Connecticut Arts Connections You Should Know About



Patty Green. Photo: courtesy of Richard Pheneger

Connecticut Children’s Theatre presents a unique holiday event, Patty's Green, the award-winning family-friendly stage production, which is returning to the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (“The Kate”) in Old Saybrook for its holiday episode on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 3 pm. Patty's Green, starring Patty Carver (aka Mother Nature), is chock-full of music (sing-a-longs), warm, fuzzy and crazy characters, performers, artists, special guests, and fun geared toward pre-K thru 2nd graders. Tickets are $10: at The Kate box office, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook; 877-503-1286; thekate.org.

The 41st annual Heida Hermanns International Voice Competition, a two-day event presented by the Connecticut Alliance for Music (CAM) with the support of the Westport Arts Center, will bring together young musicians from around the world at Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1 and 2. Judged by professional musicians, the competition offers talented vocalists, ages 19 to 35, an opportunity to compete for cash prizes – first prize, $5,000; second prize, $2,500; third prize, $1,500; and three honorable mentions. The semi-finals on Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10 am to 5:30 pm are free to the public. Each of the competitors will give a 20-minute performance before a panel of professional judges throughout the day. Audience members are free to come and go. At the end of the day, judges will select those who will move on to the finals concert on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 2 to 4 pm. Tickets to the Sunday finals are $20 for adults; free for ages 18 and younger: 203-222-7070 (M – F, 9:30 am. to 4:30 pm); http://heidahermannscompetition.org. Honorary Chairman of the competition is Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell, D.S.M., of Fairfield, one of America's preeminent conductors of collegiate, community, and professional choral ensembles.

 

Fairfield University Glee Club. Photo: Bob Winkler

The Fairfield University Glee Club’s Holiday Concerts
On This Night
8pm Friday, Nov. 30
2 pm Saturday, Dec. 1
Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
The program ranges from works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Andrew Lloyd Webber to Steeleye Span, as well as many traditional holiday favorites. The concert features performances by The Fairfield University Glee Club conducted by Carole Ann Maxwell, D.S.M., with accompanist Beth Palmer, and the Reverend Charles H. Allen S.J., Chaplain, as well as by Glee Club members in a variety of collaborations. Also performing are The Bensonians, an all-male a cappella group directed by Robert Preli, Sweet Harmony, an all-female ensemble of chamber singers directed by Lindsey Gorgol, Nicole Raposo, and Diana Lordi, and the Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Maxwell. Tickets: $10; Students: $6: (203) 254-4010, 1-877-278-7396; www.quickcenter.com.

The Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University celebrates the season with An Irish Christmas. This is Ireland at its best featuring a group of legendary performers bringing to life all aspects of Irish culture under one roof for One Night Only on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 pm. The performers featured in An Irish Christmas include Ciaran Sheehan, Eilin O’Dea, John V. Shea, and The John Whelan Band featuring Kathleen Parks, Flynn Cohen, Liz Simmons and Tom Wetmore. Also performing on Uilleann pipes is the legendary Jerry O'Sullivan with fiddler Marie Reilly. Tickets: $25 - General Public, $20 - Senior Citizens/Faculty/Staff, $10 Students availabe at the Box Office, 203-371-7908 (Mondays through Fridays from noon to 4 pm or 2 hours prior to each performance); EdgertonCenter.org.