January 2011 Archives

If you love classical music and have considered taking your kids to a real classical music concert, then realized that it would be too long and boring for them, and too expensive and frustrating for you -- here is your chance. The award-winning Jasper String Quartet will give a real concert tailored for kids on Saturday, February 5, at 2 p.m., in Greenwich Library's Cole Auditorium. In their free, 45-minute performance, they will play excerpts of kid-friendly pieces by Beethoven and Ravel.

The Jasper String Quartet has been hailed as "sonically delightful and expressively compelling" by The Strad and "polished, engaged, and in tune with one another" by Classical Voice of North Carolina. This unity comes from a quartet belief in the timeless and lifelong pursuit of music's depth and meaning. They share a commitment to exploring each work to its fullest and to discovering new musical connections through each performance.

Searching for a hard to find song? Or maybe you like one song from an artist but not the entire album? The Greenwich Library has the solution for you--Freegal.

Freegal is a web-based music database that offers access to songs from Sony Music's catalog of artists. With Freegal, registered cardholders of the Greenwich Library system can download a select number of tracks in MP3 format at no cost. Songs are compatible with both PCs and Macs, any mp3 player including iPods and can be loaded to iTunes. Freegal can be accessed through the Greenwich Library website, www.greenwichlibrary.org, under "Music Information" on the "Research and Resources" page.

Due to the predicted inclement weather, this event has been cancelled.  Please check the Library News blog for any potential rescheduling.

After more than a decade of penning bestsellers in her KEY News Thriller series, author Mary Jane Clark has created a new backdrop for her suspense novels. Clark will discuss To Have and to Kill, the inaugural book in the Wedding Cake Mysteries series, as part of AuthorsLive@GreenwichLibrary on Tuesday, February 1, at 7 pm, in the Cole Auditorium.

To Have and to Kill is centered on struggling actress Piper Donovan, who fresh off her broken engagement, is forced to move back in with her parents and reluctantly steps into the family bakery business. After Donovan agrees to create the wedding cake of a friend and daytime TV star, she soon finds herself entangled in a murder mystery that could derail the nuptials.

Ignacio Berroa, a Cuban émigré, has been recognized by many of one of the greatest drummers of his time. The Grammy-nominated Berroa comes to Greenwich Library's Cole Auditorium with his own five-piece band, featuring guitarist Vic Juris, on Sunday, January 30, at 3:30 p.m. as part of the Cole Concert series.

"Ignacio plays with intelligence, taste, fire, and soul. His playing combines the finest aspects of Afro-Cuban and American styles of drumming... When you hear him play it just makes you feel good, just like a good hot bowl of gumbo," said jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

Let the animal antics begin when the Friends Children's Series presents Jim West's How the Elephant Got His Trunk puppet show on Saturday, January 22, at 2 p.m., in the Greenwich Library's Cole Auditorium.

With the Pink Elephant as your guide, Rudyard Kipling's classic story comes to life in this large-scale puppet extravaganza. Also, colorful rod puppets perform a madcap Barnyard Opera to the accompaniment of Mozart, Mahler, Rossini and other classical greats.

Jazz is a vibrantly diverse music that has influenced -- and has been influenced by -- musical styles from all over the world. Mike Holober, artistic director and conductor of the award-winning Westchester Jazz Orchestra, returns to the Ashforth Children's Concert Series with an international group of musicians who will introduce the audience to the sounds of Bossa Nova and other world styles, and explain how they are related to jazz on Sunday, January 23, at 2 p.m., in the Greenwich Library's Cole Auditorium.

Drawing upon the talent of renowned Westchester-based professional musicians, composers and arrangers, the Orchestra performs a broad range of jazz works from classic standards to commissioned pieces. It is also committed to inspiring young listeners with outreach programs in jazz education.

Greenwich Library will offer extended hours to accommodate high school students during exam week. The main library will remain open until 11 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18; Wednesday, January 19 and Thursday, January 20. The Library will be open primarily for the students, but anyone can use the facility during these extended hours.

The Library Café will extend its hours until 10:30 p.m., and students can purchase study break snacks and specials. The Technology Training Center, with 18 workstations, will be available from 5-11 p.m. exclusively for students. Library staff will be available to assist with reference questions.

"Greenwich Library has long been a destination for students during exam week, and we hope that they will take advantage of the additional six hours of study time to prepare for exams," said Carol Mahoney, Greenwich Library Director. "Many other libraries in the area have had success with extended hours during student exam periods."

Greenwich Library and its Byram Shubert and Cos Cob branches will be closed on Monday, January 17 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Electrical maintenance will require the telephone and voicemail system to be powered down for most of the day. Therefore, patrons will not have access to the automated renewal system as well as staff voicemails. Thank you for your patience.

Presidential biographer Michael Takiff will discuss his latest book, A Complicated Man: The Life of Bill Clinton as Told by Those Who Know Him, on Tuesday, January 25, at 7 p.m., in the Greenwich Library's Cole Auditorium.

Takiff has developed a reputation as today's preeminent practitioner of oral history. In this, the first complete oral history of Clinton's life, historian Michael Takiff presents the first truly balanced book on one of our nation's most controversial and fascinating presidents. Through more than 150 chronologically arranged interviews with key figures including Bob Dole, James Carville and Tom Brokaw, among many others, A Complicated Man goes far beyond the well-worn party-line territory to capture the larger-than-life essence of Clinton, the man.