North Shore Music Theatre kicks off its season of musicals and concerts

Art by Kathy Connors, in a Malden exhibit.

ANOTHER OPENING, ANOTHER SHOW: Summer is approaching and that means the opening of the season of musicals, concerts, and children’s shows at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly.

“Entering my fourth season, I am proud of the work we have done to rebuild the audience and that we continue to provide high-quality, live entertainment in their own backyard,” said owner and producer Bill Hanney.

The musicals begin with “The Sound of Music,” June 11 through June 23. The schedule continues with “The Wizard of Oz,” July 16 through July 28; Cats,” Aug. 20 through Sept. 1; “La Cage aux Folles,” Sept. 24 through Oct. 6; “Miss Saigon,” Nov. 5 through Nov. 17; and “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 6 through Dec. 22.

The concert season also includes the “Happy Together Tour” on June 29; “Ballroom with a Twist,” with “Dancing with the Stars” celebrity pros Anna Trebunskaya and Tristan MacManus on Aug. 8.

The summer Fairy Tale Musical Series begins with “Snow White” on June 28, and continues with “Cinderella’s Wedding,” July 5; “Beauty and the Beast,” July 26; “Aladdin,” Aug. 2; and “Alice in Wonderland,” Aug. 9.

Five-show subscription packages, three-show packages, and individual tickets for all musicals, concerts, and kids’ shows are currently on sale.

Call 978- 232-7200, or visit nsmt.org or the box office at 62 Dunham Road, Beverly.

FLUTE MAN: Flutist, singer, and storyteller Joseph Firecrow returns to Malden on Friday for a performance in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

As a child, Firecrow heard flute music in the evenings on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana that was his home until age 9. The sound stayed with him, even after he left the reservation.

In college at Brigham Young University, he enrolled in a flute-making class taught by an instructor of Native American music. He made his first flute and learned to play.

After college, Firecrow pursued a variety of opportunities but returned to the reservation in his 30s with the flute he had made in college. He began playing the native instrument with newfound interest. It was from tribal elders that he learned the art of the “flute man,” which means playing the instrument but also learning the stories, chants, and songs of the people.

He composes, performs, and fuses versions of his native strains with classical, jazz, rock, and contemporary music.

Firecrow has recorded seven albums, the fourth of which earned him a Grammy Award nomination in 2001.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. and is for adults and children age 10 and older. Tickets are $15, $10 for students and senior citizens. A portion of the proceeds benefits Malden Reads. Visit maldenreads.org.

AUTHORS’ CORNER: Peter Anastas and Ammiel Alcalay will read from, discuss, and sign their new books, “A Walker in the City: Elegy for Gloucester,” and “A Little History,” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Gloucester Writers Center. Anastas’s book is a collection of some of the 620 columns he wrote for the Gloucester Daily Times between 1978 and 1990. Anastas writes about growing up in Gloucester in the 1940s. Alcalay writes in “A Little History” about Gloucester poets Charles Olson and Vincent Ferrini, and the power of poetry. The Gloucester Writers Center was founded to celebrate, preserve, and promote Gloucester’s rich literary legacy.

IN LOCAL GALLERIES: The 11th annual Malden Sketch Group Exhibit is at Commerce Place in Malden through June 21. A reception with the artists will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Twenty-eight artists from area communities are represented. The work includes paintings, drawings, collage, and etchings. The sketch group is one of the longest-running drawing groups in the Boston area. Members range from beginners to full-time professional artists. No instruction is given; the artists support and encourage one another. . . . The Salem Arts Association kicks off its 2013 season on Artists’ Row, with “People’s Choice,” a group art show running in June. An opening reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. June 8. Visitors are invited to vote for their favorite piece of art. Other receptions will be held the second Saturday of each month to introduce new exhibitions. The association has a new home in Building #2 at 24 New Derby St. on Artists’ Row.