SOUTH OF BOSTON
PLYMOUTH The women’s chorus Persephone’s Daughters invites people to take time from their busy lives to be attentive to the mystery of life. Musical settings of poetry by Wendell Berry and Naomi Shihab Nye, the daughter of a Palestinian refugee, along with songs by Jim Croce (“Time in a Bottle”), Buffy St. Marie (“Piney Wood Hills”), and Jacques Brel (“Carousel”) set the mood. Concert proceeds go to a new choral program by Boston’s Eureka Ensemble to benefit women in need. The concert, titled “Take Time,” takes place Sunday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. at First Parish Church, 19 Town Square. Admission is $20, $15 for seniors and students. Visit persephonesdaughters.org.
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NORWELL In Norm Foster’s play, “Opening Night,” a charmingly sarcastic director finds himself dealing with outspoken audience members, conniving actors, and a struggling personal relationship while trying to get the show on the road. North River Theater presents the comedy at the playhouse at 513 River St. on Sundays, Nov. 18 and 25, at 2 p.m.. and on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 23 and 24, at 8 p.m. The theater offers cabaret seating and a cash bar. Tickets are $20. Visit northrivertheater.org.
HINGHAM South Street Gallery will honor the work of the late Peter Spataro, a well-known artist and Hingham teacher whose death had a profound impact on the area’s artistic community. His son, Matt Spataro, will donate 30 percent of all sales of his work this month and next to the Cancer Research Institute. Primarily an outdoor painter, Peter Spataro’s work includes South Shore landscapes and scenes from Florida. Located at 149 South St., the gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m. Visit southstreetgallery.com.
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FOXBOROUGH Dedicated to promoting the love of traditional Irish dance and to helping students reach their personal goals, the Greene-Roy Academy of Irish Dance presents the “2018 Holiday Hooley.” The show takes place at the Marilyn Rodman Performance Art Center, 1 School St., on Sunday, Nov. 25, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $8; Visit orpheum.org.
— Robert Knox, rc.knox2@gmail.com
NORTH OF BOSTON
METHUEN The 25th annual Festival of Trees, which runs through Dec. 8 at 13 Branch St., features more than 240 decorated trees, holiday shops, a café, and online auction. At the end of the festival, every donated tree will go home with a lucky raffle winner. Proceeds from past festivals have provided more than $1.8 million for preservation projects in the Merrimack Valley. For information about hours, tickets, and special events, visit methuenfestivaloftrees.com.
IPSWICH The Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras presents the annual Thanksgiving basket benefit concert Sunday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. at First Church of Ipswich, located at 1 Meetinghouse Green. The family-friendly concert will feature performances by the organization’s intermezzo orchestra, prelude string ensemble, overture string ensemble, and flute choir. The suggested donation is $5. Visit nmyo.org.
LOWELL The city’s 30th annual City of Lights begins at noon on Saturday, Nov. 24. Enjoy a hot chocolate competition, festival of wreaths, carolers, family-friendly shows, the Holly Jolly Trolley, photos with Santa, arts and crafts, a holiday movie screening, ice skating, food trucks, a children’s shopping event at Pollard Library, and the city’s only nighttime parade. For the full schedule of events, visit lowellcityoflights.org.
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REGIONAL The Cape Ann Symphony will be joined by the Cape Ann Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers of Ipswich High School, and Manchester Essex Regional High School Chorus for its annual Holiday Pops Concert. Performances are Saturday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. at Ipswich High School, 134 High St.; and Saturday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 25, at 2 p.m. at Manchester Essex Regional High School, 36 Lincoln St. in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Call 978-281-0543 or visit capeannsymphony.org.
— Cindy Cantrell, cindycantrell20@gmail.com
WEST OF BOSTON
HOPKINTON Feeling the holiday spirit already? Grammy-nominated songwriter David Jeremiah kicks off the season at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts with a concert of favorite Christmas songs on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 general admission, $18 for seniors/students. The Hopkinton Center for the Arts is located at 98 Hayden Rowe St. For tickets or more information, Call 508-435-9222 or visit hopartscenter.org.
ACTON Contemporary Arts International presents a solo exhibition of paintings by multi-disciplined artist Greg Mason Burns. “Reception Theory” will be on display through Nov. 30. Burns, an artist with a journalism degree, initially developed the project while in Brazil during the contentious impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. Admission is $5 for students/seniors and $10 for adults; it includes a tour of the studio and the sculpture park. Contemporary Arts International is located at 68 Quarry Road. Visit contemporaryartsinternational.org.
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BROOKLINE Gallery 93 at the Brookline Senior Center is showcasing work by photographer Andrea Rosenthal in an exhibit called “Reimaginings,” which runs through Dec. 28. The photographer places her own image in famous works of art as a means of examining portrayals of female body image. Gallery 93 is located at 93 Winchester St. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
CONCORD Artists Kathleen A. Manley and Jeanine Sobell Pastore have collaborated on “Lyrical Places,” a collection of oil paintings intended to capture a mood, record an experience, and offer an evocative sense of place. The exhibit is on view through Sunday, Nov. 25, at the Concord Center for the Visual Arts, 37 Lexington Road. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Call 978-369-2578 or visit concordart.org.
— Nancy Shohet West, nancyswest@gmail.com
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