Beantown Swing Orchestra

Picks for the weekend

Holiday Book Sale

The Concord Library Friends hosts the weekend Holiday Book Sale Friday through Sunday in the Goodwin Forum of the main library, 129 Main St. Hundreds of books in gift-worthy condition are for sale Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Great children’s books for the little ones on your list along with recent hardcovers, cookbooks and more. Proceeds fund Friends programs throughout the year.

Big Band concert at the tree lighting event

The Concord-based director of the Beantown Swing Orchestra will be performing in Monument Square on Sunday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The band will be on a large covered stage next to Jethro’s Tree. The Beantown Swing Orchestra is an 18-piece big band consisting of young musicians and specializing in the performance of Swing Era (1935-1946) music.  They will be performing classic Swing Era music as well as our own arrangements of holiday songs at the Concord Center Tree Lighting on December 4. Two of the band members are students at CCHS: Sophie Richardson (senior) on trombone, and Ben Lyczkowski (junior) on trumpet. Both will be featured in our performance, and both have been working with our band since they were in middle school.  We also just started working with trumpet player Anthony Babu who is a freshman at CCHS and also in the CCHS Select Choir. Last year, members of the CCHS Select Choir sang on one of the band’s versions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with each singer taking one verse. They will do the same this year. Attendance in 2021 was estimated at 12,000.

Concord Conservatory of Music’s Dec. 4 free community sing

Here’s an opportunity for singing enthusiasts of all ages and levels to gather and enjoy an hour of making music together. Led by CCM voice faculty Gray Leiper, this unique multi-generational chorus will sing musical selections that celebrate the seasons. Join us for our second of a 3-part Series, In the Pale Morning Light – A Festival of Hope on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Then, cherish the rare gift of light in our winter months and sing with us at Concord’s annual Tree Lighting immediately following the session. Sign-up for sessions in advance at ConcordConservatory.org.