Our 2018 Historic North Hall Arts Festival season opens with the Opera Showcase and concludes with Old Country Road Band. We offer two theatre performances, a one-woman performance by Ellen Barry -Shakespeare’s Women, and a staged reading of Try and Get Some Sleep Now, a suspense drama by Mitch Giannunzio. And plenty of music follows: the Khalif Neville Trio (jazz, funk, R&B), Duo Mundo with cello and guitar (mix of classical and world), Randy Noojin in two separate multimedia portrayals with music of Pete Seeger in SEEGER and Woody Guthrie in Hard Travelin’ with Woody, Dave Sporny’s Swingtet with members of the Amherst Jazz Orchestra and Thomas Bergeron (Springfield Symphony principal trumpet) and his Quartet with a classical/jazz blend.Two Open Mic Music Jams are back again. And we continue exhibiting artwork of local visual artists.

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OPERA ARIA & SONG SHOWCASE

Saturday MAY 26 2018-7:00 p.m.
Sunday MAY 27, 2018 – 2:00 p.m
$15 at door, students FREE. Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
The New York ensemble presents art songs and arias from various operas. The ensemble features soprano Amy Orsulak, baritone Christopher DeVage and Tenor, Antonio Abate with accompanist Jerome Tan. (more…)

Khalif Neville Trio

Music – Traditional jazz forms, funk, R&B & hip-hop
Sunday JUNE 10, 2018 – 2:00 p.m
$10 at the door; students free; Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
Keyboardist and composer Khalif Neville with Hiroyuki Shido on bass and Talyn Neville on drums blend traditional jazz forms with derivative styles of funk, R&B and hip-hop. Traditionalists will be drawn to the distinctive New Orleans groove while younger audiences will identify with a peppering of more contemporary influences. (www.khalifnevillejazz.com) (more…)

Shakespeare’s Women

Theatre/ Spoken Word with Ellen Barry
Sunday JUNE 24, 2018 – 2:00 p.m
$10 at the door; students free; Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
In Shakespeare’s plays, women are far outnumbered by men, yet they are among his most memorable characters. Veteran actress Ellen Barry takes her audience on a memorable journey as she performs and discusses a wide range of the Bard’s female characters, from ingénues to leading ladies to character women and finally crones. (more…)

OPEN MIC

MUSIC JAM
Friday JULY 6, 2018 – 7:00 p.m
FREE or donation at the door; Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
Open MIC performances by musicians, instrumental and vocal. Performers to determine format. Musicians and public welcome. (more…)

Duo Mundo

Classical and contemporary world Music Concert
Sunday, JULY 15, 2018 – 2:00 p.m.
$15 at the door; students FREE. Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
Internationally acclaimed musicians, Duo Mundo – cellist Rebecca Hartka and guitarist José Lezcano, present an exciting program of Global Crosscurrents that explores the connections and intersection of old world and new world styles from Venice to Buenos Aires and the baroque to the 21st century. In March 2017 the duo performed and gave master classes in Havana, Cuba through the invitation of UNEAC for the Cello Festival of Havana. (joselezcano.com)(www.rebeccahartka.com) (more…)

SEEGER

Theater / folk music
Saturday. JULY 21, 2018 – 2:00 p.m.
$15 at door; students free. Wheelchair-access, air-conditioned.
Playwright, musician and actor Randy Noojin portrays the legendary Pete Seeger as he plays a benefit for U.S.-Cuban normalization in 1982.  Come sing along with Pete as he uses some of his greatest songs to tell of his battles with the HUAC witch-hunt and the Blacklist during the Cold War. Culled from Seeger’s own word and testimony. (www.seegershow.com/) (more…)

HARD TRAVELIN’ with WOODY

Written and Performed by Randy Noojin
Sunday JULY 22, 2018-2:00 PM;
$15 at door; students FREE. Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
Critically acclaimed artist Randy Noojin’s portrayal of American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie is based on Guthrie’s writing and recordings. Noojin performs the many favorites in this multimedia presentation. (www.hardtravelinshow.com)
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OPEN MIC

MUSIC JAM
Friday AUGUST 3, 2018 – 7:00 p.m
FREE or donation at the door; Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
Open MIC performances by musicians, instrumental and vocal. Performers to determine format. Musicians and public welcome. (more…)