52 Ways to Use Your Library Card: Week Five

Week Five: Enjoy a concert.

There is so much more to Richmond Public Library than just books. In addition to our literacy and reading programs, RPL has a desire to enrich our patrons through both art and music.

The month of October has several family friendly programs in addition to kicking off the 2012-2013 Gellman Room Concert Series.

The first performance of the Gellman Room Concert Series is on Saturday, October 13th at 2pm in the Gellman Room at the Main Library.

Husband-and-wife duo Matthew Singer (baritone) & Leanne Gonzalez-Singer (mezzo-soprano) reprise the recital program they debuted to a full house in New York City, with pianist Cathy Venable. The program of art songs and duets in a variety of languages blends the well-known with rarely heard gems on the ancient themes of Love and War. Music by Ravel, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms and others.


Then on Saturday, October 27th at 2pm, guitarist Christopher Jenkins performs a solo classical guitar concert of music by Bach, Albeniz, and composers from various musical eras as well as selections from France and Russia.

 But that's not all! The Richmond Symphony returns to the Richmond Public Library for two entertaining family programs.

On Saturday, October 13th from 10 to 11:30am, the Board of the Richmond Public Library Foundation invites your family to a musical morning featuring musicians from the Richmond Symphony.

The Richmond Symphony also has several educational and kid-friendly programs. The LolliPops Concert series includes classical music and live storytelling in a relaxed atmosphere, which is a perfect way to introduce children to the symphony. There are also interactive activities before the concert, including their musical petting zoo.

Our favorite magical/musical Symphony story teller and actor Michael Boudewyns returns to perform on Saturday, October 27th in the Richmond Symphony's LolliPops Concert of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. Join us the day before as he entertains families with a free program of stories and lots of fun. Friday, October 26th at the Main Library in the Auditorium  from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

Join us during the month of October, it will be music to your ears!



Celebrate the holidays with us and the Richmond Boys Choir!

Join us for our fifteenth annual Gellman Room concert with the Richmond Boys Choir. It's a holiday tradition! The concert is free and the public is invited to sit with us and enjoy the beautiful music that the choir brings.
Now in its 16^th season, the Richmond Boys Choir (RBC) began as a collaborative project of Theatre IV and the Boys and Girls Club of Richmond. After citywide auditions in the fall of 1996, 25 boys were selected for membership. In 1997, the Richmond Boys Choir became an independent, non-profit 501(c)3.


Over the past 16 years, members of the Richmond Boys Choir have been provided opportunities to represent their beloved Richmond throughout the U.S. by traveling to such places as Fayetteville, Kansas City, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and New York.


In 1999, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce deemed RBC “Richmond’s Ambassadors of Song.” In keeping with that title, the Richmond Boys Choir continues to showcase its personal, academic and musical excellence, while representing Richmond's diverse cultures through music and membership. RBC uses such opportunities to share with all who would hear the rich musical talent found right here in central Virginia. RBC welcomes members from all socio-economic, religious and cultural backgrounds. 

This wonderful event is held Saturday, December 10th at the Main Library at 2pm 

Celebrating Abraham Lincoln in October

Two hundred years after his birth, Abraham Lincoln’s historical importance endures. A man of his time—humbly born, self taught, ambitious, and hardworking—he seized the opportunities of an expansive society to rise to the country’s highest office as a champion of free labor.

As president and commander in chief facing the dissolution of the United States, he led the nation to keep it “forever worthy of the saving,” orchestrating an end to slavery. A man for all times, Lincoln has become a global figure. People around the world take inspiration from the principles, words, and resolute leadership of the sixteenth President of the United States.

- From "Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man of All Times"

Throughout the month of October, we'll be celebrating and exploring the life and work of Abraham Lincoln, an extraordinary historical figure whose legacy is dominated by a few representative images: an Illinois log cabin; the preservation of the Union; his death in a theater. Who is the man behind these iconic stories? Through special exhibits, films, music, and programs, we'll be gaining a deeper understanding of the Great Emancipator.

Beginning Friday, October 7th, the Main Library will host a national traveling exhibit titled, "Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man of All Times." The exhibit, organized by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, presents Lincoln's own words in speeches, letters, and proclamations to encourage a greater understanding of the President's life, accomplishments, and legacy. See this exhibit on display in the Dooley foyer from October 7th until November 1st.

"Civil War Redux," an exhibit of pinhole photography of Civil War re-enactments will also be on display at the Main Library during October. These photographs were captured by Richmond artist Willie Anne Wright using a style of photogtaphy from Lincoln's time.

Willie Anne Wright, 2nd Manassas: Women and Parasols, undated.

Stop by during First Friday festivities on Friday, October 7th between 6:30 and 9:00 to get an early look at these exhibits. From 6:30 to 7:30, you'll also hear music from Josiah Pearsall, who will be performing banjo songs from the mid-19th century.

There will be two other upcoming opportunities to hear music from Lincoln's time period. The Press Gang will perform music from the Civil War on Saturday, October 8th at the Main Library. You'll hear songs from both the North and the South. On Saturday, October 22nd, the Finnsbury Minstrel Group will perform songs by Stephen Foster, spirituals, and some of Lincoln's favorite music. The performances from The Press Gang and the Finnsbury Minstrel Group are both presented as part of the Gellman Room Concert series and both will start at 2 pm in the Main Library's Gellman Room.

For younger children, there will be a special Lincoln-themed storytime on Monday, October 17th at 3 pm in the Main Library's children's department. Kids will also get to make their own Stove Pipe Hat!

On Thursday, October 20th, from noon to 3 pm, join Michael Jones as he explores Lincoln's legacy in film during "Lincoln on Celluloid." Watch Young Mr. Lincoln and other films and afterward discuss what these movies say about Lincoln's place in American history.

How did the work of Lincoln affect your family history? Learn about genealogical research methods during an African-American genealogy workshop on October 29th from 1 to 3. The workshop is being taught by genealogy expert Pat Clark.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man of All Times, an inspiring and fascinating exhibit. We hope that you will have the opportunity to stop by to learn something new about Abraham Lincoln, maybe enjoy some American folk music, and spend some time learning about the story of our country. And did you know more books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than any other American? We've got some of those, too.

A Reason to Love Fall: The Gellman Room Concerts Begins

Summer is not yet officially over, but school is in session again and the temperatures have dropped. The days are a little shorter. Pumpkins are stacked up for sale in front of grocery stores. Autumn is definitely in the air. Whether you welcome the lower temperatures and falling leaves or mourn the loss of summer (like I do), there are lots of reasons to look forward to fall in Richmond. Pull your sweaters and scarves out of storage and get ready for the season's delights.

Even though I already miss summer's long, hot days, there are many things to love about this season. One of my favorite things about fall in Richmond is watching the leaves change on the picturesque trees along Monument Avenue. And right about now, restaurants start selling everything pumpkin--pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin desserts... delicious!

Another thing to love about fall in Richmond? A brand new season of events from our lively performing arts community. Richmond Public Library contributes to this community by offering a yearly Gellman Room Concert series, featuring local musicians performing a variety of music.

Our staff has been working hard for months to prepare a new season of Gellman Room Concerts, and it's going to be a year of wonderful performances at Richmond Public Library. We'll have something to suit every musical taste. This concert series is an excellent opportunity to see some of the region's best musicians performing in an intimate space with excellent acoustics--all for free.

The first Gellman room Concert will be held on Saturday, October 8th (the concerts are always held on Saturdays at 2 pm) at the Main Branch. If you're interested in historical, traditional, or folk music, you're going to be excited about this one. The Press Gang will perform traditional Civil War music, from both the north and the south.

The Press Gang will perform Civil War Songs on Oct. 8

So add a Gellman Room Concert to one of your Saturday outings this fall. I'd recommend a lunch at one of our fabulous downtown restaurants before the concert (because surely they'll have pumpkin on the menu) and a walk down Monument Avenue afterward. If you've got a better Saturday agenda, I'd love to hear about it.

2010-2011 Gellman Room Concerts

The 37th season of Gellman Room Concerts is underway, and we are, as always, very excited about the lineup of performances this year. It's really a treat to host musicians in the Main Library's Gellman Room, a great space for live music. The series runs annually from October to April, and listening to one of the performances is a wonderful way to fill a chilly afternoon. Come downtown, grab a lunch at one of the many fabulous nearby restaurants, and then enjoy some live music. What could be better on a Saturday afternoon?

The season's next concert, taking place on Saturday, October 30th at 2 pm, will feature renowned pianist Wen-Yin Chan. She'll be performing selections from Frederic Chopin. Check out Wen-Yin's website to hear audio of her playing and to learn about her background and experiences. She's currently a doctoral candidate at the Yale School of Music and has performed all over the world, so we're thrilled to have her here at the Richmond Public Library.

There are a lot of exciting performances happening, so be sure to mark these events on your calendar! They are all free to the public and they all start at 2 pm.

• November 6, 2010– Deborah Saidel, flute, with Timothy Crawford, piano, and Jacquelin Spears, cello.
• December 4, 2010– Sigma Alpha Iota, an international fraternity for women in music, presents solo and chamber music.
• December 11, 2010– Richmond Boys Choir performs their 14th annual concert—a holiday tradition at the Richmond Public Library.
• January 22, 2011– Richmond Music Teachers Association—a concert by a variety of musicians: pianists, vocalists, and instrumentalists.
• February 12, 2011– Sonia Vlahcevic, piano, presents a Lecture-Recital of Gyorgi Ligeti’s Musica Ricercata.
• February 26, 2011– Williamsburg Chamber Players perform a varied selection of classical music for piano and strings.
• March 5, 2011– Nathan Mills performs music for the classical guitar from Spain, Latin America, and Baroque Germany.
• March 26, 2011– Belle Isle Strings performs music of Schubert and Schumann.
• April 2, 2011– The G Sharp Saxophone Quartet will move your mind from Bach to rock, ragtime to jazz and the elements of the blues.
• April 9, 2011– The Greater Richmond Children’s Treble Choir, Director Hope Armstrong Erb with The Diggity Dudes: Donny Arkins and Mike Hartsfield, guitars, Tod Ellsworth, bass, and Scott Milstead, drums.

Soul Cafe Poetry Reading

Join us for open mic poetry in the Gellman Room at the Main Library.

Saturday, May 12

2:00pm-4:00pm

Gellman Room Concert

Jazz Composers Alliance

Join us for the last concert of the Gellman Room series as Composers-in-Residence

Michael Hawkins

and

Jason Gay

present original works with special guest pianist and

newest Jazz Composers Alliance member

Steve Kessler.

Main Library

Gellman Room

Saturday, May 5

2:00pm

Richmond Guitar Quartet

The Richmond Guitar Quartet - four guitars, four individuals, one unique new sound. Four young guitarists have come together to test the boundaries of what chamber music can do.

Main Library

Gellman Room

Saturday, April 14

Guitar Students Performance

Join us and enjoy a performance of the Guitar Students from the Richmond Public Schools. Teacher Carlos Pozzi presents their annual recital of solo and classical music for the guitar.

Main Library

Saturday, March 10

2:00pm

Deep River : a celebration ...

JOIN US this Saturday, Feb 24th, at 2pm to hear a concert of African-American composers:

Deep River
A celebration of the music of African-American composers

This concert in observance of Black History Month will be performed by
William H. Powell, pianist, with pianist Jovia M. Moody and tenor Edward O. Smith. The program will vary from traditional spirituals to music by Scott Joplin, Nathaniel Dett, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Margaret Bonds.

Saturday, February 24, 2:00 PM

Main Library

101 E. Franklin St.

Richmond, VA

Admission is free and the public is invited