‘Stitch ‘n Flix’ movie screenings
The Academy of Music will host its second annual Stitch ‘n Flix series starting with a screening of the movie “Moonstruck” on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. The screenings are designed for people working on portable craft projects, such as knitting, crochet and embroidery.
The movie screenings have dimmed lighting so that guests can work on their projects while watching the movie.
The next Stitch ‘n Flix screenings will be “Groundhog Day” on Saturday, Jan. 25; “Sense and Sensibility” on Saturday, Feb. 8; and “Bridget Jones’ Diary” on Saturday, Feb. 22, all at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $14.95 per screening, including fees, at aomtheatre.com, by phone at 413-584-9032 ext. 105, or at the Academy of Music box office.
Film screening celebrating Andrea Gibson
The Academy of Music in Northampton will host a screening of the movie “Come See Me in the Good Light,” a documentary about the late queer poet and activist Andrea Gibson on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
The film “offers an intimate portrait of Andrea Gibson’s artistry, activism and devotion to truth-telling,” according to a press release. “Known for their powerful spoken word performances and unapologetic commitment to justice, Gibson’s work has shaped generations of poets, organizers, and queer communities worldwide.”
Singer-songwriter and poet Mary Lambert will emcee and poet and Nine Syllables Press founder Adrie Rose will perform a live poetry reading.
“This screening is about more than watching a film,” said event organizers Isabella Gitana of Survivor Arts Collective and Rebecca Stewart of Tapestry. “It’s about gathering in shared grief, shared love, and shared resistance. Andrea taught so many of us how to live bravely, speak honestly, and love expansively. This night is an offering back to that legacy.”
Tickets are $19.68 after fees and will benefit the nonprofit Translate Gender, which supports trans and gender-diverse people.
Valley Jazz Voices presents to perform at Bombyx
The 30-member community ensemble Valley Jazz Voices will present a concert at Bombyx on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 3 p.m.
The family-friendly concert will feature selections from the Great American Songbook that relate to the sun, the moon, the weather and love, sung in four-part harmony — “familiar standards presented with fresh arrangements and warm ensemble sound,” according to a press release.
The singers will be accompanied by the jazz trio of pianist Dylan Walter, bassist Wes Brown and drummer Dillon Pinard.
Tickets are $20 at the door or in advance at bombyx.live/events/valley-jazz-voices-winter-concert, and children under 12 are free.
To learn more about Valley Jazz Voices, visit valleyjazzvoices.org.
South Hadley Chorale welcomes new singers
The South Hadley Chorale, a vocal group made of 70 singers from 16 communities, has resumed rehearsals for its annual March concert. The next rehearsal will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 14 and continue every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at All Saints’ Church in South Hadley until the Sunday, March 15 concert.
The concert will feature Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and a selection of spirituals.
New singers are welcome to join. There are no auditions, but many members have experience performing with other choral groups.
For more information, visit southhadleychorale.org or call 413-533-3833.
Afternoon ‘Slumber Party’ at the Carle Museum
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst will host a “slumber party” event for families as part of its The Carle After Dark series on Thursday, Jan. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m.
The first part of the night, the “slumber party,” will take place from 4 to 5:30 pm and feature story times around a fake fire, where families are invited to snuggle up with blankets. Afterward, the local touring puppetry company Cactus Head Puppets will put on a shadow puppet show, and guests will be able to make shadow puppets of their own, followed by “special offerings designed to enchant the young and the young at heart,” according to a press release.
This event is free with museum admission.
Call for ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ director
Valley Light Opera is looking for a director for its late 2026 production of the classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The musical is about a Jewish man named Tevye, his wife, his five daughters, and their lives in the middle of conflicts between tradition and oppression in Czarist Russia.
From the listing: “The stage director (SD) creates the overall artistic concept of the show. The SD works closely with the musical director as well as the set and costume designers, the choreographer and technical director to carry out the concept. The stage director also rehearses principals and chorus in dialogue, acting, blocking, and dancing.”
The show will be performed Nov. 5-Nov. 8, 2026 at the Academy of Music.
The selected director will receive an honorarium of $1,000 after the production ends.
To apply, submit an artistic proposal to kathy.blaisdell222@gmail.com with the following: a letter of interest and artistic concept (no more than three pages total), a theater or music resume, and references.
Applications are due by Saturday, Jan. 10 and will be reviewed as they arrive. Finalist candidates may be required to make a presentation to the Valley Light Opera board after Jan. 10.
For more information about Valley Light Opera, visit vlo.org or email president Kathy Blaisdell at kathy.blaisdell222@gmail.com.
Benefit concert with New Orleans musicians
The nonprofit Blues to Green will host a benefit concert for the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival with celebrated New Orleans musicians at the Hope Center for the Arts in Springfield on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.
The lineup, inspired by “Take Me to the River: New Orleans,” includes Cyril Neville, Omari Neville, Ian Neville, Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., Jelly Joseph, Robert Mercurio, Joe Ashlar, Brian Richburg Jr., and director Martin Shore for “a once-in-a-lifetime experience that blends funk, R&B, brass-band fire, soul and Mardi Gras Indian tradition into a single electrifying night,” according to a press release.
Admission is $45 to $100 in advance via hopecenterforthearts.org/events/take-me-to-the-river.