Belmont Musicians, Singers Ready to Welcome Spring At Concerts March 9, 10

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Photo: Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera

Welcome spring with music and song at a pair of concerts performed by Belmont musicians being performed on the second week of March.

The Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church, 421 Common St. in Cushing Square, will present its Annual Spring Concert on Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in support of New England Justice For Our Neighbors (NEJFON), an organization providing free expert legal advice to low- and no-income immigrants.    

Featuring B-WUMC music director, Yilin You, and an outstanding collection of musician friends will perform music ranging from classical to jazz, in forms of violin/piano duo, brass ensemble, and piano four-hands in the church’s sanctuary followed by refreshments in the parlor.

A $20 donation is suggested to NEJFON at the door or give by contacting https://newenglandjfon.org/

On street parking will be available. A handicapped entrance is located off the small parking lot in the back of the church.

On the next day, the Philharmonic Society of Arlington presents the Arlington-Belmont Chorale and Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus in An Almost Spring Concert, on Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m. at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 630 Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington. 

Music Director Barry Singer and Assistant Conductor Ana Zecic Jeffers will lead the Chorale in a diverse musical program including 

  • Missa Brevis by Dietrich Buxtehude
  • Messe Basse by Gabriel Faure
  • Crossing the Bar by Gwyneth Walker
  • O Love by Elaine Hagenberg
  • Celebrations by Vincent Persichetti, accompanied by members of the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Chamber Chorus, under the direction of Barry Singer, will reprise a commissioned work, Three Poems of L. M. Montgomery, by Kenneth Seitz, accompanied by Julie Goldberg, flute.

Tickets are purchased at the door. $20 General Admission; $15 Seniors/Students; $5 Children 17 and under. This venue is wheelchair accessible. Masking is optional.

Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus Performing ‘en francais’ At Payson Park Church; Sat. Dec. 3, 8 PM

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Photo: Rue de Paris, temps de pluie (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894) (In the public domain)

The Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus will present an “A French Connection” concert at the Payson Park Church, 365 Belmont St., on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m.

The program, conducted by Barry Singer and accompanied by pianist Amy Lee, features various French poems and texts. The music spans some 550 years, from the 1500s through the present day, and includes pieces by composers from France and elsewhere, including Jean-Phillippe Rameau, Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Morten Lauridsen.

This will be a free concert; donations are gratefully accepted. The Sanctuary is wheelchair accessible.

We ask that our audience please wear a mask to attend this concert.

To watch our live-streamed concert, please visit our website on Saturday, Dec. 3, at www.psarlington.org  

Be Well Belmont Holding Health and Activity Dialogue Sunday

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Photo: Be Well Belmont logo.

Residents and families are invited on Sunday, Oct. 18, to attend a community-wide dialogue on healthy eating and staying active sponsored by Be Well Belmont.

The free event, which is open to everyone in town, will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Beech Street Center.

The event will provide the public an opportunity to share their thoughts on making Belmont a healthier community.

Be Well Belmont’s overriding goal – which is a project of the Belmont Food Collaborative – is to promote healthy eating and being active in Belmont through education, programming and improving access to opportunities for the whole community. The group collaborates with town government, schools and community groups.

Early successes include:

  • A screening of the documentary “Fed Up” in March.
  • Funding the crossing flag pilot program started by Safe Routes to Schools.
  • A successful series of cooking classes are focusing on healthy recipes with locally produced food.
  • Collaborating on a National Food Day initiative.

A community needs survey is underway:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bewellbelmont

For more information about Be Well Belmont, visit its website.

This Weekend: Benton Open House Saturday, A-B Chamber Chorus on Sunday

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• The Benton Library, Belmont’s independent library located at Oakley and Old Middlesex, is holding it’s annual Open House on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Join the board of directors and volunteer staff to celebrate the season. Everyone in the community is welcomed to attend and anyone who hasn’t tried the Benton is urged to stop by.

• Students from Belmont’s Powers Music School are performing  their winter recitals with a holiday theme as they tour the area. They will be performing at the Watertown Mall, 550 Arsenal St. in Watertown on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Come early as the group will be a special holiday music story at 2 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m., the group heads to the Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton.

• The Belmont Hill School’s Winter Concert will take place in Hamilton Chapel on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. Performing will be the school’s orchestra, jazz band, piano trio and the Belmont Hill B-Flats, the senior choral group, as well as the 9th grade’s A-Sharps. The concert is open to the public. 

• The Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus under conductor Barry Singer presents NOT-QUITE-WINTER CONCERT on Sunday, Dec. 7, beginning at 3 p.m. at Payson Park Church, 365 Belmont St. The concert will consist of six masses each from a different century and songs of poets over five hundred years. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for 17 years old and younger.