It’s that time of year again – our ever-popular winter concert series, A Little Sunday Music, returns with an entertaining lineup to warm your winter days with song.
The Musicians of Ma’alwyck open the 2017-18 season on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m. Violinist Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz, flutist Norman Thibodeau and guitarist Sten Isachsen share music that takes its programming cues from the Ruins of Rome wallpaper based on the engravings of Giovanni Pannini and recently installed at the Schuyler Mansion. Philip Schuyler traveled to England in the 1760s and ordered this custom wallpaper while there. The Schuylers, along with the van Rensselaers and another family in Salem, Mass., were the only houses in early America to have this stunning paper. The concert will feature music of Stamitz, Bellini, Telemann and Rossini with a special potpourri of tunes from the opera “Norma,” set in ancient Rome.
A Little Sunday Music continues with a performance by The Van Voris Trio on Dec. 5 and a concert featuring The Mendelssohn Club on Feb. 11. The 2017-18 season closes with The Broad Street Chamber Players on March 11. All concerts begin at 2 p.m.
A Little Sunday Music is generously underwritten by Friends of Bethlehem Public Library. All concerts are free and open to everyone.
Coffee talk
Coffee and Conversation finishes the year with a performance by classical and folk guitarist Marc Hecker on Friday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m.
Hecker has been singing and playing guitar since he was a teen. He has studied with well-known musicians at the National Guitar Workshop in New Milford, Conn., and specializes in classic folk, blues, jazz, classical and Israeli music. He appears regularly at local open mic nights, including those at Old Songs in Voorheesville, and is an active member of the Classical Guitar Society of Upstate New York.
The hourlong concert begins at 1 p.m. and is followed by a coffee hour featuring beverages and light refreshments. Coffee and Conversation is co-sponsored by Bethlehem Senior Projects, Inc.
Blood drive at the library
According to the Red Cross (www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/), someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds. You can do your part. Bethlehem Public Library is once again hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive Thursday, Nov. 16, from 1-6pm in the Community Room. Donors must be at least 17 years old and in good general health.
Walk-ins are welcome. Call 1-800 RED-CROSS or go to www.redcrossblood.org to register or for more information.
Holiday hours
The library will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, and remain closed Thursday, Nov. 23, for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The library will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24.
Be a source of support
Join us Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for a presentation by the Pride Center of the Capital Region for adults and teens to learn more about the experiences of LGBTQ people of all ages, and leave with tips on how to enrich your role as a friend or family member.
Other upcoming events
All events are free and take place at Bethlehem Public Library, 451 Delaware Ave., Delmar. For more information, call (518) 439-9314 or visit
bethlehempubliclibrary.org.
Monday, Nov. 13
DayBooks
Discuss “Commonwealth” by Ann Patchett, 1:30 p.m. Copies are available at the information desk. Large-print audio and downloadable copies may be available.
Library board meets
All meetings are open to the public, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 16
Listening Parties: Frank Sinatra’s ‘Only the Lonely’
Listen to and discuss this 1958 collection of torch songs that was Sinatra’s personal favorite of all his albums, 7 p.m.
— Kristen Roberts
