Bethlehem Library Notes for Thursday, February 2, 2017

— Photo by Kristen Roberts

Reading in a sunbeam: The Children’s Place at the Bethlehem Public Library was a sunny spot to spend some time reading on a recent chilly day.

Our winter concert series “A Little Sunday Music” continues its 2016-17 season Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. with soprano Rose Hargrave performing a selection of French art songs in program titled, “Tour de France.”

Hargrave is a member and past president of the Monday Musical Club of Albany. She has studied voice with Karen Ranung and coaches with Michael Clement. She performs music from oratorio and opera to jazz and Broadway and has sung extensively with St. Margaret Mary’s Church, All Saints Catholic Church and The New York Catholic Chorale.

She is a featured vocalist on the CD “Mis Suenos de Tango” with Spiral Ensemble, and a more recent recording, “Armenian Genocide Centennial Memorial Concert,” with Andrew Krystopolski on piano. Past musical engagements have included The Mendelssohn Club, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Proctors Theater, Caffe Lena, the Albany Tulip Festival ,70 Beekman Street Art Gallery, Mohonk Mountain House Resort, the Hyde Collection and Saratoga Racetrack. She also performs benefit concerts throughout the Capital District.

A Little Sunday Music closes the season with a March 5 performance by cellist Will Hayes, who will be playing music by Bartók, Grieg and Brahms, accompanied by piano.

A Little Sunday Music is generously underwritten by Friends of Bethlehem Public Library.

What’s new?

Our special collection, sometimes known as a “library of things,” continues to grow. On the heels of the virtual reality headsets, we have added portable karaoke machines and binoculars that can be borrowed with a library card.

Got a song in your heart? Sing it loud and proud — with friends or by yourself — when you check out one of our new karaoke machines. Nothing livens up a gathering or a teen’s slumber party more than some good-natured, off-key warbling. The portable devices are stand-alone, but they do come with cables if you want to hook one up to your television. They can be checked out for a week at a time and include two microphones, four karaoke CDs, a remote control and a user guide.

You can also check out one of our binoculars, and get a closer look at the world around you. The Celestron Nature DX 8x42 adult binoculars strikes the perfect balance between performance and ease of use.

Both the karaoke machines and binoculars, as well as the VR headsets, telescopes, GoPro cameras and more, are available on our special collections shelf behind the Information Desk on a first-come basis. Look for the white cases with the corresponding images.