Wellesley Symphony active during pandemic

February 26, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

By Jan Schwaner, vice president, Wellesley Symphony Orchestra

The Wellesley Symphony Orchestra has been busy during the pandemic finding ways to keep our musicians playing for you:

Several players played socially distanced concerts for residents of the Elizabeth Seton nursing home last summer.
In late summer, the orchestra played a chamber concert and a piano quartet outdoors at Elm Bank.

On a beautiful fall afternoon, a string trio played for the Blessing of the Animals at Unity Farm in Sherborn.
In December, musicians congregated virtually to perform a woodwind dectet and a brass quintet.

Valentine’s Day saw a release of a video of the entire orchestra playing Harry James’ iconic version of “You Made Me Love You,” seen on the orchestra’s YouTube channel.

Music director Max Hobart remembers the piece very fondly: his father, a dance band saxophonist, would take young Max along to sit at his feet when he played at Shimmer’s Lake in California on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. In later years, Max’s parents took him to the Hollywood Palladium to hear stars like Les Brown, Tommy Dorsey, and Harry James. He remembers sitting at Harry’s feet when he played this song.

The orchestra plans another release in the spring, and hopes to resume outdoor concerts in the summer.

With the retirement of Maestro Hobart in June, the orchestra has embarked on a search for a new music director. The finalists will conduct concerts in the 2021-2022 season.

The orchestra has had another big change: Board President Leslie Holmes stepped down on Dec 31, and long-time orchestra and Board member Carol Davidson assumed the role. She joined the viola section of the WSO in 1975 and has served as principal viola for many years. She taught violin and viola in the Natick Public Schools and at her private studio before joining the The Rivers School Conservatory in 1993. She was an administrator at the Rivers School in Weston, as well as a teacher of performing music, music history and 20th century European history, specifically the Holocaust, until her retirement in 2019.

Playing in the WSO has been a passion of hers for the past 45 years. The joy of making music with such a wonderful group and performing for the enjoyment of others inspired Carol to join the board of directors in 2011. So far, during her tenure on the board, Carol has run the Michael H. Welles Young Soloist competition and spearheaded an outreach program, organizing small chamber groups to perform at local libraries, senior-living residences, and other venues. Carol looks forward to continuing the WSO’s collaboration with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and hopes to increase the orchestra’s connections with other organizations in the community.

Visit www.wellesleysymphony.org to stay up to date on all the orchestra’s events.

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Let the Morses Pond chatter begin!

February 25, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

During the Feb. 9 Wellesley Recreation Commission meeting the town’s Recreation Director Matt Chin looked out toward the warmer months ahead and gave a brief update on Morses Pond and summer camps. Though he started off with: “The update on summer 2021 is there really haven’t been many changes, we’re still waiting to hear back from the state on open waterfronts and summer camps.”

Having said that, the Rec team is planning away. “It’s far away, the summer, but it’s really close,” Chin said.

Morses Pond — Flags marked reserved beach spots last summer

Chin’s team is looking at camp space at the Wellesley High School building that wasn’t available to supplement space at Rec’s Warren Building last year.

Asked during the Recreation Commission meeting if there’s a date by which Rec needs to make a decision on camps and the pond, Chin said hopefully it will be earlier than last year, which was May.

Last year Rec wrestled mightily over how to handle Morses Pond and wound up not having lifeguards, allowing swim at your own risk, and put in place a beach reservation system that generally worked out well for patrons. Chin’s leaning toward a similar approach for this summer and says there’s CARES Act funding available to cover costs. There continue to be challenges with lifeguard training due to the pandemic, so that’s among the considerations Rec is dealing with. But Chin is optimistic that capacity limits could be expanded and new options could be allowed as more people are vaccinated.

Parents are already contacting Rec about summer camp, not surprisingly. A year-and-a-half ago most of the town-run camp programs would be filled, Chin said. People want to make plans and are going elsewhere, he lamented.

The free Wellesley Youth Commission summer camps are also to be determined at this time, according to that group’s space on the town website.

Chin would ideally like to make a call by late March or April on Rec programs, understanding that state guidance could change at any time.

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Wellesley Community Bulletin Board

February 24, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Check out the Community Bulletin Board section on The Swellesley Report, a place to find out about exciting events going on in the area.

Featured this week:

Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Walk-in

No appointment necessary
978 Worcester St., Wellesley, MA
617-219-1280

StretchLab

Free demo stretch, 3/1 & 3/2
Linden Square, across from CVS drive-thru
339-217-0217, call or text for an appointment

Here’s how to have your flyer appear on The Swellesley Report’s Community Bulletin Board at a nominal rate.

Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Walk-In—no appointment needed

February 24, 2021 by admin 1 Comment

Wellesley seeks artists to paint 3 more traffic signal electrical boxes

February 24, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley is inviting artists to transform three more of its highly visible traffic signal electrical boxes into “visual and graphic delights that will provide an entertaining and stimulating experience to passersby.”

Add that to an upcoming effort to pump artsy life into vacant storefronts, and Wellesley is going to be a downright color explosion in town this year.

This past fall, artists painted four boxes, including one in Lower Falls that features a bit of Swellesley Report poetry on it.

Wellesley electrical box art by Alexander Golob, with a Swellesley flair

The next boxes are located at:

*Washington Street at Forest Street
*Washington Street at Seward Road
*Linden Street at Kingsbury Street

The effort is spearheaded by the Wellesley Public Art Committee and Wellesley Police Department. Here are the full details for applying, but the basics are that anyone can apply and that you’ll get a $1,000 stipend to cover supplies, transportation, etc. All proposals must be received by April 15, 2021 at 4p.m. and may be emailed to [email protected] or delivered as hardcopies to the Wellesley Police Department, in care of Chief Jack Pilecki.

Artists chosen will be announced May 1. The painting must be completed by the end of July.

Wellesley Natural Resources Commission puts out an open call to create

February 24, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission (NRC) is calling on nature enthusiasts and artists of all skill levels to create art inspired by nature this winter for its Nature in Winter Art Show. Here are the artsy details:

How to participate:

Find something in nature that inspires you and create a piece to celebrate! Create works of art in any medium, including visual art, poetry, photography, and performance. All entered works will be featured on the NRC Facebook page and in the NRC Newsletter. Selected works may be displayed around town. By entering you agree to have your art publicized.

Wellesley Natural Resources Commission — Leaves On Snow by Lisa Moore

Subjects should be found in nature in the Town of Wellesley during the winter of 2021.

Send quality photographs and/or videos of your work to: [email protected] by April 1, 2021

Include title of the work; dimensions; media used; area in Wellesley that inspired your art; your contact info (name, address, email and phone number); and anything else you’d like to tell the NRC and the art-viewing public.

Pinnacle Residential Properties: home for all stages in life

February 23, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED POST: Mary Beth and Jim Grimm are real estate agents at Pinnacle Residential Properties. Their area of expertise is working as a team to serve clients whose housing needs have changed over the years.

Significant changes such as moving are always tricky, regardless of age. If you are over the age of 50, your needs aren’t the same as a first-time homebuyer or seller. You might be looking to retire, downsize, or join an active adult community. There are a lot of challenges in making such a change.

The sale of a home can be very emotional and there is a lot to consider:

Life stage needs and wants—Factors such as favorite leisure activities, preferences for community, health, mobility, and amenities, are key considerations in what your next housing needs will be.

Housing choices—The 50+ age demographic want to stay close to their current home. Along with retirement, top reasons for selling are downsizing, and to be closer to family and friends. About 20% of this demographic are interested in active adult communities, which offer a range of services, social events, amenities, and life-style activities.

Keep it/toss it—One of the biggest challenges when making such a move is decluttering your home. This can become very emotional, but it can be made easier by creating a plan. Start with the easy stuff; schedule a regular time each day/week to work on the task; spend time to determine what is important to keep; don’t be a storage unit for others; and most importantly do not be afraid to ask for help.

The main focus of Mary Beth and Jim Grimm of Pinnacle Residential Properties is working with sellers and buyers in the 50+ age demographic. Mary Beth and Jim have the experience and expertise to meet the housing needs of their clients, which requires an expert understanding of their lifestyle and financial needs.

Mary Beth & Jim Grimm, Pinnacle — Jim & Mary Beth Grimm, Pinnacle

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