills, solid intonation and vocal quality, responsiveness to direction and the ability to blend within an ensemble. For auditions, prospective members may be asked to sight-read a short passage and/or sing a familiar tune, arriving with a prepared solo is not necessary. An information form is available to be printed in advance and brought to the audition at concordwomenschorus.org/wp/sing-with-us. Chorus members are expected to attend rehearsals and to participate in performing scheduled concerts. In addition, singers may have the opportunity to perform Vivaldi’s “Gloria” at Carnegie Hall in New York City on November 13, presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY).

The ensemble continues weekly rehearsals in preparation for the upcoming concert “A Celebration of Glorias: Vivaldi’s Signature and More,” performing on December 16 at 4pm.

CWC is committed to the safety of all and requires all singers to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19. Masks are optional during rehearsals, but policies may change as needed. For more information, performance details or to join Concord Women’s Chorus, email manager@concordwomenschorus.org, visit concordwomenschorus.org, or follow Concord Women’s Chorus on Facebook and Instagram.

CONCORD: The Concord Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a place where music helps children with developmental needs grow and flourish. Many parents want their children to try different activities and learn new skills. But this can be hard to do when a child has developmental needs. CCM cares about making music education accessible for everyone and works with the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education to offer Tones of Fun Developmental Music Class for the community.

Tones of Fun meets a special program that meets need in our communities, especially for children diagnosed with learning differences. It helps each child find and explore their individual interests — Tones of Fun is a wonderful program that reinforces finding the absolute best version of their unique self. Tones of Fun is a musical program designed for children with different learning needs. Physical, language, social, cognitive, and musical development are stimulated through musical play in a social group of all ages and skill levels. The program uses simple instruments, movement, props, and improvisation to stimulate physical, language, social, cognitive, and musical growth. A highly trained instructor from the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education who adapts the class to the needs and abilities of each student.

Maura Lyons’s son, Daegan, is a member of the Tones of Fun class. Maura shared, “This class is so important to my family and me; it’s the highlight of our week. It is the only activity in town that Daegan can share with his siblings, myself, and his friends. It brings him so much happiness
and excitement. It truly melts my heart to see him so focused on something he loves.”  In the class, Daegan is focusing, socializing with peers, learning how to take turns and be in a group, and discovering new songs and instruments.

The fall session begins on September 19 and the 45-minute class will meet on Tuesdays at 4:30pm for ages 3 – 6 and 5:15 pm for ages 7 – 9. No previous musical experience is necessary to participate. However, students must be accompanied by an adult to every class, participate effectively in classes, and maintain a safe environment for themselves and others. Parents/Caregivers can apply through CCM at https://concordconservatory.org/programs/tones-of-fun-developmental-music-class/.

CONCORD: The Concord Orchestra will hold an open rehearsal on September 5 from 7:30-10pm at 51 Walden Street. The orchestra has openings for strings. For more information, visit www.concordorchestra.com. Please email info@concordorchestra.com if you are planning to attend, so there will be sufficient music, chairs and stands. To join the orchestra please email info@concordorchestra.com to arrange for an audition with the Music Director sometime before or after the open rehearsal.

The orchestra will be conducted by Music Director Zeke Fetrow. The orchestra will be reading music of Beethoven, Sibelius, and Howard Hanson. The Concord Orchestra, is composed of 70 volunteer musicians living in Concord and the greater Boston metropolitan area. A season of five concert programs is planned.

CONCORD: Concord Chorus is holding open rehearsals on Mondays, September 11 and 18, at 7:30pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 81 Elm Street. Interested singers are invited to sing with the Chorus and may have a short audition with Director Kevin Leong during the rehearsals if they choose. The Concord Chorus is a wonderful group of welcoming people who enjoy singing and learning excellent choral repertoire and performing at the highest level. Share in a musical experience that will be fun and fulfilling. For audition information, please visit www.concordchorus.org/join-us.

The Chorus' 78th season is very exciting! On December 9, sing Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Parts 1-3).  And for the spring, on May 11 and 12, sing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Brahms's Song of Destiny with Masterworks Chorale and the Lexington Symphony Orchestra. We hope to welcome many new singers! If you have questions, please contact Chairperson, Stephanie Keep at chair@concordchorus.org.

CONCORD: Open Table, the MetroWest charity dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthy communities, announced that it has appointed Vivek Kamath, Glen Murphy and Alissa Weinberger to its 2024 Board of Directors. The three new board members bring a variety of skills – from supply chain expertise, to finance, and immigration law – to Open Table.
“Vivek, Glen, and Alissa are talented individuals, each one with a unique professional history of dealing with some of the biggest challenges facing both Open Table and its clients today,” said Mary Siegel, president, Open Table Board of Directors. “As we look forward to a new fiscal year where fully one-third of our local residents are facing food insecurity, their input will be invaluable in guiding our strategic and tactical decisions for the year ahead.”
 
Vivek Kamath - For the past 27 years, Vivek has helped transform supply chain organizations and operations across seven unique industries and in more than 30 countries. A Stow resident, Vivek is currently an executive supply chain partner with Gartner, Inc., where he provides advisory services to chief supply chain officers from around the world. In his spare time, Vivek likes to golf, cook, and volunteer in the community. He is happily married for 28 years and has two amazing and accomplished daughters and two fur babies that keep him and his wife young and busy.

Glen Murphy, CFA – Glen has spent 30 years in the financial investments industry focusing on institutional and mutual fund portfolio management. This included serving as Global Head of Portfolio Management for the Invesco Quantitative Strategies Group, where he managed a team of portfolio managers based in the United States and Europe. Today, he helps run his family’s Blue Meadow farm in Sudbury, which is a combination of equine facility (training, boarding, and lessons) and “U-Pick” blueberry farm.
Glen enjoys community service with volunteer experience with the Boy Scouts of America, Boston Cares, and Smile Mass in addition to Open Table. His volunteer efforts with Open Table began when a blueberry customer recommended Open Table as a benefactor of their farm’s “Pick for the Community” efforts, donating blueberries picked by volunteers to local food pantries. Glen was impressed by the scope of activity and organization when he delivered his first batch of blueberries to Open Table. He quickly became an active volunteer, assisting in the unloading of trucks and preparing mobile food pantry deliveries. Glen has a BA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an MSF from the Boston College Carroll School of Management, and is a CFA charter holder.  He lives with his wife and daughter in Sudbury. 

Alissa Weinberger – A staff attorney with MetroWest Legal Services’ Immigration Unit in Framingham, Alissa represents immigrant youth before the Boston Immigration Court. Previously, she worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault providing individual counseling and led batterer intervention groups. A Maynard resident, Alissa has been volunteering with Open Table since 2020 where she worked on the pick and pack team and helped take phone orders in English and Spanish. Alissa was drawn to Open Table’s model of promoting food security in a manner that fosters autonomy, dignity, and meets the community’s diverse needs. Alissa is excited to support Open Table’s mission and crucial community work. Alissa also serves as secretary on the Board of Directors for MetroWest Worker Center in Framingham. She holds a J.D. from Northeastern University’s School of Law, a Masters in Community Counseling from New Mexico State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. In her free time, Alissa loves to hike, dance, knit, and bake.

PHOTO: Newly appointed Open Table board members Glen Murphy, left, and Alissa Weinberger, center, are welcomed by existing board member Jonathan Magasanik in front of the organization’s Maynard food pantry.

CONCORD: Concord Conservatory of Music’s (CCM) West Side String Program (WSS) allows violin and viola students to learn to play their instrument at a high level while becoming part of a music community. Now, new beginner violin and viola students, ages 5 and up, enrolling at CCM during the 2023-2024 academic year will participate in the WSS Program, providing them with a path for successful learning. They’ll realize their full potential as a musician while building their musicianship and life skills.

The Program includes 17, 30-minute private lessons and 15 group classes—students receive benefits from one-on-one instruction as well as from learning and playing with others. WSS blends Suzuki philosophy, Paul Rolland’s movement in string playing, and traditional string pedagogy. Shinichi Suzuki’s philosophy embraces the idea that all children are born with a musical ability that can be nurtured at an early age through their environment, listening, imitation, and working closely with a parent at home.

The traditional string pedagogy enhances these approaches by incorporating the
development of technique and musicianship through scales, etudes, music reading, and a variety of repertoire. This approach assures teaching tailored to the individual student’s needs, with a strong emphasis on building confident solo performing, fluent music reading, and skillful ensemble  participation, whether they lead to music-making at the highest level or a lifetime of enhanced musical enjoyment.

Students will study a range of music in this program. WSS students progress through the program with their peers in group classes, and later join ensembles or pursue studies in the fiddling track. The CCM student placement process ensures that students take lessons with a faculty member best suited to their needs and placed in the most appropriate WSS group. Consideration for placement may include age, repertoire level, technical,
musical, ensemble, performance and reading skills, fluency, attendance, emotional maturity, musical maturity, lesson preparation, and consistency of review.

To learn more, visit ConcordConservatory.org and submit a Student Interest Form, or call (978) 369-0010. Financial assistance is available.

CONCORD/MAYNARD: Open Table announced that it has received a $30,000 grant from the Concord Carlisle Community Chest 2023 Grants program. This is the 28th consecutive year that Community Chest has supported Open Table, and this gift will go towards Open Table’s general operational expenses.
 
In a break from past Giving Day fund raising events, this year the Concord Carlisle Community Chest will host a full Giving Month program, with posts on social media on different days for each of the 24 grant recipients.
 
Follow the Community Chest Giving Month on Instagram or Facebook.
 
“The Concord Carlisle Community Chest continues to be a consistent, long-time partner for Open Table,” said Alexandra DePalo, executive director, Open Table. “This grant will help us keep the lights on, pay staff, and keep our facilities in good repair; all of which are critical to ensuring we can provide healthy food to those in need in our community. We are most grateful for their continued generous support.”
 
PHOTO: The Concord Carlisle Community Chest makes $30,000 grant to Open Table (left to right): Elizabeth McKneely, CCCC Grant Allocation Committee; Kaitlin Waterson, CCCC Grant Allocation Committee; Alexandra Deplo, Open Table Executive Director; Mary Siegel, Open Table President; Barbara Fisher, Open Table Vice President; Jessica Kirkwood, Open Table Grants Manager/Financial Analyst