Myriad Arts Events At NVCC In November

WATERBURY — The following is a list of arts events scheduled in November at Naugatuck Valley Community College, which serves 35 communities across western Connecticut from Litchfield to Waterbury to Seymour to Southbury and Danbury. All events are open the public; admission fees vary.

The university will offer a master dance class in Latin jazz funk hip hop on Friday, November 3, giving students from the college and the community the opportunity to learn from an instructor who has mastered the style.

The class will run from 6 to 7:30 pm in Room A404 of the college’s Fine Arts Center, located on its main campus at 750 Chase Parkway. It will be taught by Angela Bellemare, who has been dancing for 20 years and now teaches dance full time, specializing in jazz funk, Latin jazz funk and other genres.

A basic knowledge of jazz dance is required. Students must be 15 years or older to enroll. Cost is $5 for NVCC students and $10 for the general public, and registration is required. To register, contact Elena Rusnak at 203-575-8179 or Erusnak@

NVCC.commnet.edu.

On Saturday, November 4, The Naugatuck Valley Community College Choir will celebrate the contributions of our soldiers and veterans in “Comfort and Strength,” an 8 pm performance at Saints Peter & Paul Church, 67 Southmayd Road in Waterbury.

Admission is free, but a suggested $10 donation will be accepted at the door to help support NVCC music programs.

A baroque orchestra will accompany the choir and the program will feature Chandos Anthem, As Longs the Hart for Flowing Streams by George Frideric Handel, as well as Cantata 80, Ein Feste Burg” by Johann Sebastian Bach. For information, call 203-575-8049.

The college will host a master dance class in “Broadway Jazz: Pippin” on Friday, November 10, from 6 to 8:30 pm, again in Room A404 of the NVCC Fine Arts Center. It will be taught by Jim Clark, a veteran of the Broadway stage who has appeared in Funny Girl and West Side Story.

The class is $15 for NVCC students and $20 for the general public. Students must be 15 years or older to enroll. Registration is required. To register, contact Elena Rusnak (see contact details above).

“The Stars Come Out for Bob Veillette” — a night of musical entertainment celebrating the life and music loved by the longtime managing editor at the Republican-American newspaper who suffered a massive stroke in April — will be performed Thursday, November 16, in the college’s MainStage Theater.

The evening will include performances by Brooke Tansley, the Waterbury actress who played Belle in Beauty and the Beast; Michael Barakat, an award-winning baritone who made his debut with the New York City Opera Orchestra; and Thirzah Bendokas, a concert cellist who has been a soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The night begins with a 6:30 pm, and then the performances begin at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $30 and advanced purchase is encouraged. Call the Seven Angels Theatre box office at 203-757-4676.

Tickets may also be purchased in person with cash or a check at the Republican-American newspaper offices at 389 Meadow Streeet, Waterbury. For more information, visit NVCC.commnet.edu/stars.

The Naugatuck Valley Community College Opera Performance Ensemble and Opera Society will offer two performances of “Scenes from Mozart” — Friday and Saturday, November 17-18, at 8 pm — at The Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street.

The performance will include scenes and arias from The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. The NVCC Opera Performance Ensemble includes students taking a new course by the same name at the college. The NVCC Opera Society is a club on campus. As a result, the cast includes both NVCC students and members of the community.

Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested at the door. For information, call 203-575-8049.

Then on Sunday, November 19, Waterbury Symphony Orchestra will perform at Naugatuck Valley Community College with piano soloist Cecile Licad, one of the youngest musicians to receive the prestigious Leventritt Gold Medal.

Miss Licad will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 3: Eroica.

The 3 pm performance will be held in the Mainstage theater in NVCC’s Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $15, $30 and $40 for adults, and $5 for students.

For tickets or information, call 203-574-4283 or visit WaterburySymphony.org.