First ever centennial music series at Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum begins June 10, 2008

First ever Centennial Music Series to begin June 10 at Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum

T

he Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum presents the Centennial Music Series: six concerts every other Tuesday evening at 7pm starting June 10 continuing through August 19, in the East Gallery of the Provincetown Museum.

John Thomas will open the series and is feature composer and pianist for The Provincetown Songbook, three concerts of an hour of music written in and about Provincetown from the Pilgrims’ landing to 2008. Thomas performs the concert on a Steinway grand piano. The Provincetown Songbook concerts are on June 10, July 8, and August 5 at 7 pm. Tickets are $12.00 and available at the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum before the concert .

The Provincetown Songbook concert includes hymns sung by the Pilgrims in 1620, a nineteenth century song called Girls of the Cape, the early twentieth century classic A Trip to Provincetown, a series of popular songs from the 1920s and 1930s (including the well-known Red Sails in the Sunset and Harbor Lights), the uber-classic Old Cape Cod, music from Eugene O’Neill’s plays produced in Provincetown, a rare glimpse of excerpts from Harry Kemp’s only opera (written with Edward L. Buchanan), and Thomas’ own composition The Provincelands. The Provincetown Songbook is a delightful musical tour through history. Audience sing-alongs are part of the experience.

A three-part series of Monumental Music events begins on June 24 with Movie Music, a celebration of great film themes with Roxanne Layton on recorder and Thomas on piano. Layton recently performed with John Williams and the Boston Pops and tours with Manheim Steamroller and Zoë Lewis. Kristen Utt is a featured guest for this concert. Tickets for the all concerts in the Monumental Music series are $15.00 and will be available before the performances at the Provincetown Museum.

On July 22, Jon Arterton performs My Life in Song, the musical story of his life from New York City to Provincetown, spanning his music education, appearance on Broadway, the creation of The Flirtations, and the newest chapter of his life as a conductor and singer. Thomas accompanies Arterton on the piano, and Arterton’s husband James Mack joins him for several songs.

On August 19, pianists Paul Bisaccia and Thomas present their 2 Guys 1 Piano concert, with the theme East Meets West as part of Carnival week. Their special guest is violist Alicia Mickenberg.

John Thomas’ original music is available in the compact disc Composing Myself, available in Provincetown stores and at CDbaby.com and iTunes.com. More information on Thomas is available at his website johnwthomas.com.

Release and above image of John Thomas courtesy of the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum.

The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from April 1 through November with extended hours from June 16 to September 15 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission Adults $7.00; Seniors (age 62+) and Students (15+ with ID) $5.00; Children (4 – 14) $3.50; Children 3 and under are admitted free.