Five College New Music Festival returns
The Five College New Music Festival will return Sept. 11 to Sept. 13 for its ninth biennial edition at Bezanson Recital Hall at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
This year’s festival, themed “Music Without Royalties,” will feature four free performances of new and recent works by 18 composers, performed by 38 musicians from the Five Colleges and beyond. The festival will include nine premieres and explore themes of power, politics and tyranny. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, and 3 p.m. on Sept. 13. For more information, visit 5cnmf.org.
Honoring Elders Series to celebrate Sylvia and Tom Wetherby
On Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the Wendell Meetinghouse, Gail Mason will convene an “Honoring Elders” event featuring Sylvia and Tom Wetherby. The free event provides opportunities for all community members to learn about the honored individuals and their role in shaping our local environments, and to share stories and appreciations of those being honored.
Longtime residents of Wendell, the Wetherbys both created strong connections and a sense of community in town. Tom grew up an only child in Wendell in the 1950s, attending Wendell’s Center School and then later high school in the newly created Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District. Tom began his career selling building materials at T.S. Mann Lumber Co., where he eventually became the manager and served for 32 years. He later managed other lumber retailers until his retirement in 2019.
He and Sylvia met and married in 1970, moving into the Wetherby farmhouse on Morse Village Road. They built a new house on the site of the family barn, naming it Rosebriar Farm. They have two daughters, Gretchen and Anna, who both continue to live nearby.
Sylvia raised goats, and over the years the family had numerous other animals, including horses, a donkey, a llama, chicken, ducks, geese and dogs. Sylvia “found her dream job” and spent more than 30 years working in early intervention with families with young children who have developmental difficulties, in addition to four years working for the Department of Public Health as a care coordinator for children of all ages. She completed her master’s degree in special education at Lesley College, and then retired in 2025. As a volunteer, Sylvia served as a library trustee for 42 years, and current serves as a cemetery commissioner. For 12 years, Sylvia facilitated playgroups at the Wendell Free Library. She has also written five children’s mystery stories, focused on the character Percival Porcupine (four published, one coming soon).
For more information on Honoring Elders events, or for support in organizing similar events in other communities, email rushingwaters01@gmail.com. For information on the Wendell Meetinghouse and its programming, email courtcdorsey@gmail.com or visit wendellmeetinghouse.org.
Heart Centered Kirtan to perform at Lake Pleasant
Heart Centered Kirtan will present an evening of mantra music on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Thompson Temple, 2 Montague Ave. in Lake Pleasant.
The event is open to all ages and experience levels, and will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live. A suggested donation of $20 to $30 will support the performers, with 25% of proceeds benefiting The National Spiritual Alliance and the upkeep of the historic Thompson Temple. Masks are optional.
For more information, call 413-834-4524, email heartcenteredkirtan@gmail.com or visit heartcenteredkirtan.com.
Fundraising book sale to take place in Orange
The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries will host a book sale on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wheeler Memorial Library, 49 East Main St. in Orange.
This community event features a wide selection of items for purchase, including books, CDs, DVDs and puzzles. All proceeds raised during the event directly benefit the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries to support future library programming and community services.
Sept. 22: Author to discuss ‘The Coyote and the Cougar’
The Greenfield Public Library will welcome Greenfield author Ahmad Esfahani on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. for a discussion on “The Coyote and the Cougar,” a literary memoir blending political theory, allegory and personal witness to examine the cost of living between identities — immigrant and citizen, insider and exile.
Esfahani is also the author of “Eight Faces of the Goddess: Cannabis and the Divine Feminine” and “Eight Faces of the Dragon: Coca and the Divine Masculine.”