A latter-day Odetta, with her low, low voice, singer-songwriter Melanie DeMore has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and John Prine. Now you too can join with her singing.
Island music teachers are bringing Ms. DeMore back for the All-Island Choral Festival next week, when she will give her popular workshops not only to students but also, for the first time here, to adults. The workshop is free and open to any singers, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the high school chorus room.
This weekend, the Yard on Middle Road in Chilmark presents new works from its 2009 Bessie Schönberg Choreographers’ Residency. This year’s choreographers, chosen from an international pool of more than 100 seasoned artists, are Dana Katz from Tel Aviv, Israel, Rachael Lincoln of Venice, Calif, and Joshua Monten from Bern, Switzerland. In addition, veteran choreographer and former Juilliard faculty member Elizabeth Keen will also participate in the residency by special invitation. The first performance is on Friday, Sept.
Linda Berg Debuts New Choral Piece
Club Travel to Boston
Aria anyone? The Tisbury Travel Club’s subscriber symphony bus to Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts has tickets available for the upcoming Oct. 9 and 23 performances. Islanders can enjoy the splendor of one of the world’s great concert halls, the magnificence of the world class symphony and time to enjoy Boston’s eclectic dining and shopping. Concert and bus tickets are available. For details, call 508-696-4205, Monday through Friday.
Have you ever wondered what is the story behind a favorite pop music tune? Every song has a writer, and they aren’t often in the foreground. The stories behind the songs can be far more interesting if told by the writer — and that is the idea behind the first ever Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters’ Festival this weekend.
The two-night event will showcase the writer-performers. The festival opens tonight at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, and there will be a second show tomorrow night at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs.
Family Dance-O-Rama
The free, weekly all-age disco at Nectar’s is continuing every Sunday, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. into mid-October. These popular events, called Family Dance-o-Ramas, are produced by the nightclub’s previous co-owner, Mona Rosenthal (aka Deejay Shizz), who spins tunes and puts on special lighting effects and bubbles at the dance floor not far from the Martha’s Vineyard Airport.