NCMC presents 23rd annual winter concert
The Northampton Community Music Center (NCMC) will present its 23rd annual winter concert at Northampton High School on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.
The concert will feature performances from three groups that are part of NCMC: the New Horizons Band of Western Mass, a music group composed of retired and senior adults with little or no formal musical education; High Definition, a women’s choir; and the Ujima Singers, an Afrocentric music collective.
In a press release, Survival Center executive director Heidi Nortonsmith said, “The Northampton Survival Center is delighted to be included in this festive, seasonal celebration. Client need for our food pantries in Northampton and Goshen has increased dramatically this year, particularly in recent weeks, and the support of individuals and organizations throughout the area has made it possible for us to increase our offerings in response. We’re grateful for NCMC’s partnership with us over many years, and we look forward to more collaborations to come!”
NCMC Executive Director Jason Trotta also said in a press release, “The Northampton Survival Center is such an important resource for our community. Using this performance opportunity to inspire awareness and generosity that can benefit so many is a win for all of us.”
The concert is free and open to the public, but donations will benefit the Northampton Survival Center.
Gallery A3 to hold ‘Small Wonders’ art show and sale
Gallery A3 in Amherst will hold its December show and sale, “Small Wonders,” from Thursday, Dec. 4 through Tuesday, Dec. 23 from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The show will also be open during the same hours on Wednesday, Dec. 17, Monday, Dec. 22 and Tuesday, Dec. 23.
True to its name, “Small Wonders” will showcase small works of art, including photos, paintings, prints, collages and assemblages made by local artists.
The opening reception will be on Thursday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.
For more information about Gallery A3, visit gallerya3.com.
Vespers return to John M. Greene Hall
Smith College’s annual Vespers program, a holiday tradition, will return to John M. Greene Hall on Sunday, Dec. 7 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event will “celebrate all the ways we look for and generate light in dark days.”
Participating performers and readers include the Smith College Glee Club, Chamber Singers, Vespers Orchestra, Handbell Choir and the Campus School Chorus. Members of the Smith community will give readings; the Rev. Matilda Rose Cantwell, director of religious and spiritual life at Smith, will lead the event.
Vespers is free and open to the public. For guests who can’t make it in person, the event will be livestreamed at smith.edu/news-events/events/vespers-livestream.
Fundraiser to benefit Sumud School in Gaza
The Conway-based nonprofit Friends of Sumud School will host a dinner to benefit the Sumud School in Gaza at Christ United Methodist Church in Florence on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
The event will feature Palestinian food from Liberty’s Mediterranean Giant Grinders in Springfield, Amanouz Café in Northampton and local Palestinian chefs. Musicians are encouraged to bring instruments for a jam session after dinner.
The school started in a tent camp two years ago and now serves 500 students.
Tickets are $50 for adults or $5 for children under 12 via tickettailor.com/events/friendsofsumudschool/1921235. To donate without a ticket or for more information about the school, visit mightycause.com/organization/Friends-of-Sumud-School.
‘The Nightmare Before Dragmas’ in Turners Falls
Eggtooth Productions will present the holiday show “The Nightmare Before Christmas” at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Friday, Dec. 5 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Mr. Drag and the Drag Sisters are taking their holiday show on tour, but an emergency landing forces them to land in a quaint little town where they encounter strange circumstances. The script of the show is murdered, leaving the characters to navigate a scripted, scriptless world. The show features new additions, including a full-set and costume changes, and aims to bring joy to the audience.
Tickets are $20 online at sheatheater.org or $25 at the door. Children under 13 get in free.
Museum celebrates Emily Dickinson’s 195th birthday
The Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst will celebrate Dickinson’s 195th birthday with a virtual program, “Newer every day: A Dickinson Birthday Celebration,” on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.
The event will spotlight wallpaper conservation at The Evergreens, where Dickinson’s brother lived; “A Something Overtakes the Mind,” the art installation in the Dickinson Homestead that opened in August, featuring its creators, Ligia Bouton and Matt Donovan; creative works inspired by Dickinson’s writings; and more. Photographer Adrien Broom will also share photos from her exhibition “Holding Space: The Historic Homes of Artists and Writers,” which is currently on view at the Mark Twain House & Museum, to explain Emily Dickinson’s influence on her work.
“Along the way,” the event description said, “we’ll hear special birthday messages to the poet from fans you just might recognize.”
Dickinson was born on Dec. 10, 1830. The title of the event takes its name from an 1872 letter that Dickinson wrote to her cousin, which included the line “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”
Admission is free, but registration is required. To register or for more information, visit emilydickinsonmuseum.org/newer-every-day-195th-birthday.
‘Swamped’ to be performed in Hadley
The play “Swamped,” written and directed by Court Dorsey, will be performed at Hadley’s East Street Studio on Saturday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m.
The show centers around the relationship between The Captain, a widowed and grouchy Vietnam War veteran, and Clove, his transgender personal care assistant.
In a press release, Dorsey said that the show is “a culture clash of red and blue state values. It’s a healing saga, a cautionary tale. All told, it’s a story of personal contact, which may be the only road to reconciliation we have left.”
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. To buy tickets or for more information, visit courtdorsey.com/events.
