I'm Back..... !

Thought you would get a kick out of this list of Meet-Up connections daytrips that I've made over the past seven years.

 

 

• Winesday - Wine Tasting Event at the MFA.
• ICA – Harbor walk Sounds Concert! (Cuban Jazz) - Free!
• French Film: A Castle in Italy- MFA Annual Boston French Film Festival.
• Cogswell's Grant in Essex, MA---Cogswell's Grant A mecca for lovers of American folk art, Cogswell’s Grant was the summer home of renowned collectors Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little. The ...
• By Invitation: Castle Hill at the Crane Estate...We have been invited by the Trustees of Reservations to a private guided tour, beginning with a brief history of the Inn at Castle Hill, a tour of Castle Hill at the Crane Estate's Great House, and concluding with a brief tour of the historic landscape, including a new restoration project.

 

• Mercury Orchestra at Sanders Theatre...evening's selections: Symphony No. 1 "Classical," Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2, Camille Saint-Saens Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique," Piotr Tchaikovsky...
• Shakespeare on the Common: Twelfth Night.
• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site...Frederick Law Olmsted, Shaper of the American Landscape Perhaps more than any other person, Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) affected the way America looks
• Lyman Estate and Greenhouses...Lyman Estate, also known as "The Vale," is one of the finest examples in the United States of a country estate following the principles of eighteenth-century English naturalistic design.    
• Beacon Hill Art Walk...The Beacon Hill Art Walk is taking place on the first Sunday in June, from noon to 6pm, throughout the secret gardens and patios of Beacon Hill.
• New England Philharmonic: Firsts & Fantasies...
• The New England Philharmonic, under the direction of Richard Pittman, concludes its 37th season with an NEP commission and world premiere of Composer in Residence David...

 

• Fifth Annual Spring Brunch...Fifth Annual Spring Brunch at The South End's fashionable Club Café` as we celebrate five years as Boston's "Gay Men's Art & Architecture Meetup".
• Brimfield Antiques Fair...The Brimfield Antiques Show began in the 1950's and has become the largest and best-known outdoor antiques show in the country.
• McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College...The McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College organizes and presents innovative, multidisciplinary exhibitions that receive national and international recognition...
• Sunday Afternoon at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum .
• NE Philharmonic: An American Anthem...
• Forbes House Museum...The Forbes House Museum—an Extraordinary Family, a Historic Place The Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House, also known as the R. B. Forbes House, is a house museum...
• Sunday Afternoon at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum...The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is at once an intimate collection of fine and decorative art and a vibrant, innovative venue for contemporary artists, musicians and...
• 
  • John Singer Sargent's Watercolors at MFA...The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the US, attracting over one million visitors yearly. It contains over 450,000 works.
  • From VA Museum of Fine Arts: Faberge Revealed...Faberge Revealed The name Fabergé is synonymous with refined craftsmanship, jeweled luxury and the Russian imperial family.
  • Currier Museum & Zimmerman House...The Currier Museum of Art is an internationally renowned art museum located in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Currier features European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture, including works by Picasso, Monet, O'Keeffe, Wyeth, and LeWitt with exhibitions, tours, and programs year-round.
  • Mercury Orchestra: Stravinsky & Rachmaninoff...The Mercury Orchestra celebrates Stravinsky & Rachmaninoff in concert at Harvard's historic Sanders Theatre. Program: Rite of Spring, Stravinsky Symphonic Dances,.
  • Boston Harbor Walk by Walk-Boston.
  • American Textile History Museum...A guided tour of the Museum's core exhibition, Textile Revolution:
  • In addition to artworks from the Addison's permanent collection, we will be viewing two special exhibitions, beginning with "For All The World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights" at 11:00, and moving on to "Secrets, Loss, Memory, and Courage: Works by Gay Male Artists"
  • Davis Museum at Wellesley...
  • Museum of Russian Icons and Gallery of African Art...
  • Harvard Museum of Natural History: The Glass Flowers...The Glass Flowers This unique collection of over 3,000 models was created by glass artisans Leopold Blaschka and his son, Rudolph. The commission began in 1886,...
    
    
    
    
    • Sunday at the Peabody Essex Museum--- A Museum of Art and Culture.
      The roots of the Peabody Essex Museum date to the 1799 founding of the East India Marine Society, an organization of Salem captains and supercargoes who had sailed beyond either the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn.
    • Mount Auburn Cemetery Fall Foliage & Architecture Walking Tour...
    • Historic Boston Walking Tour...an informal walking tour of sites and landmarks that highlight Boston's history and architecture, including Boston Common, the State House, King's Chapel and...
    • Os Gemeos: Institute of Contemporary Art...Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art will present the first solo exhibition in the United States of works by the Brazilian brothers Otavio and Gustavo..
    • Fuller Museum Group Tour..The Fuller Museum building was created by architects J.T. Anderson and Associates of Boston. Fuller Craft is filled with high ceilings, wide corridors, slate floors,...
    • Private Tour: Boston Public Library...The McKim Building is notable for its perfect proportions, its classic serenity, its modestly borne and elegance...
    • SoWa Art Walk - South End Open Studios...SoWa is the cultural district in Boston located South of Washington Street, which is where it gets its name.
    • Rose Art Museum's 50th Anniversary...The story of the Rose Art Museum is one of the most remarkable in the history of university art museums. Founded in 1961.
    • By Invitation: Massachusetts Historical Society...We have been invited for a free guided private tour of the significant artworks, the architecture, and the collected artifacts of the Massachusetts Historical Society,...
    • By Invitation: A Private Tour of Codman Estate.
    • Private Tour: Gloucester's Beauport Mansion, The Sleeper-McCann House.
    • Gropius House, Codman Estate & 26th Annual Antique Auto Show.
    • Architectural Walking Tour of Harvard Yard.
    • Willard House and Clock Museum...The Willard House and Clock Museum in North Grafton, Mass., circa 1718, is a festive place with historic roots. Willard House now offers a new Fine Arts tour.
    • Worcester Art Museum.
    • Ayer Mansion Private Tours.
    • Sunday Music Series at the Gardner...The longest-running museum music program in the nation, the Gardner Museum’s concert series enters its 84th consecutive season this September.
    • Sunday at the MFA.
    • The Gibson House Museum...Charles Gibson, Jr. The Gibson House Museum exists because of the vision and family pride of Charles and Rosamond Gibson's middle child, Charles Jr. He was a poet,...
    • Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University...The permanent collection of the Rose Art Museum is internationally recognized for its quality and comprehensiveness. The collection numbers over 8,000 objects.
    • Out at Plimoth Plantation & the Mayflower II.
    • The Art & Architecture of Trinity Church..Are you curious about why Trinity has appeared on the architectural community's "top ten" lists of significant buildings for over 100 years? Perhaps you'd like to know
    • Shakespeare on the Common: Othello.
    • deCordova Museum & Sculpture Park...The deCordova Sculpture Park encompasses 35 acres of beautiful rolling woodlands and lawns, and is the largest park of its kind in New England.
    • Shawsheen Village & West Parish Cemetery...We have been extended an invitation to visit two of Andover's Historic Places, including a tour of an historic garden cemetery chapel with 14 Tiffany stained glass...
    • Cambridge Symphony Orchestra: Pops on the Lawn.
    • Architecture Walk: Avenue of the Arts.
    • By Invitation: A Private Tour of Longfellow House...We have been invited on a private tour of the Longfellow House National Historic Site, beginning in the Formal Garden, and including the garden design, the architecture...
    • An Afternoon at House of the Seven Gables...Welcome to Salem's premiere historic site, located on the Harbor!
    • Fort Point [Leather District] Art Walk.
    • Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-War America.
    • Museum of Russian Icons...The Museum of Russian Icons was founded as a non-profit educational museum by Gordon Lankton. The collection includes about 370 Russian icons, the largest collection of...
    • After Hours at the MIT Museum.
    • Harvard Art Museum: Re-View...A comprehensive selection of works from the Harvard Art Museum's three constituent museums — the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum.
    • BU Art Gallery: Drawing Toward Home...Drawing Toward Home: Designs for Domestic Architecture from Historic New England This exhibition features one hundred drawings of New England houses dating from the...
    • Commonwealth Ave Mall Sculptures...This walking tour includes 15 sculptures and a printed map. This event is free and public parking is available. Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue finds its 19th century.
    • Cambridge Symphony Orchestra...The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra is a community group of adult amateur musicians performing concerts in and around Cambridge. In addition to public performances,...
    • Free Community Day at the MFA...In an effort to make the MFA even more accessible to the community, the Museum offers free general admission once per month.
    • Longfellow House...The Longfellow House was originally built in 1759 by John Vassall, a wealthy royalist. In 1774, he and his family hastily abandoned the house and fled to British...
    • The McMullen Museum at Boston College-The museum offers a collection of paintings which include works from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Highlights of the collection, include Gothic and Baroque tapestries...
    • Institute of Contemporary Art.
    • Higgins Amory Museum...The Higgins Armory Museum enjoys the distinction of being the only museum in the Western Hemisphere entirely devoted to the study and display of arms and armor...
    • MY FIRST 'MEET-UP' WAS ON March 2, 2008
    
     
  I'm ready to keep on moving !

 

+~+ Piano at the Gardner +~+

 

 

Alexander Schimpf has risen to prominence by impressively winning a series of competitions, includidng the 2008 German Music Competition - a distinction no pianist had earned for 14 years-. First Prize at the 2009 International Beethoven Competition in Vienna, and finally emerging as the first German pianist ever to win First Prize at the 2011 Cleveland International Piano Competition.   Since winning these notable awards,

Mr. Schimpf's career has gained momentum with regular appearances at important music centers around the world.    Mr. Schimpf made his debut appearance at Carnegie Hall in December 2001and has been performing in the USA frequently since then.  

In 2013 Mr. Schimpf was presented with the Bavarian State Award for the Advancement of the Arts.

*~*~*~*

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

 

Toccata in E Minor, BWV 914 (1710)    

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-17500

 

kLAVIERSTUCKE, oP. 119 (1893)  

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

 

L'isle joyeuse (1904)    

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

 

Piano Sonata, No. 29 in B-flat Major op. 106  

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

+~+~+~+~+~+~+

An absolutely thrilling performance on a wonderful afternoon at the Gardner Museum/Calderwood Hall!

 

 

Forbes House Museum -*-*-*-*-*-*- Adams St. Milton, MA

The Forbes House 

*~*~*~*~

an

Extraordinary Family,

a

Historic Place!
 

The 1833 mansion, now called the Forbes Museum, was designed by Boston architect Isaiah Rogers.  The Greek Revival design incorporated architectural elements reminiscent of classical temples; accordingly, the Museums façade boasts two prominent Ionic columns.  The layout of the house is symmetrical in design, also typical of the Greek Revival style, with rooms leading from a central front hallway. 

In 1871, the Captain's son, James Murray Forbes (1845-1837), came to live at Forbes House with his new wife, Alice Frances Bowditch Forbes (1848-1929), and made considerable renovations to the home.

An addition designed by Peabody & Sterns was built on the west side of the structure, and the south porch and carriage house were expanded.  The third floor was raised to make room for
servants' living quarters, and the plumbing was upgraded from the original 1833 system. -- The Forbes House was one of the first private homes whose design incorporated indoor plumbing.

The mansion was originally built for Margaret Perkins Forbes in 1833 and was used at first in spring and fall only.  Margaret Perkins shared the residence with her four daughters, Emma Perkins, Margaret Perkins, Mary Abbot, and Cornelia Francis.  With the exception of Mary Abbot, none were married, and all remained at the mansion for their lifetimes.          

The Captain, born in Jamaica Plain, MA, in 1804, was

introduced into the China Trade at age 12 by his uncle Thomas Handasyd Perkins (1764-1854) established the Boston-based Perkins & Company in 1803.  later became the Russell & Company.
The captain began his career as a cabin boy in 1817 on the Canton Packet, and was made a captain by age 20. 


He made several trips to Canton during his lifetime.  In addition to being a China Trade merchant, the Captain was a ship designer, model ship builder, writer, and philanthropist of international stature. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The museum, which was called the Museum of the American China Trade and the Captain Robert Bennet Forbes House before it was given its present name, now

takes visitors through rooms dedicated to Chinese furniture and art, nautical artifacts and documents from the Forbes trading activities, and the Lincoln memorabilia collected by Mary.  Bowditch Forbes, Museum personnel have also recently refurbished the basement kitchen and have 

been researching the lives of the 38 servants, all Irish, who worked in the house over the years.   

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Admission is $8.00 per person for adults and $5.00 for seniors and students.  The Museum grounds are open to the public free of charge daily from dawn to dusk/ Tours are limited to 15 attendees.

 

WINTER --- 2014 ---- hate IT !

hate it....

HATE IT...

REALLY  HATE IT....

h a t e     IT

hate  I T

you know...

still hate it ...

he hates it too !

can't see the pool

still HATE IT ..

fill in the blank ________

yep !

more of the stuff I  h_ _e

even at night I  H_ _e IT.

OK, this one is very nice !

ENOUGH ! Bart hates it too !!

February 2014 begins.....

Sunday Chamber Music Series continues

at the 

 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum/ Calderwood Hall 

 

 

 

Sunday Afternoon at the ISG:
starts with....

*

A FAR CRY with HELLEN CALLUS, viola

*

* This afternoon’s Program*

The King's Feast

 

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788)

Sinfonia in Bb, Wq. 182 No 2

*

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

Concert in E-flat Major for Viola, Strings, and Basso continuo

*

Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963)

Trauermusik for Viola and String Orchestra

*

Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934)

Introduction and Allegro for Strings, Op. 47 (1691)

*

Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695)

Suite from King Arthur - Z. 628 (1691)

*~*~*~*

*~*~*

~*~

*

The self-conducted orchestra “brims with personality or, better, personalities, many and varied.”

A Far Cry  was founded in 2007 by a tightly-knit collective of 17 young professional musicians – the Criers – and since the beginning has fostered those personalities, developing an innovative structure of rotating leadership both on stage and behind the scenes. By expanding the boundaries of orchestral repertoire and experimenting with the ways music is prepared, performed, and experienced, A Far Cry

has been embraced throughout the world with more than two hundred performances, three albums, a powerful presence on the internet, and a European debut tour planned for 2012. The Criers are proud to call Boston home, and maintain strong roots in the city rehearsing at their storefront music center in Jamaica Plain and fulfilling

the role of Chamber Orchestra in Residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Collaborating with local students through an educational partnership with the New England Conservatory, A Far Cry aims to pass on the spirit of collaboratively-empowered music to the next generation.

~*~*~*~*~*~

HELLEN CALLUS

Helen Callus, hailed as “one of the world’s greatest violists” (American Record Guide), “a violist of the highest caliber” (Strings magazine), and “one of the foremost violists of her generation” (Fanfare magazine), continues to captivate audiences with her lyrical tone, technical command, and profound artistry. Sought after as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist, Ms. Callus has performed with such world-class ensembles as the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets and the BBC Concert Orchestra. She is described by The Seattle Times as “a player with impeccable sensibilities and a beautiful sound, infinitely malleable into all kinds of musical subtleties.” The American Record Guide observed that “her playing is so deeply felt [that] the music’s message goes straight to the heart.”

*

For more information and a quick 'listen to'
A FAR CRY

check out U-Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV5CGc-

9GKM&feature=share&list=UUJwusoaGrNqGvg4CYIzVoXQ

*

Calderwood Hall info.

The new Calderwood Hall is replacing the Tapestry Gallery as the site for concerts.

Calderwood Hall, designed by Renzo Piano and Yasuhisa Toyota, is built into a cube 44 feet on a side. Two rows of audience surround the musicians on the floor. The rest of the seating is in three tiers of four-sided balconies – each only one row deep. Seating capacity is approximately 300

The musicians are on the floor, and the audience surrounds them, as close as is practically possible.

The design of the Calderwood is unusual for our time, but it is not historically unprecedented. Most chamber music was written for performance in small spaces – holding at most a few hundred people, and richly supplied with sound absorbing furniture and fabric.

In the Calderwood the goal was to make the sound for each audience member as uniform as possible, giving each both a sonic and visual unobstructed view of the performance. When BMInt visited in December the reverberation time was quite low – about half a second. It is not obvious why the room was so absorptive. The visual walls are made of decorative plywood cut with linear slits. Eighteen inches behind the slits there is a structural wall. There were absorptive curtains in the space between the visual and the structural wall.

* And ends with....

*~*~*

So – how does the new hall sound? Short answer:

It sounds

Fantastic!