Byline: Constance Cherise

Pinkerton Academy’s Stockbridge Theatre kicks off its free virtual series “Bring Light,” beginning March 12 with a performance by clarinetist Anthony McGill, the first Black principal player in the history of the New York Philharmonic.

In an effort to amplify the voices of those young poets who, like Gorman, will show us the way forward, the NH State Council on the Arts is accepting applications for the selection of its 2021-22 NH Teen Laureate sponsored by PSNH and The Poetry Society of NH 

During the amateur hour, in 1934, on a dare, a  homeless girl, in a dirty dress, took the stage at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Originally she had planned to dance as her performance, but after realizing she was no competition for the dancing duo of The Edward Sisters, she decided instead to sing, unknowingly catapulting herself into a life-altering trajectory. That night she silenced the packed 1500-seat theatre. The rest, as they say, is history.

Is there a more perfect anthem to usher in the Christmas season than icon Nat King  Cole’s The Christmas Song?  Ask almost anyone  their opinion and the answer is resoundingly similar, “I love that song.” Soft billowing violins entwine silken strings of dream-like chords, in an orchestration of emotion, gently transporting us to a nostalgic destination the likes that many of us have never truly known. Yet, somehow we intuitively find resonance with, which enchantingly until its end, there is no escape. 

In her corner are two Manchester backers who know the ropes — performer Jodi Katz and Hollywood impresario Mark Schoenfeld, and much like a prizefighter, Hunter has come out swinging. But, just as she was on the precipice of notoriety, illness took hold, forcing her to temporarily suspend her dreams. However, counting her out would be a miscalculated mistake. Confident and tenacious, Hunter is facing her setback due to Lyme disease with fierce defiance, unwilling to allow opportunity to pass her by.

It’s a good time to unpack my Bob Ross paint kit, turn off the world and connect with inner harmony.

For some reason, the news of Bill Withers’s death moved me with unexpected emotion and after informing a friend of the unfortunate news, he had the same reaction. I decided to put aside the day’s tasks, for the time being, plugging in earbuds, to learn why.