VocalEssence brings Scandinavia to Stillwater

"Welcome Christmas 2014," the annual concert series presented by the Minneapolis-based choral ensemble Vocal- Essence, will include a performance at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, 115 4th St N. It takes place at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 6.

The VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers — accompanied by fiddler Sara Pajunen and narrator Katherine Ferrand — will feature carols and musical holiday traditions from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland in Stillwater and at performances in Apple Valley, Minneapolis and Edina.

The program will also feature the premiere of British composer Alan Bullard's Christmas cantata "A Light in the Stable" as well as the new carol winners of the organization's 17th annual Welcome Christmas Carol Contest.

"Welcome Christmas is one of our favorites because it's like traveling — we're constantly immersing ourselves in a new culture. This year, we're excited to be exploring diverse Nordic traditions and premiering Alan Bullard's new cantata filled with favorite carols for the audience to sing," said Philip Brunelle, founder and artistic director of VocalEssence.

Tickets for the Welcome Christmas 2014 concerts are available for $10 and up; youth ages 6-18 and students with a valid college ID are eligible for half-price tickets. For more information about this concert and to purchase tickets, call 612-371-5656 or visit www.vocalessence.org.

First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater is holding its 19th annual Alternative Gift Market from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, at the church, 6201 Osgood Av. N., Stillwater.

Among the offerings will be fairly-traded handicrafts, foods, opportunities to donate gifts to nonprofit organizations, and eco-friendly fabric gift bags.

A shopper might purchase a kitchen cabinet for a Habitat home in a weather-devastated area or shares in all kinds of livestock and animals for the Heifer Project. Other gifts fairly compensate the artisans in developing nations who created them.

The event will also include hundreds of moderately priced handcrafted products such as jewelry, toys, baskets, knit scarves, clothing, decorative and holiday items that promote social and economic progress in developing countries. In addition, a large selection of fairly-traded food items will be available for purchase.

Forest Lake author Bridget Hoolihan Budig will sign copies of her new young adult novel, "My World is Over," from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 4 at Eichten's Market and Bistro, 16440 Lake Blvd., Center City. There will be limited copies available for purchase at the signing.

Hoolihan Budig graduated from Chisago Lakes High School in 1999. She has taught English at Rush City High School, Chisago Lakes High School, and Southwest Junior High in Forest Lake for the past 11 years and credits her work with students for the creation of the book's themes.

"My World is Over," set in Taylors Falls, is the story of 13-year-old Brynn O'Neil and her siblings as they must learn to survive on their own after all communication and electrical grids stop working. In a world that no longer resembles anything like her digital life before, Brynn and her siblings set out to find their missing parents and find friends and adventure along the way.

The silent auction event, at 6 p.m. on Dec. 2, will be held at the Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust St. Hudson, Wis., as a conclusion to the "Randy Penner Revisited: Watercolors" for "the Necessary" gallery show. The exhibit features 23 original Randy Penner paintings that were anonymously donated for the building fund.

In addition to the Penner paintings, numerous other items will be offered at the auction. Donations from Historical Society members, local businesses and Hudson residents have already been received and the Society is seeking additional donations.

For questions, to donate an item for the silent auction, or to donate directly to the restroom building fund, please contact Jacki Bradham at 715-386-3826 or rbradham@pressenter.com. Learn more about the Historical Society at www.StCroixCountyHistory.org.

A reception and talk by David Spohn, this year's Pine Needles Residency artist, will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at Marine Village Hall, 121 Judd St.

Spohn's prints are currently on display in the library. The free talk will be in the Marine Village Hall council chambers on the first floor. Light refreshments will be served.

The center's experts will allow participants to see songbirds up close and learn about the birds that share our ecosystem. Banding runs continuously for the full 3½ hours but visitors may come and go at any time. Donations of bird seed or suet are greatly appreciated in lieu of a program fee.

Also, Judith Sparrow will give a free presentation on birding at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at the center.

Sparrow will describe how to identify the birds we see in the St. Croix Valley, including by their songs and calls. After the indoor portion of the presentation, the group will head to the St. Croix River to identify waterfowl. Sparrow is a retired educator who has been bird-watching for decades. Please RSVP at 651-437-4359.