A Musical May at Portsmouth Library

In "A Few Seconds with our Fathers:  Songs and Stories of WW11," a free concert on Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m., award-winning Curt Bessette and Jenn Kurtz will perform original songs about Pearl Harbor, the war in Europe, life on the Home Front and the historical facts surrounding these songs and stories. Also included are songs from the war-time years.

Curt has performed all over the country and has recorded four CDs of his original songs. He teaches guitar, bass and mandolin privately and in classrooms throughout Maine and New Hampshire. From the Exeter Town Crier, “Curt is a gifted guitarist and songwriter who has a penchant for creating an atmosphere of warmth, friendliness, and authenticity.” Curt will be accompanied by talented vocalist and long-time friend, Jenn Kurtz.

The concert is free, suitable for the whole family and open to the public.

Later in the month, on Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m., the Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire (SRSNH) will bring 20-plus musicians to the library for a rousing concert of Scottish airs, marches, reels, jigs, strathspeys, and hornpipes. The group presents an eclectic mix of traditional Scottish fare along with some newer tunes written in the traditional style. Playing fiddles, cellos, guitars, wind instruments, the hammered dulcimer, and accordions, the SRSNH offers a big Scottish sound and toe-tapping energy.

A New Hampshire mainstay for over 20 years, the SRSNH performs several times each year at venues like the New Hampshire Highland Games, the New England Folk Festival, and at its own gala each November in Concord. The group is open to all instrumentalists interested in "having fun with Scottish music." To learn more about the SRSNH, visit www.srsnh.org.

This concert is also free, suitable for the whole family and open to the public.

The library is located at 175 Parrott Avenue, next to the Middle School. For more information contact the Library at (603) 427-1540 or visit our web site at www.cityofportsmouth.com/library.  

Submitted by Portsmouth Public Library.