Bidwell House Museum Summer History Talk

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MONTEREY, Mass.— Join the Bidwell House Museum on June 4 at 11 a.m. for the first lecture in our 2022 Summer History Talk series, The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano with Professor Robert Allison.
 
This lecture will be held at the Tyringham Union Church at 128 Main Rd in Tyringham. This will be an in-person lecture, with the option to also watch a livestream via Zoom. All Zoom participants will receive a link to access the lecture a couple of days in advance.
 
 
Tickets for in-Person members is $10 and non-members $15. Zoom, members free and non-members $10. The lecture will be held at the Tyringham Union Church and via Zoom. 11 a.m.
 
According to a press release: Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, wrote one of the most extraordinary, and best-selling, books of the 18th century. It was the story of his life, which took him from West Africa to the West Indies, and to England, the Mediterranean, and the Arctic in a time of war and revolution. Professor Allison has edited the most recent edition of Equiano's narrative. He will discuss Equiano's life, his reasons for writing his book, the mysterious controversy of Equiano's origins (was he born in Africa or in America?) and why his life continues to matter.
 
Robert Allison is a professor at Suffolk University in Boston, and also teaches in the Harvard Extension School. His main interest in teaching and writing is American history. In addition to being president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, he also chairs Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning commemorations of the Revolution's 250th anniversaries, is a life-trustee of the USS Constitution Museum, and is involved with other history organizations.
 
 

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Crescendo to Perform Music by Gilbert and Sullivan

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The award-winning chorus Crescendo concludes its 20th anniversary season with two semi-staged performances of light opera compositions by the famous English librettist/composer duo: Sir W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan.
 
There will only be two performances: on Saturday, May 4 at 6:00 PM at Trinity Church, 484 Lime Rock Rd., Lakeville, CT, and on Sunday, May 5 at 4:00 PM at Saint James Place, 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA. Tickets are $40 (general seating), $75 (preferred seating), and $10 (youth under 18 years). Purchase your tickets online at www.crescendomusic.org.
 
A limited number of tickets will be available to be sold at the door, starting 45 minutes before each performance.
 
According to a press release
 
Their works feature intentionally absurd plots in which authority and the rigid norms of society are cleverly made fun of, as the music combines elements of the parlor ballad, Victorian church music, and the operas of Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi. The program showcases some of their most beloved choral numbers, and a few of the most famous solo roles from several of their fourteen operettas, loosely tied together by brief narration, and the complete one-act operetta Trial by Jury. The Crescendo chamber chorus of 18 amateur and 12 professional singers is joined by soloists and actors from New York City to Europe who specialize in this genre.
 
Trial by Jury is a satirical setting for a "breach of promise" trial, ridiculing the British judicial system and the double standards of Victorian society. The second half of the program will feature popular selections from The Mikado, Patience, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, Iolanthe, Ruddigore, Princess Ida, and The Gondoliers. The change of scenes will be enhanced by costumes and props designed by Kate DeAngelis
 
The production is co-directed by John-Arthur Miller, an experienced Gilbert & Sullivan performer and long-time soloist and section leader at Crescendo, together with Crescendo’s founding artistic director, Christine Gevert.
 
Among the principal soloists is comic baritone Stephen Quint as The Learned Judge. Austria-based soprano, Rebecca Palmer, plays the role of Angelina (The Plaintiff). The lyric tenor, Igor Ferreira, playing Edwin (The Defendant).
 
The cast of soloists also includes – among others – tenor Kevin Ray, who has appeared as a soloist with The Metropolitan Opera, Portland Opera, Arizona Opera, and New Orleans Opera.
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