Glass, art, Tom Rush & Donna Byrne: 8 top things to do on Cape Cod Sept. 17-23

There's a lot of music happening this week, with performers who got their start in some way on Cape Cod or are favorite among the music fans here. Folk legend Tom Rush is back, after beating COVID-19 and playing virtual concerts in his kitchen, and jazz vocalist Donna Byrne returns to Falmouth, where she played her first professional gig.

Molly Parmenter and Catie Flynn, both singer-songwriters, started out here and are back, teaming up for a show in Cotuit. Daniel Shevlin, best known here as part of the Well-Strung singing string quartet that started out in Provincetown, is back there but with the premiere of his solo show.

Other highlights this week are a two-day glass show in South Yarmouth; a talk about Chatham history at a movie theater; and two art exhibits, one in Cotuit and one in Dennis, that both have strong ties to nature. Here are the details:  

Daniel Shevlin on cello

Actor/musician Daniel Shevlin will perform in a world premiere solo show titled "Versatile," featuring Lance Horne at the piano. Shevlin has acted off-Broadway and on international tours, and is the cellist of singing string quartet Well-Strung. That group has performed in various venues across the globe and been seen on TV's "Today" show, "The Amazing Race" and "Watch What Happens Live."

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: The Art House, 214 Commercial St., Provincetown

Admission: $35-$45

Information: https://ptownarthouse.com

Cape Cod Glass Club to host annual show and sale

The Cape Cod Glass Club's annual show and sale will feature glass exhibitors of national reputation and glass collectors of many interests: early and collectible American blown; cut and pattern glass; antique and contemporary European glass; antique art glass; and studio glass. The show will offer a free appraisal booth for customers, a members sale table and a raffle to benefit the Glass Club.

When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth

Admission: $7

Information: https://capecodglassclub.org

Last chance to see Cahoon Museum art exhibits

The Cahoon Museum will host an artist reception for its two summer exhibitions before they end. In "Duncan Johnson: Under Construction," Vermont artist Johnson presents a series of new wall assemblages created by using colorful re-claimed wood gathered from construction sites and landfills. "Ethan Murrow: The Greenhouse" is Murrow’s latest installation, a panoramic wall drawing inspired by old growth forests that once existed on Cape Cod. Additional new drawings by Murrow will also be on view.

When: reception 2-4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Cahoon Museum of American Art, 4676 Falmouth Road, Cotuit

Admission: $8-$10

Information: https://cahoonmuseum.org

Concert by singer-songwriter Tom Rush

Singer-songwriter Tom Rush will return to Cape Cod for a concert in North Truro. Rush is known for helping to shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the genre in the ’80s and ’90s. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. Rush began his music career performing in Boston-area clubs while attending Harvard and has spent much of his career performing in New England on a regular basis. His shows are filled with storytelling, ballads and gritty blues.

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Payomet Performing Arts Center, 29 Old Dewline Road, North Truro

Admission: $45-$55

Information: https://payomet.org

Singer-songwriters Molly Parmenter and Catie Flynn to perform

Cape Cod singer-songwriters Molly Parmenter and Catie Flynn will bring their musical talents together for a concert featuring a full backing band consisting of Mike Machaby, Aaron Mayo and David Ellis. Parmenter draws inspiration from classic soul music like Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Al Green, as well as folk artists such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Flynn moved to Nashville and toured with an Americana group, refining her songwriting skills before returning to the Cape.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road

Admission: $25

Information: https://artsonthecape.org

Jazz vocalist Donna Byrne to return to Falmouth

Highfield Hall & Gardens will welcome jazz vocalist Donna Byrne back to Falmouth, the site of her first professional gig. Byrne will bring the rest of her quartet, composed of Tim Ray on piano, Marshall Wood on bass and Jim Gwin on drums. Over her three-decade career, Byrne has performed at top venues including Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., and the Blue Note in New York. She has eight solo CDs and has recorded with top jazz artists such as Bucky Pizzarelli, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Dave McKenna and Herb Pomeroy.

When: 4-6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Highfield Hall & Gardens, 56 Highfield Drive, Falmouth

Admission: $50

Information: https://highfieldhallandgardens.org/

Orpheum Speaker Series to offer two lectures

In a collaborative presentation by the Chatham Orpheum theater and Atwood Museum, Don Broderick, a retired Navy commander and pilot, will kick off a two-part lecture series. He will speak on “The Short History of Chatham’s Naval Air Station.” On Sept. 29, Michael Kryzanek, professor emeritus of political science at Bridgewater State University, will present “National Development, Democracy and Anti- Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan: From President George W. Bush to President Joe Biden,” an overview of how these presidents conceived and implemented strategies and policies in the two countries with critical analysis of successes and failures. Both lectures will be followed by a Q&A session with light refreshments.

When: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday

Where: The Orpheum Theater, 637 Main St., Chatham

Admission: Free

Information: https://chathamhistoricalsociety.org

Prints inspired by conservation land

The Cape Cod Museum of Art will host an opening reception and autumnal equinox party for "Inspirations from The Dennis Conservation Land Trust." This past spring, the trust invited members of the Printmakers of Cape Cod to create prints inspired by one or more of its many landholdings. The exhibit features 34 representative and abstract works of art that celebrate the trust's stewardship of land and trails as well as the art museum's 40th anniversary. All artwork in this exhibition is for sale.

When: 4-7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Cape Cod Museum of Art, 60 Hope Lane, Dennis

Admission: Free

Information: https://ccmoa.org/printmakers

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