Neighborhood Club staff members pose as “Shyla clones” with Shyla Settles, right, during the recent “Roast” held in her honor at the club. (Photo courtesy of Megan Ward)

Braintree Holiday/Friends, Inc. and the Marge Crispin Center recently held a Benefit Roast of Shyla Settles at the Neighborhood Club in Quincy. Ms. Settles currently serves as the President and Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Braintree Holiday/Friends.

More than 150 guests were on hand to toast Settles and help raise over $15,000 for the Marge Crispin Center. All proceeds from the event will support the Center in its efforts to assist South Shore residents through their food pantry, as well as their social day care program for early dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.

Boston Museum of Fine Arts to Host Free Open House

From Napoleon’s throne and Marilyn Monroe’s heels to short films and jazzy big-band music, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) will be full of surprises as it hosts a “Free Open House” on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 21, from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The day, sponsored by Citizens Bank, will feature special performances, family programs, and gallery tours.

Two highly anticipated performances by Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra, a screening of short films on power and social justice, and art-making for families will take place.

In addition, all exhibitions will be free, including “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815,” an exploration of the decorative arts during Napoleon’s reign; “Jewelry by Artists,” a stunning collection of contemporary studio craft jewelry; and “Drawing: A Broader Definition,” a survey of drawings on a variety of surfaces from diverse cultures.

Guided gallery tours will be offered throughout the day. Members of the MFA’s Teen Arts Council—a group of teenagers engaged in a year-long apprenticeship at the Museum—will give special tours of the exhibition “Walk This Way,” a treasure hunt through the galleries that pairs the MFA’s historic collection of shoes with Museum masterpieces.

Visitors will encounter a whole new world with general tours of the Museum’s collections—from American paintings to Asian sculpture—highlighting masterpieces from the MFA. A tour in American Sign Language is available to those who are hearing impaired, and a tactile sculpture tour will be offered to those who are blind or have low vision.

For more information, call 617-267-9300 or visit www.mfa.org.

Ron Della Chiesa Will Emcee Puccini Birthday Celebration

On Sunday, January 27, The New England Conservatory (NEC) hosts a “Salute to Giacomo Puccini on his 150th Birthday” in Jordan Hall beginning at 7 p.m.

Emceed by WGBH's Ron Della Chiesa, the celebration’s special invited guests (non-performing) include Renata Scotto, and Puccini's granddaughter, Simonetta Puccini.

Tatyana Dudochkin of the NEC Preparatory School piano faculty has invited an array of NEC musicians and guests. Featured performing guests include: Mikhail Svetlov, bass, soloist of the Moscow Bolshoi and La Scala Opera; Joanna Porackova, soprano, soloist of Washington, Paris, and Boston opera theatres; and Alan Schneider, tenor, soloist of Boston Bel Canto and Boston Lyric Opera, to name but a few.

Works to be performed include well-known and unknown Puccini masterpieces for orchestra, voice, string quartet, chorus, and piano: Arias from Tosca, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, and Turnadot; rarely performed works—Requiem for chorus, organ, and viola; Crisantemi for string quartet; Electric Shock for piano; and a Premiere—Capriccio Sinfonico for piano.

Tickets are available at NEC's Jordan Hall Box Office. For more information, call 617-585-1260 or visit www.newenglandconservatory.edu/jordanhall.

“Whistle Down The Wind” Scheduled for the Wang Theatre

Proclaimed by London critics as “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best show since ‘Phantom of the Opera,’” “Whistle Down The Wind” arrives in the U.S. for its first-ever national tour and takes over the stage at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre for a limited engagement of eight performances beginning Tuesday, January 29 and playing through Sunday, February 3.

Based on the much-loved film, this powerful and uplifting musical comes direct from a record-breaking West End engagement and United Kingdom sell-out tour. The production is directed and produced by Bill Kenwright.

Featuring a host of award-winning songs including the Boyzone smash hit “No Matter What,” “Whistle Down The Wind” tells the story of a young Louisiana girl who finds a mysterious stranger hiding in her barn. When she asks his identity—the first words he utters are “Jesus Christ.” While the townspeople are determined to find the escaped felon, she and her friends vow to protect him from the outside world.

For tickets or more information, visit www.citicenter.org, or call 800-447-7400.

Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for 24 GRAMMY Awards

Berklee College of Music alumni and faculty have been nominated for a total of 24 GRAMMY Awards in a variety of categories, representing the wide diversity of music emanating from Berklee.

Nominees include Berklee faculty members Oscar Stagnaro and Mark Walker for their work with the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet; Paul Winter Consort member Eugene Friesen; and renowned jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano. Alumni nominees include John Mayer, Quincy Jones, Juan Luis Guerra, Diana Krall, Howard Shore, and Steve Vai.

The 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held February 10, although at press time it is not known what the exact format of the presentations will be.

Enjoy!

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