Contributions should be sent to jim.lowe@rutlandherald.com or jim.lowe@timesargus.com at least two weeks in advance.
Sandglass crankies
PUTNEY — Sandglass Theater’s “A Rafter of Crankies” is back at Green Mountain Orchards for the third consecutive year. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, and 5 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Once again, the crankies event will be part of the Putney Craft Tour on Thanksgiving Weekend.
Crankies are panoramic scrolls that are “cranked” on the handles of a box that the scrolls wind through. The effect is like watching the analog ancestor of a movie, or a comic strip that combines with a song or story.
This year’s performing artists include “Rafter” founders Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass, and Brendan Taaffe, all with new crankies created especially for this event.
New to the event are: Emily Schubert, from Pennsylvania, who has enriched the national crankie scene as director of the famed Baltimore Crankie Fest. Alexandra Gorlin-Crenshaw, from Montreal, performs with hand-made fold-out books, a cousin of crankies. And to add spice to the event, she performs in Yiddish.
Heating will run before and between shows; the temperature in the building should be somewhere between outdoors and cozy. Bring layers. Cider and baked snacks will be available by donation.
Tickets are $20, $18 for students, seniors, $16 for EBT and Medicaid cardholders, at the door or sandglasstheater.org online. Green Mountain Orchard is at 130 W. Hill Road.
Organist Jim Farmer
ST. JOHNSBURY — Jim Farmer will present a free organ recital at the United Community Church UCC, at 1325 Main St., at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. The program will feature approximately an hour of music: works of Adolphus Hailstork, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Jean Langlais, Herbert Howells, Eugene Gigout, George Shearing and Maurice Duruflé.
“For me, this recital represents something of a musical homecoming, inasmuch as I’ll be privileged to play the same wonderful, historic instrument that I played during four years of high school as organist of what was then known as North Congregational Church,” Farmer said. “In the years since I left St. J, professionally I’ve been a lawyer serving 33 years as a Justice Department prosecutor primarily in Boston. But the organ has never lost its fascination for me, I’ve now retired, and I have time to practice and work with a teacher again.
“Many years ago, when I was active in organ competitions, I twice won the Northern New England Young Organists Competition of the American Guild of Organists and was a participant in the AGO’s National Young Organists Competition.”
The recital is free and open to the public.
Taconic Thanksgiving
MANCHESTER — Taconic Music will present its eighth annual Thanksgiving concert at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, in the Manchester Community Library.
Co-artistic directors Joana Genova and Ariel Rudiakov will be joined by violinist Deborah Buck and cellist Hannah Holman to perform Beethoven’s String Quartet in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3, and Allen Shawn’s “Sleepless Night.”
Buck is concertmaster of Orchestra Lumos, assistant professor at SUNY Purchase and co-executive director of Kinhaven Music School. Holman is the principal cellist of the Quad City Symphony, a member of the New York City Ballet, and maintains a solo career.
For more information about the concert, year-round offerings, and summer chamber music festival, go to taconicmusic.org online.
Rutland dance party
RUTLAND — From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, Merchants Hall at 42 Merchants Row will be moving and shaking to the sounds of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, as a long overdue dance party takes place.
The event is hosted by Elissa Bucceri and Jared Johnson. Originally from New Jersey, Bucceri moved to Vermont in 2015.
“There’s really no places to go out and dance around Rutland, so we figured we’d just throw our own party,” she said. “At first, it was just going to be a couple of friends, but we decided to open it up to the public.”
As a local musician and owner of a live sound company, Johnson has been part of a number of shows at Merchants Hall and thought it would be a great location.
“We like the idea of making something fun happen in downtown Rutland,” said Johnson.
There’s a $20 cover charge at the door. It’s a 21-and-over event and BYOB. For details, call 802-417-7411 or go to www.asoundspacevt.com online.
Castleton jazz
CASTLETON — The VTSU Jazz Ensemble is celebrating the “Music of Thelonious Monk.” One of the pioneers of bebop, Monk was an incredible jazz composer and pianist. The Jazz Ensemble will feature his music at its concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Casella Theater on the VTSU Castleton campus.
Tickets are $10, $5 for seniors, available by calling 802-468-1119 or at the door.
New arts calendar
MIDDLEBURY — Town Hall Theater has launched AddisonArts.org, a comprehensive digital arts calendar for Addison County. This platform, free to all, is made possible by a three-year Digital Capacity Grant from the Vermont Arts Council and serves as a one-stop shop for discovering arts and culture events throughout the region. Event organizers are encouraged to take advantage of this free service to enhance visibility and audience reach.
AddisonArts.org streamlines discovering arts and culture events, previously scattered across various online platforms, into a single accessible location. The site welcomes locals and visitors to explore the full gamut of arts and culture programming happening in our region, from art openings and exhibits to live music, theater, and education. In addition, users can post and view volunteer opportunities and casting calls.
Go to addisonarts.org online for details.
