Email us here or comment below and we’ll post some of your picks on Valentine’s Day.

Here are two of mine:

This gets filed under Local Talent, too, because of course Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads is Ralph and Lo’s daughter.

Posted for Katie O’Connell:

Sweet Life Revue. Click on photo to view larger.

Sandwich Aid Unplugged for Haiti

Saturday, February 13th, 7 p.m.

Dragonfly Yoga Barn, North Sandwich, NH

Idol Hands, Neal Hill Caravan Band, and Sweet Life Revue in concert (with special guest performers)

$20 advance ticket sales; only 85 tickets will be sold! People are welcome to donate more than the ticket price. Checks can be made out to Dragonfly Yoga in the event that people would like to donate but are unable to attend (please put “Haiti” in the memo line).

Tickets available at Mocha Rizing, Dragonfly Yoga Barn, and from Sheila Brown at the Federated Church at Sunday services prior to the event.

For more information email Katie at dragonflyoga@gmail.com or call Sheila Brown: 569-3922

All proceeds will go to www.watermissions.org.

We are hoping people will carpool as much as possible, and we remind guests that the studio is a socks or barefoot space. Prize awarded to the best socks!

Shall we ask the Boston String Quartet to play their version (sneak listen here)?

Arts Council of Tamworth is delighted to present the vibrant and original Boston String Quartet on Sunday, February 21, at 1:30 p.m. at Saint Andrew’s Church in Tamworth, NH. Since its formation 2004, the Boston String Quartet has been a creative leader in contemporary classical music in New England. Having made its professional debut at Carnegie Hall, the quartet performs its own arrangements of classical chamber music, rock, jazz, world music and more, and is continually “exploring different ways of sparking musical interest” [Boston Globe]. The members hail respectively from American, Russia, Taiwan and Japan, and bring a combined wealth of musical experience to their shared endeavor. You haven’t heard anything until you’ve heard them play Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” At intermission you will have an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists at a reception with refreshments hosted by the ACT board.

First violinist, founder and music director Christopher Vuk received his B.M. Summa Cum Laude on scholarship from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Hi is also an alumnus of the University of Northern Iowa and Longy School of Music. Described by the Boston Ballet as an “electrifying violinist,” Vuk has performed with distinguished artists such as Gloria Estefan, Bill Cosby, and Jennifer Holliday, as well as a special appearance on Sesame Street. He has played for audiences as varied as Queen Rainia of Jordan, Queen Noor, Mitt Romney, and First Lady Laura Bush. Vuk is the recipient of the Certificate of Congressional Commendation, and is currently the director of the contemporary music school School of Groove.

Second violinist Anastasia Sukhopara was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her interest in music prompted her parents to bring her to a music school when she was six years old where she started studying violin and piano. She studied at St. Petersburg Conservatory’s School for the Musically Gifted before being awarded a World Scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where she took a Performance Degree in contemporary styles of music. In addition to her classical music career, Anastasia enjoys collaborations with artists outside the classical arena.

Born in Taiwan, Chen Lin began to play viola at the age of eleven. She attended Taipei Municipal University of Education, Taiwan, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Education, with the honor of Second Prize of the Music Department. In 2007, she earned her Master’s Degree from The Boston Conservatory as a full scholarship student. Chen Lin has won awards at many competitions. She has performed in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, among others, and has been principal violist of the Boston Conservatory Orchestra and of the Boston University Symphony Orchestra.

Cellist Masanori Taniguchi has a B.S. and an M.S. in Chronobiology from Kyoto University, Japan, and also holds a Master of Music and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Cello Performance from the Boston Conservatory. Masanori played the piano as a child. He began to play the cello at the age of 18, and decided to pursue music as a career when he was 23. Masanori has often appeared as a substitute player in major professional orchestras in Osaka. In September of 2007 Masanori became a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra.

To date, the Boston String Quartet has released the independent albums Spectrum and On Christmas Eve, and is currently recording on Boston-based classical label Navona Recordings. Their most recent albums with Navona are Xibus and Contrasts. Committed to music education in the Boston metro area, the BSQ is currently ensemble in residence at School of Groove.

These four talented musicians will knock your socks off with their skill and range, whether they’re playing Dvorak and Mozart, Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin, or the Beatles and Queen, and you can sample their music here. Tickets for this exciting performance are available below. Tickets are also available at The Other Store in Tamworth Village or by calling 603-323-8104. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for students 13 to 18 and college students with a valid ID. Kids 12 & under are free, but require a ticket reservation to guarantee a seat. More info about online ticket purchasing can be found here.

Boston String Quartet—Adult: $15

Boston String Quartet—Student: $8

Boston String Quartet—Child: Free

This concert is made possible through the generous support of Sponsors BEAM Construction, Meredith Village Savings Bank, and The Tamworth Inn, Co-sponsors Interlakes Family Dental, New England Bookkeeping, and Maureen Westrick, Architect, Media Sponsor 93.5 WMWV | Magic 104FM and Press Partners The Conway Daily Sun and The Mountain Ear.

Now that the sled dog races in Chocorua have been canceled, all the more reason to come snowshoe and listen to stories beside a warm fire. Tickets will be on sale at the door for Fireside Storytelling at Tin Mountain tomorrow. Storytelling starts at 3:30, snowshoe excursions begin at 1:00, with plenty of Tin Mountain snowshoes available for use, and good things to eat and drink will be available in between.

Your snowshoe storytellers will be Matt Krug and Joan Veilleux:

Matt Krug is known throughout the valley as a teacher, naturalist, and star watcher. His stories draw from each of these experiences. These stories often include animals, farms, and objects from the night sky. He will be telling a story about winter and how the big dipper got into the sky.

Joan Veilleux is from Brownfield, Maine. While working as a naturalist for the AMC in 2003 she discovered a love for storytelling. In the evenings at the Highland Center Lodge and on the trail she told stories of the history of Crawford Notch and the White Mountains. Since then Joan has presented on numerous occasions with the Mountain Storytellers Guild at libraries, coffee shops and fundraisers in and around the Mount Washington Valley.

You can find out more about this event and the afternoon’s storytellers here.

Stay warm…

Joy.

An earlier version:

And somewhere in between:

A great interview on Here and Now with former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Collins discusses Richard Brautigan’s novel Trout Fishing in America, which will be re-released on Sunday to mark Brautigan’s 75th birthday. Collins speaks beautifully about writing and literature. You can listen here (scroll down to find the segment).

"Black Rock", open accordion book by Jay Rancourt

On Saturday, February 6, ACT! for Kids presents a Bookmaking Workshop with Jay Rancourt, for kids ages 9 & up. The workshop runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (please note this is a change from the originally scheduled time) at the Cook Memorial Library in Tamworth. Books are defined here as content held together under protective, decorative covers. Within this basic definition, the possibilities are endless. Book arts encompass many different disciplines—painting, sculpture, writing, sewing, printing, and structural engineering all come into play. The process of making a book begins in the imagination. A memory, an event, a visual image, or a dream becomes the kernel of an idea. Through a period of extended play and exploration, the idea grows into a book.

Local artist and librarian extraordinaire Jay Rancourt has been making books for ten years, and teaches classes in this and other media. She exhibits her artist’s books, paintings, prints and silk paintings locally and in Portland, ME.

The cost for this workshop is $3. Any questions, call Jay Rancourt at the Cook Library, 323-8510. To register, send an email to act@artstamworth.org or call 603-323-8104. Sign up early: enrollment is limited.

ACT! for Kids is made possible by The Rey Foundation. Upcoming ACT! for Kids programs include Chicken Art on Saturday, March 13, and storyteller Simon Brooks, back by popular demand, on April 1. Information about future ACT! for Kids workshops can be found here.