Winter-long rehearsals and preparations are paying off in upcoming local springtime performances and shows.
100 Dot violinists to play with Boston Classical Orchestra
On Friday morning at 10 o’clock, a free concert by the Boston Classical Orchestra (BCO) at the Strand Theatre will feature as guests 100 violinists from Dorchester’s Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy. The event is the legacy of late Jones Hill resident Sean Roberts, former BCO Executive Director. The sorely missed arts administrator and advocate started the Strand Project as part of his life mission to make classical music accessible to all, especially children.
Billed as 5th annual Anne W. Hiatt Youth and Family Concert, it’s actually the seventh.
BCO Musical Director Steven Lipsitt will lead the orchestra in its “From Baroque to Bernstein” program. The Academy Strings Ensemble will perform “America the Beautiful” with the BCO. This will mark the third Youth Concert appearance for the young string-players under the direction of PJP2CA Fine Arts Director, Mary Swanton. The Mattapan Campus middle school choir, led by Kevin Black, will sing the gospel choral piece “Elijah Rock.”
Swanton notes, “We are fortunate to have the Strand right in our neighborhood and to be invited to perform there often. We are most grateful to the Mayor Menino and the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events for their determination to build necessary community collaborations at The Strand.”
“Mary Poppers”
Ashmont resident Ryan Landry and his housemates are finally ready to present their R-rated spoof of a kiddie musical which promises to be “practically perfect in every way.” In 1992, Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans began work on their first musical, “Mary Poppers,” but only now have they perfected it.
Now, they’re alerting fans, “Get ready for a rollicking ride through the twisted imaginations of Boston’s foremost comedic troupe, The Gold Dust Orphans, as we bring you the one musical parody we have been waiting a lifetime to present! Get ready for big splashy musical numbers, flying nannies, puppets galore and more surprises than you can shake a parrot head umbrella at!”
This adults-only show runs through May 20, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., and Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. at Machine (club near Fenway Park). Reserve seats at brownpapertickets.com/event/238251.
Amusement Park Photo Exhibit
Through June 2, HallSpace Gallery at 950 Dot Avenue will present new photographs by former Dot resident Linda Szabo White. This exhibition looks at her latest photographic research of the rides, people, games, and other activities found at amusement parks and carnivals.
Besides shooting the carnival at Tuileries Gardens in Paris, she has been to Old Orchard Beach, York Kingdom in Maine, and Revere, MA. Her subjects are real people, some lost in their thoughts, others just looking for fun.
Szabo White writes, “In a carnival things are condensed: lights, emotions and unrelated people together watching rides in amazement. Amid the crowds I see the isolation of people who work the concessions and rides and, others who seem completely alone in the crowd. People come for diversion, a short escape from everyday lives. It is possible here to be amused, frightened, bored, and thrilled.”
Details at hallspace.org.
