What an exciting week! It was announced this week that Discovery Ensemble's swoonworthy music director (I mean seriously, look up), Courtney Lewis, was appointed assistant conductor of the New York Phil! Celebrate this weekend On the Town as he conducts Discovery Ensemble among other fabulous #BosArts offerings curated by Opus Affair founder and host, Graham Wright, and repeat #OpusOTT offender Hailey Fuqua!
Ryan Connelly is a familiar face from some of the best places in which we’ve been inebriated: he’s been a server at Eastern Standard and at Hungry Mother, mixed us some splendid vermouth cocktails and chatted about wine at Belly, and just now migrated to Harvard Square’s brand new (but already beloved) Alden & Harlow, where he’s serving and bartending.
Well, my dear ones, I missed you all last Monday at Opus Affair! I've unfortunately got the dread flu, but just because it's preventing me from getting out on the town this weekend, that doesn't mean you should stay in yourself! There's plenty going on this weekend, and here to share their great taste (and matching bald heads) with you are Opus Affair founder and host, Graham Wright, and cohost, Jonathan Sheffi! Graham and Jonathan met while on the same team for a competitive puzzle solving team (wouldn't they just?) and have been friends ever since. When Jonathan isn't solving puzzles, he works at a biomed startup he co-founded and sings with Redline, a Boston a cappella group—talk about using both sides of the brain! Let's see what these smartypants have in store for the weekend!
On a wintry afternoon during a rehearsal break, I caught up with not one but three ladies of the Lorelei Ensemble and, over stolen breadsticks and a pizza that had too many onions, chatted about the Spice Girls, Barbie, and gummi bears.
Love is in the air, this weekend is Valentine's Day! You could buy your sweetheart flowers, but flowers die. You could get him a card, but that's just going to get recycled. You could take her to dinner, but—you get the point. Take our advice and take your special someone out #OnTheTown this weekend for some #BosArts memories that will last a lifetime...or at least longer than the flowers.
In April 2013 Christopher Padgett, a Salem-based photographer, sat waiting his turn in the lobby of a friend’s tattoo shop, Good Mojo Tattoos of Beverly. It was just weeks after the 117th Boston Marathon and Chris was among many others getting tattoos “to memorialize the lives and innocence lost due to the bombings.” Good Mojo would be donating their proceeds of the Boston-themed tattoos to The One Fund, and Chris was struck by the magnitude of it all—of the events of the Marathon, the aftermath, and the hundreds of people moved to commemorate the city and people they loved in such a unique, personal way.“Too often we see a persons tattoo, but don’t have the time or courage to learn the story behind it,” he says. He decided to help tell these stories by photographing the people and their tattoos and calls the project Bled for Boston. I spoke with Chris about this project and his current Indiegogo campaign to publish a book of the portraits with proceeds benefiting the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Another weekend, another fabulous chance to head out #OnTheTown! This week, in addition to Opus Affair founder and host Graham Wright, we are joined by guest contributor (and longtime Opus Affair groupie) Stephanie Janes! This glitzy girl works with our good friends at the Celebrity Series of Boston as well as being the founder and executive director of the Miss Boston Scholarship Organization. When she's not doing either of those things, she's singing with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus or teaching spin classes. This girl even makes me feel like a slacker! Let her lend you her impeccable taste for the weekend and recommend some fabulous #BosArts happenings!
Recently, I sat down for tea with bonafide lady Leigh Barrett and, to the sound of the same Sarah Brightman song playing on a loop for over an hour, discussed safe words, aging gracefully, and Pinterest.
