Commonwealth School headmaster Bill Wharton and development director Janetta Stringfellow at the school's 50th anniversary gala, which was held at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts. (Photo by Roger Farrington)

The Commonwealth School celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts several weeks ago. We are told that more than 700 alumni, students, faculty, parents, and other guests were in attendance.

Enjoying the festivities from among the school's 2,000 alumni were: David Altshuler '82, Director of the Program in Medical and Population Genetics at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT; Stefan Forbes '84, director of the documentary "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story"; Peter Galbraith '69, the first U.S. Ambassador to Croatia; Hamish Linklater '94, co-star (with Julia Louis-Dreyfus) of the CBS series "The New Adventures of Old Christine"; and JJ Sutherland '88, Pentagon reporter for National Public Radio-just to name a very few.

"Over the past 50 years, Commonwealth has been a school where bright, curious students from many backgrounds come together to work closely with great teachers. The result is a close and exciting academic community, where students grow tremendously and graduate ready and committed to serve the world," said Headmaster William D. Wharton.

"With our founder, Charles Merrill, still able to join us, this seemed to be the right time for the first event of this kind in our history," he added.

A new work for orchestra and chorus premiered at the gala. "The Mermaid," composed for the occasion by Evren Celimli '89, with lyrics by Ethan Forman '84, viewed the school and its history through the persona of its mascot.

Guest performers Julia Cavallaro '04 and David Kravitz '02 joined the orchestra and chorus for the "Gloria" from Schubert's Mass in G.

In addition to musical performances, guests enjoyed some 100 works of art by students, parents, faculty, and alumni, and images and archival materials from the school's history.

For information about the Commonwealth School, its programs and upcoming events, be sure to visit www.commschool.org.

Author Elizabeth George to Speak at Boston University

The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University "Friends of the Libraries Speaker Series" will host noted author Elizabeth George on Tuesday, April 28 at 5:30 p.m.

Ms. George has been called "a master of the English mystery," a remarkable accolade for the American author.

In her internationally best-selling novels, Elizabeth George has followed in the literary footsteps of Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie, "while bringing her own modern sensibility to dark, psychologically rich tales of crime and detection."

Consistent bestsellers, her books always garner wide critical praise. She is one of only two American writers whose novels have been adapted for the popular BBC/PBS series, "Mystery!" Her most recent Inspector Lynley novel, "Careless In Red," was published in May 2008.

There will be a book signing and an exhibition of Ms. George's collection. Elizabeth George's archive is part of the holdings of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.

The event takes place in Metcalf Hall of the George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Ave.,
Boston.

For admission costs, reservations or more information, call 617-353-1226 or email cfgately@bu.edu. For information about the Research Center, visit www.bu.edu/archives.

White House Kitchen Behind-the-Scenes Stories at the Concord Museum

The Concord Museum presents "Home Cooking at the White House" on Thursday, April 30, at 7 p.m.

In association with the Museum's special exhibition, "Setting the President's Table," food historian Barbara Haber will use cookbooks, memoirs and menus to tell the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of White House meals and those who cook, serve and dine in the public and private spaces of this unique home.

The former curator of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard, Haber has been featured on the "Today Show" and "Martha Stewart Living," and in "Bon Appetit," the "New Yorker," and other publications.

For her many contributions to the study of food, she has received prestigious awards from the James Beard Foundation and Les Dames d'Escoffier.

For ticket information, call 978-369-9763 or visit www.concordmuseum.org.

Enjoy!

In addition to events covered and reported by the columnist, "The Scene..." 
is compiled from various other sources such as news releases, PRNewswire services, etc.

bostonevents.com    bostontravel.com    bostongardens.com    bostonautos.com