Exhibits, galleries, theater and more: Seacoast arts and culture news
Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra opens 25th season on Oct. 23
PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra opens its 2022-2023 mainstage season on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, N.H. There is a free pre-concert talk with Music Director John Page at 1:45 p.m.
Replete with emotion, color, energy and intimacy, the PSO opens its 25th season with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings. Mahler’s giant work traces the emotional pathway from funeral march to radiant optimism while Walker’s brief but deeply intimate work is dedicated to his grandmother, a former enslaved person who died while Walker was composing the piece. Seemingly opposites in size and origins, these two profound works mirror one another in their capacity to convey the complexity and intensity of the human experience.
“This season, the PSO will be performing a collection of deeply evocative pieces—starting with Mahler and Walker—that will challenge both the musicians and the audience to explore the full range of human emotions,” said Page.
Individual tickets with assigned seating for performances held at The Music Hall are $35/25 for adults (price depends on the section); $30 for seniors; and $20 for students.
The PSO’s 25th season continues Dec. 17 and Dec. 18 with two Family Holiday Pops concerts at Portsmouth High School. Subsequent performances will take place on Dec. 31 with a New Year’s Eve Champagne Pops! concert at The Music Hall, and winter and spring concerts on March 12 and June 4 respectively. Subscriptions for the full five-concert season, which include the Family Holiday Pops! are available.
More information about the PSO’s 25th season and tickets is available at www.portsmouthsymphony.org.
The Music Hall and NHPR present Writers on a New England Stage series
PORTSMOUTH — On Tuesday, Oct. 18, international and #1 New York Times bestselling author John Irving visits The Music Hall’s virtual stage as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series, presented in an intimate, online format. He will discuss his first book in seven years, The Last Chairlift, which follows Adam, the son of former skier Rachel “Little Ray” Brewster, as he travels to Aspen looking for answers to the eventful past his family evades.
The 7 p.m. event will include an author interview with Rick Ganley, host of NHPR’s Morning Edition, followed by an audience Q&A. The event on Oct. 18 falls on publication day and includes a copy of the book. Tickets are $49, and include a copy of The Last Chairlift ($38 hardcover). Packages can be purchased online at TheMusicHall.org, over the phone at 603-436-2400, or in person at the B2W Box Office at the Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St. Portsmouth.
Loomis Gallery presents ‘Suspended Animation’
KITTERY, Maine — The Loomis Gallery presents the new exhibit “Suspended Animation”, showing Oct. 6 through Nov. 19 at, the Loomis Gallery, 121 Dennett Rd., Kittery, Maine. The exhibit, Suspended Animation features the work of Andrew Chulyk, Rosalind Fedeli, Bess French and David Random. The artwork selected for this exhibit is intended to offer perspectives on daily living and our connections to the spaces and structure of our daily lives. Paintings by Andrew Chulyk offer beautifully rendered glimpses of the surreal geometry present in figures moving through space. Rosalind Fedeli’s assembly work uses found materials to tell stories about intrigue and fertility. Bess French offers her wry and playful perspective on domestic themes in her assembly work using vintage materials and toys, and David Random takes us to outer space, fashioning vehicles made with manufactured parts from bygone eras. The artwork shown in this exhibit is also offered on the gallery’s website, https://loomisgallery.com.
‘Change of Seasons’ exhibit at the Franklin Gallery
ROCHESTER — The Franklin Gallery at RiverStones Custom Framing, 33 North Main Street in Rochester, will host an exhibit during the month of October called Change of Seasons. Change of Seasons is a multi-artist exhibit featuring the following local artists: Roseann Meserve, Gerry Bresnahan, Carol Poitras, Collete Fath Malerba, Gwen Morgan, Joanne Lewis-McCoy, Marie Benton, Masako Buck, Nancy Hunt, JoAnn Rohde, Aleka Artemis Munroe, and Bob Goudreau.
These artists are from the Seacoast area; some have been painting and creating for more than 25 years while others are fairly new to the process. Many of these artists meet on Wednesdays to create and surrender themselves to the artistic process. “I love being a part of these diverse people’s art lives,” says Roseann Meserve, a local Dover artist. “We gather together to encourage, support and enjoy each other’s good company while we all create. Watching everyone’s work evolve is an awesome experience and each week is an adventure.”
The artists use a wide variety of art mediums including watercolor, encaustic, acrylic, and oil, as well as a couple of more unique mediums used in scratchboard art and flower pounding. “I am excited for this exhibit,” says Kris Ebbeson, proprietor of RiverStones Custom Framing and The Franklin Gallery. “I love how each artist brings their own personality and style into their art, and how they all work together in one cohesive exhibit.”
RiverStones Custom Framing and the Franklin Gallery are open Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information about this exhibit and other RiverStones events and services, call Kris or Tom at 603-812-1488 or visit the RiverStones website or Facebook page.
Sole City Dance presents The Nutcracker
ROCHESTER — Sole City Dance presents The Nutcracker at the Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m.
This classic holiday tale has become a regional favorite! This soaring story, framed by Tchaikovsky’s legendary score captures the wonder and expectation of the night before Christmas when a mysterious gift sparks an extraordinary journey.
Follow Clara as she embarks on an adventure filled with colorful characters, majestic scenery, and breathtaking costumes. You’ll find your heart dancing as Clara and the Nutcracker Prince overcome obstacles on their way to the Land of Sweets. From the captivating dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy to the iconic snow scene, this delightful holiday classic continues to enthrall audiences of all ages. Whether you are seeing it for the first time or as an annual treat, start your holiday season in grand style with the ones you love.
Purchase tickets online at https://1908.na.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/13917. Tickets are $24 for seniors and students and $28 for adults.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exhibits, galleries, theater and more: Seacoast arts and culture news
