“Together We Stand,” a joint annual dance of the Bates Lodge No. 220 and the Phyllis Wheatley Temple No. 276, will be held Saturday, Nov. 27, at 306 Shrewsbury Ave. in Red Bank. The event will begin at 9 p.m. and will feature live music performed by The No Regretts Band and a DJ, plus an open bar and buffet. Donation is $25.
The Red Bank Area Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society will present a showcase of barbershop harmony on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 3 p.m. at the Ocean Township High School auditorium, West Park Avenue in Oakhurst.
“Holiday Harmony” will feature a program of close harmony singing to favorite holiday tunes by the Chorus of the Atlantic, directed by Tom DeBruin. The program will include quartets, like perennial favorites, the “Classy Seniors,” and The Red Bank chapter’s “Matinee Idles” will inspire with a collection of time-honored favorites.
The concert will also feature the 23-voice guest group, the A Cappella Choir from Henry Hudson Regional High School, under the direction of Tom Elliott.
Tickets are $15; $12 for seniors and students, and free for children under age 16.
The Red Bank Chapter welcomes all men who would like to sing and share in an exciting and beneficial hobby to join. The chapter meets on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the Red Bank Middle School, 101 Harding Road. For more information or to book a chorus or quartet, call (732) 842-3117 or visit: http://users.aol.com/oldsongs.
The Performing Arts Ensemble will present its annual holiday production of “The Nutcracker” on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the Count Basie Theatre on Monmouth Street in Red Bank. Performances will also take place Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11 and 12, at The Strand theater in Lakewood, Fourth Street and Clifton Avenue. The company’s version of the beloved holiday classic will feature a 30-foot growing Christmas tree adorned with holiday decorations. Seven local dancers share the role of Clara. Professional artists from dance companies at the Met at Lincoln Center and New York City Opera Ballet will round out a cast of 100. Ticket prices are $24, $20 and $15 with a $4 discount for seniors and children. For tickets and information, call (732) 671-9655 or (732) 706-7675.
The Company of Dance Arts in Red Bank will present its annual holiday production of “The Nutcracker” at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on Dec. 11 at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. Performances at The Strand theater in Lakewood will take place on Dec. 18 and 19 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $28, $20, and $12 with a $3 discount for seniors and children. For tickets or more information, call (732) 842-4015.
“It’s His Birthday, Mr. Scrooge!,” a musical drama for Christmas, will be presented with a live band and chorus Dec. 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. at First Assembly of God, 220 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free; an offering will be taken. For information, call the church at (732) 741-0048.
Atlantic Artisans gallery in Atlantic Highlands has moved to a new location at 68 First Ave. In addition to art in all media created by local artists, the gallery now offers classes for adults and children. Items for unique holiday gifts include paintings, photographs, drawings, works in glass, wood, clay and jewelry as well as frames. For more information, contact the gallery at (732) 291-0100.
The Festival of Books, Culture and the Arts is under way at the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center on Grant Avenue in Deal.
On Sunday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m., Yale Strom will present his new book, “A Wandering Feast,” through klezmer performances and discussion. The book is a travelogue arranged around 14 visits to cities and Jewish villages in Eastern Europe and includes stories, photographs, music and recipes. Strom is a filmmaker, composer, photographer, violinist and playwright and teaches at New York University. Cost of the program is $7 and includes dessert reception.
On Monday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m., Rosalind Reisner, will discuss her book, “Hungry Hearts: 150 Years of Jewish American Lives in Fiction and Memoir,” in a program co-sponsored by Monmouth Reform Temple. The book focuses on writings that begin with the first Jewish immigrants to arrive in New Amsterdam through the ensuing 150 years. Fee is $5.
Arthur Kurzweil will discuss “From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History” on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. Part detective story and part spiritual quest, the book provides tools and techniques for tracing Jewish genealogy like newly accessible archives in Eastern Europe as well as the Internet. Fee is $7. For more information, contact Leslie Posnock at (732) 695-1902.
Auditions for the Monmouth County Arts High School will be held Dec. 11 at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. Students from eight high school districts, Fair Haven Regional, Monmouth Regional, Ocean Township, Middletown, Henry Hudson Regional, Keyport, Freehold Regional and Wall participated in the program this year. Students take part in accelerated classes in creative writing, dance, vocal/instrumental music, visual arts, photography and theater taught by working artists. Students are released from their schools during regular class hours and bused to classes on Sandy Hook that run for three hours each week for a 14-week term that begins in January.
The program is specifically designed to help identify and develop gifted students and has been honored by the state. Through a partnership with Brookdale, students can earn college credits for courses completed in the arts program. Administered through the Arts & Education Center, approximately 60 high school students are expected to be selected through auditions to participate in 2005. For information about auditions, contact the center at (732) 249-5151 or e-mail [email protected].
The Monmouth Symphony League will host a Holiday Musicale on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. at the Lincroft Presbyterian Church, corner of West Front Street and Everett Road. The musicale program will be seasonal melodies sung by Ellen Fister Oxman. Light refreshments will be served and all are invited. For information, call Kate Wellauer at (732) 842-6203.