Stone Walls of New England Tuesday April 10, 2012
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Kevin Gardner, author of The Granite Kiss:Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls, will talk about the history of New England stone walls and their cultural significance. Touching on history, technique, stylistic development, and aesthetics, Kevin explains how and why New England came to acquire its thousand miles of stone walls, the ways in which they and other dry stone structures were built, and how their styles emerged and changed over time. Differences in approach between historical and contemporary wall-builders, a discussion of restoration tips and techniques, and information about design, acquisition of materials, preservation, and analysis will be included along with a question and answer period. Along the way, Kevin occupies himself building a miniature wall or walls on a tabletop, using tiny stones from a five-gallon bucket.
Kevin, for more than thirty years, has been a stone wall builder in a family business widely known for traditional New England stonework, particularly for historic restoration of antique structures. In addition to The Granite Kiss, he has published poetry, songs, and essays. From 1985 to 2010, Kevin was also a performance critic, feature writer, and producer for NH Public Radio; as well as a longtime professional actor, director, and teacher of theatre.
New Hampshire Master Chorale with
The New Hampshire Master Chorale is a non-profit choir established in the spring of 2003. This premier chamber ensemble is dedicated to excellence in the art of choral music performance. Members of the group are trained singers, auditioned from throughout New England, who have performed as soloists and in choral ensembles throughout the world. The ensemble's mission includes performance series in New England, educational outreach, national and international touring, commissioning and premiering of works by New Hampshire composers, recording, and collaborative projects with other excellent performing arts organizations.
Dr. Daniel R. Perkins, Music Director, holds the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Brigham Young University. He continued his studies as a Fulbright scholar in Helsinki, Finland. While there, he worked as the associate conductor of the Finnish Chamber Choir and associate conductor of the Savonlinna Opera Festival Chorus.
We thank the Friends of the Amherst Town Library for the funding of the Sundays at 4 music series this year.
'Uprooted': Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire - Facilitated film discussion
Tuesday April 17, 2012
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
'Uprooted' is a 30-minute documentary based on interviews collected during the New Hampshire Humanities Council's Fences and Neighbors initiative on immigration. It tells the story of five refugees who escaped from war-torn countries to resettle in New Hampshire. The film explores what it means to be a refugee, how it feels to make a new life in a strange place, often without English language skills, family, jobs, or community contacts. The film leaves us pondering questions of belonging and citizenship. What does it mean to be an American? Once a refugee, are you destined always to be a refugee? What are our responsibilities toward one another?
New Hampshire Humanities Council facilitator John Krueckeberg will introduce the film and lead the post-film discussion. A Professor of History at Plymouth State University with expertise in American social and cultural history, John taught four years in Arizona near the U.S./Mexico border. This program is made possible through a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Drawing heavily on the repertoire of traditional singer Lena Bourne Fish (1873-1945) of Jaffrey and Temple, New Hampshire, musician Jeff Warner offers the songs and stories that, in the words of Carl Sandburg, tell us 'where we came from and what brought us along.' These ballads, love songs, and comic pieces reveal the experiences and emotions of daily life in the days before the movies, sound recordings, and for some, books. Songs from lumber camps, the decks of sailing ships, the textile milss, and the war between the sexes offer views of pre-industrial New England and a chance to hear living artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries.
New Hampshire Humanities Council presenter, Jeff Warner, connects 21st century audiences with the music of everyday lives of 19th century people. He presents musical traditions from the Outer Banks fishing villages of North Carolina to the lumber camps of the Adirondack Mountains and the whaling ports of New England. Warner accompanies his songs on concertina, banjo, guitar, and several 'pocket instruments,' such as bones and Jew's harp. Warner is a Folklorist and Community Scholar for the New Hampshire Council on the Arts. He has toured nationally for the Smithsoniam Institution and has recorded for Flying Fish/Rounder Records and other labels. This program is offered with funding support from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
