October 1 – Art Exhibit Schmucker Art Gallery Two art exhibits on the Gettysburg College campus continue to be displayed throughout the month. A Portrait of the Artist, 1525-1825: Prints from the Collection of Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation continues through December 14. A group of twelve silkscreens made by Pennsylvania artist and entitled Violet Oakley: A Message to the World from Pennsylvania will continue through November 14. Admission is free and hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am – 4 pm. www.gettysburg.edu/art
October 4 at 7 pm – Poetry First Friday Ragged Edge Coffee House Sessions begin with an open mic at 7 pm followed by readings from the featured poet. Celebrated poet Todd Davis will be reading and sharing some of his work, most likely from his new publication Ditch Memory, featuring new and selected poems. Please bring a poem to share, if you like, and stop downstairs for a coffee or baked goodie before coming upstairs. www.theraggededgecoffeehouse.com
October 4 from 5-7 pm – First Friday Art Exhibits Opening Adams County Arts Council Featured artists for the month include in the Reception Hall: “Interiors” with Ashley Pieper, Ritch Taylor, Josh Fidler, Wendy Heiges, Shawn Heiges; Gallery: Elizabeth Wilson, photography; Studio: Judy Pyle, Retrospective. Stop by to meet the artists and enjoy their work. www.adamsarts.org
October 6 at 4 pm – Peter Sirotin, Violin and Ya-Ting Chang, Piano United Lutheran Seminary Music Gettysburg presents a chamber recital featuring Harrisburg Symphony concertmaster Peter Sirotin accompanied by pianist Ya-Ting Chang. Mr. Sirotin serves as the concertmaster for the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra as well. They have performed internationally at many prestigious festivals and concerts to great acclaim. Admission and parking are free. www.musicgettysburg.org
October 6 at 5 pm – French and Francophone Film Festival 2024 Majestic Theater Cinema One L’Innocent/The Innocent (2023) by Louis Garrel is the first film in the festival, that takes place every Sunday at 5 pm during the month of October. Plot: When Abel learns that his mother is about to marry a man in prison, he loses it. With the help of his best friend, he will do whatever it takes to protect her. But meeting his stepfather may well offer him a new perspective. Free admission. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 7 at 12 and 7 pm – Art: A Cinematic Experience Majestic Theater In the spring of 2023, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam opened its doors on the largest VermeerExhibition in history. This new Exhibition on Screen film invites audiences to a private view of the exhibition, accompanied by the director of the Rijksmuseum and the curator of the show. This 90-minute presentation includes research into Vermeer’s artistry, his artistic choices, and motivations of his compositions, as well as the creative process. Tickets are $18. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 8 at 7:30 pm – The Barclay Brass St. James Lutheran Church Gettysburg Community Concert Association presents their second concert of the season with The Barclay Brass, hailing from the Washington, D.C. area. This elite brass ensemble is comprised of top military and freelance musicians in the DC area who wish to present classical music in a new style for all audiences. Tickets for the entire season of four performances are $50 and may be purchased at the door or online using the GCCA website. www.gettysburgcca.org
October 11, 12, 18, 19 at 7 pm + October 13, 20 at 2 pm – The Mousetrap Gettysburg Comm Theatre Brimming with intrigue, sophisticated humor and surprising twists, Dame Agatha Christie’s iconic murder mystery – about a group of strangers trapped during a snowstorm – is the world’s most successful and longest running play. Tickets are in the $20-25 range and available online. www.gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org
October 12 at 3 pm – BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show Majestic Theater From beginning to end, The Blue Barrel Showelectrifies the crowd with its powerful rhythms and its deliriously funny sketches. Since 1999, BAM Percussion has performed in over 30 countries making everybody laugh in their own language. What a great introduction to the theater for the young people in your life! Tickets are $39/$29/$24. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 12 at 6:30 pm – Deeper than The Skin Beyond the Battle Museum A free concert, open to the public and featuring musicians Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway, will be held to both entertain and reinforce our connections as human beings. Two friends: one black and one white; one from the North and one from the South; musicians, storytellers, students of history, and world travelers; born three days apart. Their performances offer hope to people all over the our nation, moving audiences from emotion to action and affirming the notion that a more perfect union begins with us. Sponsored by Paths to Racial Justice, a community committee co-chaired by Dr. Bettye F. Baker and Angela Sontheimer of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Gettysburg and various church and community organizations. Donations to ACHS will be accepted. Free parking.
October 13 at 5 pm – French and Francophone Film Festival 2024 Majestic Theater Cinema One L’Homme qui repare les femmes/ the Man Who Mends Women by Thierry Michel and Colette Braackman (2015) is a documentary that tells the story of 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, a Congolese doctor who works to treat women who have been raped. Free admission. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 18 at 7:30 pm – Halloween Classics: The Blair Witch Project Majestic Theater In this classic scary film, three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind. Rated R for language. Tickets are $9 and available at the door. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 19 at 7 pm – The People Project: At Home in Adams County Majestic Theater Adams County Arts Council presents the sixth production of The People Project. This year’s event will be produced in partnership with @Home Adams County, and will feature stories, music and visual art created on the theme of what it means to call Adams County “home.” Please pay what you can when you reserve your tickets. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 19 at 8 pm – Lyyra (Female vocal sextet) Schmucker Recital Hall With a broad texture and exhilarating range of sound, Lyyra specializes in classical, jazz, pop and folk music from diverse traditions and backgrounds. Sunderman Conservatory presents this premier six-woman vocal ensemble that delivers inspirational, uplifting, and dynamic performances. Do not miss this concert if you are a lover of choral music. Admission is free on a first-come, first-seated basis. www.gettysburg.edu/sunderman
October 20 at 4 pm – Seipp (trumpet) and Kasparian (piano) United Lutheran Seminary Music Gettysburg presents Trumpeter Chuck Seippand Pianist Raffi Kasparianin a program that is unlike any ensemble performing today. Custom musical arrangements enhance the exquisite blend of their instruments while coupled with specialized videos that create an extraordinary connection with the audience. Both performers have extensive musical resumes, including many years with “Pershing’s Own” United States Army Band. Don’t miss this! Free admission and parking. www.musicgettysburg.org
October 20 at 5 pm – French and Francophone Film Festival 2024 Majestic theater Cinema One Tenor/Tenor (2022) by Claude Zidi tells the story of Antoine, an aspiring young rapper from the suburbs of Paris who meets Mrs. Loyseau, an eminent teacher at the Paris Opera. Stunned by the young man’s raw talent, she introduces him to the world of opera. Antoine becomes one of her students. Free admission. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 25 at 7:30 pm – One Night in Memphis Majestic Theater December 4, 1956, music history was made when Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley gathered together at Sun Records in Memphis, TN. The impromptu jam session that ensued happened by pure chance and was a landmark night in rock and roll history. This show pays tribute to that historic night including rockabilly, country, gospel and pure 1950’s rock and roll performed live and backed up by and energetic rockabilly band. Tickets are $60/$50/$45. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
October 27 at 5 pm – French and Francophone Film Festival 2024 Majestic Theater Cinema One Le Mystere Henri Pick/ The Mystery of Henry Pick (2019) by Remy Bezancon is the concluding film of the festival. An editor discovers a novel that she considers to be a masterpiece in a library whose particularity is to collect manuscripts refused by publishers. The text is signed “Henri Pick”, a Breton pizza-maker who died two years earlier. Free admission. www.gettysburgmajestic.org
Gail Jones has enjoyed a twenty-five-year career as a music educator in Pennsylvania and Maryland public schools as well as teaching music education methods at Gettysburg College for over a decade. She has also served as a guest conductor, French horn player, and private music instructor.
Gail has a deep appreciation for live music performances of all genres and encourages Adams County residents to attend the many concerts offered in our community.