DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 7 * * All Arts News On the Web * * February 13, 2003

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


LIVE MUSIC IS FOR LOVERS

      In keeping with the season, make sure you wear your bright red long johns; baby, it's cold out there this weekend.

BURLINGTON--Northern Routes will host a Valentine's Day Dance featuring New England-style contras plus a selection of squares and circles at the Hinesberg Club on Friday at 8 p.m. All dancers are welcome, with or without a partner, in or out of love, from experienced dancers to beginners.
      Fletcher resident Mark Sustic fronts Northern Routes, a high energy, traditional and original old-time and New England-style dance band; the group features David Carpenter on fiddle, Tom Hodgson on guitar, Tom MacKenzie on hammered dulcimer and banjo, and Mark Sustic on string bass. They have appeared with Kitchen Sync Cloggers and the FolKids of Vermont, and have performed in Europe, China, Thailand, Vietnam and more.

CASTLETON--Counterpoint presents a hot Latin American Concert at Castleton State College on Valentines Day at 8 p.m.
      The professional Vermont vocal group Counterpoint features soprano Claire Hungerford of St Albans in concerts and in school programs around the state. The Counterpoint troupe also includes soprano Colleen Flynn Campbell; altos Louise De Cormier, Linda Radtke, and Melissa Chestnut Tangerman; tenors Piero Bonamico, Eric Brooks, and Roger Grow; and basses Danny Lichtenfelde and Brett Murphy.

HIGHGATE--The Nouveau Jazz Quartet will provide live jazz music in a Valentine's French Bistro at the Highgate Manor on Friday evening.
      The Nouveau Jazz Quartet is a jazzy combo of Matt Clancy, tenor saxophone, Eric Bushey guitar, Justin Bedell, bass, and Tim Buckingham, drums. The evening will include classics by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Pat Metheny as well as "plenty of danceable stuff."
      "I envision a really mellow dinner jazz set followed by some more up tempo music for dancing after the dinner hour," Eric Bushey said. Maybe even the Jersey Bounce.
      The Highgate Manor has crafted a Paris bistro of the 20s with candle lit tables for two, the dozens of private lovers' conversations, and comfort foods including Coq Au Vin or Boeuf Bourguignon, and a decadent Pot du Creme, all for Valentines Day. Call the Highgate Manor (868-9007) for reservations and info.

MONTGOMERY--Tammy Fletcher sold out shows with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, appeared with Phish at the Flynn, headlined the GospelFest at First Night, and brings soul to the heart of Valentine's Day. Now Tammy Fletcher and the Disciples return for the third year in a benefit concert for the Montgomery Rec Center, Friday from 9-12:30 p.m.; the doors open at 8 p.m. All ages are welcome, although people 18 and under will need an adult chaperone. There will be a raffle and other activities. Admission is $10/person at the door.
      "This dance started as a flood benefit a few years ago and it was so popular we kept going," Michelle Legault said. "It's going to be a great time."

RICHFORD--The Arvin A. Brown Library invites children for an after-school Valentine's Day program packed with books, crafts, and refreshments on Friday, 3-4 p.m. Space is limited; call the library (848-3313) to register.

SHELDON--The Abbey presents light fare and light music with singer/guitarist Bob Gesser in the Pub on Friday evening. Mr. Gesser will play 50s and 60s music from soft rock to country to blues. They will have a DJ for dining and dancing throughout the evening in the restaurant.


CALL FOR ARTISTS

      The next Fairfax Community Theater Company play will be Chapter Two, Neil Simon's admitted self-portrait. In the play, a writer struggles to cope with the death of his wife while his matchmaking brother sets him up with a lively actress.
      FCTC will hold auditions Sunday, February 16, at 7 p.m. in the Brick Meeting House in Westford and on Monday, February 17, at 7 p.m. at BFA-Fairfax. Call 849-2120 or E-mail.


ON STAGE LIVE

      The Vagina Monologues is a montage of funny, poignant and courageous soliloquies performed annually around Valentine's Day (V-Day) to raise awareness and stop violence against women and girls. It will be performed in more than 2,000 venues worldwide this year, including three performances in the Ira Allen Chapel this weekend.
      "2003 must be the year when we envision a new world where violence has ended," said Eve Ensler, author of the Obie Award-winning play. Ensler added a monologue about the experiences of women in Afghanistan for this year's production.
      The play has a 38-member cast and is directed, produced and acted by UVM students, staff, and community members. Two deaf actresses will perform monologues that will be interpreted to the hearing audience; an ASL interpreter will sign the rest of the show for hearing-impaired patrons. Co-directors Fritzie Charne and Kristi Lonardo are graduate students in education.
      The performances at UVM last year raised over $13,000 for the Women's Rape Crisis Center and Women Helping Battered Women. This year's beneficiaries are the Campus Victims' Advocacy Program and SafeSpace.
      The Vagina Monologues will be presented by the UVM Women's Center tomorrow and Saturday, February 14-15, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, February 16, at 2 p.m., in Ira Allen Chapel. Tickets are $10/adults and $6/students and seniors, available at the UVM Women's Center, the Peace and Justice Center, and at the door. Call 656-4637 or Click here for info. Monologues will repeat on the Flynn MainStage February 21 and 22.


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

      Matisse Picasso at MOMA QNS is the first exhibition dedicated to the conversation in paint and words between two towering twentieth century artists. Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso met in 1906 and played off each other throughout their lives.
      Symbolism, an attitude in painting that became dominant at the end of the 19th century, used abstruse subjects, vivid colors, overdrawn shapes, and ideas that especially influenced Picasso and Matisse. The exhibit shows how these artists looked at and learned from one another for 50 years.
      Matisse Picasso, opens February 13 and continues through May 19. The crowds promise to be larger than anything the site has yet encountered.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site.


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      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2003 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine).
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