Tag: Unitarian Universalist Church

Bluegrass And Beyond! LIVE October 26 at the UU Church

Posted on by Catherine

Sounds fantastic!

News from Cape Ann Symphony

Cape Ann Symphony proudly announces the opening of the 2024/25 Musicians Unleashed Concert Series with Bluegrass And Beyond, on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM at The Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church Street, Gloucester. The ticket price for Bluegrass And Beyond is $40 for Adults.  Call CAS at 978-281-0543 or go to http://www.capeannsymphony.org to purchase tickets. Premiering in 2019, the Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed programs are small intimate chamber concerts performed by members of the Cape Ann Symphony at unique performance venues on Cape Ann. Musicians Unleashed concerts have become a wonderfully popular series with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response.

“The Musicians Unleashed Series gives our musicians and our audience members an opportunity to connect in a more relaxed intimate setting, ” points out CAS Board President John Todd,  “ Bluegrass And Beyond is a terrific start to the concert series!  The lively afternoon features a wide range of music and showcases not only instrumental skills but vocals. The musicians will all be singing and playing fiddle, bass and guitar!”

Bluegrass And Beyond is an intriguing blend of American and international Bluegrass, country and folk music played and sung using violin, guitar and bass instruments. This afternoon of fiddle, guitar and bass as well as vocals features CAS Concert Master Scott Moore,  fiddle, vocals;  Erica Pisaturo, fiddle, vocals; George Clements, guitar, vocals; Charles Clements, bass, vocals playing a program of creative and varied compositions.

“Bluegrass And Beyond explores folk music, rooted here in America and across the Atlantic,” according to CAS violinist Erica Pisaturo, “Audiences experience our take on traditional American songs and instrumental music, then journey overseas with us to Hungary, Finland, Sweden, and the UK. Folk-inspired original tunes by members of the group round out the program. As performers and musicians, we love blurring the boundaries of genre and experimenting with different ingredients and flavors to make the old and timeless into something new and vibrant. This music is full of energy, simple and tenderhearted at times, but always ripe with passion. Audiences will be engaged and immersed, and leave feeling inspired and invigorated by this age-old music.”

program includes:  Long Time Traveler, Jack of Diamonds, Shady Grove, Chinquapin Hunting,  and  Fall on My Knees; Bartok’s 44 Duets for Two Violins; Vasen’s The Dragonship and Gudda; Ost’s Fantomen; plus Wayfaring Star of the Strawstack Medley; Return from Helsinki; Citi Na Gcumman; Calum Sgaire; Boatin’Up Sandy; Hartford’s On The Road, and two  pieces written by our performers : George Clements’ As The Crow Flies and Scott Moore’s Mando Jam.

About the Musicians

Scott Moore was born and came of age in rural Kentucky. He began his career as a violinist and composer as a four-year-old in New York. He’s been a soloist with a number of orchestras, played Mozart for the Archduke of Austria, and has given an impromptu recital in Carnegie Hall for an audience of ghosts. In 2018, he began performing, from memory, the complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J. S. Bach.  A composer as well, he has composed six adventurous new scores for the Louisville Ballet, including As You Like It in August 2022. This native Kentuckian is now a resident of Gloucester. He and his wife violinist Erica Pisaturo, also a member of CAS and playing and singing in Bluegrass And Beyond, moved to New England in the fall of 2019.

Violinist Erica Pisaturo is a native of New England, where she began her violin studies at the age of four. After earning a BA in Music and Art History from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, she went on to earn an MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. While in the South, Ms. Pisaturo played violin in a number of professional symphony orchestras, including the Hilton Head Symphony and Savannah Philharmonic, both of which she also served as Orchestra Librarian. She has toured and traveled the world extensively including studying architecture in Italy and making music on tour in China and Japan.  She and her husband, CAS violinist Scott Moore moved to Gloucester in 2019 and Ms. Pisaturo now plays with the Cape Ann Symphony and Symphony By The Sea.

Bassist, teacher and twin brother of fellow Bluegrass And Beyond performer George Clements, Charles Clements began playing music at an early age.  A 10 year voyage through piano, viola, trumpet and electric bass led Mr. Clements to the double bass in high school which he began to study privately with Nancy Kidd and play in jazz ensembles and youth orchestras.  He attended the New England Conservatory of Music, earning his Bachelor’s Degree studying with Boston Symphony bassist Todd Seeber.  Mr. Clements went on to receive his Master’s Degree at Manhattan School of Music in New York, studying with New York Philharmonic bassist and jazz talent David Grossman. He was a New World Symphony fellow from 2011-2014 and now is a substitute in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Clements now resides in the Boston area playing with a variety of different ensembles and collaborating on a wide range of projects ranging from folk to baroque.

Musician, songwriter and teacher George Clements is a New England based guitarist and singer/songwriter steeped in American folk music traditions.   In the fall of 2019 Mr. Clements became involved with an off-Broadway show called, The Simon & Garfunkel Story, playing Paul Simon.

The Clements brothers played together in the modern acoustic group, The Lonely Heartstring Band, releasing two albums on Rounder Records, Deep Waters (2014) and Smoke & Ashes (2017).  The group traveled and performed all over the US and Canada as well as Scotland, New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland. They were the recipient of the 2014 IBMA momentum award and played the stages of Grey Fox Festival, Rockygrass, Red Wing Roots and many others. George and Charles Clements are currently working on a new project together called The Clements Brothers. Their debut album, Dandelion Breeze, will be released by the end of the year.

Bluegrass And Beyond is Saturday, October 26 at 3:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church Street, Gloucester. Ticket prices for Bluegrass And Beyond are $40 for Adults. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to http://www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.

Saturday Eve! Halloween program by Musicians Unleashed Cape Ann Symphony at UU Church #GloucesterMA

Posted on by Catherine

Heidi Dallin shares a reminder for an original Halloween themed concert on Saturday. DANSE MACABRE at Gloucester’s Unitarian Universalist Church features the four principal string players from the Cape Ann Symphony.

🎻🦇🕸️What will they play? 🎻🦇🕸️

Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed Series celebrates Halloween with a spooky concert of ghostly music featuring a quartet of Cape Ann Symphony’s principal string players: Seth MacLeod, Cello; CAS Concert Master Scott Moore, violin;  Erica Pisaturo, violin;  and Brandon White, viola; playing a program of creative and varied compositions  ranging from Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14: Death and the Maiden to a pop medley of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy and Michael Jackson’s Thriller to Spooky Waltz, a piece written by CAS violinist & Concert Master Scott Moore.

“Our program for October 28 features an adventurous variety of music, which really showcases the talent and versatility of the Cape Ann Symphony’s principal string players,” explains Moore. “From cheeky, spooky fun, to the truly tragic; from Schubert and Shostakovich to Doc Watson and Gnarls Barkley…there’s something here for any music lover, and it’s all bound together by the theme and title piece, Danse Macabre.”

Scott Moore

The Danse Macabre concert program includes: Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8: Largo & Allegro Molto; Saint-Saens’ Danse Macabre; Penderecki’s Tanz; Scott Moore’s Spooky Waltz; A Pop Medley of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy and Michael Jackson’s Thriller; the classic traditional pieces: Jenny on the Railroad and Go Dig My Grave; Sibelius’ Valse Triste; Satie’s Gnossienne No.1; Purcell’s When I am Laid in Earth and Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14: Death and the Maiden.

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

Scott Moore was born and came of age in rural Kentucky. He began his career as a violinist and composer as a four-year-old in New York. He’s been a soloist with a number of orchestras, played Mozart for the Archduke of Austria, and has given an impromptu recital in Carnegie Hall for an audience of ghosts. In 2018, he began performing, from memory, the complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J. S. Bach.  A composer as well, he has composed six adventurous new scores for the Louisville Ballet, including As You Like It in August 2022. This native Kentuckian is now a resident of Gloucester. He and his wife violinist Erica Pisaturo, also a member of CAS, moved to New England in the fall of 2019.

Violinist Erica Pisaturo is a native of New England, where she began her violin studies at the age of four. After earning a BA in Music and Art History from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, she went on to earn an MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.  While in the South, Ms. Pisaturo played violin in a number of professional symphony orchestras, including the Hilton Head Symphony and Savannah Philharmonic, both of which she also served as Orchestra Librarian. She has toured and traveled the world extensively including studying architecture in Italy, making music on tour in China and Japan.  She and her husband, CAS violinist Scott Moore moved to Gloucester in 2019 and Ms. Pisaturo now plays with the Cape Ann Symphony and Symphony By The Sea.

Cellist Seth MacLeod earned his Bachelor of Music in cello performance from Boston University, where he studied with George Neikrug who dedicated to Seth a cadenza he composed for the Dvořák Cello Concerto. In September Mr. MacLeod joined the Cape Ann Symphony as Principal Cellist. He has performed as a soloist with the Wellesley Symphony, Lincoln-Sudbury Civic and the Metrowest Symphony Orchestras. Mr. MacLeod is also the principal cellist of the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, and he is a member of Symphony By The Sea. He is a versatile chamber musician and string instructor at area schools.

 Violist Brandon White made his CAS debut in March 2022’s Musicians Unleashed Concert, the Virtual Clarinet Quintet Concert. Originally from New York and now residing in the Boston area, Brandon White has enjoyed a varied career as a violist. A classically trained violist, Mr. White has been recognized as an analytical, and forward-thinking musician with a love of all viola music and new compositions. He holds degrees from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he studied under Shelly Tramposh and earned his BM in Viola Performance, as well as The Boston Conservatory at Berklee where he studied under Lila Brown and earned his MM in String Performance. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Jordan Hall, and Sanders Theater and played with the Orchestra of Northern New York, Hamptons Festival Orchestra and the Choral Society of the Hamptons. Mr. White currently performs in the Rivers Symphony Orchestra and is also a member of the contemporary viola duo Waterhouse Row alongside Emilie Catlett.

Danse Macabre is Saturday, October 28 at 3:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church Street, Gloucester. Ticket prices for Danse Macabre are $40 for Adults and $15 for Youth. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.

The Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed programs were launched in 2019 and have become a wonderfully popular series with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response.

so this is happening oct 3 at 3pm – classical music classic place CAPE ANN SYMPHONY AT UU CHURCH #GLOUCESTERMA

Posted on by Catherine

Check out the progress underway on the tower

10/3 at 3PM TODAY – beautiful program lined up. Buy tickets online or at the door

‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ magical Musicians of the Old Post Road with opera soloists coming to Gloucester Meetinghouse UU Church

Posted on by Catherine

GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION presents The Musicians of the Old Post Road ‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ Friday, December 14, 2018, 7:30pm Corner of Middle & Church Street, Gloucester, MA

Christmas Bach Concert Poster, GMF 12-14-18.jpg

Press release from the Gloucester Meetinghouse: Continue reading “‘Christmas with the Bach Family’ magical Musicians of the Old Post Road with opera soloists coming to Gloucester Meetinghouse UU Church” →

Lindsay Crouse, Peter Krasinski soar | Peter Pan silent film screening at Cape Ann Cinema

Posted on by Catherine

Another unforgettable Cape Ann Cinema & UU Gloucester Meetinghouse collaboration was held on Sunday, December 3, 2017–a special screening of the silent film adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan as a benefit for Pathways for Children. Ellen Sibley was there for Pathways, welcoming guests and opening the evening.

ELLEN SIBLEY intro -Peter Krasinski with Lindsay Crouse accompanying silent film Peter Pan at Gloucester Cinema & Stage, a Gloucester Meetinghouse benefit Pathways for Children 20171203

Peter Krasinski with Lindsay Crouse accompanying silent film Peter Pan at Gloucester Cinema & Stage, a Gloucester Meetinghouse benefit Pathways for Children 20171203_155949
photo caption: Sound check (Peter Krasinski and Lindsay Crouse readying their accompanying live performances for silent film Peter Pan screening at Gloucester Cinema & Stage, a Gloucester Meetinghouse benefit for Pathways for Children)

Renowned organist Peter Krasinski explained that star Lindsay Crouse would use her artistry to accompany this silent screening like a Benshi, a Japanese word for performers who provided live narration for silent films in order to translate the intertitles. Though Krasinski has collaborated with benshi in Japan for some of his live performances, yesterday’s event was the first time he’s done so in the United States. I went to film school and was fortunate to take master classes in cinema studies with Bill Everson, a film historian and major collector. He’d invite Lillian Gish and other silent screen stars and producers to lecture, and always there were amazing accompanists. Not once though have I experienced a narration, too. I’ve heard Krasinski play before and seen Crouse act in film, tv and Gloucester Stage. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would be like nothing else I’d ever experienced.  Krasinski has seen Peter Pan numerous times and his confident music was subtle and charming, cueing the music to the action on the screen and improvising along with Crouse. Crouse’s narration was pitch perfect. Crouse spoke of her affection for the story and related seeing it 17 times as a child (yes, with Mary Martin) and how it’s among the defining and formative theatrical pulls of her youth.Who knew Nana’s whimpering and such subtle variations of so many characters crying throughout Peter Pan was possible? I googled Lindsay Crouse audiobooks right when I got home. Lindsay Crouse audiobooks

What amazing effort and art for a good cause.

Upcoming Gloucester Meetinghouse / Cape Ann Cinema collaboration Continue reading “Lindsay Crouse, Peter Krasinski soar | Peter Pan silent film screening at Cape Ann Cinema” →

Son of a Gun We Had Big Fun | scenes from #CapeAnnBigBand summer concert at Gloucester’s famous UU Church

Posted on by Catherine

WOW! Son of a gun we had big fun on Middle Street Friday September 8, 2017.

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There was an ensemble mix from Cape Ann Big Band self dubbed ‘Jambalaya Horns’ at Gloucester’s famous UU Church for the last Friday Night concert of this popular summer series.  “Music on Meetinghouse Green” passed the hat for the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation (GMF) fire sprinkler project, part of the UU restoration efforts.

 

All ages and pets welcome on the meetinghouse green
iconic Gloucester tower

Middle Street was alive with the sounds of New Orleans thanks to the Cape Ann Big Band players: 
Gary Wolsieffer – Tuba/bass
Carlos Menezes Jr. – Saxes/Vocals
Zach Gorrell – Keys/Saxes
Rick Geraghty – Drums/Vocals
Jon Persson – Trumpet
Tom Bones – Trombone
Joe Wilkins – Guitar/Vocals
Anthony Rocco – Trumpet/Vocals

sound snippet solos:

Jon Persson trumpet (9 sec)

 

Zach Gorrell sax (19 sec)

 

Joe Wilkins guitar (13 secs)

 

I missed hearing the students from Gloucester’s O’Maley Innovation Middle School jamming with the Cape Ann Big Band. Carlos Menezes has to be among the coolest school music directors in the country.

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There was a soccer game at Gloucester High School, a short walk and many pleasant route options away. I marvel at Gloucester’s amazing public spaces.

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About the concert series
FREE! “Nine Friday Nights. Nine Great Outdoor Concerts to benefit nine local non-profits.” 
Mayor Romeo Theken likes to remind everyone that “There’s always something going on in Gloucester!” including all the free performances for most every Gloucester Summer Night. Gloucester MA Free Outdoor Performances Daily…

REVIEW: Art at Peabody Essex Museum | Hasten to Hassam

Posted on by Catherine

CHARLES HASSAM SURVEY AT PEM 2016

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American Impressionist: Childe Hassam and the Isle of Shoals at the Peabody Essex Museum is one of the best exhibitions I saw this year. Go. You will come nearly as close as any observer can to feeling the rapturous meeting of an artist’s take with the shimmering world.

Hassam’s paintings don’t reproduce well in books, or photography. They need to be addressed– sized up, walked towards. Inhaled.

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This approach is beneficial even if you study just one. But my, what luxury seeing so many in one place at one time.  Again and again, the show brought forth connections and insight.”Funny, I hadn’t seen that before,” I found myself thinking, “Artists Howard Hodgkin and Lucian Freud are coming to mind.”

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The exhibition features more than 40 Hassam oil paintings and watercolors of the eastern seaboard dating from the late 1880s to 1912–an Isle of Shoals painting reunion, with secrets revealed. 

The Peabody Essex Museum and the North Carolina Museum of Art co-organized and partnered with marine scientists at Shoals Marine Laboratory, Cornell University, and the University of New Hampshire. Their new research examined all the sites on the island, and Hassam’s painting process. I liked the research, the pacing of the installation, and the thoughtful viewshed. Besides the two museums, loans came from near and mostly far such as: private collections from coast to coast (which I’d never see);  the Portland Museum of Art; Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis; Yale (Sinclair Lewis gifted that one to Yale!); Wichita Art Museum; Toledo Museum of Art; Smith; Smithsonian; and the National Gallery of Art.

Basically all painting is abstraction: I relished the chance to study so many in one spot.

I was not a fan of the piped in sound, nor all the wall paint choices as my senses were already acutely challenged by observation. My disdain for the canned ambient sound was so distracting, I had to take a break. On my second visit, the scent of coconut wafted out the entrance. My goodness, have they piped in fake scent like a boutique hotel or experiential attraction, too? They hadn’t. It was my overreaction in the wake of another visitor’s adornment, a lingering fragrance, perhaps sunscreen on a summer day.

Tucked away within the Hassam exhibit was a good photo installation of Alexandra de Steiguer’s work as the Isles winter keeper– for 19 years! For anyone who wondered more about life as a keeper after reading The Light Between Oceans, de Steiguer wrote about her real experiences here, http://connected.pem.org/alone-on-an-island/. It’s beautiful!

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More photos of the Hassam installation at the Peabody Essex Museum:

Peabody Essex Museum Hassam banners
Peabody Essex Museum Hassam 2016
Childe Hassam Sunset at Sea 1911 anonymous loan
Poppies, Isles of Shoals,1891 National Gallery of Art acquisition in 1997
Childe Hassam, illustration for the Island Garden, w/c, 1892 from the Smithsonian (gifted in 1929)
An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter, 1893, with illustrations by Hassam
Childe Hassam, White Island Light, Isles of Shoals at Sundown, 1899, Smith (a 1973 gift of Mr. and Mrs. Hodgkinson (Laura White Cabot, class of 1922) ) Smith has a beauty.
detail of Hassam at Smith
Childe Hassam, The West Wind, Isle of Shoals, 1904, Yale, bequest of Sinclair Lewis to the Beinecke (1952) impossible to photograph well and will knock your socks off. Startling.
Childe Hassam, The West Wind, Isle of Shoals, 1904, Yale, bequest of Sinclair Lewis to the Beinecke (1952)
Childe Hassam, The West Wind, Isle of Shoals, 1904, Yale, bequest of Sinclair Lewis to the Beinecke (1952)
Summer Sea, Isles of Shoals, 1902, o/c, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, gift of Florence Scott Libbey in 1912
Jelly Fish, 1912, Wichita Art Museum, KS, John W and Mildred L Graves Collection (acquired 1986)
Childe Hassam, Moonrise Isle of Shoals, 1899, collection Donald Head, Old Grandview Ranch, CA
Childe Hassam, The Laurel in the Ledges, Appledore, 1895, North Carolina Museum of Art,
Childe Hassam, Lyman’s Ledge, Appledore, 1903, private collection “northern bayberry, popularly confused with laurel, wedged into the deep clefts”
(detail)
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“During his first summers on Appledore, Hassam stayed near to the places favored by his close friend, Celia Thaxter (1834-1894).”

http://celiathaxtergarden.com/

Join Az One Trio & Lise Breen in a Special event Commemorating African-American History

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

The Az One Trio returns in a festive service at Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, on Sunday, February 9th,  Commemorating African-American History in Gloucester with special speaker Lise Breen. Continue reading “Join Az One Trio & Lise Breen in a Special event Commemorating African-American History” →

African Americans in Gloucester

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

African Americans in Gloucester: A Special Lecture

Eleven Citizens Selected for Recognition for Their Contributions to Gloucester

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Eleven individuals have been selected to receive this year’s Gloucester Citizenship Awards from the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church for the contributions they make to their community and their neighbors–quietly and persistently, without thought of remuneration or recognition.

The awards, given since 2006, recognize civic contributions that embody the best of the spirit that guides Unitarian Universalism: open-hearted giving to others, solely for what those gifts mean, for no pay, and often with no public notice.

The men and women being recognized were chosen by the church Social Justice Committee from nearly 50 nominations submitted by the congregation and the public. Their names appear below, in alphabetical order.

The awards will be presented at a public ceremony at the church, located at Middle and Church Streets in Gloucester, on Sunday, May 19, starting at 4:30 p.m. Dress is informal. The church has handicapped access via the Church Street entrance.

This year’s ceremony is being made possible in part through generous contributions by BankGloucester, Cape Ann Savings Bank, First Ipswich Bank, Rockport National Bank, TD Bank, the Dress Code, and Jim’s Bagel & Bake Shoppe.

Dennis Acker and Rick Doucette. For more than a decade Dennis and Rick have led the team of committed volunteers who make possible Pride Stride, the nationally known, community-wide walk that attracts hundreds of participants annually to raise money for dozens of Gloucester nonprofit organizations.

Roger Corbin. Over the years Roger has personally donated more than 2½ tons of groceries to help keep the shelves stocked at the Open Door Food Pantry, When not shopping or soliciting food donations from neighbors, he is the volunteer is helping to manage the reconstruction of Gloucester’s Newell Stadium.

Newton Fink. Retiring to Gloucester from upstate New York, Newt soon became involved as a volunteer with the Gloucester Maritime and the Essex Shipbuilding Museum—and, for the past five years has been buildings and grounds chair at Gloucester’s oldest standing church, the Unitarian Universalist church, keeping it standing and in good repair and overseeing installation of new handicapped-access elevators.

Shannon Gallagher. Throughout her Gloucester High School years this GHS senior has been a constant volunteer to Open Door, Pride Stride, the Sawyer Free Library, the YMCA, the Rose Baker Senior Center, and the Fish Box Derby. She has gone to New Orleans twice in the Y Teens Rebuild New Orleans program, and this year also was in Nicaragua planting trees and helping children learn about sanitation.

Reverend Ronald Gariboldi. Beyond his longtime ministry at Holy Family Parish, Father Ron’s personal dedication in retirement to Grace Center has been an inspiration for all the volunteers and others who make this day program a safe space and resource center for homeless in their desire to move out of poverty and into a sustainable life.

Paul Harling. His jam-packed Diving Locker at Maritime Gloucester, begun with his personal collection of artifacts, from the homemade rig he wore when he made his first dive in 1949 to the most modern underwater gear. Paul is on duty most days in the summer and even some in the winter, showing off gear from light scuba to heavy commercial underwater helmets, cheerily educating all about our world below.

Russell Hobbs. When his Lanesville neighbors resolved to save the last surviving fish shack at Lane’s Cove, Russell played a key role in bringing their vision to reality by his dogged and cheerful determination, leadership, and craftsmanship. City-wide, he also has been a strong voice in ensuring that Gloucester’s water supply is safe and well-managed.

Sheldon (Don) Knowles. Don is co-founder of Sober Connections, a social and support network for people formed “to enhance the quality of life in sobriety for the individual, which benefits their families and the communities in which they live.in recovery.”  He is constantly in the forefront of Sober Connections, organizing dances, concerts, shows, picnics, and other events, held in an environment without drugs and alcohol.  

Karen Ristuben. As unpaid president of the Rocky Neck Art Colony, Karen mobilized the community support needed to establish the Rocky Neck Cultural District as a state-recognized entity and the city’s first such district. That done, she then led the Art Colony’s conversion of a former church to become the nonprofit Cultural Center at Rocky Neck.

Diana Smith. Volunteering at Grace Center, tutoring children with reading difficulties, or running the “Good Guys List” blog, Diana uses her teaching skills to advocate for and help those who struggle. She has been a major force in organizing candlelight vigils held annually on Stacy Boulevard as a way for Gloucester residents of all backgrounds to confront publicly the realities and heartaches of opiate addiction.

Gloucester Citizenship Awards nominations are open!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Gloucester UU Church Calls for Nominations for Annual “Gloucester Citizen” Honors

The Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church is inviting nominations form the public for its 2013 “Gloucester Citizenship Awards,” which will honor individuals for the contributions they make to the community with no expectation of recognition or remuneration. More than 40 men and women have received this honor since its inception in 2006. Nominations for 2013 are due by Friday, April 12. They must be in writing and include the nominee’s name, why this person should be honored, and the name and phone number of the person making the nomination. They may be mailed to the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church St., Gloucester MA 01930, or sent by e-mail to gloucesteruu@earthlink.net. Final choices will be by the church Social Justice Committee. Awards will be made on Sunday, May 19.  Additional details can be found online at www.gloucesteruu.org

Previous Recipients of Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church Gloucester Citizenship Awards
Shep Abbott     Patti Amaral     David Benjamin     Marie Blanding    Sherry Borge    David Brooks    Stephanie Buck   Thomas Byers    Joey Ciaramitaro     Daniel Connell     Barbara Kaplan     John Crowningshield     Sarah Dunlap     Carolyn Edwards     Bob French     Bob Gillis       Renee Gross-Nutbrown      Phil Hadley     Patricia Hadley    Sewell Hayes      Vilma Hunt       Barbara Koen     Lucille LePage     Marty Morgan    John John Nicastro     Carolyn O’Connor    Micaela O’Connor     Margaret “Peg” O’Malley            SooHwa Ono      Loretta Peres    Dolores Perrin     Joshua Perrine    John Prybot      Bob Quinn      Geoffrey Richon      Donald Riley       Rick Roth     Janis Stelluto     Jane Walsh     Maud Warren      Mary Weissblum      Bob Williams       Dick Wilson

As Thom said Access for all

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

Here is some information about this beautiful gem in our city, courtesy of The Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church website.

It’s Official: We Have Lifts!

Welcome to Gloucester’s oldest church building (1806), the home of America’s first Universalist Society founded by Rev. John Murray in 1779. We are located in the heart of Gloucester’s Historic District at the corner of Middle and Church Streets. Our lantern steeple has guided generations of mariners into port as our founders fought for the early abolition of slavery, for women’s rights and separation of church and state as a cornerstone of our democracy. Today, more than 200 years later, our lighted steeple remains a focal point in Gloucester’s skyline.  We are a welcoming congregation, working in the present day for equality of all persons in the certain knowledge of God’s universal love. The church façade and steeple appear in works by renowned artists, including Fitz Henry Lane and Childe Hassam, that hang in many museums and private collections. The steeple bell was cast by Paul Revere Sons in 1806.

The amazing staircase

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Can’t beat those Gloucester sunsets

Posted on by Matthew Green

 

I just love the spire of the Unitarian Universalist Church!

– Fr. Matthew Green

 

Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church at dawn

Posted on by Matthew Green

– Fr. Matthew Green

 

The new points to the old

Posted on by Matthew Green

The Gloucester Lyceum and Free Public Library, and the Unitarian Universalist Church.

-Fr. Matthew Green

Unitarian Universalist Church seen from Main Street

Posted on by Matthew Green

This church adds so much to the view in Gloucester, from so many different angles and perspectives, I can’t get enough photos of it…

A perfect evening for photos

Posted on by Matthew Green

On the evening of December 18th, the sky was cold and clear as could be. I did not edit or enhance the colors in these photos at all; they really were this saturated.

GLOUCESTER UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH COMMUNITY RECOGNITION AWARDS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Here’s a photo I just so happened to have taken from the roof of the Coast Guard Station yesterday of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church steeple.

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The Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church is inviting nominations from the public for its 2011 Community Recognition Awards. The church seeks to recognize up to 10 individuals for the contributions they make to their community – people who do what they do without thought of any remuneration or recognition.

The men and women who receive these honors will come from all walks of life. Some are known for simple deeds they do for their neighbors; others are honored for giving generously to the entire community. All have made a mark on Gloucester and will be chosen because their actions embody the best of the spirit that guides Unitarian Universalism: open-hearted giving to others, solely for what those gifts mean, for no pay, and often with little or no public notice. There are no age limits.

Nominations are due no later than Friday, April 15. They must be in writing and include the name of the nominee, why this person should be honored, and the name and phone number of the person making the nomination. They should be sent to the Gloucester UU Church, 10 Church St. , Gloucester MA 01930 , or emailed to gloucesteruu@earthlink.net.

Final choices will be made by the church’s Social Justice Committee. The awards will be made at a public event at the church on Friday, May 20.

Chelsea Berry Concert-Earth Day

Posted on by Sharon

If you have not heard Chelsea sing, take this opportunity to do so. She is an incredible woman with huge talent!

Click the poster above. It will take you to Chelsea’s music and info.