On Tuesday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m., Brattleboro native and theorbo performer Nathaniel Cox and soprano Agnes Coakley will perform a benefit concert for the Brattleboro Music Center in an intimate and home setting.
Cox and Coakley founded the group In Stile Moderno in Switzerland in 2012 to explore the music of the “new style” that had its origins in late 16th century. They perform as a duo and with other early instrumentalists.
The theorbo is a form of bass lute developed at the end of the 16th century. Throughout most of the 17th century, the theorbo was considered the ideal instrument for song accompaniment because of its wide range of expression and dynamics.
Admission to the BMC benefit house concert is a suggested donation of $25. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Call the Brattleboro Music Center at 802-257-4523 or write to dcox@sover.net for directions and reservations.
Sponsored by Chester Family Medicine, the Stone Cold Roosters will play for the second of the Chester Summer Concert Series on the Green at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 24. Led by songwriter, Colin McCaffrey, the Roosters are a modern country band that plays a variety of honky-tonk, old blues and rock ‘n’ roll.
Bring blankets and lawn chairs and listen to music on a summer night in downtown Chester. Dancing is encouraged.
The next concert will be on July 31 and feature the Starline Rhythm Boys. In case of inclement weather, concerts will move to The Stone Hearth Inn on Route 11 West. All concerts are free. For more information contact 802-875-3400.
First Universalist Parish, the Old Stone Church in historic Stone Village, 211 North St., Route 103, Chester, will be the site of a concert of late medieval music on at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. Brattleboro native Nathaniel Cox and Agnes Coakley will perform a program titled Music for a While, which takes its name from a song by Henry Purcell. The song is a haunting ode to the power of music to make the listener forget all earthly cares for as long as the music lasts.
Admission to the concert is by a suggested donation of $15. Tickets may be purchased at Misty Valley Books, Chester, Pete’s Pharmacy, Springfield and Grafton Village Store, Grafton or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 160, Chester.
Misty Valley Books will host the Learn French courses, which will run for six weeks. Intermediate classes are on Monday evenings, beginning July 28, and beginners on Tuesday evenings, beginning July 29. Both classes run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Instructor for the courses is Bill Reed, co-proprietor with his wife, Lynne, of Misty Valley Books, on the Chester Green next to the Fullerton Inn.
The courses are open to students who are high school age and older and will meet in the bookstore, On the Green, Main Street in Chester.
The fee for the courses is $100 for the six sessions and includes materials. Workbooks and dictionaries will be available for sale.
Please register by calling Misty Valley Books at 802-875-3400 or write billreed@vermontel.net.
The Black River Academy Museum will hold a chair-caning workshop 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 at the museum, at 14 High St., in Ludlow.
BRAM director Georgia Brehm and assistant director Linda Tucker will teach the class. The fee is $60 per person, which includes caning materials. Students must supply a chair to cane. A list of supplies will be given to registrants and can also found on the website. Class size is limited, so early registration is recommended.
To register, please call 802-228-5050 or email glbrehm@tds.net. Visit www.bramvt.org for more information and directions.
On Saturday, Aug. 2 St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will hold its 76th Annual August Supper on the Lawn at 313 Main St. in Chester. There will be a buffet table of meats, salads, soups and desserts — all under tents. The price is $12 for adults and $6, children 6 to 10. New this year is continuous eating rather than scheduled seatings. Reservations may be made by calling 802-875-2784. Visit the special events page at www.stlukesepiscopalvt.org.
The Chester Rotary Club’s monthly gathering will meet 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Bradford Tavern, Fullerton Inn at 40 The Commons, Chester.
On Thursday, Aug. 7 guest speaker Emily Dakin will begin at 5 p.m. instead of 5.30 p.m., so as not to interfere with the Chester Music Series on the Green. Dakin will focus of the conversation on her career in humanitarian aid, including the work she did in Iraq and in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya as well as her time in Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer. She will also highlight some of the projects where Rotary International contributed to the emergency relief efforts.
Other speakers include Linda Tarr-Whelan on Oct. 2. Tarr-Whelan served as ambassador to the UN Commission on the Status of Women in the Clinton administration and as a deputy assistant to women’s concerns in the Carter White House. She is also the author of the award-winning book Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership and Changing the World.
On Thursday Nov. 6, Rachel Cote will talk about her experience in China.
For more information, visit http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Home.aspx?accountid=2919.
Wilder Memorial Library’s Annual Book Sale is 9 a.m.–3 p.m. onSaturday, Aug. 9. Food will be sold this year during the sale. Hardcovers will sell for $2 each or 3 for $5. Paperbacks are $1 each or 3 for $2. Some CDs and DVDs will also be for sale. All money raised from book and food sales will go to support the free services and programs offered to library patrons and all community members provided by Wilder Memorial Library. For additional information, please visit www.wildermemoriallibrary.org or call 802-824-4307.