Art in the Afternoon meets in the BCA Space on the ground floor of Old Town Hall, 16 South Road, Bedford.

The next meeting will be held at 7 pm on Tuesday, February 7.

The Photo Group meets in the BCA Space on the ground floor of Old Town Hall, 16 South Road, Bedford.

To cap off February Vacation, a drop-in time on Friday, February 17, will offer participants an opportunity to work on their Safe Routes to School posters, bookmarks, calendars or other independent projects.

If you’re bringing a group of three or more kids, please let us know by February 14: RSVP@bedfordarts.org.

Third Friday meets in the BCA Space on the ground floor of Old Town Hall, 16 South Road, Bedford.

It’s an informal reading, each person reading the next speech in turn as we go around the room. No stress, just a lot of fun!

BCA’s play reading group meets in the BCA Space on the ground floor of Old Town Hall, 16 South Road, Bedford.

Stay tuned for the list and the timing. If there’s a film you’d like to propose for consideration in the coming series, please click here to e-mail Sing Hanson.

Candidates’ Forum: The Bedford League of Women Voters will host the candidates for Bedford’s annual town election in the Flint Room at Town Center from 10:30 am until noon on Saturday, March 3. While all candidates are invited, the morning will feature moderated presentations by the candidates for Selectman and Assessor.

At the Bedford Library Gallery:  Haven’t We Met, the current show in the gallery at the Bedford Free Public library includes paintings by Ilene Richard, sculpture by Mark Fisher. There will be an artists’ reception from 5 to 6 pm on Sunday, February 12, to celebrate the show. The public is invited and there is no admission fee.

A cappella night at Bedford High School: The High School’s advanced singing group, The Madrigals, is introducing a new tradition this year. Instead of their annual dinner, the group has invited North Shore Acappella, recently seen on the NBC TV program The Sing Off, as the featured guests at an a cappella night on Friday, February 10, at 7:30 pm in the Bedford High School auditorium.

The evening will feature the timeless art of performing music without instrumental accompaniment. Bedford singers will present a wide variety of unaccompanied vocal music including work songs, timeless lullabies, madrigals, doo wop and modern day college-style a cappella singing. The program will finish with a performance by the five members of North Shore Acapella: Tommy Duarte, Paul Lopes, Jimmy Martin, Vinny Straccia and Guy Chiapponi. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

February Concerts at First Parish on Bedford Common

• The third annual Valentine concert and chocolate reception will feature music by George Gershwin and his contemporaries including American in Paris performed by Igor Lovchinsky and selections from the American Songbook performed by vocalists Ben Sears and Cynthia Mork accompanied by Nathan Kimball, Dean Groves and Brad Conner. The fun will begin at 4 pm on Sunday, February 12. Tickets are $20/adults and $15/students or seniors.
• In the tradition of true Gypsy orchestras, the world-famous Rajkó Band, visiting Bedford from Budapest, Hungary, will perform at 7:30 pm on Friday, February 24. This is the essence of Roma music: spontaneity and improvisation, drawing a smile or a tear from the listeners. The program includes folk and popular music loved not just by Hungarians, with selections from romantic and classical composers. As their publicity notes, “They played for Pope Benedict, now they are here to entertain you, so sit back and enjoy!” Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

For additional information or to purchase tickets, call 781-275-7994 or visit www.uubedford.org.

Bedford Historical Society: The Society’s monthly lectures resume this month with Dr. Gary Hylander, an adjunct Professor of History at Stonehill College, who will present Henry Ford: Master of Enterprise in the Bedford Library’s meeting room at 7:30 on Wednesday, February 22. Following Dr. Hylander’s presentation, Town Historian John Dodge will show photographs and tell stories about his father’s Ford dealership in Bedford in the early 1900s.

Sunday Skate at Middlesex Community College: Weather permitting, the second annual Sunday Skate on the Bedford campus pond will take place on Sunday, February 12, from 1 to 3 pm. Hot chocolate, S’mores will be served. Contact Patrick Cook at cookp@middlesex.mass.edu or 978-656-3134 for more information.

Art Night Belmont: Home and Away:  Former Bedford resident Sandy Kane sends word of an exhibit mounted by ArtNight Belmont, a group of friends with various talents who have met for an art night every month since 2007. In their current show, Home and Away, they’ve produced a multi-media exploration of the dichotomy of being at home and being away. It’s on view in the gallery at the Belmont Media Center through February 24, with an artists’ reception from 6 to 8 pm on Friday, February 3. The Belmont Media Center is located at 9 Lexington Street in Belmont; for additional information call 617-484-2443.

Lexington Symphony: Lexington Symphony’s concert at Cary Hall on Saturday, February 4 at 8 pm features the symphony’s principal clarinetist Bill Kirkley. The program includes Haydn’s Mercury symphony a nd Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano; and two works by Nielsen: The Artists’ Bier  and Clarinet Concerto. For tickets and information, visit www.lexingtonsymphony.org or call 781-523-9009.

Indian Hill Symphony Choral Spectacular: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 3:00 pm. Hear Stravinsky’s passionate Symphony of Psalms and Haydn’s expressive Harmony Mass entice with the combined forces of Harvard Pro Musica and Nashoba Valley Chorale and guest soloists: Susan Bonito, soprano; Gale Fuller, alto; Joseph Holmes, tenor; and Aaron Engebreth, baritone. Know the Score. Pre-concert talk at 2:15 pm with Maestro Hangen. NEW! Stage Talk: Post-concert stage-side Q&A. Join in or just listen to the conversation as Bruce and musicians take your questions..

Charles Dickens’ Bicentenary: UMass Lowell is celebrating Charles Dickens’ connection to the United States with several months of programming (visit http://www.uml.edu/dickens to learn more) and a major exhibit, Dickens and Massachusetts: A Tale of Power and Transformation, opening at the end of March in the Lowell National Historical Park.

• The Revolving Museum will celebrate Dickens’ actual birthday at their Steampunk Dickens Birthday Party on February 7. Guests are invited to celebrate steampunk-style with hors d’oeuvres, music, dancing, presentations, demonstrations, happenings and a cash bar. The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the door ($15/single; $25/couple) however reservations are suggested. Call 978-937-2787 or email sopheak@revolvingmuseum.org.
• On Saturday, February 11, Lowell’s Winterfest will celebrate Dickens’ 200^th birthday with 200 cupcakes, custom-made bookmarks and a book giveaway. Enjoy music by the Figgy Puddin’ strolling singers and a range of other programming. The party is free and open to the public at the Brush Art Gallery & Studios, 256 Market Street in Lowell. For more information call 978-934-2957 or e-mail ArtsAndIdeas@uml.edu.

Piano concerts at the Boston Athenaeum: To highlight its recently acquired Steinway and Sons Model B grand piano, an instrument its legendary makers claim “is often referred to as the ‘perfect piano,’” the Athenaeum offers three free concerts this month

• Orlando Cela and Aaron Jackson, Music for Flute and Piano featuring works of Reinecke and Griffes. Tuesday, February 14, at 6 pm
• John Stapp, Twentieth Century American Piano Music featuring works of Gershwin, Barber and Rachmaninoff, Tuesday, February 21, at 6 pm
• Aaron Jackson, program to be announced, Friday, February 24, at 6 pm

The concerts are open to the public, but reservations are requested. Click to reserve, https://bbd.bostonathenaeum.org/

Artist's book by Sing Hanson

Sing Hanson, digital fine-arts printmaker and creator of artist’s books, will offer a three-session parent-child workshop, Making Accordion Books, for children ages 7 and up with their parent or guardian. The series will take place at Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts in Concord.

The workshop will experiment with a simple accordion-fold book format; workshop participants will leave with not only a prized accordion book of their own, but also a packet of materials with which to make their next book and memories of intergenerational fun.

There will be three 2-hour sessions from 10 am until noon on Saturday, March 3, 10 and 17 at the Umbrella, 40 Stow Street in Concord. Tuition is $175 per registration (child and adult together) plus a $10 materials fee. You can register online at www.emersonumbrella.org; a materials list will be available upon registration.

She’ll also be in Boston’s South End at the SOWA Winter Market the next day, Sunday, February 5, from 10 am to 3 pm, at 485 Harrison Avenue, Boston.

Liz reminds us that SOWA’s farmers’ market will also be open on Sunday and you can bring home fresh goodies for your Super Bowl party!

Photo by Michael Milicia

Mike Milicia’s photography exhibit continues at Daunis Fine Handmade Jewelry and will be included in February’s Art Walk on Friday, Febuary 3. The gallery is located at 616 Congress Street in Portland.

He’s also offering another session of his Fundamentals of Digital Nature Photography for Shooting The Light seminars.

To register, contact Shoot The Light at info@shootthelight.com or (828) 891-4082. For more information or questions, you can contact Mike directly at mike@miliciaphoto.com.