To deepen our connection to the music this season, we are introducing On Our Bookshelf, a curated literary pairing for every concert program. By matching each performance with a compelling book, we invite you to explore and deepen your connection to our theme. We hope these selections spark lively conversations and offer a beautiful new window into the Only Connect experience, both inside and outside the concert hall.
Opening Recital: The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
The Red Tent gives voice to Dinah, a little-known figure from Genesis 34 whose story is only briefly told in the biblical text. In Scripture, Dinah never speaks for herself, and the events surrounding her are narrated through the perspectives of others. This moving retelling imagines Dinah's own voice, offering a rich portrait of her life and the women who shaped her world.
Content Advisory: This book has mature themes including violence and sexual content. Please read with care! While these events are handled thoughtfully and with sensitivity, some audience members may find the subject matter emotionally intense.
The Red Tent gives voice to Dinah, a little-known figure from Genesis 34 whose story is only briefly told in the biblical text. In Scripture, Dinah never speaks for herself, and the events surrounding her are narrated through the perspectives of others. This moving retelling imagines Dinah's own voice, offering a rich portrait of her life and the women who shaped her world.
Content Advisory: This book has mature themes including violence and sexual content. Please read with care! While these events are handled thoughtfully and with sensitivity, some audience members may find the subject matter emotionally intense.
Harvest Time: The Song of Songs: The World’s First Great Love Poem (Chana and Ariel Bloch)
One of the Bible's most celebrated poetic texts, The Song of Songs is a lyrical meditation on love, longing, and human connection. Rich with vivid imagery and expressive language, this ancient work has inspired poets, artists, musicians, and readers for centuries. Its timeless celebration of love and beauty continues to resonate across cultures and generations.
One of the Bible's most celebrated poetic texts, The Song of Songs is a lyrical meditation on love, longing, and human connection. Rich with vivid imagery and expressive language, this ancient work has inspired poets, artists, musicians, and readers for centuries. Its timeless celebration of love and beauty continues to resonate across cultures and generations.
Early Music Christmas: Christmas Poems
(ed. John Hollander and J.D. McClatchy)
Ever since the first caroling of the angelic choir over Bethlehem, the Nativity has inspired the most magical words of celebration. This garland of Christmas poems contains not only the ones you would insist on finding here, but such equally enchanting though lesser known Yuletide treasures.
(ed. John Hollander and J.D. McClatchy)
Ever since the first caroling of the angelic choir over Bethlehem, the Nativity has inspired the most magical words of celebration. This garland of Christmas poems contains not only the ones you would insist on finding here, but such equally enchanting though lesser known Yuletide treasures.
Organ Recital: A Mixture of Frailties (Robertson Davies)
Louisa Bridgetower, the imposing Salterton matron, has died. The substantial income from her estate is to be used to send an unmarried young woman to Europe to pursue an education in the arts. Mrs. Bridgetower’s executors end up selecting Monica Gall, an almost entirely unschooled singer whose sole experience comes from performing with the Heart and Hope Gospel Quartet, a rough outfit sponsored by a small fundamentalist group. Monica soon finds herself in England, a pupil of some of Britain’s most remarkable teachers and composers, and she gradually blossoms from a Canadian rube to a cosmopolitan soprano with a unique—and tragicomic—career.
Louisa Bridgetower, the imposing Salterton matron, has died. The substantial income from her estate is to be used to send an unmarried young woman to Europe to pursue an education in the arts. Mrs. Bridgetower’s executors end up selecting Monica Gall, an almost entirely unschooled singer whose sole experience comes from performing with the Heart and Hope Gospel Quartet, a rough outfit sponsored by a small fundamentalist group. Monica soon finds herself in England, a pupil of some of Britain’s most remarkable teachers and composers, and she gradually blossoms from a Canadian rube to a cosmopolitan soprano with a unique—and tragicomic—career.
Sacred Realms: Picturing the Apocalypse (O’Hear and O’Hear)
The book of Revelation is one of the Bible's most vivid and imaginative texts. Filled with powerful symbols—including the Four Horsemen, the Lamb of God, the New Jerusalem, and the Last Judgment—it has inspired artists, musicians, writers, and audiences for nearly two thousand years. Though often associated with dramatic visions of the end of the world, Revelation is also a story of hope, perseverance, and renewal. Its striking imagery continues to shape art and culture, inviting each generation to reflect on its meaning in new ways.
The book of Revelation is one of the Bible's most vivid and imaginative texts. Filled with powerful symbols—including the Four Horsemen, the Lamb of God, the New Jerusalem, and the Last Judgment—it has inspired artists, musicians, writers, and audiences for nearly two thousand years. Though often associated with dramatic visions of the end of the world, Revelation is also a story of hope, perseverance, and renewal. Its striking imagery continues to shape art and culture, inviting each generation to reflect on its meaning in new ways.
Spring Returns: The Serviceberry:
Abundance/Reciprocity in the Natural World (Robin Wall Kimmerer)
As Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”
Abundance/Reciprocity in the Natural World (Robin Wall Kimmerer)
As Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”
Season Finale: The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Priya Parker)
In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive—which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play.
In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive—which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play.
We encourage you to support our local libraries and bookstores!
If you have a favorite to add to this list, let us know
If you have a favorite to add to this list, let us know
Petaluma
- Copperfield's Books
- Sonoma Curated Books
- Rohnert Park Cotati Friends of the Library Bookstore
- Copperfield's Books
- Treehorn Books
- Paperbacks Unlimited