Concerts, Lectures, Perfomances

I realized, as I lay awake last night that the reason I began this blog was to SHARE my way of living with the reader. I didn’t expect (nor do I want) it to become a mere freebie, cheap, frugal type of blog, but rather essays on how to LIVE ARTFULLY and ENHANCE your life, peppered with these “things” that you can get. Be it by learning to open up to new ways of looking at the world, creating your life, or YES….enjoying things that you normally couldn’t/wouldn’t because of the cost (hence, the cheap, freebie, frugal part).

As my sleepless night turned into dawn, I remembered how I used to attend concerts, symphonies, ballet, etc. (and for some reason, since moving I no longer do). I’d like to begin again (and I know that my brother or Ava, Jane or Jenn) would love to accompany me as well.

This weekend, I’m looking into Alternative Venues. Colleges, libraries and museums usually have free or inexpensive concerts and performances. Some are performed by students who are ready to turn professional, while others may be professional troupes travelling the circuit. Your local newspaper or (even better) the newspaper’s website should list college, high school and community theater (or orchestras and dance ensembles). If you live in a BIG city, good music can be as close as the street or the subway station (I’ve heard some of the FINEST musicians in subway stations).

Here’s just a small example of what I’ve found coming up:
Providence College (Providence, RI)
November 2008
Saturday, 1st
4:00 pm
Senior Recital
Kristan Lotito, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Concert Hall

Saturday 8th
2:00 pm
Senior Recital
Deanna Vitola, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Concert Hall

Friday, 14th
4:00 pm
7:00 pm
Fridays at Four
Student Performance
Olivier Messiaen, “Quartet for the End of Time”
Alexey Shabalin and guests
Ryan Concert Hall
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FIU (Miami, FL)

Wed Nov 5 U.S. Navy Commodores Big Band 8pm FIU WPAC Concert Hall
10910 SW 17 Street
Miami FL 33199 This event is free , but a ticket is required. Please call 305-348-0496 to reserve your ticket

Thurs Nov 6 FIU Architecture:
Lecture 5pm FIU PCA 135
11200 SW 8 Street
Miami FL 33199 Michael Dennis: “Between Bombs and Blobs, the Search for a Contemporary Architecture” Free and open to the public

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Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)

November 1, Saturday
The Counterfeiters3:00 and 8:00 P.M., Dana Auditorium
Director Stefan Ruzowitzky tells the true story of a band of concentration camp prisoners who are forced by the Nazis to use their counterfeiting skills to produce currency to undermine Allied economies. Faced with a moral dilemma, they must decide whether their actions, which could prolong the war and risk the lives of fellow prisoners, are ultimately the right ones. “Though swiftly paced, The Counterfeiters convincingly examines the complex nature of humanity under inhuman conditions.”—Adam Bernstein, Washington Post. Best Foreign Language Film, Academy Award.
In German with English subtitles. Sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Film Fund. (Germany, 2007, 98 minutes) Free

November 1, Saturday
Friends of the Art Museum Purchase Party5:30 P.M., Kirk Alumni CenterMembers of the Friends of the Art Museum are invited to enjoy an entertaining evening of art that will end with voting on a new purchase for the Museum’s collection. Please contact Andrea Solomon for reservations and membership information: 802.443.2034.

November 2, Sunday
Capoeira Speaker and All-Level Workshop2:00 P.M., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Dance TheatreHosted by the Capoeira Club and funded by Middlebury College Activity Board’s speaker’s committee. Free

November 2, Sunday
Keller QuartettAndrás Keller, violin; Janós Pilz, violin; Zoltán Gál, viola; Judit Szabó, cello3:00 P.M., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert HallFounded over 20 years ago at the Liszt Conservatory of Music in Budapest, the Keller Quartett made an early and positive impression on the world’s music scene with a remarkable recording of Bartók’s string quartets. Since then, they have played in Europe and North America and have continued to issue significant recordings, many on the elegant ECM label, of music by Bach, Kurtag, Schnittke, and Shostakovich. Their Middlebury program consists of works by Mozart, Kurtag, and Schubert (the G Major quartet). Sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series. Reserved Seating. Pre-performance brunch: Rehearsals Cafe, 1:30 P.M. Tickets $5-$20

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These are just a FEW of the options that I’ve found & since you’re obviously sitting at your computer & on the internet, a simple search with the words “college”+”concerts” or “performances” or “series” should help you find all sorts of great things happening in your city or town (or at least a nearby city).