For more upcoming events, click here for The Chester Telegraph calendar. To be included in our Upcoming events briefs, email Susan Lampe-Wilson at calendar@www.chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please. Notices must be received by noon on Fridays to be eligible for publication the following week.

Art

Aug. 7: Art Expo at in Londonderry

The Londonderry Arts and Historical Society invites the community to its Art Expo showcasing and celebrating local talent. The exhibit Local Artists on Display will be at Custer Sharp House, 2461 Middletown Road, in Londonderry throughout the month of August.

A  Paint-Out will take place from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7. Participants will meet at the Custer Sharp House, create and then show their work. All mediums are welcome for this fun and collaborative experience.

A Local Artist’s Reception follows from 5–7 p.m. to celebrate the work of local artists who participated in the  Paint Out  and exhibit in Local Artists on Display

Exhibit and sale hours are Friday, 9 a.m.–noon and Saturday, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. For more information on the Art Expo call 802-875-3865. For more information on the Londonderry Arts and Historical Society call 802-824-6560.

Sunflowers by Christopher Pierce

Aug. 8: SVAC opens Summer Members’ Exhibition

The Southern Vermont Arts Center opens its annual Summer Members’ exhibition from 2–4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8. As only one of two shows in which member artists are guaranteed acceptance, this exhibition has been a favorite of artists and buyers alike. Displayed throughout the Yester House Galleries, at 930 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive, in Manchester. All artwork is for sale.

The show will run through Sept. 20, with an opening reception at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8, which is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided, and guests will have the opportunity to meet with many of the featured artists.

The Summer Members’ Exhibition has artworks that encompass traditional, abstract, and contemporary styles with ceramics, metal works, printmaking, as well as paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolor.

This year’s exhibition will be showcasing two artist members in particular, Christopher Pierce and George Van Hook. Pierce’s show will highlight his florals, still lifes and stunning portraiture while Hook’s work features plein-air landscapes and still lifes that utilize form, light  and color.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For information call 802-362-1405, or email info@svac.org.

Visit the website svac.org, for updates on exhibitions, workshops, special events, and more.

Aug. 15: Fourth Corner gallery premieres 15/15/15

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Fourth Corner Gallery opens exhibit.

he Fourth Corner Foundation art gallery holds its premiere opening of  15/15/15 at 578 Hitchcock Hill Road, Windham. The exhibit will open at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 and run through Tuesday, Sept. 15. Fifteen artists from around the country will be showing contemporary works. The displayed works will be a mixture of mediums: oil/canvas, photography, glass, mixed and metal. The foundation gallery is commission free, and proceeds from sales go directly to the artists.

For more information call 802-875-2194, email rfs@vermontel.net or visit thefourthcornerfoundation.org.

Film

View ‘Gifted Hands’ at the Grounded4Life coffeehouse on Friday

Aug 7: Grounded4Life screens Carson film

A made-for-TV movie, Gifted Hands, the Ben Carson Story, based on the book by Dr. Ben Carson, will be shown at the Grounded4Life coffee house at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.

Gifted Hands stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carson. The film covers Carson’s life from a difficult childhood to becoming a famed neurosurgeon. A trailer can be viewed here.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the film begins at 7 p.m. The coffee bar and refreshments will be ready when you arrive. Grounded4LIFE is located in the coffee house down under at the First Baptist Church at 162 Main St. in Chester. The program is free.

Check out the Grounded4Life Facebook page or contact John Nunnikhoven at john4ns@fastmail.fm.

Lecture

New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent David E. Sanger discusses U.S.A.’s current international challenges at Weston Playhouse

Aug. 16: NY Times’ Sanger to speak on Iran

Fresh from his front page coverage of the Iran nuclear deal, New York Times chief Washington correspondent David  Sanger returns to Weston Playhouse for a special lecture Curbing Chaos: Iran, The Islamic State, and Other Challenges to American Power, at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16. The Playhouse is located at 703 Main St., in Weston. The event includes Sanger’s talk and a moderated audience question and answer session, followed by a dessert reception with an opportunity to meet, mingle and discuss.

In his 32-year career, Sanger has reported from New York, Tokyo and Washington, covering a wide variety of issues surrounding foreign policy, globalization, nuclear proliferation and Asian affairs. He is the author of two bestsellers: The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power (2009) and Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power (2012).

Join Sanger and Weston chair emeritus Wayne Granquist for a stimulating, participatory discussion of current political issues and events. Admission is $35. All proceeds benefit the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company. Reserve online at westonplayhouse.org or with the box office at 802-824-5288.

Music

Enjoy the final week of the Yellow Barn’s performances in the Big Barn in Putney

One week left of Yellow Barn  performances

Music lovers have one last week to enjoy Yellow Barn’s music this summer as the festival’s 46th season culminates with daily concerts Monday through Saturday in the Big Barn on Main Street in Putney. Over the course of the week, Yellow Barn will explore 250 years of chamber music history, from Mozart to Jörg Widmann, composed for strings, winds, voice, piano, and percussion and performed by over 50 musicians,  representing a dozen countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

A highlight of the final week is the arrival of Composer in Residence Jörg Widmann.

Widmann maintains a double life as an internationally renowned composer and clarinetist.

Other faculty arrivals include the “homecomings” of tenor Benjamin Butterfield of Vancouver, percussionist Eduardo Leandro of New York and French hornist Stephen Stirling of London.

Yellow Barn’s final concerts take place daily at 8 p.m., and include a Saturday matinee at 12:30 p.m. The complete week perfromances are as follows:

Monday, Aug. 3, 8 p.m.
Music of Bartók, Manoury,Widmann and Schubert.

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 8 p.m.
Composer Portrait: Jörg Widmann, Composer in Residence

Wednesday, Aug. 5, 8 p.m.
Music of Thomas Adès,  Mozart,  Debussy,  Widmann, Couperin. Conor Nelson, flute; Yoonhee Lee, violin; Juliette Herlin, cello; Stephen Coxe, harpsichord

Thursday, Aug. 6, 8 p.m.
Music of  Stravinsky, Carter, Widmann, Schoenberg.

Friday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m.
Music of  Widmann, James Wood, Janáček.
Benjamin Butterfield, tenor; Joseph Liccardo, piano; Tiffany Du Mouchelle, soprano

Saturday, Aug. 8, matinee: 12:30 p.m.
Music of Jörg Widmann and Robert Schumann.

Saturday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m.
Music of Donatoni,  Mozar,   Widmann, Britten, Jonathan Harvey, You.

Tickets range from $10 to $28, and are available online at www.yellowbarn.org or at the box office 802-387-6637. Advance reservations are strongly encouraged for guaranteed admission.

Listen to the Big Band sounds of Gerry Grimo and the East Bay Jazz Ensemble Thursday in Chester

Aug. 6: Gerry Grimo & East Bay Jazz return to Chester

On Thursday, Aug. 6., from 6:30–8 p.m. Gerry Grimo and the East Bay Jazz Ensemble return to Chester for the fourth concert in the Chester Summer Concert Series to deliver the big band sounds. The ensemble delivers jazz, pop and R&B, and takes the audience on a sentimental journey through the sound of classic big bands. The concert is held on the lawn of the historic Academy Building across from the Green in downtown Chester.

In addition to Big Band sounds, Grimo and his ensemble will play favorites from Motown, swing, oldies, classic rock, Latin  and ballroom.

Bring blankets and lawn chairs or have dinner at one of the restaurants on the Green while listening to the concert. In case of inclement weather, concerts will move to MacLaomainn’s Scottish Pub’s event space, 52 S. Main St., Chester. For information, call Lynne Reed at 802-875-3400.

The Cajun and Zydeco music of Yankee Chank to spice up the evening in Proctorsville

Aug 12: Yankee Chank in Proctorsville

The Town of Cavendish and Conservation Association present the penultimate in its series of Wednesday evening concerts on Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. when Yankee Chank will appear on the Green in Proctorsville.

The concert, sponsored by Black River Produce, the Fresh Connection, features Yankee Chank, a Vermont group that performs both Cajun and Zydeco music, using fiddle, accordion, guitar and bass offering a distinctive immersion into this unique regional music.

The final concert in the series will be on Aug. 19 at 5:30 p.m. when Three To The Bar will wrap up the Cavendish season.

All concerts are free and open to the public. Bring a blanket, chairs and a picnic dinner. For more information call Robin at 802-226-7736. In case of rain, check the Cavendish Facebook page for further information.

— Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson