CONCORD: 51 Walden presents the Concord Band performing its annual Spring Pops concert as a fundraiser for 51 Walden building repairs. The concert will be held on April 13 at 7pm on the music stage of the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center. The program will feature a guest artist, Ukrainian soprano Olga Lisovska, singing opera and popular solos including "My Kyiv" and George Gershwin’s "Somebody Loves Me." Tickets are available online at www.ticketstage.com/T/51WALDEN, at $30 single, or $25 per person at tables of four. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Hailed as "soprano extraordinaire" by WBUR, Olga is a critically acclaimed classical soprano, whose career involves both singing and producing. A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Olga Lisovska holds degrees from Middlebury College, École Normale de Musique d'A. Cortot in Paris, France and L'Institut des Sciences Politiques in Paris, France. Olga founded Music, Arts and Fashion Productions, whose mission is to promote the arts. Olga produced award-winning operas at Commonwealth Lyric Theater and Talents of the World's Annual Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Olga co-founded Sky Philanthropy and produced two Boston Ukrainian Festivals. Ms. Lisovska has been giving performance lectures about Ukrainian music and song literature to audiences ranging from children, university students, and adults. Olga’s life purpose is to inspire positive change through connections for life, coaching, and art performances.

The Concord Band will also perform Gershwin's An American in Paris, Eduard Strauss' Clear Track Polka, selections from John Williams' Star Wars motion picture soundtracks, among other audience favorites.

51 Walden is home to the Concord Band, the Concord Players, the Concord Orchestra, a dance studio, as well as hosting annual Opera 51 productions. 51 Walden is a non-profit organization, which in 1974 was entrusted by the Town of Concord with conservation and maintenance of the historic Veterans Building. 51 Walden has operated and improved the Performing Arts Center these last 50 years.

BEDFORD/LOWELL: The path to a brighter future starts at Middlesex Community College. To help prospective students and their families learn all about what the college has to offer, Middlesex is hosting a Spring Open House at 5pm on April 3.
“MCC helps students explore new paths and discover their passions to transform their lives and gain long-lasting success well after graduating from the college,” said Jennifer Migliozzi, MCC’s Assistant Dean of Admissions.

“Open Houses present prospective students and their families with an opportunity to hear directly from faculty and staff on how MCC makes getting an education affordable and flexible. Learn about how our variety of course formats and award-winning student support services and resources meet the needs of every learner who comes to the college.”
During the in-person Bedford Open House, students and their families can meet with faculty and staff from all of MCC’s programs and student services areas. The Open House will cover experiences, such as academic and career counseling, dual enrollment, financial aid, tutoring, student access and support services, the Commonwealth Honors Program and more.

There will also be an opportunity to take a campus tour of the Bedford facilities and apply to the college.

Middlesex will host an additional Open House this spring. The Lowell Open House will take place at 5pm on May 1. Prospective students and their families can learn more about MCC’s resources and offerings, while touring the Lowell campus.

“Attending an Open House is one of the best ways to get an inside look at MCC before starting,” Migliozzi said. “Whether in Bedford or Lowell, we hope to see you there!”

Visit middlesex.mass.edu/admissions for more information and to register for MCC’s Open Houses!

CONCORD/CARLISLE: Join a presentation by Dr. Karin Hodges on March 21 from 6-8pm at Willard Elementary School Auditorium, 185 Powder Mill Road in Concord.  Concord Public and Concord-Carlisle Regional Schools SEPAC is presenting "Opting for Growth by Embracing Stress & Emotions," in which Dr. Hodges will shed light on the systems and professions that have inadvertently contributed to the rise of childhood mentall illness and the widespread mental health crisis.  Hodges will explain the mechanisms that grow mental illness versus emotional well-being, and describe the essential resources that children require today for health and healing.  She will provide a glimmer of hope in the fight against teen mental illness, offering a widely applicable solution that has the potential for global impact.  If you are aiming to help kids heal or if you want them to thrive, do not miss out on this enriching educational experience.  For more information, visit concordsepac.org or email concordsepac@gmail.com.

CONCORD: The Concord Band’s Winter Concert will be held on March 2 at the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center, presenting the World Premiere of The Invisible Girl, commissioned by Concord Band flutist Ellen Feldman, who wished to create an adventurous composition of modern music “in appreciation of the Band’s expansion of her musical horizons.”

Feldman and Music Director James O’Dell commissioned talented composer Mason Bynes, who holds a Master of Music in composition from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, to create the new work for symphonic band. After consultation, Bynes based her composition on a comic book that Feldman created, The Dancer as... the Invisible Girl.

The new musical work, titled The Invisible Girl, reflects Bynes' appreciation of minimalist and Copland-esque music, and comprises three movements: “A Struggle Between Friends,” “The Veiled Woman Revealed,” and “Becoming Visible.” The third movement incorporates a video, also named after Feldman’s comic book, which was created and produced by Nicole Pierce, who performs as the main character of the comic. The video was filmed and edited by Guggenheim and Fulbright recipient, Sam Kauffmann.
In her notes to the music score, Bynes writes, “These three movements capture The Invisible Girl’s whirling power and agility, Karisma’s [the Invisible Girl’s nemesis] veiled and vengeful soul, and the coming together of two women whose seemingly polar identities encourage one another’s visibility.”

O'Dell selected additional music in keeping with the evening's theme, Dances! The program includes Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances, Claude Debussy’s Danse—Tarantelle Styrienne, and George Gershwin’s American in Paris.
The concert and World Premiere will be held at 7pm, March 2 at the 51 Walden Performing Arts Center. The concert admission is free, with a $20 donation requested. The comic book, The Dancer as... the Invisible Girl, will be available for purchase. More information about the concert and premiere is available at www.concordband.org.

The Concord Band is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

CONCORD: The Concord Orchestra presents “Spanish Passions & Nordic Vistas” at 8pm on January 26 and 27 at the Performing Arts Center at 51 Walden. The orchestra, directed by guest conductor Robert Lehmann, performs a program of Georges Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1, Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 3. Charles Dimmick is the violin soloist for Symphonie Espagnole. A pre-concert talk by the conductor is scheduled for Saturday at 7:15pm.

Violinist Charles Dimmick enjoys a varied and distinguished career as concertmaster, soloist, and chamber musician.  Praised by the Boston Globe for his “cool clarity of expression,” Charles is one of New England’s most sought-after orchestral musicians.  He is co-concertmaster of the Boston Pops Esplanade, and concertmaster of both the Portland Symphony and the Rhode Island Philharmonic.  In the summers, Charles can be found serving as the concertmaster of the New Hampshire Music Festival.  Charles has appeared as guest concertmaster for the Arizona Music Fest and the Winston-Salem Symphony. A frequent soloist, Charles has garnered praise, packed houses, and received standing ovations for what the Portland Press Herald has called his “luxurious and stellar performances” and his “technical and artistic virtuosity.”

Conductor Robert Lehmann is Professor of Music and Director of Strings Studies and Orchestral Activities at the University of Southern Maine School of Music where he conducts the Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra and the Portland Youth Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his duties at USM, he is Music Director of the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra and the White Mountain Bach Festival in New Hampshire.

The orchestra performs two Spanish-themed pieces by French composers: George Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1 and Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. Both pieces premiered in 1875. The Lalo was originally composed for the Spanish violin virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate. The Carmen Suite No. 1 includes some of the most familiar tunes from the popular opera.

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ music is inspired by the lakes and forests of his native country, the long winter nights and the endless summer days when the sun never sets. Finnish folk music also influenced his music, as demonstrated by the dance rhythm at the beginning of the first movement of Symphony No. 3, as well as the lovely slow melody in the second movement. Audiences in 1907 when the work premiered, who expected music more like his romantic Symphony No. 2, were surprised by Sibelius’ relatively restrained third symphony.

Tickets for adults and seniors are $25. Admission for youth under 18 is free. For tickets and information, call (978) 369-4967 or visit concordorchestra.com.