The Miller Center for the Arts at Reading Area Community College has announced that five-time Grammy winner Mary Chapin-Carpenter will kick off its 15th anniversary season with a concert on Aug. 16. Tickets are on sale for $62 and $79 at millercenter.racc.edu.
Carpenter is one of only a handful of women to be inducted in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has sold over 15 million albums featuring such classic hits as “I Feel Lucky,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” and “The Hard Way.”
“Mary Chapin-Carpenter is the perfect artist to begin our 15th anniversary season,” said Tony DeMarco, executive director. “The emotional intelligence of her music and her broad sensibility of the human condition will speak to the passionate music fans of eastern Pennsylvania. There is a natural symbiosis between Mary Chapin Carpenter and our beautiful Miller Center stage.”
DeMarco added that more events are in the works for the anniversary year, including well known rock and country artists, comedians, authors, cultural events, children’s shows and some of the finest dance troupes in the world.
•••
British rockers Asking Alexandria will headline a concert May 29 at Santander Arena, Reading, along with Nothing More, plus special guests Atreyu and Eva Under Fire. Tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com.
In the band’s 10-plus years as a worldwide touring and recording force, Asking Alexandria has achieved unprecedented success earmarked by two gold-certified singles — “Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel)” and “Not the American Average” — and three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 — “Reckless & Relentless” (2011), “From Death to Destiny” (2013) and “The Black” (2016).
The group’s 2017 self-titled LP spawned two of its biggest singles: “Alone in a Room” (60 million Spotify streams) and “Into the Fire” (50 million Spotify streams). And they also saw critical acclaim with their 2020 sixth full-length studio album, “Like a House on Fire.”
For 2021’s “See What’s on the Inside,” they went back to their roots and pulled inspiration from some of their earliest influences and musical heroes, including Led Zeppelin, Metallica, AC/DC and Queen. And in January, they followed that up with the EP “Never Gonna Learn.”
Nothing More formed in 2003 in San Antonio, Texas. Their 2016 album, “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” earned the band three Grammy Award nominations: best rock album, and best rock song and best rock performance for the single “Go to War.”
•••
The Friends of Chamber Music of Reading presents a free concert by Dolce Suono Trio on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St. The program will include works by Farrenc, Ravel, Villa-Lobos and Bernstein.
Dolce Suono Trio comprises Mimi Stillman, flute; Charles Abramovic, piano; and Gabriel Cabezas, cello. All graduates of the Curtis Institute of Music, the trio formed to explore and expand the repertoire of this captivating combination of flute, cello and piano. For more information, call 610-698-8465 or visit chambermusicreading.org.
Movies
Fox Theatres has announced the 2022 Best Picture Showcase at Fox Berkshire, Wyomissing, will run for two weeks beginning Friday. Following the Academy Awards television broadcast on March 27, the winner for best picture will play March 28-31.
“We are thrilled to offer our audiences one more chance to see the Academy Award Best Picture nominees on the big screen,” said Donald Fox, president of Fox Theatres.
Two different best picture nominees will be shown daily, one at 3 p.m. and one at 6 p.m. The full schedule and tickets can be found at www.foxshowtimes.com/best-picture-showcase. Tickets for the best picture winner will be available after the winner is announced.
The films to be shown are “Belfast,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Dune,” “West Side Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Drive My Car” and “King Richard.” “CODA” is also nominated but is not available for theatrical release.
Exhibitions
The Berks History Center has announced the grand opening of “A Snapshot in Time: The Photography Collection of Dr. William A. Haman,” a new temporary exhibit that celebrates the photographic mastery of Reading’s Dr. William A. Haman (1861-1942). The exhibit will be open to the public on April 6 in the Palmer Gallery of the BHC Museum, 940 Centre Ave.
Curated by Amber Vroman, BHC Museum curator, “A Snapshot in Time” will showcase Haman’s unique glass plate negatives and glass lantern slides. Each slide was developed into a crystal clear image that offers a glimpse into the daily lives of diverse people in Berks County and beyond during the late 1800s.
Haman and his family moved to Reading in 1870. He graduated from Reading High School at the top of his class and went on to study medicine. In 1883, Haman graduated from Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, and immediately returned to Reading where he joined the staff of the Homeopathic Hospital in 1891. In 1916, Haman became the hospital’s chief radiologist, which he remained until his retirement in 1941. He was considered one of the county’s greatest physicians of his time.
Along with his accomplishments as a doctor, Haman was also a loving family man and a talented amateur photographer. His subject matter normally included members of his family; however, Haman also captured city life, agricultural and domestic scenes, as well as landscapes and animals.
Museum hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 610-375-4375 or visit www.berkshistory.org.
•••
Grandview Gallery in the Wilson School District Administration Building, 2601 Grandview Blvd., West Lawn, will host the exhibition “Nature’s Beauty Captured Through the Camera Lens of Joe Endy” from April 2 through May 27, with an opening reception April 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For more information, visit www.grandviewgallery.net.
Lecture
Rachel Lindsay, best known for her role on ABC’s “The Bachelorette” as the first Black lead in the franchise’s history and as a contestant on ABC’s “The Bachelor,” will present a free lecture in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium at Penn State Berks on March 23 at 7 p.m.
Lindsay is also the host of MTV’s “Ghosted: Love Gone Missing,” host of ESPN Radio’s “Game Night,” host of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast and a special correspondent for ExtraTV. She works as a guest host for ESPN’s flagship show, ”First Take, SportsCenter” on Snapchat, and ESPN’s social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram.
In addition, Lindsay is an attorney, having worked at the prestigious law firm Cooper & Scully, P.C. in Dallas, representing clients in state and federal court.
This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture Series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.
Books
Dan Leppold of Birdsboro has released a new children’s book, “The Adventures of Rey the Kitten,” based on the true tales of Rey, who lives on a farm and makes friends with all the critters there.
Rey is a kind, curious and adventuresome kitten who wants to be friends with everyone she meets. She befriends a chipmunk, a horse and a frog during her farm adventures. Follow her and her friends over the coming year, as they play, explore and help each other through the seasons.
Leppold is a science teacher at Spring-Ford High School in Royersford. He lives on a small farm with his wife, Kim, where they raise horses and chickens and have three cats.
The book is illustrated by Mara Chailertphedee, a former student of Leppold. It is availalbe at amazon.com and other online sellers.
