Music
• Open Mic at Mocha Joe's: Brattleboro Community Radio, WVEW 107.7 FM, will kick off its annual two-week fundraising campaign with an open mic at Mocha Joe's on Main Street in Brattleboro on Friday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m.
All musicians, writers, poets and other performers are invited to participate. The featured performer will be Vermont poet Verandah Porche.
The open mic will be broadcast live on Brattleboro Community Radio and streamed at http://www.wvew.org. Performers can sign up at the door, or ahead of time by writing to [email protected]. The event is free, but WVEW will accept donations and memberships.
• Music of Sonny Rollins, jazz trio pieces featured at OMC: On Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m., and Dec. 20, at 7 p.m., the Open Music Collective will host its final two concerts of the year, featuring the music of Sonny Rollins and a special night of jazz trio music.
John Clark (guitar), Scott Sizer (trumpet), Judith Williams (piano), Holly Havis (bass), and Jake Bursky (drums), will be performing the music of Sonny Rollins on the 19th, including Airigin, Alfie's Theme, 52nd St. Theme, Dig, and Weaver of Dreams.
Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians and has performed and recorded with many greats including Monk, Miles, Bird, Dizzy, Trane and other “one word” Jazz greats in a career that has spanned his life of 80 years.
The OMC trio that will be performing Dec. 20 at 7 p.m., is a special group of local favorites including Molly Steinmark (drums), Mike Harrist (bass) and Kate Parsons (piano). They have put together an eclectic set of music that they were all interested in studying for the semester that covers many different styles and genres from jazz trios through the years.
Chick Corea's What Was, Herbie Hancock's Tell Me a Bedtime Story, Thelonious Monk's Reflections, Wayne Shorter's Masquelero, and other choice standards round out the set. From bebop to freebop, this group will really inspire and entertain.
Both groups were coached by The Open Music Collective's Jamie MacDonald. Tickets are a suggested $5, and available at the door. For more information, visit www.openmusiccollective.org or call 802-275-5054. The Open Music Collective is located in the Cotton Mill in Brattleboro.
Visual arts
• BMAC bookmaking workshop for adults and educators: On Saturday, Jan. 29, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., a bookmaking workshop called “Tessellations: Art and Math,” will be presented at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center.
The workshop is tied to the illustrations in D.B. Johnson's picture book Palazzo Inverso, on exhibit at BMAC through Feb. 6. The illustrations are inspired by the work of artist M.C. Escher. They build on Escher's fascination with puzzles and optical illusions and include references to tessellations that Escher studied and created throughout his life.
Guided by Linda Lembke of Green River Bindery, workshop participants will use Escher's drawings and mathematical notes as the inspiration for their own original tessellations, including one inspired by a potato stamp game Escher used to help his children understand and create beautiful tiled patterns on a two-dimensional surface.
Participants will also make a simple softcover book to contain their work, which will serve as an especially useful reference tool for teachers creating lessons based on the art and mathematics of tessellations and patterns. Admission is $85; limited enrollment filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up by Jan. 14 by contacting BMAC at 802-247-0124, or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.
Performing arts
• Circus Nutcracker returns: The Flying Nut: A Starry Night is not your usual Nutcracker! Join the New England Center for Circus Arts for the second annual holiday show with a night of trapezists, tumblers, jugglers, stilt walkers, and more! Performers include professional level adults, advanced youth students and guest artists in this fun for the whole family extravaganza inspired by the traditional Nutcracker.
Performances will take place at the New England Center for Circus Arts space at the Cotton Mill in Brattleboro. Show times are Saturday, Dec. 18, at 3 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 19, 1 and 5 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for kids under 12, and free for kids under 2. They are available online at www.necenterforcircusarts.org or by calling 802- 254-9780. Advance reservations are recommended.