Next Stage Arts presents Argentinian duo César Lerner and Marcello Moguilevsky playing their musical fusion of klezmer, tango, jazz, and South American folk music at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill, on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
The duo has played together for more than 40 years. "Lerner and Moguilevsky are masters of their craft, threading various cultural ideas together into something new and exciting," Keith Marks, executive director of Next Stage Arts, said in a news release. "The thought that we're bringing artists from around the world to our region feels positive for our community."
Lerner is an Argentinian composer, pianist, accordion player and percussionist. Internationally renowned, he has composed the music for some of the most successful films in Argentina. For more than 20 years, he has been directing "Drum Circle," a platform for inclusion through music in areas of social services, art and education.
Moguilevsky is a multi-instrumentalist musician (clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, recorder, harmonica and piano); composer, singer, and teacher. Since 2011, he has been Director of the Music Department of the National Fund and Professor of Musical Language in Fine Arts of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), in Buenos Aires.
Obituaries • Henry Bell, 92, of Gallatin, Tennessee, formerly of Guilford. Died on Nov. 12, 2023. He was born Oct. 8, 1931 in Guilford to the late Frank Bell and Ethel Aldrich Bell. He served his country in the Army during the Korean War. In addition to his parents,
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has launched his 14th annual State of the Union Essay Contest for Vermont students. Each year, the President of the United States delivers the "State of the Union" address to a joint session...
Sandglass Theater will present the Québécois theater company Les Sages Fous (Wise Fools) for two performances of Tricyckle. The performances are on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Putney Central School gymnasium. A man in a Québec town, born in a cardboard box, roams the city collecting other people's junk. Why? And how does this junk transform his life and, possibly, ours? Tricyckle is a dream-like adventure of mystery and transformation. A renegade "carny"
The next meeting of the Windham County Genealogy Interest Group (WCGIG) will focus on "Navigating your Family History at the Vermont State Archives" and "Exploring the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)," on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reference Archivist Mariessa Dobrick at the Vermont State Archives will share genealogy resources through stories in a pre-recorded presentation. The Vermont State Archives consists of records that have continuing value to the state of Vermont and its citizens.
"Processions," a series of collages by Westminster artist Carrie Gelfan, will be on exhibit at the Oxbow Gallery, 40 Cottage St., Easthampton, Massachusetts, during the month of December. There will be an opening reception for the artist on Friday, Dec. 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is invited. The collages represent various groups of people on the move. They were completed within the last two years, using mostly materials the artist already had on hand at home, such...
The Samara Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation is pleased to announce $86,710 in grants to 23 organizations across the state in this year's competitive grant round. These grants include funding for LGBTQ+ events, projects, and organizational operating support. The Fund also gave 19 scholarships totaling $18,320 to graduating seniors from across the state. Combined with three out-of-cycle grants, this is an unprecedented $112,230 in grants and scholarships in a single year from the Samara Fund since it moved to...
The Department for Children and Families (DCF) announced the release of $12 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding for households that heat with fuel oil, propane, kerosene, coal, electricity, and natural gas. This funding helps keep thousands of Vermonters warm during the winter months. The benefit was sent directly to certified fuel dealers on behalf of approximately 13,000 households, and the average benefit was $933 per household. Individual notices of benefit amounts are being mailed to...
If you have driven along Route 30 lately, it's hard to miss the big changes happening at Retreat Farm. The renovation effort to transform the historic North Barn into a community gathering space is underway. "Everything that is going into this renovation is being done with local materials, businesses, and communities in mind," said Retreat Farm Executive Director Kristin Sullivan in a news release. "From sourcing new slate for the roof, to hand-crafted tables for events, we want to make...
'Gaza Monologues' at Hooker-Dunham Theater BRATTLEBORO - On Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Hooker-Dunham Theater in Brattleboro, Brattleboro area community members present a staged reading of The Gaza Monologues on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The Gaza Monologues are testimonies written by ASHTAR youth in 2010, after the first war on the Gaza Strip. Tragically, these Monologues are still accurate today. They are highlighting the horrors, hopes and resilience of the...
Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire brings their a cappella voices to Vermont for a Christmas concert at the Grafton Brick Meeting House, 2 Main St., on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 at 7 p.m. The South Florida-based choir will perform festive carols from varied traditions alongside newer takes on classics from contemporary composers. Seraphic Fire's associate conductor, James K. Bass, will lead the ensemble of 13 singers. Bass is also the Director of Choral Studies at UCLA Herb Alpert School of...
People experiencing homelessness live in a range of conditions. Some live in motels, like the more than 93 Brattleboro households participating in the state's General Assistance Emergency Housing Program. Others, largely uncounted, live in tents in the woods, in friends' barns and sheds, in cars, garages, and campers - all situations that do not meet all the human needs for comfort and security. In Putney, approximately 40 people live outside and in campers, according to Fire Chief Tom Goddard, who...
The public is invited to attend a Media Mentoring panel discussion on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. on Zoom about a different approach to media that seeks to uncover and report on how people are trying to solve problems - not just the bad news, but what's working and why - offering communities with information they need to participate in a healthy democracy. Leading this global shift in journalism is MMP guest David Bornstein, CEO and co-founder of the...
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is set to take the stage at New England Youth Theatre (NEYT) for eight performances, running from a grand opening scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, through Saturday, Dec. 9. Adapted from The New York Times bestselling novel, this story follows Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old boy moving through the ever-so-relatable trials of adolescence. "This fantastical adventure rooted in Greek mythology promises to captivate audiences with its compelling characters and quest-centered narrative," say...
For the month of December, the Crowell Art Gallery, 23 West St., presents "There and Back Again, " an exhibit by Carol Schweigert. A reception with the artist will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. Schweigert returned to oil painting during a brief visit to Vermont in the summer of 2007. Ready to take a break from her illustration and design work, she signed up for a Plein Air workshop in Bennington. "Plein Air, with...
In a 1916 letter, Robert Frost described his vision of a complete poem as "one where an emotion finds the thought and the thought finds the words." It is impossible not to be affected by raw emotion and grief when contemplating the sheer scope of death and destruction in this latest chapter of many years of conflict and contradiction: In the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Hamas took the lives of 1,200 people and took 240 people hostage. By Nov.
On Dec. 1, during Gallery Walk, artist Julia Volodina will bring her decades of experience as a portrait artist to a demonstration and discussion of portrait painting at the Latchis Gallery, part of the historic Art Deco hotel-theatre-pub complex at 50 Main St. She'll create a watercolor portrait of one of the attendees, chosen at random, and speak about her approach to creating portraits and some of her experiences from all over the world painting people's faces. The artist will...
Lots of sun and reasonable temperatures for a November morning in Vermont greeted runners on Thanksgiving for the Red Clover Rover's annual Turkey Trot on Upper Dummerston Road in Brattleboro. There were 198 runners at the starting line for the 3-mile race, which was won by Peyton Joslyn, 16, of Swanzey, New Hampshire. A sophomore at Monadnock Regional High School, he was the top male finisher for the second straight year in 16 minutes, 42 seconds. Nico Conathan-Leach, 16, of...
Nancy Braus, a longtime activist who contributes often to these pages, and Steve Wangh, a retired New York University professor and playwright, contributed these words. Filmmaker Robbie Leppner of Shaftsbury, who is working on a feature-length documentary about the Bread and Puppet Theater, captured the images used here. On Nov. 19, a passionate group of about 200 people came together to declare support for a ceasefire in the latest and most lethal fighting in Israel and Palestine. The group was...
This season seems to be the perfect time to support area artists and presenters, performers, and craftspeople - an apt opportunity to show gratitude for the riches that the arts bring to our lives in southern Vermont. This year's abundance runs the gamut, promising chances to buy great one-of-a-kind gifts and to enjoy top-notch entertainments. Here's to warming up to the cold, finding light in the darkness, and stepping out to embrace the arts. Enjoy! Fairs, Markets, Workshops • Festival...
The Vermont Jazz Center's Big Band will present its Annual Scholarship Gala - the primary fundraiser for the VJC Scholarship Fund - on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. This year, the band will feature guest vocalist Alexis Cole, a singer who has performed at celebrated venues including The Carlyle, Carnegie Hall, Birdland Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Blue Note. She has also sung as a soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
After the position has been vacant for 18 months, the town has hired Louis Bordeaux as its new town manager, effective last week. A resident of Bernardston, Massachusetts, Bordeaux has worked in local government for just over a decade. Prior to that, he had a long career in mid- and upper-level retail management. Bordeaux said that he got into politics at the urging of a friend in 2012, when a three-year seat on the Bernardston Selectboard opened up. He ran...
A first look at the draft proposal of a $22,473,369 operating budget for fiscal year 2025 shows a 2% increase ($434,692) to the current fiscal year's $22,038,677 operating budget. As the budget process continues, any - or none - of 13 potential additional expenses could be included in it. Calling it the "first bite" when reviewing the proposal as such on Nov. 21, Selectboard Chair Ian Goodnow said while the board could pass the "base budget sandwich" without adding to...
A group of Leland & Gray High School students will spend the spring semester exploring food systems and culture here at home, then travel south to several Gulf Coast states, as well as Vietnam and France, to study how food is grown, produced, distributed, prepared, and consumed. To raise money and help pay the estimated $140,000 needed for the 15 students and three teachers expected to participate, the group prepared and served a Community Dinner in Town Hall on Nov.
When Guilford-based keyboardist Kris Yunker, 39, moved to the area three years ago, he said to himself "Brattleboro needs a funk night." He got in touch with Robin Johnson, and the owner of the Stone Church loved the idea. The Stone Church's final funk night of 2023 will take place Wednesday, Dec. 6. The series will start up again on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Previous special guests of Funk Night have included Russ Lawton, Eric Kalb, Fuzz Sangiovanni, Tim Palmieri,
Historical restoration is an art form that attempts to preserve and connect us with our roots. In Putney, one of our historical landmarks is Pierce's Hall, built circa 1831, which has served as a community center and dance hall for over a century. A committed group of citizens has kept the hall operative for decades, restoring the roof and providing space for monthly contra dances, potlucks, celebrations, community presentations, and even food shelf pop-ups. Once upon a time, the Ladies'
Rhonda Wainshilbaum is an artisan and a civic volunteer, living and working in Massachusetts, just over the Vermont line. This is a scary time to be Jewish. Our world turned upside down on Oct. 7. Innocent Israelis were brutally murdered while their Hamas assassins happily filmed the torture of children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. We are mourning our dead and are horrified by the utter cruelty and hatred of Hamas. We feel...
When Deirdre Baker was named grand marshal of this town's Fourth of July parade in 2012, she didn't let that morning's storm clouds dampen her spirits. She already had weathered too much for that. The year before, Baker was planning a free public Christmas breakfast when, set to celebrate her 50th birthday, she was unable to shake a stuffy nose. Doctors said it wasn't a cold or allergies, but instead sinus cancer. To reach and remove it, they'd have to...
Dan DeWalt, one of the founders of this newspaper and a longtime activist for social justice, clean energy, peace, and restorative justice, describes this piece as "a collaboration with another Windham County citizen whose job status would be at risk were they to disclose their name." Washington is preparing to send a $14.3 billion year-end genocide bonus to Israel so it can continue to carry out war crimes while thumbing its nose at global calls for an enduring ceasefire. That's...