Kat Edmonson at Payomet
The New York Times has called jazz vocalist Kat Edmonson’s tone “fresh as a spring bouquet.” Accompanied by piano, she will perform at the Payomet Performing Arts Center, 29 Old Dewline Road in Truro, on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.
Edmonson sings in the jazz-pop stylings of the early 20th century while remaining contemporary. Performing a mix of original and classic material, she’s known for her off-the-cuff humor and anecdotes. Tickets are $30 at payomet.org.
Edmonson will also perform a 30-minute set as part of Payomet’s Jazz Brunch Garden Party, an end-of-season fundraiser, on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. The event will feature locally sourced food and drink. The cost is $175 per person at payomet.org. Proof of vaccination required.
Continuing a Lifetime of Learning
Friends of Snow Library continues its Lifetime Learning program held in person at the library, 67 Main St. in Orleans, and virtually via Zoom. In-person classes will accommodate up to 40 people; virtual capacity is unlimited. Registration is a $10 suggested donation per course at friendsofsnowlibrary.org.
Offerings this week include “Slavery in Massachusetts Before the Civil War” with historian Linda Kennedy on Thursday, Sept. 30; “Victorious Return: The Cape Symphony’s New Season & New Vision” with Artistic Director Jung-Ho Pak on Monday, Oct. 4; and “Has Democracy Prevailed?” with former Mass. Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, also on Monday, Oct. 4.
“The Model of a Modern Musical: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Nautical Comic Operas” will be discussed by former theater professor Steve Reynolds on Tuesdays beginning Oct. 5. “Novels and Ideas: Heroes and Heroines” explores the protagonist across four classic novels on Tuesdays beginning Oct. 5. Finally, Peter Zimmerman from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government examines decision-making and unconscious biases in “What Were They Thinking?” over two Wednesdays, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13.
Siân Robertson and John D’Aponte
Siân Robertson and John D’Aponte will show new work at Off Main Gallery, 75 Commercial St. in Wellfleet, from Friday, Oct. 1 through Oct. 21. Robertson’s show, “Whereabouts,” repurposes old maps and atlases by cutting, stacking, rolling, and folding. The result is work that forms a narrative rich with history.
In “The Potential of What Remains: Pallet Culler/Color Palette,” D’Aponte, too, uses discarded materials — in this case, scraps of scavenged wood. He repurposes them into familiar, and not so familiar, forms, using sticky bolts of bright primary color. His chairs made of shipping pallets and marine rope are an ingenious attempt to contain the fleeting feel of summer.
There will be an opening reception on Saturday, Oct. 2, 6 to 8 p.m.
Nancy Bowen’s ‘Spectral Evidence’
Opening Friday, Oct. 1 and running through Nov. 14 at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, 460 Commercial St., is “Director’s Choice: Spectral Evidence,” a timely installation by mixed-media artist Nancy Bowen.
Curated by PAAM CEO Christine McCarthy, the exhibition commemorates the Salem witch trials and Judge Samuel Sewall, from whom Bowen is directly descended. Sewall later publicly apologized for his involvement in the trials. Bowen depicts him as a shrouded ghostly figure facing 20 winged epitaphs based on funerary imagery.
What begins as specific history takes on broader meaning related to Covid deaths, gun violence, and Black Lives Matter. Bowen is also showing a suite of collages inspired by Elizabeth Willis’s poem, The Witch.
Ruby Red Fox’s ‘Homecoming’
In her first in-person performance since Covid, Ruby Red Fox presents “Homecoming,” an evening of indie pop at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St., on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
Fox’s rich contralto voice wraps around complex, lush arrangements. “They are songs that make you think and reflect, and they’re songs that mirror the intensity and struggle of our political climate,” says the Boston-based singer, who is also an actress, writer, and director.
Fox will debut the dozen songs that compose her forthcoming album, Lavender, conceived during lockdown. Tickets are $25 at wellfleetpreservationhall.org.
Photographs ‘Of This Place’
“Of This Place” is a group exhibition by the Cape Cod Photography Collaborative opening at the Provincetown Commons, 46 Bradford St., on Tuesday, Oct. 5 and running through Oct. 17.
The six photographers — Angela C. Brown, Greg DeLory, Eileen Powers, Marnie Crawford Samuelson, Vivien Goldman, and Leland Smith — present a diversity of vision that celebrates Cape Cod. From the luminous color of its landscape to the funkiness of its people rendered in crisp black and white, “Of This Place” captures many moods and moments. There will be an opening reception on Friday, Oct. 8, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Vinegrass Music Festival
The seventh annual Vinegrass Music Festival will be held at Truro Vineyards, 11 Shore Road, on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The festival champions Roots music — including Americana, bluegrass, and folk. This year’s bands are the Wooks, the Way Down Wanderers, Jacob Joliff & Michael Daves, and the Soggy Po Boys. Tickets are $60, children free, at vinegrass.org.
“We try to get bands that are on the cusp of breaking out, maybe a band you wouldn’t know about,” says Monica Rizzio, who founded Vinegrass in 2013. “The whole idea was to raise money for music scholarships and getting music education into the school. The festival has been focused on Roots, but not all these kids are going to study fiddle or guitar.”
The scholarships are for “anyone who’s going to go into music in some way, whether it’s production, or an instrument, or teaching,” she says. Vinegrass is entirely volunteer-based and has awarded over $60,000 since 2014, says Rizzio.
For Rizzio, who was raised in Texas, philanthropy is personal. Her family lost almost everything in the 1987 stock market crash. “I was that kid that people from the community were sending to music camp in the summer, or buying a guitar for,” she says. “All of these people — from our church, or teachers in the schools — would help me. I told myself that, if I ever made it in music, I would give back. I can do touring if I want, but I really also love teaching and inspiring.” —André van der Wende
