Bronx Beat

Guitarist and teacher Joshua McGuire will perform at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 2500 Westchester Avenue, on Sat., Dec. 5, at 3 pm. McGuire’s presentation, Treasures of the Americas, will feature selections by Leo Brouwer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Alberto Ginestra. This is McGuire’s only New York City-area performance.

McGuire is a musician of broad interests and abilities. Frequently in demand as a soloist and collaborator, he has presented numerous guitar recitals in the United States as well as abroad at the Seminari e Festival di Primavera in Imperia, Italy. Praised for his gently expressive, noble sound, his performances have been broadcast on public radio and television. A champion of new music, he gave the premiere of Belinda Reynolds’ Convergence: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in 2005. More recently, he conducted the premiere of Michael Slayton’s ballet Night and Visage with the Nashville Ballet’s new music series.

This concert will be held in conjunction with St. Peter’s Christmas Fair, which will be held on Dec. 5 between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. The fair will feature home-cooked food to eat in or take out, unique gift ideas, activities for children, and much more. Admission to both events is free and all are welcome.

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Rick Stassa, senior retail broker at NAI Friedland Realty, recently brokered a 2,000 square foot lease for the second floor of 2356 University Avenue to Mi Gente Nail Salon. He also completed a 1,875 square foot lease at nearby 2364 University Avenue to 99 Cent Discount King. Stassa represented the tenant and the landlord in both transactions.

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The Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, presents an afternoon Art Lecture and Tea entitled “Calder in Connecticut” at 1:30 pm on Wed., Dec. 2. Eric Zafran, The Susan Morse Hilles Curator of European Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and curator of the landmark 2000 exhibition Calder in Connecticut, will speak on Calder’s life and work here in Connecticut. The lecture will be followed by a tea reception and tours of the exhibition. Admission is $25 for non-members; $15 for members. For reservations, call Jennifer Bernstein at (203) 413-6761.

The event is presented in conjunction with the Bruce Museum’s current exhibition Alexander Calder: Printmaker, on view through January 31.

The museum is located at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, CT. For info call (203) 869-0376.

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BxIndie and the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos present Year Zero: Media-Maker Dialogues, a showcase of BRIO filmmakers who pull back the curtain on American life and reveal the “reel” deal about modern angst, love, technology, acculturation and more through a borderless world view. Year Zero will premiere on Bronx Culture Trolley Night, Wednesday, December 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, in the gallery’s Project Room. The Bronx Culture Trolley and Longwood Art Gallery are both programs of the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA). The gallery is wheelchair accessible. This event is open to the public. Admission is free.

2007 BRIO winner and BxIndie filmmaker Julio Toro debuts his newest film and is the moderator for the event. Featured filmmakers include 2008-2009 BRIO-winning media artists Nicky Enright, Nadia Hallgren, Geoffrey Quan, Geovanny Salas. The artists will comment on and interpret their award-winning pieces and share their unique vision of their world. On view in the Project Room through February 6, 2010, this exhibition is curated by Leenda Bonilla and Lydia Clark.

Leenda Bonilla, a graphic designer, printmaker and photographer, is the Manager of Special Projects at the Bronx Council on the Arts implementing community engagement events such as BxIndie and the Bronx Culture Trolley Saturdays. As an advocate, she communicates BCA’s interests to the community at large. Leenda resides in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Lydia Clark, a behind the scenes participant at BCA for ten years, started out as a graduate of BCA Development Corporation’s (BCADC) Art Handler’s Training Program. She worked for many prestigious institutions, including Sotheby’s and the Smithsonian Institution, and worked closely with General Services Administration on the African Burial Ground Project. Lydia is currently BCA’s BRIO coordinator as well as one of BCADC’s assistant trainers for the Art Handler’s Training Program.

Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos is located on the campus of Hostos Community College at 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street..

For additional information about the Bronx Council on the Arts or its programs and activities, call (718) 931-9500 or visit www.bronxarts.org.

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The Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos, the contemporary art center of the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) celebrates BRIO XX — the 20th anniversary of BCA’s prestigious BRIO Award (Bronx Recognizes its Own) with the exhibition Anthem: an All-American dystopia, curated by Melissa A. Calderón. An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, December 2, from 5:00 to 9:00pm, in conjunction with the Bronx Culture Trolley. Longwood is located on the campus of Hostos Community College at 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Anthem: an all-American dystopia, explores an America within the crux of reforming a national identity; family, health, politics, urban crisis and decay, environmental issues, consumerism and globalization. All participating artists are 2008 and 2009 BRIO award winners. They include Gloria Adams, Cara Judea Alhadeff, Tenille Blair-Neff, Linda Cunningham, Dennis Redmoon Darkeem, Donna Diamond, Marisol Diaz, Juan Doe, Nicky Enright, Michael Ferris Jr., Rosemarie Fiore, Michelle Frick, Kuniyasu Hashimoto, Tracie Hervy, Kalissa Maxwell, Josh Millis, Vittorio Ottaviani, Micky Schon, Hrvoje Slovenc, and Jennifer Tomaiolo. The show will be on display in the main gallery through February 6, 2010.

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The Bronx Concert Singers and music director Robert Rene Galvan present their 28th Annual Holiday Concert, An English Christmas, on Sun., Dec. 6, at 4:30 pm at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1891 McGraw Avenue. General admission tickets are $20 each or two for $35. Tickets for seniors and students with valid ID are $15, and children through high school are $5. For more information call (917) 743-4641.

An English Christmas features excerpts from Handel’s Messaigh and works by British composers Benjamin Britten, Gusta Holst, Ralph Vaughn Williams and others performed with professional soloists and chamber orchestra. Soloists include Melissa Raymond, soprano; Rita Mathsen, mezzo-soprano; James Bobick, baritone; and Harry Thompson, Baritone. During this holiday celebration BCS will honor former president Harry Thompson for over a decade of friendship, dedicated service and artistic contributions to the chorus.