My View of Life on the Dock
Extend the family and friend celebrations with good music and great times Thanksgiving weekend! Three chances to experience Cape Ann Symphony Holiday Pops 2023 Gloucester 400+ special program. Gobble Gobble Gobble HO HO GO!
Gloucester for the Win! Final score 8:2. GHS Boys Soccer (Div. 3) beat Malden (Div. 1) October 28, 2023.
photos: snapshots of the Senior Celebration — 11 players!–and pregame scenes from the stands.
The Fishermen were led by six seniors in the starting line up: Gino and Dom up front (both scored hat tricks); Cole and Brendan in the middle; and Leo and Benji in back. Looks like the Fishermen are going to the playoffs! The last game of the 2023 season is an away game* on Monday October 30th against Saugus. Heading into that final game, GHS Boys Varsity Soccer 2023 season is 13-3-1. Northeast ranking reflects the success of the team’s defense and offence. A proud parent explained, “Goals allowed is huge. The 2023 team only let up so many goals vs. how many goals we scored all season. In 8 of the games only 1 goal was allowed. There were 3 shutouts by the defense and goalie.”
*This often means the varsity girls soccer should be at the home stadium. The JV team had a game at the same time on another field. Good luck to all the GHS Fishermen fall sports teams!
On Friday took a walk around the I4C2 float and visited The Pride of Baltimore. On Saturday afternoon Rick and I are taking a sail on The Thomas Lannon. Love these beautiful Schooners. You can follow the link below for more information.
https://www.maritimegloucester.org/gmr2023
summer nocturnes July 3 ,2023
and 1 Horribles photo shared with me! Frank mobile from Wisconsin–in Gloucester’s Fishtown Horribles parade thanks to Ringo Tarr
My grandchild Miles, took this video Sunday afternoon.
Gloucester, Mass. photo block: St. Peter’s Fiesta procession and people watching the parade June 25, 2023. Procession reached Prospect & Dale junction about 1:30.
One month away- mark your calendars! Countdown to Cape Ann Symphony’s very own Pops concert–a preeminent 400+ celebration– at Stage Fort Park is July 28, 2023. Classical and popular music for all in a spectacular setting!
For Gloucester’s Tablet Rock dedication in 1907, momentous Gloucester Day celebrations, and the city’s 300th, the natural open air ampitheatre of Stage Fort Park and its sweeping vistas beckoned and accomodated thousands for sheer casual delight, open and accessible to all. The Cape Ann Symphony Pops in the Park event echoes this history! On a smaller scale, the city hosts the popular free Antonio Gentile Bandstand Summer Concert Series at Stage Fort Park.
Heidi Dallin shares the details from Cape Ann Symphony:
Celebrate Gloucester’s 400+ at
POPS IN THE PARK
FREE ORCHESTRA CONCERT SET FOR JULY 28 at 8 PM
Cape Ann Symphony has partnered with the Gloucester 400+ to bring Cape Ann’s 70-member professional orchestra to Stage Fort Park for Pops in The Park, a special concert to celebrate Gloucester’s 400+, on Friday, July 28 at 8 PM.
“Over the last 6 months we’ve been raising the funds needed to put the symphony on stage and I am delighted to share that we just reached our goal. We are so appreciative of our corporate sponsors and all the individual donors who contributed to make this marquee event of the 400th celebration a reality! So, save the date of July 28th on your calendar and come join us at Pops in the Park, a glorious evening of symphonic music free to the public.”
Jodi Nedrow-Counihan, CAS board member and coordinator of the Pops event
Set against the majestic backdrop of Gloucester Harbor, this FREE outdoor all ages event will be a special evening of music. The program includes Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture; Anderson’s Selections from Irish Suite; Copland’s Hoedown; William’s Adventures on Earth; A Tribute to Henry Mancini; Tchaikovsky’s Finale of The 1812 Overture and the world premiere of Celebration Overture by acclaimed Gloucester composer Robert J Bradshaw.
“The Pops in the Park Concert on July 28th is a celebration not only of the 400+ years of Gloucester history but of the 70+ years of the Cape Ann Symphony” adds Nedrow-Counihan. The Cape Ann Symphony began in 1952 as a volunteer group of thirty or so individuals calling themselves the “Gloucester Civic Symphony Orchestra”. On July 10th, 1952 the symphony performed their inaugural concert in the Gloucester High School auditorium and wowed the audience of over 800 concertgoers with their performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony.
Today, the Cape Ann Symphony has evolved into an all-professional orchestra of more than 70 members from throughout the New England area with a performance level to rival any regional Symphony in the country. For more than 20 years Maestro Yoichi Udagawa has been the CAS Music Director and Conductor and his artistry and passion have made him an audience favorite. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s Pops in the Park Concert, a preeminent event to celebrate Gloucester’s 400+, is Friday, July 28, 2023 at 8:00 pm in Stage Fort Park, 24 Hough Avenue, Gloucester, MA. Admission to this outdoor concert on the harbor is FREE. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit pops.capeannsymphony.org
*“In 1623, 14 English fishermen set up the first European colony on Cape Ann here in what was then Fisherman’s Field and is now Stage Fort Park. These ramparts overlook the harbor, first built during the Revolutionary War, renewed for the War of 1812, the Civil War and the Spanish American War.”
Alas, those first settlers, sent across the ocean by the Dorchester Company, were unable to live off the sea and these rock-bound fields. They moved a few miles south to what is now Salem in 1626. Then, within a decade, there were enough permanent settlers on Cape Ann to incorporate the town of Gloucester. The first meetinghouse was built on the Town Green in 1642 near what is now the Grant Circle rotary of Route 128. The City set this land aside as a public park in 1898 and its Tablet Rock was dedicated by Henry Cabot Lodge in 1907.“
– David Rhinelander see Gloucester HarborWalk Stage Fort Park marker #42, 2011 photo on marker ©Sharon Lowe.
Reposting history I wrote about Stage Fort Plaque / Tablet Rock:
See also Stage Fort Park then/now photos in prior GMG post
James R. Pringle was designated to write the inscription for the bronze plaque. The execution of the design was by Eric Pape. “The nautical scheme of decorative framework and embellishment was the composite suggestion” of various committees dating as far back as the 1880s. Bronze tribute plaques embedded in Tablet Rock at Stage Fort Park detail the site’s history and were commissioned and unveiled at different times. The monumental and stunning Founders plaque from 1907 on Tablet Rock itself is in fantastic condition. Two DAR plaques were inlaid on the glacial outcroppings past half moon beach on the way to the cannons. The Fisherman’s Field (1934) which I attributed to Harriet Hyatt is so worn it’s nearly indecipherable, though that’s part of its charm**. The plaque compels close inspection, lingering and discovery. It’s a fun family activity for anyone who likes a challenge. For those who want help reading the content, I transcribed it back in 2010. Harriet Hyatt designed the Meeting House Plain plaque across from Cape Ann near Washington and Poplar. – 2015, 2027 **Update 2020: Cape Ann Museum acquired the original drawing for the plaque design in 2020!
Click here to enlarge: transcription of Fisherman’s Field tribute plaque Tablet Rock Stage Fort Park Gloucester MA
**Brief interruption from Fiesta news**
Update from Day 1 MTOC State Tournament. Soccer fields at Progin Park Lancaster
These tournament games are quick–each half is only 25 minutes–so they can be unforgiving. Not this one.
Cape Ann United’s first goal came swift and easy. Andrew Coelho was fouled by the keeper in the box resulting in a penalty kick. (From a distance it looked there was a yellow card.)
video clip goal 1
For the second goal. Charles stole on a transition & passed back to Brendan Anderton who lofted a sweet perfect assist to Dominic Paone for a great header to finish and pull ahead 2:0.
video clip goal 2
Scituate sniped from 40 yards out (it seemed long!) to stave a shut out, but it’s unlikely they’d have broken through CAU’s defense which maintained possession both halves. There were several shots on their goal.
Players didn’t stick around after the win. Afterall, they’re traveling back and forth to Gloucester since it’s Fiesta!
Two games tomorrow: Martha’s Vineyard then Stoneham. If those go well, Cape Ann United moves on to the semis and finals Sunday. This team is aiming for another State Championship.
Photos and video clips: Winning goals and snapshots of ECYS Champion Cape Ann United team vs. Scituate, June 23, 2023. Field 1. MTOC State Tournament. Boys 11 & 12PG
Coming this Sunday May 14! Cape Ann Symphony news from Heidi Dallin:
The Cape Ann Symphony presents The Colors of Music featuring the world renown pianist Michael Lewin and dynamic music from Mozart, Hayden and Brahms on Sunday, May 14 at 2 pm at the CAS performance venue, Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. For tickets or information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
The orchestra opens the concert with the Mozart’s joyous Overture to the Marriage of Figaro from his famed comic opera followed by Hayden’s charming Symphony No. 101 Clock Symphony. Cape Ann Symphony welcomes back pianist Michael Lewin to close the concert with Brahms’ powerful Piano Concerto No. 1.
“Michael Lewin is an incredible musician. The musicians of the orchestra and I are thrilled to be able to have a chance to perform the fiery Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 with him. The Brahms is full of passion and great beauty, and Michael plays it like no one else. We can’t wait to share it with our wonderful audience!”
CAS Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa
Michael Lewin is one of America’s foremost concert pianists, winning over audiences in 30 countries. His career was launched with top prizes in the Franz Liszt International Competition, the American Pianists Association Award and the William Kapell (University of Maryland) International Piano Competition. His recordings have won a Grammy Award and a Roundglass Music Award.
Mr. Lewin has appeared as orchestral soloist with the Netherlands Philharmonic, Cairo Symphony, China National Radio Orchestra, Bucharest Philharmonic, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, State Symphony of Greece, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Phoenix, Indianapolis, Miami, North Carolina, West Virginia, Nevada, New Orleans, Colorado, Guadalajara, and Puerto Rico Symphonies. Solo appearances include New York’s Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, Hong Kong’s City Hall Theatre, Holland’s Muziekcentrum, Moscow’s Great Hall, the Athens Megaron, the National Gallery of Art, the Newport, Ravinia and Spoleto Festivals and PBS Television. His extensive repertoire includes over 40 piano concertos, with particular interest in the music of Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and a host of American and Latin American composers.
An award-winning recording artist, Mr. Lewin’s discography on Sono Luminus, Naxos and Centaur includes a pair of acclaimed Debussy recordings entitled Beau Soir and Starry Night, the complete piano music of Charles T. Griffes and Scarlatti Sonatas for Naxos, Michael Lewin plays Liszt, A Russian Piano Recital, “Bamboula!” piano music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, “Piano Phantoms,” “If I Were a Bird” and the 4 Violin Sonatas by William Bolcom with Irina Muresanu.
An educator as well. Michael Lewin is Professor and Head of Piano at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Classical Music Director for Ethos Music in China. He gives master classes worldwide, directs the Boston Conservatory Piano Masters Series and has taught many prize-winning and successful pianists. He is a Juilliard School graduate and a Steinway Artist. His teachers included Leon Fleisher, Yvonne Lefebure, Adele Marcus and Irwin Freundlich.
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Maestro. Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Maestro Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Initiative.
Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s May concert The Colors of Music is Sunday, May 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth (12 years old and under). For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
The YMCA of the North Shore & Manchester-Essex Middle School blooms and grows with “The Sound of Music – youth edition” in May 2023. Heidi Dallin shares the lovely performance flyer for next week’s shows May 5, 6, and 7. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Sound of Music opened on Broadway in 1959–an instant smash hit and perennial cultural favorite ever since. It’s special when there’s any production on Cape Ann: Thanks to Russel Crouse, much of the stage musical was written during stints in their Annisquam neighborhood in Gloucester.
Stage Park before noon 4/22/2023: Dog park clean up was active. Canon status as is. Kids breaking in the street hockey rink.
Link to prior GMG post BEFORE photos through the years of the cannons and site design (incl 1870, 1921, 1930, 1973, and 2019). The cannons were removed for restoration in 2019 from grounds that were restored and completed back in 1973 by the 187th Infantry Brigade– and in time for the city’s 350th celebration. That vision was hoped for over many decades and emulated how the fort looked in the 1700s.
Feb. 4, 2023
wintry day photos: Amitie related vessel (see Pat Morss Curious Visitor post) was out all night, often eerily or completely occluded in the thick sea smoke until blue skies gained; direction of the storm wind left Eastern point roadside past Niles Beach ice blasted; alas skating on thin ice at Niles Pond tomorrow; and saw groups of frenetic robins feeding in every neighborhood. Imagine the rough condition for the crew involved with this 1905 rescue and lighthouse keepers.
Twin Lights 6:30AM (enlarge to see tower) vs. 7:30 vs. 11 AM
per request!
15 seconds of video sea smoke past Thacher Island Twin Lights 7:30AM Feb 4, 2023
Feb. 3, 2023 10PM -4 °F | Feb. 4 5:30AM -10.7 °F | 6:00AM device is out*
Wind chill weather warning alert until 1pm with wind chills 30 to 40 below zero.
*wind 😦
20 minutes. Jan. 29, 2023. Good Harbor Beach / Brier Neck. Long Beach. Gloucester & Rockport, MA.
12 snapshots. Pinch and zoom or double click for full size.
Gloucester 1/24/2023: Yellow and gray streaked sky, roads clear, and light accumulation from yesterday’s snowfall. Despite the sunny and warming up that’s forecast, there should be enough snow when school lets out suitable for building a snowman and slow sledding!
Finally! A major exhibition of Hopper’s Gloucester is underway, and one that will be mounted right here in Gloucester. Mark your calendars for visits to Cape Ann Museum this summer to study up close 60 Edward Hopper paintings, drawings and prints inspired by Gloucester and Cape Ann, on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art and other public and private collections, and featuring a selection of work by Josephine Nivison Hopper.
Masterpiece drawings are rarely on public view or loaned because 1)they are fragile and watercolors are especially susceptible to light damage and 2)they can be a fixture highlight of a permanent collection which does not warrant any absence easily. This gathering of Hopper originals inspired by Gloucester at the Cape Ann Museum will truly be a once in a generation or lifetime opportunity to see the drawings on view and together in one venue. Investments and improvements into Cape Ann Museum facilities undertaken during Ronda Faloon’s tenure as former Director improved conditions so much that the museum can secure and protect temporary loans of such significance.
“Edward Hopper & Cape Ann: Illuminating an American Landscape is on view at CAM this summer 2023. Opening on July 22, Hopper’s birthday, exactly 100 years after his pivotal trip to Gloucester (then celebrating its 300th anniversary), this once-in-a-generation exhibition offers a fresh look at one of America’s best-known artists at the crucial moment that profoundly shaped his art and his life. It shows the largely ignored but significant origin story of Hopper’s years in and around Gloucester, Massachusetts—a period and place that imbued Hopper’s paintings with a clarity and purpose that had eluded his earlier work. The success of Hopper’s Gloucester watercolors transformed his work in all media and set the stage for his monumental career.”
Cape Ann Museum read more here
Edward Hopper (1882-1967) earned respect from his colleagues since his student days and ‘world famous artist’ status in his own time. Admiration for his contribution to American 20th century art did not fade in the 21st century. Indeed it’s been supercharged. Dr. Elliot Bostwick Davis, a long time curator and former museum director, was brought in to lead the survey at Cape Ann Museum, and its accompanying catalogue, published by Rizzoli, the preeminent art publishing house, with a foreword by Adam Weinberg and available in May. Davis was part of the curatorial team that produced the major 2007 Hopper exhibit for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston which traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago and National Gallery. Significant Hopper artworks are on permanent display and revered worldwide. One imagines that Davis’s efforts were certain to secure the loans Cape Ann Museum sought, and perhaps a future Hopper bequest for the museum. As an art dealer, I first met Dr. Davis when she was an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when Colta Ives was the director of the print department.
I determined that there are more than 120 Edward Hopper works of art inspired by Gloucester, and mapped them which helped with the walking tour developed at Cape Ann Museum years after and was credited in CAM’s brochure. Less than 30 had been identified and some were credited to locations elsewhere in Massachusetts or out of state.
Publishers back in 2010 and 2012 did not think there was enough of a market for a Gloucester focused Hopper monograph. Good Morning Gloucester did and was the first to publish that research. In the past decade, Hopper surveys–whether narrow in focus, a broad retrospective traveling in the United States and abroad, or a viral social media expression during the pandemic–have been blockbusters and relevant, inspiring bequests, discoveries, and original work by filmmakers, playwrights, authors and musicians. It’s Gloucester’s time!
Edward Hopper, House in the Italian Quarter, 1923, watercolor, Smithsonian.
“#16 Fort Square Road, Gloucester, MA. Turn around with your back to Gloucester harbor and face “Tony’s House” at the angle shown here. In the painting, note the hint of city skyline lower left, and the slight slope along the right of the harbor. The double house and outhouses were irresistible and inevitable subjects.”
Catherine Ryan, 2010. Update: Shingles gone. The home was for sale in 2020, sold, and renovated. Blue cladding is recent. Photo with snow 1/24/2023. Note Birdseye in 2010 photos where Beauport Hotel is now.
The cover for the new catalogue features this home on Washington Street. The painting is in private hands, part of a wonderful collection in New York advised by fantastic curators associated with the Whitney. After this exhibit at Cape Ann Museum perhaps an eventual bequest here in Gloucester could happen.
Jane Deering shares news about an upcoming special event:
Save the date January 21, 2023!
As You Like It: candlelight masque & listening party with Lanes Coven Theater and new music by Scott Moore
As You Like It brings a newly-composed score to the Annisquam Village Church on Saturday,
January 21, 2023 at 7pm. Artist-in-Residence Scott Moore created the eclectic large-scale work
throughout the spring and summer, playing and recording every instrument himself. The music
brings to life the forms and gestures of Shakespeare’s beloved pastoral comedy with a fun, fresh
pastiche of styles and sounds—from absurd, neo-Baroque strings and harpsichord, to hip-hop
drums and impressionist dream folk. Originally commissioned by the Louisville (KY) Ballet, and
premiered as a ballet in August, the piece has been substantially reworked to include dialogue
from the play, delivered live by Gloucester’s rising theater stars, Lanes Coven. Conversation with
the composer will chronicle the journey from conception to premiere, illuminating the artistic
process and framing the evening’s performance. A feast for the ears and the mind, this unusual
and enchanting evening will also feature light refreshment. All are welcome; donations are
gratefully accepted, and will benefit the AVC music program.
Annisquam Village Church, 820 Washington Street, Gloucester MA 01930
Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, Inc.
Notice of the upcoming Annual Meeting
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 7:00 pm
via Zoom
The Annual Meeting of the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra, Inc. will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at 7:00 pm. The purpose of this meeting is to hear reports of the past year’s activity by the Music Director, President, Treasurer, Manager and Board Officers. The meeting is also convened to elect Directors and Officers for the period from January 19, 2023 through January 18, 2024. All regular patrons of the Cape Ann Symphony are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held via Zoom conference. To receive a Zoom invitation to attend please send an email to info@capeannsymphony.org. Enter “Annual Meeting” in the subject line and include in the email your desire to attend the meeting and an email address so that you can receive a Zoom invite. For further information please contact Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543.
Good Morning Gloucester 