Community Calendar

The all-volunteer Hamden Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Vesna Mehinovic, will conclude its 64th season of performances with its Spring Concert, “Making an Entrance” on Saturday, April 25th at 7:30 PM at Hamden Memorial Town Hall. Four of Connecticut’s most talented student instrumental and vocal musicians will make their entrance with the Orchestra as the winners of Hamden Symphony’s 56th Young Musicians Concerto Competition. Cellists Balian Buttimer and Talya Hadari, pianist Amanda Huang, and mezzo-soprano Alexandra Lynch will perform works of Lalo, Dvorak, Beethoven and Handel respectively.

Continuing in Hamden Symphony’s tradition of presenting new compositions for Orchestra, this concert will feature the world-premiere of two new works of local composers; the opening movement of Symphony # 1: Genesis by Quinnipiac University student and Hamden Symphony violinist, Oscar Lin, as well as the Sinfonia in Landscapes of Dr. Joshua Groffman, associate professor and chair of the music department of Southern Connecticut State University.

Rounding out this program will be the concluding movement of Ottorino Respighi’s tone-poem, Pines of Rome, replete with brass that will surround the hall, depicting a triumphal parade down the Via Appia at the cusp of dawn.

No tickets are required in advance. A $15 Suggested Donation ($10 Students/Seniors) will be accepted at the door.

This performance is sponsored by Paul and Elizabeth Mathey. Additional support is provided by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

For more information visit www.hamdensymphony.org or call 203-691-5178.

SOUNDS OF AMERICA
Caroline Shaw | Entr’acte
Bernstein | West Side Story Selections
Copland | Symphony No. 3

Like the February 21 concert, the ECSO’s season closer will look ahead to the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Born in 1982 in Greenville, North Carolina, Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw wrote Entr’acte in 2011 for string quartet; this arrangement for string orchestra followed in 2014. Singing well-loved selections from the 1957 musical West Side Story—with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim—will be [TBD].
Following intermission, Music Director & Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada will lead the orchestra in a performance of Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3, premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1946. The composer’s powerful and inspiring “Fanfare for the Common Man” is hinted at in the first three movements, becoming a key theme in the fourth. Copland was 18 years older than Bernstein, a high-profile promoter of his friend’s music as a reflection of the American spirit.

Performances April 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 24, 25 at 7:30 pm Sunday Matinees April 12,19,26 at 2:00 pm

Troupers proudly presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, Iolanthe. Enjoy love, laughter, witty British humor with full sets, costumes and orchestra.

"Iolanthe" is a comic opera by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, first performed in 1886. Like many Gilbert and Sullivan operas, it satirizes various aspects of Victorian Britain, including its political and legal system, and also the institution of marriage. Arthur Sullivan's musical score is a beautiful combination of the classical and the romantic, as he borrows liberally from Continental composers.

This exhibition examines depictions of the American flag through 75 works by a diverse group of artists, beginning during WWI with Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918 and continuing to the present day, including a textile sculpture commissioned for the show from Maria de Los Angeles. The exhibition includes work in a variety of media by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu, and challenges viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all.

For Which It Stands… forms part of America250: The Promise and Paradox, an initiative through which Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment.

Curator: Carey Mack Weber, Executive Director, Fairfield University Art Museum
Faculty Liaison: Aaron Weinstein, PhD, Assistant Professor of Politics

Days & Times:

Friday, April 24th: Early buying 8 am to 10 am ($25 admission); 10 am to 5 pm: Free admission
Saturday, April 25th: 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, April 26th: 1pm to 5 pm (Half Price Day)
Monday, April 27th: 10 am to 5 pm: $5 Bag Day (Bags supplied by the Library)

Featuring 75,000 books organized in more than 50 categories:

Fiction, non-fiction, art, history, self-help, cookbooks, parenting, business, biographies, and many more!
Gently used, new and vintage items

Books on tape, CDs, DVDs, music CDs, and vinyl

Everyone is covered in this fundraiser - from tots to teens in the Brubeck Room; Vintage books in the gallery; Full book cellar for adults.

Proceeds benefit the library.

The Atelier presents Dr. Frederic Mendelsohn’s picturesque landscape scenes in a solo exhibition, opening Thursday, April 2 and running through Thursday, April 30.

Dr. Mendelsohn’s profound vision transcends a simple landscape view to uncover “unobvious” scenes. By using color symbolism and brushwork to mirror the stillness translates intangible feelings into visual elements. When a viewer engages with the resulting work, they aren't just seeing a scene; they feel the heat of a painted sun or the calm of a silent pond.
“I think of myself as a truth seeker. I want to create an original work that emulates Mother Nature in a painterly fashion, rendering art that captures the effects of atmosphere through color and light. My goal is to effortlessly paint what I envision in my mind’s eye.”

Dr. Frederic Mendelsohn, is a modern-day Renaissance man — neurologist, philanthropist, author, musician and artist. He is the holder of both a BA and MA degree as well as a MD, and is predominantly a landscape artist utilizing both oil and egg tempera paints. With over four decades of experience, Frederic has studied extensively with the Art Students League in NYC, The Art League of Long Island, New School University, and Marymount College, and is a proud member of the Long Island Museum Artist Guild as well as the Setauket Artist Group and the North Shore Art Guild.

The opening reception for this amazing solo exhibition is Thursday, April 2, 5:30-7:30PM. Come meet Dr. Mendelsohn and experience the beauty of our local landscape! For more information. call 631-250-9009.

An Exhibition of Original black and white Graphite, Charcoal, Ink & Conte Crayon Drawings
On View May 14 - June 11 2026
Opening Reception Thursday, May 14th 5:30-7:30pm

CALL TO ARTISTS

CRITERIA: Artists (18 +) are invited to submit artwork for consideration for our exhibit, “Contrast: A Drawing Exhibition”! All styles are welcome. All works must be original and have been created in the last five years. References used in the creation of the submitted work must be the artist’s own, or copyright released for use in this work.

MEDIUMS: Limited to Black and white: graphite, charcoal, ink, pencil, or conte crayon

You may submit up to three (3) pieces of art for $25.

IMPORTANT DATES:
Deadline for submission: Sunday, April 26 at Midnight
Notification of acceptance: Friday, May 1
Drop off no later than: Friday, May 8
On view: Thursday, May 14- June 11

For any questions, please email us directly at adminasst@atelierflowerfield.org

You may register online https://www.cognitoforms.com/TheAtelierAtFlowerfield/CONTRASTADrawingExhibition
or call 631-250-9009 for more information.

Bob Westcott will perform LIVE music at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook Village (97 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY) on April 26th from 3-4pm. The event is free with general admission ticket purchase and free for members.

For details on this and upcoming events please visit https://www.limusichalloffame....

About Bob Westcott

Guitarist Bob Westcott is no stranger to Long Island audiences. His career began as a teenager playing guitar in the streets and basket houses of Greenwich Village, and, more auspiciously, as one of the very first members of the Wes Houston Band. Onetime owner of Folk City and famed Greenwich Village scene author Robbie Woliver has called Bob "the real deal", and for good reason: Bob has been perfecting his elegant finger-style guitar work many years. During the 60's, Bob played in the basket houses of Greenwich Village, then moved to Manchester, England to explore the British folk scene, then traveled throughout Canada and the US in the 70's, living in the Midwest, California and upstate New York before settling on eastern Long Island.

Bob has opened for several nationally-known performers, including John Hammond, Merle Haggard, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, The Nields, and most recently, Richard Shindell. He is much in demand as a session player, showcasing his breathtaking skill as a fingerpicker and multi-instrumentalist.