Dance Music of the Germania Musical Society - March 3, 2024

The Friends of the Charlestown Public Library are proud to co-sponsor Dance Music of the Germania Musical Society on Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 3 pm. The concert will be held at St. John’s Church, 27 Devens Street in Charlestown, and will feature the Psychopomp Ensemble duo-pianists Xiaopei Xu and Chi-Wei Lo. The concert is free and open to all.

Learn more about the historical significance of the Germania Musical Society in a recent article by Friend Lee Eiseman.

Chi-Wei Lo and Xiaopei Xu of the Psychopomp Ensemble

Join our Annual Meeting followed by an author talk on Edward W. Brooke

Please join us for a talk and slide presentation by historian and author Alan R. Earls on the fascinating life of Senator Edward W. Brooke, trailblazer and pioneer.

The talk will be preceded by a brief Annual Board Meeting of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library, free and open to all.

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Thursday, June 22

Annual meeting of the Friends of the Library: 6 p.m.

Author talk: 6:30 p.m.

Charlestown Public Library, 179 Main Street, Charlestown

For more information: bpl.org/locations/charlestown, charlestown@bpl.org, 617-242-1248.

Wheelchair accessible; conveniently located near public transportation.

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The talk is hosted by the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library and Communities Matter! A brief annual board meeting of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library will precede the talk. The event, including the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library, is free and open to all.

Local historian and author, Alan R. Earls, will present his compelling and informative talk and slide presentation covering Edward W. Brooke’s fascinating life. As the first black popularly-elected U.S. Senator in U.S. history, Senator Brooke made a lasting impact during the Civil Rights era and beyond.

The brief Annual Board Meeting of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library, to be held right before the Edward W. Brooke talk, is also open to all as well. The following Board officers will be reinstated: Christine Amisano (President), Elizabeth Clifford (Recording Secretary), Lee Eiseman (Treasurer), Lynne Benson (Membership Secretary), and Directors: Amy Bucher, Mary Curtin, Crystal Galvin, Sophia Moon.

Further background:
Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919-January 3, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first African American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1963 until 1967.

Alan R. Earls is a Boston-area writer and author who has covered high-tech innovation for more than thirty years. He has authored or edited several books on innovative Boston-area enterprises such as Polaroid, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Raytheon. Earls is editor of the Franklin Observer.

On January 7, 1862, the Charlestown Public Library, as it was then known, opened in the Warren Savings Bank with 6,000 volumes. Since then, the Branch has moved three times, first moving in 1869, to more spacious quarters in the newly built City Hall located in Charlestown’s City Square. In 1913, the Branch relocated to the corner of Monument Square and Monument Avenue. It has been in its current location since 1970.

Communities Matter!’s mission is to engage, educate, and connect with communities through programs, presentations, displays, and organized group socials.

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library was formed in 1953, becoming the second Friends group to organize within the Boston Public Library system. As a non-profit organization, the Friends schedule four to six evening adult programs per year, helps to support programs for children held during the day, and maintains the library’s landscaping. The mission of the Friends remains today what it was in 1953: to serve as an advocacy and support group for the needs of the Charles

We celebrate Ellen Booker's 25 years of service

Charlestown thanks Ellen Booker for being a part of our community for 25 years! The Charlestown Public Library will be closing early at 4pm on Friday, June 9 for a private event to honor Ellen and her quarter century of service. Please join us in appreciating Ellen!

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: St. Patrick's Day Concert

Join the Friends of the Charlestown Public Library and St. John’s Church on March 18, 2023 for a musical celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. This free concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s at 27 Devens Street in Charlestown and will feature Joshua Collier (tenor) and Liya Nigmati (pianist). We hope to see you there!

Little Free Library at Charlestown High School Ribbon Cutting & Celebration

On October 14, 2021, the Friends of the Charlestown Public Library were proud to hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting for a sponsored Little Free Library. The new Little Free Library is located across from Charlestown High School next to the Charlestown Community Center at 255 Medford St. In partnesort the library by curating new books for people to take and enjoy.

Scenes from the ribbon cutting officially introducing the new Little Free Library

Little Free Library is a national non-profit program that facilitates volunteers to install and curate lending libraries in their community. Charlestown is home to several Little Free Libraries where residents can browse as well as leave books for others. The Little Free Library outside the high school is curated for teens, with members of Turn It Around providing advice to the Friends to help purchase relevant books for that audience.

POSTPONED - "Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston"

NEW DATE & TIME To Be Determined!

Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston; joint presentation on Boston’s Brutalist architecture given by the Friends of the Library and the Charlestown Preservation Society.

POSTPONED - "The Glass Flowers: Marvels in Art and Science"

NEW DATE & TIME To Be Determined!

The Glass Flowers: Marvels in Art and Science; presentation given by Jennifer Brown, Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Glass Flowers Manager, and David Donovan, volunteer tour guide for the Museum’s Glass Flowers Collection.

Save The Date: Book Presentation & Author Talk

Thursday, March 5th, 2020 | 6:00 pm

Book presentation given by author and former ATF Federal Agent Wayne M. Miller. Hosted by the Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library. Thursday, March 5, 6:00 pm. Free and open to all. The event will include a book signing and reception. Wheelchair accessible; conveniently located near the Orange Line and bus connections. 

Charlestown Branch Library | 179 Main Street | Charlestown, MA 02129
For more information: friendsofcharlestownlib@gmail.com | 617-242-1248

Burn Boston Burn is a true story, of a deep conspiracy developed and executed by nine men, including three Boston cops and a Boston firefighter, all determined to wreak havoc on the city and surrounding communities. It is also a story of the relentless investigators who eventually uncovered their plot. In the early 1980s, Boston was set ablaze, coincidentally not long after tax-cutting measures caused the layoffs of hundreds of police and firefighters. Over the course of two years, these “fire buffs” turned arsonists, were on a mission to keep the area ablaze with nightly multiple-alarm fires, with sirens wailing through the streets, and people too afraid to sleep. Two hundred sixty-four buildings were set on fire, resulting in millions of dollars in damages and hundreds of injuries.

Told from the perspective of Wayne M. Miller, the head ATF Special Agent in charge of the investigation during that time, Burn Boston Burn is a horrendous tale of political deceit and internal corruption. The book details the series of crimes that shook the city of Boston and became known as one of the largest arson cases on record in the history of the country.

Author Background:
For twenty-five years, Wayne M. Miller was a Special Agent, Criminal Investigator and Certified Fire Investigator for the U.S. Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He has been involved in numerous high profile criminal cases involving illegal firearms, bombings and arsons. He was also a member of the ATF National Response Team, responding to major fire and explosion incidents. During his career, Mr. Miller examined more than 2,300 fire and explosion scenes, responded to over twenty-five major incidents, and testified in more than forty cases in Federal and State civil and criminal courts. For the past seventeen years in the private sector, Mr. Miller has been a fire and explosion analyst for the Massachusetts-based Wright Group, Inc.

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library was formed in 1953, becoming the second Friends group to organize within the Boston Public Library system. As a non-profit organization, the Friends schedule four to six evening adult programs per year, helps to support programs for children held during the day, and maintains the library’s landscaping. The mission of the Friends remains today what it was in 1953: to serve as an advocacy and support group for the needs of the Charlestown Branch Library, its staff, and users.

www.friendsofcharlestownlib.orgwww.facebook.com/FriendsCharlestownBranchLibrary
www.bpl.org/branches/charlestown.htm

Save The Date: Holiday Concert!

Sunday, December 15, 3:30 pm | St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Church

St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Church and The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library co-host a Holiday Concert.

Featuring the Copley Singers under the direction of Andrew Clarkson & Brian Jones with accompaniment performed by Mark Dwyer showcasing the church’s restored Woodberry & Harris organ

Sunday, December 15, 3:30 pm
St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Church
55 Warren Street, Charlestown, MA 02129

Free and open to all with donations accepted on behalf of Harvest on the Vine Food Pantry. The church is wheelchair accessible and conveniently located near the Orange Line and bus connections. For more information: www.stmarystcatherine.org, info@stmarystcatherine.org, 617-242-4664.

The Copley Singers will perform carols, anthems and Christmas favorites – ancient and modern – from Europe and the Americas. Some examples will be sung a cappella, others will be accompanied by the Woodberry & Harris organ. The audience is invited to stand and join in singing both the festive and solemn carols.

The Copley Singers, a Boston-based choir founded in 2007, comprises a congenial group of auditioned volunteers and professionals – all dedicated to the art of fine singing and the joy of communicating their love of this art to the public.

Andrew Clarkson from St. Paul’s in Brookline and Brian Jones, Emeritus Director of Music, at Trinity Church in Boston, will share conducting duties.

Mark Dwyer, Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Advent in Boston, will support the choir as well as the congregation. He will be performing several of the songs on the sonically amazing Woodberry & Harris Opus 100 of 1892, which has 3 manuals, 37 stops, and 41 ranks of pipes (2501 pipes). The organ’s voicing and power make it suitable for a wide range of music.

Background information on the co-presenters:

St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Church is an intentionally inclusive community welcoming all of the many people who make up the diverse neighborhood of Charlestown. The Church strives to build a vibrant parish that develops and strengthens their faith and worship. With the goal of being community-oriented, the parish is involved in the local and global issues of our times and is dedicated to service, action, and compassion. The Harvest on the Vine Food Pantry is dedicated to helping all needy members of the local community regardless of religious affiliation. Established by the parishioners of the St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Harvest on the Vine is located in the former St. Catherine’s Annex building on Vine Street. The Pantry provides a twice-a-month distribution of food to Charlestown residents.

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library was formed in 1953, becoming the second Friends group to organize within the Boston Public Library system. As a non-profit organization, the Friends schedule four to six evening adult programs per year, helps to support programs for children held during the day and maintains the library’s landscaping. The mission of the Friends remains today what it was in 1953: to serve as an advocacy and support group for the needs of the Charlestown Branch Library, its staff, and users.

www.friendsofcharlestownlib.org
www.facebook.com/FriendsCharlestownBranchLibrary
www.bpl.org/branches/charlestown.htm

Save The Date: An Evening with Sirgourney Cook

Thursday, November 14th, 6:30pm | Charlestown Branch Library

“What Am I Doing Here?” is Sirgourney Cook's life-long musical journey encompassing gospel / soul / jazz / pop / opera. She is an operatic soprano by profession, but her musical journey, to arrive at this point, has certainly not been achieved by taking and abiding by the traditional route.

“What Am I Doing Here?” is a solo performance that will contain a repertoire of music that also reflects the route Cook has taken musically, from a childhood immersed in gospel music, to touring worldwide as a backup singer for international pop star Jennifer Hudson. With a narrative creatively woven throughout and one that is always questioning, Cook will take the audience on her personal musical journey, which will ultimately lead her back to her love for gospel, God, and classical music. For this performance, Sirgourney Cook will be accompanied by Katie Barr on the piano. The concert is presented by the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library in partnership with the North End Music & Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC). It is free and open to all, followed by an informal Q&A and reception.

“Opera may be a third act for Cook, but I expect many more will follow. Sirgourney, keep your eyes on the prizes…all of them.” (Lee Eiseman, Publisher, The Boston Musical Intelligencer)

Further Background:

Sirgourney Cook, who now lives with her husband in Buffalo, NY, is an alumna of the Boston Opera Collaborative and member of the Boston Lyric Opera chorus. She returned to Boston this past summer to perform as a soloist with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra’s presentation of “Symphonic Space Odyssey: 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing” and “Deep River”. She holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College. As an opera singer and educator, she uses music as an avenue to inspire, educate and advocate for underprivileged youth.

Katie Barr is a pianist, vocal coach, and teacher in the Boston area. She holds a B.S. in Music Education and has completed her Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from Boston Conservatory at Berklee.