An evening of Scottish tunes and songs
BRATTLEBORO- Twilight Music presents an evening of Scottish tunes and songs by Dan Houghton and Friends at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery on Friday, May 16, at 8 pm. Separated temporarily from his Edinburgh-based group, Cantrip, Houghton promises an evening of powerful traditional music with his New England friends.
Houghton (Highland and border bagpipes, flute, whistles, voice) grew up surrounded by Scottish traditional music and started his musical career playing the whistles and viola when he was seven. He has been fingering the pipes and flute for the last seventeen years, and has played and taught throughout Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Antipodes.
Houghton’s high energy, twin fiddle/bagpipe band Cantrip wowed audiences with their virtuoso musicianship at the New World Festival in Randolph, , the Celtic Classic Festival in Bethlehem, PA and at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery as part of their 2007 US tour. While firmly rooted in the Scottish tradition, Cantrip’s music takes influences from, and excursions into, music from the Scandinavian, Balkan, Basque, Breton, and Québécoise traditions.
Houghton has also played with the New Zealand Irish band Blackthorn, and more recently he has been half of several musical duos in Europe, including Musion, ASBO Duo, and The Boussens Which Project.
Besides playing for concerts, Houghton is a successful dance piper, and has performed for both Scottish Highland and country dancing throughout Scotland and Europe. When not on the road or in the air, he divides his time between Scotland and Marshfield, where he teaches bagpipes at Vermont Institute of Celtic Arts.
Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery is located at 139 Main Street. Tickets cost $14 general and $12 students and seniors. For ticket reservations call (802) 254-9276.
Gypsy jazz trio to perform
GRAFTON- The Old Tavern at Grafton, one of the nation’s oldest operating inns, welcomes Ameranouche, a hot Gypsy jazz trio, as part of the inn’s Music Series. The show will be held at The White Church, located on Main Street, on Sunday, May 11, at 8 pm and will be free of charge. The show will be preceded by a special Mother’s Day dinner at The Old Tavern restaurant.
The Ameranouche Trio features guitarists Richard Sheppard and Ryan Flaherty and bassist Xar Adelberg. The nationally acclaimed Gypsy jazz ensemble plays acoustic hot jazz, both original compositions and unique arrangements by American and Gypsy songwriters. The music is universal and reaches diverse audiences worldwide.
Prior to the concert, The Old Tavern will serve a special three-course Mother’s Day dinner for $30 per person. Dinner will be served on Mother’s Day from 5 to 9 pm (opening an hour early) to accommodate concert goers. Guests can also order off the new spring menu, if they so choose. Both menus can be reviewed online at www.oldtavern.com.
Reservations for dinner are appreciated and can be made by calling (802) 843-2231.
Windham Orchestra performs
SAXTONS RIVER- It’s springtime in Brattleboro and even the Windham Orchestra has spring fever. Join the Windham Orchestra for Song in Spring on Friday, May 9, at Vermont Academy at 8 pm, and Saturday, May 10, at the Putney School at 8 pm.
Director David Runnion takes the helm as the Windham Orchestra, joined by vocalists Margery McCrum and James Anderson, presents a program of opera overtures and arias including “The Magic Flute” by Mozart, “La Boheme” by Puccini, “Louise” by Charpentier, and “La Traviata” by Verdi. From La Traviata, “De miel bollenti spiriti” for tenor, and “Brindisi: Libbiamo, ne’lieti” for soprano, tenor and chorus will be performed – with the audience acting as chorus.
Tickets cost $12 general ($20 generous), $5 students. For full information about the concert, including program notes by Zeke Hecker, directions to the concert venues, and links for ticket sales, visit the orchestra’s comprehensive Web site at www.windhamorchestra.net.
The Windham Orchestra is a program of the Brattleboro Music Center. Tickets are available in advance by calling the BMC at (802) 257-4523 or online at www.brattleborotix.com.
Works by area composers
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- Three works by local composers Sheila Silver, Alice Spatz, and Larry Wallach will be featured during a concert by the Walden Chamber Players at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute on Sunday, May 11, at 3 pm. A pre-concert talk will be held at 2 pm.
Silver, Spatz, and Wallach created works specifically for the Walden Chamber Players. Called “The Berkshire Composers Project,” the works, “Azim’s Dance” by Silver, Meditations on Peace by Spatz, and “Forest Music II” by Wallach, are each scored for oboe, violin, viola, cello, and harp. The afternoon’s program also includes “Duo for Cello and Harp” (1984) by Isang Yun, “String Trio” (1984) by Alfred Schnittke, and Elliott Carter’s “Immer Neu” from Trilogy for Oboe and Harp (1992).
Tickets cost $15, $10 for Clark members, free for seniors, students, and children. For tickets, call the Walden Chamber Players at 866-393-2927. The Clark is located at 225 South Street. For more information call (413) 458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu.
Reaching a music milestone
BRATTLEBORO- Dr. Bebop’s doing it again: putting together a band with some of New York’s most swinging musicians and presenting a concert to his hometown audience at the Vermont Jazz Center. This year Howard Brofsky will turn 83 years old. To celebrate this occasion he will perform at the jazz center in a quintet setting that will feature his colleague at Queens College, alto saxophone titan Antonio Hart. The concert will be held on May 10 at 8 pm, at the VJC’s Cotton Mill Hill performance space.
Brofsky’s birthday concert is always one of the jazz center’s most popular events. It’s no surprise why - this is Brofsky’s annual opportunity to put together a dream band that conveys the music he is constantly listening to, both in his head and on the stereo: bebop. Brofsky’s wide-ranging audience eagerly anticipates this jazz center event because they know they will hear top echelon jazz played by inspiring performers, presented as a gift by a leader who loves to create in a highly energized environment. It’s Brofsky’s concept: deliver heartfelt music that swings hard and honors the melody.
Tickets cost $18 general admission, $12 for students. Tickets may be reserved by calling (802) 254-9088 or purchased online at www.vtjazz.org. Tickets may also be purchased at In the Moment record shop on 143 Main Street.
This concert is handicap accessible. Call to discuss arrangements at (802) 254 9088, ext. 2.
