The Florence Community Band is putting on its annual spring concert Sunday, April 8, at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of Northampton High School, 380 Elm St. On the program: a mix of music by John Williams, Robert E. Jager, Adele, and Frank Ticheli. “Our music sounds great, the audience loves it, and we could use more people to experience this concert,” says band member Gary Goss, the author of “Blue Moon Soup: A Family Cookbook,” who plays trumpet. The Florence Community Band was founded in April 2001, with 10 members in attendance at its first rehearsal held at the Florence Congregational Church. Today, its membership roster totals more than 75 members, according to the band’s website: “We are funded solely through donations. There are no dues, and concerts are free, but we do request a donation of a non-perishable food item for the Northampton Survival Center.” For information on how to get involved (“Everyone is welcome. There are no auditions required”), visit florencecommunityband.com.
Songwriter Mikey Sweet, Signature Sounds Presents and the Northampton Arts Council are hosting “On Ramp: Songwriters in the Round,” Friday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. at The Parlor Room, 32 Masonic St., Northampton. “Through an evening of song and narrative, Mikey Sweet and Peter Newland together on stage will explore their own experiences with addiction and their travails on the road to recovery,” according to press notes. The event “aims to put a spotlight on the opioid crisis, which has impacted the lives of so many of our family, friends, and neighbors.” Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Northampton Recovery Center. For more information, visit signaturesoundspresents.com.
Amherst’s Jones Library has announced that author Madeleine Blais and the Amherst Regional High School Theater Program are the winners of the Fifth Annual Samuel Minot Jones Awards for Literary Achievement. A gala event, the Sammys, will be held on Thursday, April 26, at 6 p.m. at the Mead Art Museum on the Amherst College campus to honor the winners. Blais is a Pulitzer Prize winner, author, and member of the University of Massachusetts journalism department. Her books include “In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle,” about Amherst Regional High School’s 1995 state champion girls’ basketball team, “The Heart Is an Instrument: Portraits in Journalism,” “Uphill Walkers: Portrait of a Family,” and “To the New Owners,” a memoir about her family’s connection with Martha’s Vineyard. The Amherst Regional High School Theater Program, currently being led by John Bechtold, is also being recognized for its significant contribution to Amherst’s literary culture. “At ARHS’s Theater Department, students have the opportunity to take coursework in both the academic and practical applications of theater, participate in acting classes, write new works, direct plays, and work on the design of lighting, sound, and set plans for productions,” according to press notes. For more information about the evening, which will include an awards presentation and live music, visit Jones Library in person at 43 Amity St., Amherst, call 259-3090 or check out joneslibrary.org/sammys.