Wellesley arts roundup—lots going on with theater, visual arts, music, books, flowers and even yarn bombing
Wellesley is fortunate to have a lively arts scene, with various opportunities to engage with or make art at any given time. Check out a concert, theater performance, or film this month. Here are just a few events happening soon.
EVENT: Theater production for young families
DATES/TIMES: Saturday, April 26 at 11am, 2pm, and 7pm & Sunday, April 27 at 11am and 2pm
LOCATION: Wellesley College, Ruth Nagel Jones Blackbox Theatre, Alumnae Hall
DESCRIPTION: Created with young families especially in mind, HARK! invites audiences of all ages to explore what it’s like to be a human in nature! In a world facing environmental challenges and climate change, how do we connect with the ecosystem surrounding us? Through original songs, games, bubbles, stories, silliness, improvisation, imagination, and more, the HARK! ensemble will engage our wee ones in questions about our shared world. Bring your toddlers and preschoolers (and their families)!
TICKETS: available here. Tickets will go on sale to the public April 15 at 12pm.
EVENT: Art gallery show
DATE: Currently on view
LOCATION: Page Waterman Gallery, 57 Eliot St. (rte. 16), Natick
DESCRIPTION: Come by the gallery to experience Jeannie Celata’s latest abstract paintings, and celebrate her bold use of color, design and texture. Jeannie is a versatile artist and expert custom framer. She does the lion’s share of work preserving Page Waterman customers’ art and treasured keepsakes. She brings her artistic eye to every project.
EVENT: Concert
DATE: Tuesday, April 29
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Babson College, Carling-Sorenson Theatre
COST: Free
REGISTRATION encouraged, walk-ins welcome
DESCRIPTION: The Babson Music Collective is rooted in the jazz traditions of improvisation and creative expression. The group finds inspiration in a range of musical styles, from pop and afro-beat to classic jazz standards. Drawing on each member’s personal playing style and experiences, the Collective creates unique arrangements for all the music it plays. The Babson Music Collective strives to foster a community of Babson’s many student musicians and listeners.
EVENT: “Creating in the Chaos—on Artmaking and Motherhood”
DATE: Wednesday, April 30
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books, 82 Central St., Wellesley
REGISTER HERE for this $5 ticketed events
DESCRIPTION: Nicole Graev Lipson, Pushcart Prize-winning writer, presents her new memoir in essays,Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. Nicole will be in conversation with writer Alden Jones and visual artist Cicely Carew.
Wellesley in Bloom
Wellesley’s garden clubs are planning a town wide beautification effort with “Wellesley in Bloom.” Clubs have made 20 gorgeous floral wreaths that will hang on the door fronts of Wellesley merchants from May 3-11. Afterwards, the wreaths will be shared with the community.
EVENT: Wellesley Theatre Project production
DATE: Thursday, May 8
TIME: 8pm
LOCATION: Sorenson Center for the Arts, 19 Babson College Dr., Wellesley
TICKETS HERE
DESCRIPTION: Powered by the chart-topping hits of the undisputed Princess of Pop, Once Upon a One More Time, JR turns our favorite fairytales upside down with clever twist! When a fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of The Feminine Mystique in the laps of classic heroines, the damsels on a quest to rewrite their stories and redefine “happily ever after.”
Once Upon a One More Time, JR weaves Britney Spears’ smash singles—like “Crazy,” “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “Circus,” “Lucky,” and “Toxic”—into “a big, modern, musical dance party, with Britney’s beating heart at its core.”
EVENT: Wellesley Theatre Project production
DATES/TIMES: Friday, May 9 at 5pm and 8pm; Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11 at 2pm and 5pm.
LOCATION: Sorenson Center for the Arts, 19 Babson College Dr., Wellesley
DESCRIPTION: Join us as Jeff Kinney’s popular character takes center stage as Greg’s cartoon diary becomes a hilarious and heartfelt musical in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Musical. Middle school is the worst, but Greg is determined not to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. He’ll leave that to his weird neighbor, Fregley. Or maybe Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. But it’s not going to be Greg… no way. Will Greg’s plans to become popular lead him to sacrifice his one true friend? Can anyone avoid the dreaded Cheese Touch? Grab a hall pass and don’t be late for an adventure familiar to anyone who actually survived or is currently surviving middle school!
EVENT: Wellesley Symphony Orchestra Concert presents, “The Hero’s Journey”
DATE: Sunday, May 11
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATION: MassBay Community College, 50 Oakland St., Wellesley
TICKETS HERE
The extraordinary music of Carl Nielsen and Gustav Mahler—two great composers celebrated for their symphonies that transcend the boundaries of classical music, delving into themes of human struggle, nature, and life itself.
The program opens with two compelling works by Carl Nielsen: Saga Dream, inspired by the Icelandic saga Njála, and his enchanting Flute Concerto, featuring our principal flutist, Jennifer Wright. The concert concludes with Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 1, Titan—a masterpiece widely regarded as one of the most remarkable and ambitious first symphonies ever composed.
Congratulations to WHS performing arts students and their directors
From the Wellesley Public Schools—On April 4, both the WHS Wind Ensemble and Honors Chamber Orchestra earned Gold Medals in the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductor’s Association (MICCA) Concert Festival, with Sinfonia students earning a Silver Medal. Both the Wind Ensemble, led by Steven Scott, and the Honors Chamber Orchestra, led by Sergey Khanukaev, were invited to participate in MICCA’s Gold Medal Showcase on April 13th at the Groton Hill Performing Arts Center.
On April 12, the WHS Jazz Combo and the WHS Rice Street Singers each received a Gold Medal at the the State Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators (MAJE) Combo/Choir Festival. Several students in each ensemble were recognized with Outstanding Musicianship Awards: Brendan Nicolazzo, Ben Harris, and Cole Delgado for the Jazz Combo, and Eva Meraw, Brendan Nicolazzo, and Ethan Liu for Rice Street. It was the 15th straight MAJE Gold Medal for Rice Street! Both groups have been invited to perform at the Gold Medal Showcase on Sunday, May 4th at the Hatch Shell in Boston. The students’ proud directors are Steven Scott (Jazz Combo), and Kevin McDonald (Rice Street).
CALL FOR ARTISTS: Wellesley is looking for amateur and professional artists interested in making a handful of its plain old traffic boxes beautiful.
The program, overseen by the Wellesley Public Art Committee and Wellesley Police Department, began in late 2020. The deadline to apply for this round is Friday, May 16, 4pm
EVENT: Unveiling of Yarn Bomb project
DATE: Saturday, May 17
TIME: TBA
LOCATION: Linden Square, Wellesley
DESCRIPTION: Art Wellesley last winter hosted a series of knitting and crochet classes at the library, knitting and crochet circles at area restaurants and private homes, and high school knitting classes at the high school—leading up to a community yarn bomb event to be installed at Linden Square.
Yarn bombing is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted fiber rather than paint or chalk. Premier Yarns, Linden Square, First Byte Designs, the Wellesley Free Library, the Wellesley Cultural Council and the Community Fund for Wellesley supported this project.