Salem MA – Page 17 – Salem Main Streets

String Quartet Musically Transports Salem to Middle Earth

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Jan 122016

Rivendell is coming to Salem, featuring music from Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and More – as performed by the New England String Quartet. It is the much-awaited second production from Salem Classical and is set for Saturday, Jan. 16, at 8pm in Old Town Hall.

Rivendell is of course an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It can be found, for example, in the The Lord of the Rings tales.

As for Salem Classical, it is intended to become the home of classical music located in the heart of the pedestrian zone of historic downtown Salem with the Old Town Hall as its principal venue. Created to establish a musical home for local and touring musicians, it is designed to provide a constant source of classical music to the residents of Salem and the thousands of visitors to the city.

The fertile mind behind Salem Classical is Richard Guérin, and we asked him two basic questions to help entice potential attendees. Why a string quartet and why science fiction & fantasy themed music?

Guérin explains, “the medium of the string quartet is the most intimate of them all. The grandiosity of the scores chosen for this program take on an entirely fresh form for listeners when heard this way.”

On the other hand, he points out that string quartets present the greatest challenge to composers, “to many it’s the most intimidating way of writing because for centuries it has been the proverbial mirror to which composers hold up to themselves to see if they have anything to say as artists – because it’s not possible to hide behind the orchestra.”

By expressing this music through the intimacy of a quartet, the Rivendell concert will bring the folk tunes of our time into a fresh light, all the while also showcasing their absolute musical value. Translate that as give your ears a delightful treat!

Established in Boston in 2007, the New England String Quartet is dedicated to expanding the contemporary chamber music tradition through performances, recordings, educational activities and community outreach projects. The ensemble seeks to develop collaborations with contemporary composers, soloists and other ensembles. Having made their debut at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, the ensemble is featured in concert series across New England including 3rd Sundays @ 3, Menotomy, Bach’s Lunch, Parma Music Festival and the Chromatic Club of Boston.

The quartet also collaborates with popular music, soundtrack, and video game producers. In 2014, NESQ recorded soundtracks for Lord of The Rings and Dungeons & Dragons online video games (for Warner Bros. Entertainment).

Guérin describes, “The huge canvas and broad brush strokes of the brilliant tapestry of sound Howard Shore created in his scores for Lord of the Rings will be communicated brilliantly through this new arrangement by Nikolai Clavier by an ensemble the size of which you might find in a pub in the Shire.”

“And as a simple matter of musicality,” he adds, “I don’t think it would be an overstatement to say what Ramin Djawadi’s theme to Game of Thrones which we will hear performed by the sublime New England String Quartet, is possibly the biggest ear-worm composed in the last decade. I met Djawadi this summer in Poland and heard the piece played by a 100 piece orchestra in a stadium of 10,000 listeners. I myself can’t wait to hear it in the warm setting of Salem’s Old Town Hall with some of the finest players in this area.”

As for the SF/fantasy theme of the music, he notes we are in Salem which can have its own comparisons with Rivendell.

“The strongest commonality is the sense of being a magical place. People from all over the world come to Salem and we meet them all the time. I met someone from California last week visiting Salem for the first time. To her eyes Salem appeared to be a movie set. She’d go up and knock on the bricks to see if the buildings are part of a set like in Hollywood.”

Guérin points out “Salem’s greatest asset is, more than any other factor including its history and architecture, its gravitational pull that makes you feel you are at a destination. There are very strong reasons why people want to live and work here and it’s the same magical pull.”

As odd as it seems, this concert might be the first opportunity some of these people have had to hear a string quartet. For more info on the quartet, go to www.nestringquartet.com

“There’s a great responsibility here to present interesting things in the right way because everything Salem Classical will present, will aim to transcend barriers and make people excited to come hear what we are doing. These things happening in Salem are so exciting and wonderful, even if it’s like the weather north of The Wall,” muses Guérin.

He concludes, “The music on this program is tremendously important to me and to have a chance to bring people together in Salem to celebrate it, is significant. This is music that everyone knows and loves.”

For the full musical program go to this Creative Salem page. For ticket details go to Eventbrite.

PEM Provides Creative Weekend Alternative

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Jan 102016

Let’s face it, if you’re not a football fan, the next few weekends will leave you on your own as the sports aficionados in your household are glued to the couch watching NFL Playoffs. What will you do? Consider visiting the Peabody Essex Museum which is open on weekends from 10am to 5pm.

What do they have at the PEM? A diverse selection to entertain, inform and intrigue (especially today as the rain drops silently fall outside).

For example, just opened on Saturday, is Alchemy of the Soul: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, a most ambitious collaboration between the Afro-Cuban artist and her husband, musician and composer Neil Leonard.

PEM describes the exhibition “Through large-scale blown-glass sculptures, paintings, photographs and evocative soundscapes, the artist draws on the structural forms found in the abandoned sugar mills and rum factories of her childhood island home. Incorporating the sweet smell of rum, this multi-sensory exhibition creates an intoxicating re-conceptualization of the often-brutal history of the Cuban sugar industry, offering a visceral experience that ignites the senses and our emotional awareness of place, memory, identity and labor.”

It runs until April 3, 2016.

Interested in making the PEM a weekend event (especially during baseball, hockey and basketball seasons)? Here are some upcoming exhibitions and events for the next 6 months.

Intersections: Anila Quayyum Agha

February 6 — July 10, 2016
Intersections is an immersive single room installation that bathes the visitor in a geometric array of light and shadow. Inspired by traditional Islamic architectural motifs, Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha’s laser-cut steel lantern conjures the design of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, a historic site of cross-cultural intersection where a thousand years ago Islamic and Western cultures thrived in coexistence. Agha, an internationally renowned award-winning artist, creates mixed-media works that engage topics ranging from global politics and cultural multiplicity, to mass media and gender roles.

Asia in Amsterdam: The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age

February 27 — June 5, 2016
Amsterdam in the 17th century was a vibrant city with global connections. The largest and most powerful trade and shipping company in the world, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) filled Dutch homes with Asian porcelain, lacquer, sumptuous textiles, diamonds and spices. Inspired by these novel imports, Dutch potters, textile designers and jewelers created works of art we now perceive as distinctly Dutch. Artists such as Rembrandt, Willem Kalf, Jan Steen and Pieter Claesz were also quick to incorporate these luxuries into their paintings. Co-organized by the Peabody Essex Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, this exhibition of nearly 200 superlative Asian and Dutch works of art explores the transformative impact that Asian luxuries had on Dutch art and life in the 17th century.

Rodin: Transforming Sculpture

May 14 — September 5, 2016
Whether working in plaster, marble or bronze on an intimate or monumental scale, Auguste Rodin captured the emotional and psychological complexities of human beings in ways that few sculptors before or after him have achieved. He also profoundly changed the language of sculpture by playing with accident and emphasizing the act of creating rather than completing a work of art. Rodin favored fragmentation and recombination as the principal expression of the significance he attached to change and transformation as the keys to creativity. Featuring sculptures and drawings, this thematic exhibition highlights the drama and experimentation that have established Rodin as one of the greatest sculptors of all time. Originally titled Metamorphosis: Rodin’s Studio, the exhibition was organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, in collaboration with the Musée Rodin, Paris.

The Peabody Essex Museum is located at 161 Essex St, Salem, MA. For more info Call 866‐745‐1876 or visit pem.org.

(Image credit: Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, large version, 1903. Patinated plaster for bronze casting, Paris, Musée Rodin. © Musée Rodin. Photo by Christian Baraja)

January is the Punch Line for Salem Comedy Festival

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Jan 022016

January may be a grim, gray month for most people, but we laugh at that notion in Salem. No, really, we laugh, as with the First Annual Salem Comedy & Spirits Festival, set for January 14 – 17, 2016.

Festival producer and comedian Mark Scalia got the idea from a somewhat similar humor fest he had attended in New Orleans. It was a celebration of comedy for both the comics and the audience.

“New England in January tends to be dark and cold and can make people get a little stir-crazy. Comedy is a great way to get out on a cold night and laugh! Besides, it’s the ONLY month that Salem doesn’t have another festival.”

The Salem Comedy & Spirits Festival features top area performing comedians, an improv show, locally crafted spirits and cider, and related special events at a variety of Salem venues (Koto, Far From the Tree, Opus, and Gallows Hill Theatre).

1/14, 7pm
Enjoy a delicious dinner from Koto before enjoying opening night hilarity with 10 great comedians. Hosted by Mark Scalia and closing the show will be comedian Chris Pennie.

Among the comics: Kristin O’Brien, Niraj Shah, Dan Gilbert, Mark Turcotte, Andy Lester & Kyle Daley

1/15, 7pm
Enjoy samples from Salem’s own Far From The Tree cidery before a showcase of 10 top comedians. Hosted by Mark Scalia and closing the show will be comedian Matt Barry.

Among the comics: Tyler Moore , Ryan Chani, Pete Wolynec, Danny Rathbun, Jess Miller & Drew Dunn

1/16, 6pm
Enjoy an exclusive private 3-course dinner with the show’s three headlining comedians, Dave Rattigan, Jay Grove & Mark Scalia at Opus Underground, as well as VIP seating for the comedy show!

1/17, 6:30 and 8:30pm
The evening at the Gallows Hill Theater begins with an Improv show with the hilarious “Accidentally on Purpose” featuring Erik Rodenhiser.

Then at 8:30pm, Ace Comedy Hypnotist Steve Coppola will take the stage with his interactive and comedic show!

Don’t let snow (or lack of it) get you down in January. Just come down to Salem MA and treat yourself to a laugh or two, or three or four at the The Salem Comedy & Spirits Festival. For tickets and additional info, go to http://salemcomedyfestival.com/

Salem Urges Residents to Get in Step with the New Year

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Dec 302015

The City of Salem is telling residents to “take a hike” — literally, as in urging participation in First Day Hike, a national initiative established by America’s State Parks. Salem’s First Day Hike runs (walks) from noon to 2pm Friday, January 1, 2016, offering several courses with varying degrees of difficulty.

As Salem is already quite a walkable town, we’re sure that many residents and visitors have easily “hiked” along Washington Street, and across Essex or Derby as they shopped our Downtown District. This extra walk to experience the Salem Maritime National Historic Site should be no sweat!

For example, hikers may choose to walk around the Salem Common, and then walk from the Common to Derby Wharf Light House. Or they may just walk from the beginning of Derby Wharf to the Light House. Check out the map for more details on the hike’s course.

“Many of us use New Year’s as an opportunity to make a resolution and set goals for the upcoming year,” points out Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll. “First Day Hike offers residents an opportunity to start the New Year with some exercise or just a chance to get out and celebrate the holiday with other members of the community.”

Last year nearly 28,000 people across America participated in First Day Hikes to kick off the New Year, collectively hiking over 66,000 miles throughout the country!

You obviously would not be alone.

And, if you aren’t much of a cold weather hiker but this event whets your appetite to do more, here are a few tips, courtesy of the American Hiking Society.

Dress in layers. While it is perhaps nice to have a huge, fluffy parka on the ski slopes, it really isn’t practical for the trail. Instead, take several layers you can peel off or put on when you stop and go on the trail. Your base layer should be a wicking fabric that will pull your sweat away from the skin.
Overheating is a dangerous threat since excessive moisture that isn’t allowed to escape can freeze and cause hypothermia. If you ever wondered why some of your jackets have zippers under the armpits, it’s to keep air circulating and prevent your clothes from getting wet.
Wear a hat! Our heads are filled with oxygen-carrying capillaries which fuel our brains and consume one third of the body’s energy. During the colder months it is important to keep your head covered to maintain function and not lose precious body heat. You may want to bring a warmer/heavier hat for rest periods.
Keep your water bottle warm. Whether you are at the campsite or on the trail, a foam sleeve like a koozie will help prevent the water from freezing in a bottle. Nothing warms your body or your spirits like warm liquid by a campfire. Boil water to take with you as you hike. Also, to keep water from freezing, keep your water bottle on the inside of your jacket – properly sealed, of course.

National Parks Superintendent Paul DuPrey adds, “Salem’s outstanding quality of life is built around its history, its open spaces and its people. Come out on New Year’s Day to enjoy all three and put your best foot forward.”

Salem Stores Showcase Spirit of the Season

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Dec 212015

Many things do we look forward to during the holiday season, and here at Salem Main Streets we are particularly fond of the Holiday Windows promotion we conduct with the cooperation of the merchants in the Downtown District.

Yes, the holidays are here, and Salem is dressed for the season with trees, wreaths, and ribbons. But to top it off, over 35 downtown businesses joined in by decorating their windows especially for the holidays. Judges nominated by Salem Main Streets recently made the rounds to vote on the best windows.

“We had some truly fantastic windows this year, and there was much friendly disagreement and fighting for favorites between the judges,” said Kylie Sullivan, Salem Main Streets Executive Director. “Of particular note, we added a category this year for ‘Best Use of Product’ and were happily surprised to see that this became a very competitive category.”

Overall: Pamplemousse