Arts Briefs: Bach and rock in Northampton, cumbia in Amherst, and more

The volunteer theater company Valley Players will hold auditions for the play “Love Letters” by appointment only on Monday, Jan. 6, and Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst. 

The volunteer theater company Valley Players will hold auditions for the play “Love Letters” by appointment only on Monday, Jan. 6, and Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst.  CONTRIBUTED

“Azaleas in Sunlight,” left, and “Azaleas after Rain” by Laura Holland, one of six artists who will display work at Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s North Gallery.

“Azaleas in Sunlight,” left, and “Azaleas after Rain” by Laura Holland, one of six artists who will display work at Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s North Gallery. CONTRIBUTED

Yeison Landero, known as the “heir to cumbia,” will perform with his ensemble at the Drake in Amherst on Jan. 9 at 8 p.m.

Yeison Landero, known as the “heir to cumbia,” will perform with his ensemble at the Drake in Amherst on Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. COURTESY THE DRAKE

Published: 01-06-2025 11:05 AM

Hear the heir to cumbia

The Drake in Amherst will kick off its 2025 programming with an exciting show on Jan. 9, presenting cumbia accordionist Yeison Landero.

Landero grew up in Colombia, immersed in cumbia music; his grandfather, Andrés Landero, was a legendary musician known internationally as “The King of Cumbia.” Yeison Landero showed early musical promise and began performing with his grandfather at the age of 7. He has since taken on the mantle of his family’s musical legacy.

This is your chance to hear “the heir to cumbia” right here in the Valley (he’s performing at the Kennedy Center later in the month).

The Jan 9. show is at 8 p.m., and DJ Bongohead opens at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $22 in advance ($25 at the door) and can be purchased at thedrakeamherst.org.

A musical, improvised

Happier Valley Comedy’s performance group The Understudies will present an improvised musical on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. at the HVC Theater in Hadley.

Scott Braidman, Kelsey Flynn, Paul McNeil, Mosie Senn-McNally, and Maile Shoul will provide the acting; Jeff Kimball will provide the music; the audience will provide the suggestions.

Tickets are $15 via happiervalley.com/understudies.html.

Auditions for‘Love Letters’

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The volunteer theater company Valley Players will hold auditions for the play “Love Letters” by appointment only on Monday, Jan. 6, and Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst.

The show, according to the press release, “takes the form of two characters sharing the letters they have written each other from kindergarten through their golden years, relating their struggles and triumphs, dreams and fears, and setbacks and second chances. Over the course of the evening, the often complicated, deeply touching, always messy story of their evolving love unfolds against the backdrop of the tumultuous events of the mid- to late-twentieth century.”

Actors who have appeared in productions of this show include Carol Burnett, Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters, Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Taylor, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, and Desi Arnaz, among many other big-name performers.

Though the play is written for two characters, this production might cast up to eight.

Per the theater company’s tradition, in which half of the proceeds from a show go to a local organization whose mission is related to one of the show’s themes, the company will be donating 50% of the net proceeds to the mental health agency River Valley Counseling Center.

The show will run the weekends of Feb. 7-8 and 13-14 at Black Birch Vineyard in North Hatfield.

To book your 10-minute audition slot, visit valleyplayers.org.

 

Live ‘Valley Folklore’ story slam at Iron Horse

The live storytelling show Valley Voices will present its first show of 2025, “Valley Voices Story Slam: Valley Folklore,” at Iron Horse on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

The show features local community members performing short personal stories from their own lives in front of an audience.

If you’re interested in sharing your own story live through Valley Voices at their next show, “Elementary,” check out the audition requirements at nepm.org/valley-voices#how-to-audition. Auditions for that show are open from Thursday, Jan. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 23.

Tickets are $17 (including fees) at aomtheatre.com.

To get a feel for how Valley Voices works, check out their podcast at https://www.nepm.org/podcast/valley-voices, which features stories shared at previous shows.

Edgar Allen Poe + cocktails

The Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy, a touring live experience, will be at The Red Barn at Hampshire College in Amherst on Thursday, Jan. 16, and Friday, Jan. 17.

At the event, which runs about 75-90 minutes, performers read four of Poe’s most famous works – namely, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Black Cat” – while guests enjoy cocktails themed to each story. 

This event is 21+, naturally. Tickets are $45 via edgarallanpoebar.com/tickets.

 

Rock songs by acommunity chorus

The Northampton chapter of Rock Voices, a no-audition community chorus that performs rock songs while accompanied by local musicians, will perform at the Academy of Music on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The show will feature songs by Toto, Billy Joel, Taylor Swift, Foreigner, Radiohead, The Monkees, and more.

Tickets are $5 to $20 (or $10 through Card to Culture), not including fees, and can be purchased at aomtheatre.com, at the Academy’s box office, or by phone at 413-584-9032 ext. 105.

Local artists todisplay work atCooley Dickinson

Starting Friday, Jan. 3, a group of six artists from Amherst’s Gallery A3 will exhibit their work at Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s North Gallery as part of the hospital’s Art and Healing Program.

The artists include Marianne Connolly (who will show photocollages), Laura Holland (photography), Karen Iglehart (oil paintings), John Krifka (oil paintings), Nancy Meagher (pencil drawings), and Larry Rankin (photography).

Ten percent of the sales’ proceeds will benefit hospital programs and services.

In a press release, Rhea Banker, manager of the Art and Healing Program, said:

“It can be so scary, as you all know, coming to the hospital, so to have some things of beauty on the walls of the hospital just brightens up a part of each day.”

Another group of A3 artists will also showcase their work at Cooley Dickinson in November and December 2025.

If you can’t make it to the gallery, check out the work at gallerya3.com/cdh.html.