Bethlehem Library Notes for Thursday, November 8, 2018

For more than 15 years, Bethlehem Public Library’s annual winter concert series, A Little Sunday Music, has entertained and delighted audiences, and you can expect more of the same with a 2018-19 lineup that includes some very talented musicians and ensembles.

A Little Sunday Music opens Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. with “Over There: Songs of World War I,” featuring Linda Russell and her trio performing the marching tunes, humorous ditties, love songs, and wistful laments that were popular when the Great War raged in Europe a century ago. This performance is also part of the library’s World War I 100th Anniversary series.

A historical musician, Russell began her professional career by performing for 16 years as a balladeer at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City. She continues to sing and play ballads, broadsides, love songs, marches and dance tunes of early America at national, state, and local historical venues.

A Little Sunday Music continues Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. with Eric Roth, who will present a program of 19th-Century guitar music. After a short break in January, the concert series resumes on Feb. 10 with audience favorite The Bleecker Consort, playing a diverse set of instruments, including early strings, reeds, and a variety of percussion. A vocal recital by Irina Tikhonenko rounds out the series on March 10.

Concerts are free and open to the public. A Little Sunday Music is sponsored by the Friends of Bethlehem Public Library.

What gives?

What are the costs and rewards of philanthropic giving? In “Philosophy of Philanthropy,” a four-part series grant-funded and sponsored by Humanities New York, Dr. Erzsebet Fazekas will talk about the key issues behind charitable giving: motivation, the selection of recipients and worthy causes, and the impact of giving on the donors and society in general. Join us for one or more of the following programs:

— Monday, Nov. 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.: The Ethics of Giving and Taking;

— Monday, Nov. 19, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.: Why Give? Motivations and Impact;

— Monday, Nov. 26, 7 from 8:30 p.m.: To Whom or For What to Give?; and

— Monday, Dec. 10, 7 from 8:30 p.m.: What and How Much to Give.

Blood drive

Bethlehem Public Library is hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive on Thursday, Nov. 15, from noon to 6 p.m. in the Community Room. Donors must be at least 17 years old and in good general health. Walk-ins are welcome. Call 1-800 RED-CROSS or go to www.redcrossblood.org to register or for more information.

Edit digital video

We’ve scheduled several training sessions in the next two months that will demonstrate how to use Adobe Premiere Elements to edit videos, create titles, insert transitions, add special effects, adjust audio, and more to create a professional-looking video suitable for a variety of media.

Two-hour training sessions take place on Monday, Nov. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m.; and Thursday, Dec. 6, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please sign up for only one session. Register online at www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org or call 518-439-9314.