Experience Opera at the Library on February 21! Bring the kids!

The Dover Public Library is pleased to host the 8^th in their series of free musical concerts on Saturday, February 21 at 11am in the library’s Lecture Hall. Seven talented area musicians, led by Youth Opera Program director and UNH lecturer Melissa Manseau, will perform selections from well-known operas. Some of Melissa’s voice students will be singing, accompanied by Minako Merritt on piano. This program is a great way for families to introduce their children to the wonders of opera in a relaxed setting and it’s free! The performers enjoy singing for an audience, so bring your enthusiasm and excitement! 

Performers are:

Audrey Craft has been a student of Melissa Manseau’s for several years. She loves opera, but also enjoys singing everything from gospel to Broadway. Her main instrument is piano. After studying with Minako Merritt for about 7 years, she graduated from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She is currently a piano teacher with a growing studio.

Kamerin Hermenau has performed at the Seacoast Repertory Theater and the Ogunquit Playhouse.  She has been singing opera for the past 7 years.  She recently performed as Maggie in “Lend me a Tenor” and sings with Melissa Manseau’s Youth Opera Program. Kamerin is thrilled to educate and inform others about her passion for opera.

Druinn Johnston has been a student of Melissa Manseau for 9 years and previously studied at the Boston Conservatory.  She lives in Durham and is expecting her first child next month.

Soprano Melissa Manseau is delighted to perform again at the Dover Library!  She graduated with a B.A. in Music Education from UNH and a M.M. in Vocal performance from the University of Northern Iowa.  She has performed with Opera North, Opera by the Bay, Boston Vocal Artists, Salt Marsh Opera, Cape Cod Opera, Bronx Opera, Granite State Opera and Sarasota Opera.  Ms. Manseau is the founder and director of Youth Opera Workshop, now in their 13th season performing opera with singers ages 11-28.  She is a full time Lecturer in Voice at UNH.   Melissa's 10 year old son, Jackson Walsh, also performs on stage and film in the greater Boston area, as well as her husband, SAG actor, Michael Walsh.  For more information about Youth Opera Workshop, private lessons, or performance, visit www.melissamanseau.com.

Pianist Minako Merritt, a long-time resident of Dover, is a graduate of the Musashino Music Academy in Tokyo.  Prior to moving here, she taught piano for several years at the Kawai and Yamaha Music Schools.  Minako teaches privately now from her home and   can be found most Sunday mornings playing at the Christian Science Church in Dover.

Eric Radcliffe has sung regional opera in the area for many years.  Formerly  a member of the Lakes Region Opera Company,  Eric has performed all over the six state region.  Most recently he performed as Joseph in the “Bus Stop Atheist” at the Merrill Auditorium. He is excited to be performing at the library, singing opera for the community. 

Anna Woodbury graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. She has been a soloist with the Rockingham Choral Society, and has performed as a professional soloist at several local churches. Anna will soon begin work on her master’s degree in Music Therapy.

Selections will include “Batti Batti O bel Masetto” and “Vedrai carino” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni   (Kamerin Hermenau and Druinn Johnston, performers); “Come in quest’ ora bruna” from Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” (Melissa Manseau);  “O Soave Fanciulla” (Audrey Craft and Eric Radcliffe) and “Quando men vo” (Kamerine Hermenau) from Puccini’s “La Boheme”; “Una voce poco fa” from Rossini’s “Barbiere di Siviglla” (Anna Woodbury);  “O mio Fernando” from Donizetti’s “La Favorita”  (Druinn Johnston); “Nessun dorma” (Eric Radcliffe) and “Signore, ascolta!” (Audrey Craft) from Puccini’s “Turandot”;  “Parigi O Cara” from Verdi’s “La Traviata” (Kamerin Hermenau and Eric Radcliffe); “Qui Vivra Verra” from Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliette” (Anna Woodbury); and “Pleurez! Pleurez, mes yeux!” from Massenet’s “Le Cid” (Melissa Manseau).

Please join us for this inspiring and lively performance and remember that children are most welcome to attend too! A goal of these concerts is to instill a love of music at an early age. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

Come to our "SkyWatch" on February 17, 6:30pm

 Bundle up for the cold weather and come to the Dover Public Library on Tuesday,February 17, at 6:30pm to participate in a “SkyWatch”, under the tutelage of the New HampshireAstronomical Society.  We’ll start out inside with a brief (about 20 minutes) informational session and slide show on “What’s up in Tonight’s Sky”. Then we’ll move outside to set up telescopes and dosome star-gazing!

What happens at a "SkyWatch"?  It’s simply a gathering of amateur astronomers with a focus on public outreach and education. It is "beginner-friendly." NHAS members will set up their equipment and choose their celestial targets. The equipment (telescopes and binoculars) is the property of the member and will be carefully aligned and focused for you on an interesting celestial target. Your observer will explain what you will be seeing. Many celestial objects, while beautiful, are quite dim and it may take some time before you begin to see all the detail. Atmospheric turbulence may also come and go, so you may suddenly experience moments when the view is spectacularly better – watch for them! This is your special time at the telescope so we encourage you to make the most of it. Do ask any questions that come to mind, and if you don’t see anything please say “I don’t see anything!” since objects do sometimes drift out of view.

.

It’s important to stay warm! Bring about twice as much warm clothing as you think you 'll need. Winter calls for insulated boots, thermal underwear, corduroy jeans, parka, flannel shirt, gloves, and, very important, a warm knit cap!

Participants may bring their own telescopes if they desire, but the Library’s telescopes, as well as

Society members’ telescopes, will be available to use. In the event of a cloudy night, the informational

slide show will still take place at 6:30pm. Families are encouraged to attend. This program is free and

open to the public. For more information call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

2015 Award Winners

The American Library Association has announced the winners of the 2015 John Newbery, the Randolph Caldecott Medals and the Michael L. Printz Award. And the winners are:

The John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander

Newbery Honor Books:
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Brown Girl Dreaming by JacquelineWoodson

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children:
 

The Adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary Friend
written & illustrated by Dan Santat

 Caldecott Honor Books:
Nana in the City written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo
The Noisy Paint Box: the colors and sounds of Kandinsky's art  
illustrated by Mary GrandPre, written by Barb Rosenstock
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
 illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett

Viva Frida written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus
 illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

This One Summer
 illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, written by Mariko Tamaki

Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

I'll Give You The Sun
by Jandy Nelson

Prinz Honor Books:
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki


For a complete listing of 2014 Youth Media Award announcements click here.

Help with HealthCare Choices Feb. 4

      Are you uninsured or confused about changes to the health care system? Are you seeking health insurance that fits your needs and budget? If so, you are invited to attend an informational session at the Dover Public Library  on Wednesday February 4, 2015 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Learn what the Affordable Care Act means for your family:  what to consider in choosing a health plan, how to get discounted costs, and how to enroll during open enrollment (November 15^th 2014 to February 15^th 2015).

     After a short presentation by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, a certified in-person Navigator Organization, there will be the opportunity to get personal help with applications or the ability to schedule a future appointment with a certified assister. There is no charge for any of these services.

     Can’t make this presentation? You can make an appointment to meet with a local Navigator at one of PPNNE’s six NH locations. Call 1-866-476-1321, visit www.ppnne.org, or email getcoverednh@ppnne.org. For further information about this program, call the Dover Public Library at 516-6050

Folk Concert with Sarah Jane Nelson on Tuesday, January 20

The Friends of the Library are pleased to welcome New Hampshire folk artist and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jane Nelson for a concert at the Dover Public Library on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 7pm.  

           Sarah Jane is an old-time fiddler, guitarist, and vocalist who writes and sings songs in the Anglo-American ballad tradition and plays music from the Appalachian region. She has been playing traditional music for folk festivals, New England contra dances, and other regional events for over a decade. She performs solo, and also with the High-Strung Strummers, Banjos & Old Lace, and as a member of Gypsy Minor, a dance band regularly featured at the New England and Down East Folk Festivals. When she’s not playing, Sarah writes about traditional music for such publications as New Hampshire Public Radio, The Concord Monitor, Fiddler Magazine, The Old-Time Herald, and American Craft.

        This past September, Sarah won the second place prize for Twin Fiddling at the Lowell Banjo and Fiddle Contest.  She also plays at regional farmers’ markets, judges fiddle contests, and writes songs for children. She is a former staff member of the Manchester Community Music School and is a certified Music Together instructor.

       Please join us for this lively evening of traditional American folk music. Friends of the Library programs are always free and refreshments will follow. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

Meet mystery author KD Mason on January 21

Local author K. D. Mason will be speaking at the Dover Public Library on Wednesday January 21 at 7pm. Copies of his books will be for sale and can be signed by the author at the event.            

A lifelong runner and sailor, K.D. Mason lives on the New Hampshire seacoast with his wife of over 40 years and two cats, Molly and Sweet Pea. They have two grown children. Recently retired from a lifetime of working in the restaurant business, he now weaves compelling tales of mystery, romance and suspense set on the NH Seacoast. Years of sailing in the Caribbean and New England, as well as hanging out with an active running community, have given him a wealth of story ideas. 

Each of his books begins and ends in the fictionalized town of Rye Harbor, NH. Locale plays an important role in each of his stories, ranging from Newport, RI to Belize, to the White Mountains and Massachusetts North Shore and southeastern Maine. Readers are drawn into the lives of Mason’s core cast of characters, who populate each of his books, as they deal with life, love and each other while they handle the mystery and suspense that accompanies the discovery of an occasional dead body.

K.D. Mason’s sixth book, “Unexpected Catch”, joins “Harbor Ice”, “Changing Tides”, “Dangerous Shoals”, “Killer Run”, and “Evil Intentions” in his popular Jack Beale mystery series. He has just started work on his seventh book scheduled for release in November 2015.

This program is free and open to the public. Contact the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050 with any questions.