Stay tuned for news about our 2024-2025 season!

SEASON 6: 2023-2024

SEASON FINALE

Saturday, June 1st, 2024, 2-3:30pm

PROGRAM

Sonata No. 1 "X/O" for violin & electronic sounds by Kelley Polar

"Lyzer the Miser," a tabletop puppet show based on a story by Isaac Bashevis singer

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, by Johannes Brahms

Marji Gere, violin; Gillian Gallagher, viola; Adrienne Taylor, cello; Dan Sedgwick, piano; Trudi Cohen & John Bell, puppetry

This project is supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, an agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Selections from this concert will also be shared with the youth of the Mystic Learning Center, and at Brady Towers and Properzi Manor, Somerville Housing Authority residence for seniors and people with disabilities.

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APRIL CONCERT

Saturday, April 20th, 2024, 2-3:30pm

PROGRAM

J.S. Bach – Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in C Minor, BWV 1017

Two new songs for voice & piano with text by Marji Gere & music by Dan Sedgwick, 

accompanied by cantastoria 

Ethel Smyth – Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 7

Will Green, voice; Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano

This project is supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, an agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Selections from this concert will also be shared with the youth of the Mystic Learning Center, and at Brady Towers and Properzi Manor, Somerville Housing Authority residence for seniors and people with disabilities.

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DECEMBER CONCERT

Saturday, December 9th, 2023, 2-3:30pm

PROGRAM

W.A. Mozart – Sonata for Violin and Piano in B-flat major, K.378

Adrienne Taylor – music for solo cello

A musical cranky created by Somerville youth!

Germaine Tailleferre – Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano

Marji Gere, violin & cranky; Dan Sedgwick, piano & guitar; Adrienne Taylor, cello

This project is supported in part by a "Festival and Projects" grant from the Mass Cultural Council. Selections from this concert will also be presented at Brady Towers, a Somerville Housing Authority residence for seniors and people with disabilities.

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FALL CONCERT

Saturday, October 14, 2023, 2-3:30pm

PROGRAM

Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes - S.L.I.C.E (Soulful Latin in a Classical Environment) 

Béla Bartók – selections from Mikrokosmos

 "Little Trouble" - a new musical tabletop puppet show based on a Louisiana Creole animal tale

Gabriel Fauré - Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 120

Marji Gere, violin & puppetry; Zoe Kemmerling, viola; Adam Schutzman, washtub bass and puppetry; Dan Sedgwick, piano, guitar & puppetry

This project is supported in part by a "Festival and Projects" grant from the Mass Cultural Council. Selections from this concert will also be presented at Brady Towers and Properzi Manor: Somerville Housing Authority residences for seniors and people with disabilities.

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SEASON 5: 2022-2023

SPRING CONCERT

Saturday, June 10, 2023, 2-3:30pm

PROGRAM

Opening performance by the Mystic All-Ages Community Choir and group piano & violin classes

J.S. Bach - Prelude & Fugue No. 13 in F-sharp major BWV 882 (1742)

Antonín Dvořák - Sonata in F Major for Violin & Piano, Op. 57 (1880)

Eric Thomas - “Threnody for Ann Arcenaux” (2023)

Béla Bartók, Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin, & Piano (1938)

Eric Thomas, clarinet; Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano

This project is supported by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, an agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Selections from this concert will also be presented at Brady Towers and Properzi Manor: Somerville Housing Authority residences for seniors and people with disabilities.

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DECEMBER CONCERT: WONDEROUS

LIVE CHAMBER MUSIC & LIGHT SHOW

Saturday, December 17, 2022, 2:30-4:00pm

PROGRAM

Performances by the Mystic All-Ages Community Choir and group piano & violin classes

Franz Schubert - Fantasie in C Major for Violin & Piano, D.934

Stevie Wonder - Selections from Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants

With Video Art by Allison Tanenhaus and Vidumami

Harshitha Krishnan, voice; Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano

This project is supported by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, an agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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SEASON 4: 2021-2022

OPEN HOUSE CONCERT

Saturday June 11th, 2022, 1pm-5pm

Since we began presenting Around Hear concerts in 2017, we have made it a priority to welcome listeners of all ages, backgrounds and dispositions. In our ongoing efforts to make these concerts as inclusive as possible, we're going to try a more flexible format for this event. We will be playing music throughout the afternoon, and you are invited to come and go as you wish. The doors will be wide open; drop in for just a moment, or stay for a long time. We will provide hot beverages and the usual communal drawing paper and crayons, postcards, stationery, and other art and writing supplies for you to enjoy as you listen. Or bring your own sketchpad, journal, knitting, watercolors, camera, etc!

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Stephanson "Hollywood" Aman.

PROGRAM

The complete sonatas for piano and violin by Johannes Brahms, Op. 78, 100, 108, and WoO2.

Marji Gere, violin & Dan Sedgwick, piano

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A PRE-PORCHFEST COFFEETIME CONCERT

Saturday, May 14, 2022, 11am

Prelude: Around Hear music students

Selected duets for TWO BASSOONS

ARTUR AVANESOV – Zemestani / Bahari / Beheshti, for violin & piano (2008)

TAMARA PLUMMER & DAN SEDGWICK – Meditations on Home, for violin, piano & spoken word (2018)

MIGUEL DEL ÁGUILA – Malambo, for bassoon & piano (2016)

SUN RA – "Planet Earth" (1956) 

   Nisreen Nor, bassoon; Tamara Plummer, bassoon and spoken word; Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano. Selections from this concert will also be presented at Brady Towers, a Somerville Housing Authority residence for seniors and people with disabilities.

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LITTLE WORLDS

Friday, April 22, 2022, 1-4pm

An afternoon of storytelling with movement, music, conversation, art-making, writing, and...a microphone! The stories created during this workshop will be featured on the first season of Little Worlds, our forthcoming Somerville Arts Council-supported podcast! 

This free event was led by Around Hear directors Marji Gere and Dan Sedgwick, with guest teaching artists Elise Kuder (violinist, writer) and Nita Doss (violin student, Mystic Learning Center site coordinator, & writer)

This workshop was presented especially for youth (ages 6-16) involved in the Around Hear free lessons program and Marji & Dan's home music studios.

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IN THE FULL OF THE MOON

Saturday, December 18, 2021, 2pm & 4pm

Prelude: Around Hear music students

Stories by MARGARET WISE BROWN, set to music by DAN SEDGWICK

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21, arranged for chamber ensemble by JOHANN NEPOMUK HUMMEL

FRANZ SCHUBERT – "Der Winterabend" ("The Winter Evening"), words by KARL GOTTFRIED VON LEITNER

 Vanessa Holroyd, flute; Javier Caballero, cello; Jazimina MacNeil, mezzo-soprano; Marji Gere, violin and puppetry; Dan Sedgwick, piano

Selections from this concert will also be presented at Brady Towers, a Somerville Housing Authority residence for seniors and people with disabilities.

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FALL HARVEST

Saturday,  September 25, 2021, 2pm & 4pm

EMAHOY TSEGUÉ-MARYAM GUÈBROU (born 1923) –Selected pieces for solo piano 

IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) – Duo Concertant for violin & piano

GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924) – Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 108 

Marji Gere, violin & Dan Sedgwick, piano

Selections from this concert will also be presented at Brady Towers, a Somerville Housing Authority residence for seniors and people with disabilities.

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SEASON 3: 2019-2020

NIGHT

Saturday, February 8, 2020, 2pm

FRANZ SCHUBERT – Notturno for Violin, Cello, & Piano in E-flat Major, D. 897

Dance performance by STIGGITY STACKZ, featuring electronic music by Dan Sedgwick & Flying Lotus

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH – Trio No. 2 in E minor for Violin, Cello & Piano, Op. 67

Marji Gere, violin; Tony Rymer, cello; Dan Sedgwick, piano; Ashton "Stiggity Stackz" Lites, dance

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KALEIDOSCOPE

Saturday, December 7, 2019, 2pm

G. P. TELEMANN – Fantasia in A Major for Solo Flute, TWV 40:2

MARIO DAVIDOVSKY – Synchronisms No. 9 for Violin & Tape

RUTH CRAWFORD SEEGER – Selected works for solo piano, interwoven with an original story by Marji Gere

 BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ – Sonata for Flute, Violin, & Piano, H. 254

Vanessa Holroyd, flute; Marji Gere, violin; Florence Bergmann, storytelling; Dan Sedgwick, piano 

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WE LOVE TREES!

Saturday, October 26, 2019, 4pm

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK – From the Bohemian Forest, Op. 68, for piano four-hands (selections) 

SHACHAR ZIV – "Up in the Tree House"

WE LOVE TREES (a toy theater world premiere) by Trudi Cohen, John Bell, Marji Gere, & Dan Sedgwick, with music by Henry K. Hadley, Stevie Wonder, & the Hackberry Ramblers

JOHANNES BRAHMS – Trio for Horn, Violin, & Piano in E-flat major, Op. 40

Shachar Ziv, horn, piano & voice; Jazimina MacNeil, mezzo-soprano; Marji Gere, violin & puppetry; Miles Walter, piano; Dan Sedgwick, piano & puppetry; John Bell & Trudi Cohen of Great Small Works, music & puppetry 

This concert funded in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, an agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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SEASON 2: 2018-2019

SEASON 2 FINALE!

Saturday, June 1, 2019, 2 pm

W.A. MOZART – "Der Hölle Rache” (the Queen of the Night’s Aria), arr. for udderbot and piano 

JEAN SIBELIUS – Duo for Violin and Viola

MARJI GERE – The Belly and the Body Members, an original miniplay (world premiere)

CHEN YI – Memory, for solo cello

BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ – Fantasia for Theremin, Oboe, String Quartet & Piano (theremin part arr. for udderbot) 

Program followed by season finale party with lawn games and cookies

Jacob Barton, udderbot & tenor; Rafael Natan, oboe & violin; Will Green, tenor; Rohan Gregory & Marji Gere, violins; Ashley Frith, viola; Jacob MacKay, cello; Dan Sedgwick, piano

This concert funded with assistance from the Mystic Learning Center and the Somerville Housing Authority. 

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MYSTIC MUSIC STUDENTS IN CONCERT

Monday, April 22, 2019, 5:30 pm 

Performances by students of Around Hear's free all-ages music lessons program!

 G.F. HANDEL – Trio Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 2, No. 3 

Pizza, salad, and beverages served

Rafael Natan, oboe; Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano

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THE CALL OF THE WILD

Saturday, March 9, 2019, 2 pm 

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI – Sinfonia for Bass and Keyboard 

THELONIOUS MONK – Solo piano selections 

GERMAINE TAILLEFERRE – Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano 

JON DEAK – Wager at the El Dorado Saloon, theatrical chamber music for violin, double bass, and piano  

Coffee, cocoa, tea, and goodies served

Marji Gere, violin; Max Zeugner, double bass; Dan Sedgwick, piano

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SONATAS & SIDEWALKS

Saturday, January 12, 2019, 4 pm 

J.S. BACH – Sonata in G Major for Violin and Keyboard, BWV 1019

JOHN BELL & TRUDI COHEN – Living Newspaper: Sidewalk Ballet, a toy theater piece featuring Jane Jacobs, and Robert Moses in miniature debating public space for the common good versus the greater good, with music by FRANK LONDON and WOODY GUTHRIE

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH – Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134

Coffee, cocoa, tea, & goodies served

Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano; Trudi Cohen & John Bell, puppeteers

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RICE & PEAS: STORYTELLING, MUSIC & FRIENDSHIP

Saturday, December 8, 2018, 2 pm 

Selected Bassoon Duos

TAMARA PLUMMER & DAN SEDGWICK – Meditations on Home, for violin, piano & spoken word (world premiere)

Storytelling by English language learners from THE WELCOME PROJECT

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK – Piano Trio No. 4, Dumky, Op. 90

Tamara Plummer, spoken word & bassoon; Nisreen Nor, bassoon; Marji Gere, violin; Adrienne Taylor, cello; Dan Sedgwick, piano; The Welcome Project writers, storytelling

This concert funded through a Live Arts Boston grant from The Boston Foundation.

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MUSIC PUPPETRY DANCE

Saturday, October 27, 2018, 11 am 

J.S. BACH – Selections from Cello Suite in G Major, BWV 1007

 W.A. MOZART – Sonata for Violin and Piano, K. 526

MARJI GERE – Owl and the Moon for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, narrator & puppets (a musical setting of Arnold Lobel's children's story) 

COLE PORTER, GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRVING BERLIN, and many others – Selections from the American Songbook, featuring the art of ballroom dance, then… EVERYONE dance! 

Pizza, salad, and beverages served

Yhasmin Valanzuela, clarinet; Marji Gere, violin and drums; Javier Caballero, cello; Dan Sedgwick, piano; Will Green, voice; Esmay Pricejones & Isabella Milanowski, puppetry; J. Michael Winward & Essy Sosa, dance

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SEASON 1: 2017-2018

SEASON 1 FINALE!

Saturday, May 19, 2018, 11 am

J.S. BACH  – Selections from Sonata for Gamba and Harpsichord in D Major, BWV 1028 

MARJI GERE & DAN SEDGWICK – All Some None, theatrical chamber music for two high voices and three speaking instrumentalists

L.V. BEETHOVEN – Selections from Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Pizza party to follow!

Eric Thomas, clarinet; Leyla Zamora, bassoon; Marina Krickler, horn; Nora Maynard & Rafael Natan, voices; Marji Gere, violin; Jason Amos, viola; Jacob MacKay, cello; Richard Hartshorne, double bass; Dan Sedgwick, piano

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GALA CONCERT

Friday, May 18, 2018, 8pm at Connexion

 Help us raise money for future Around Hear seasons! This will be a festive evening of music, sweets, and community building.  Details here!

Nora Maynard & Rafael Natan, voices; Eric Thomas, clarinet; Leyla Zamora, bassoon; Marina Krickler, horn; Marji Gere, violin, Jason Amos, viola; Jacob MacKay, cello; Richard Hartshorne, double bass

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FRANZ & JOHANNES, FROG & TOAD

Saturday, April 28, 2018, 2 pm

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK – Ballade in D minor for Violin & Piano, Op. 15 

JOHANNES BRAHMS – Sonata in G Major for Violin & Piano, Op. 78

FRANZ SCHUBERT – Rondo in B minor for Violin & Piano, D. 895

Program interwoven with stories from Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad series, and followed by tea, fresh-baked scones, and lawn games

Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano

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BABY (GRAND PIANO) SHOWER  

Monday, March 26, 2018, 5:30 pm 

FRANZ SCHUBERT – Impromptu in C minor, Op. 90 No. 1, D. 899

SERGEI PROKOFIEV – Sonata for Flute & Piano, Op. 94

J.S. BACH – Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering, BWV 1079

Program followed by pizza and cake

Vanessa Holroyd, flute; Marji Gere, violin; Dan Sedgwick, piano

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A SOMERVILLE SCHUBERTIAD

Monday, January 22, 2018, 4 pm

FRANZ SCHUBERT – Winterreise, D. 911, arranged for string quartet & voice by Richard Krug 

Illustrated lyrics booklets provided, with translations in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and a new translation in Haitian Creole by fellow Somervillen, Frantz Presume. Illustrations by Marji Gere & Sunshine Martin (through Jazimina MacNeil's collaboration with the DreamYard Project in the Bronx)

Pizza, salad, and beverages served

Jazimina MacNeil, mezzo soprano; Marji Gere & Shadwa Mussad, violins; Lila Brown, viola; Patrick McGuire, cello

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BOCCHERINI FEST

Monday, November 27, 2017, 5:30 pm

LUIGI BOCCHERINI – Three Cello Quintets, performed on period instruments

Pizza, salad, and beverages served

Sarah Darling & Marji Gere, violins; Zoe Kemmerling, viola; Josh Packard & Javier Caballero, 'celli

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BARTÓK & WATERCOLORS

Monday, October 23, 2017, 5:30 pm 

BÉLA BARTÓK – 44 Duos for Two Violins

paired with projected images of 44 Bartók-inspired watercolor paintings by SRIVI KALYAN

Pizza, salad, and beverages served

Rohan Gregory & Marji Gere, violins

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Pilot: Spring 2017