Events
EVENTS AT THE TRURO MEETING HOUSE
Located at 3 First Parish Lane at Town Hall Road and Bridge Street, near Truro Town Hall
In showcasing the historic Truro Meeting House, the Friends have presented more than 70 talks, musical performances, poetry readings and special events since the founding of the Friends in 2012. An estimated 2,500 people attended.
SUMMER 2023 AT THE MEETING HOUSE
Welcome back this summer for our live events. And what a “not-to be-missed” line-up we have! From distinguished thinkers residing in our own backyard to musical talent from down Cape and one of country’s top journalists.
Improved ventilation will draw in cooler evening air for our audiences to be safer and more comfortable.
Most events are free unless otherwise noted. Donations for the preservation of the Meeting House are appreciated.
Monday, July 10 at 7 pm
Right Whales: Research and Stewardship at the Edge of Extinction
Charles “Stormy” Mayo, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Director, Right Whale Ecology Program, Center for Coastal Studies
The right whale of the North Atlantic Ocean is the rarest of the world’s great whales and a seasonal visitor to Cape Cod waters. Having been hunted for centuries, right whales now cling to existence at the very brink of extinction–threatened by ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, they and all of us are now confronting the insidious effects of climate change. The whales’ story, along with efforts by scientists and conservationists to save them, speaks to the issues of the protection of biodiversity, protection of the oceans, and the conflict between the imperatives of conservation and economics. In this extensively illustrated presentation Dr. Mayo will describe the status of the whales and efforts to understand and protect them–posing the ultimate question: As stewards responsible for the vitality of the coastal waters of Cape Cod and the Islands, how shall we confront the issues that control the future?
Wednesday, July 12 at 6 pm
Truro Dyer Family and Pamet Harbor 1848
(Talk will be at the Highland House Museum)
Drawing on original family records, Carlotta Dyer Zilliax and Tim Richards will tell the story of Pamet Harbor and the people who built one of the country’s leading maritime centers here in Truro. Members of the Dyer family played a central role in the Pamet Harbor story, as captains, schooner owners, fishermen and businessmen. Through the experiences of the Dyer seamen and their wives, the talk will add depth to a new museum exhibit featuring a model of the harbor in that era. At that time, the harbor was home to 45 fishing schooners, two shipyards and dozens of other maritime businesses.
Saturday, July 15 at 10:30 am
Family Day at the Meeting House
Kids and parents are invited to spend Saturday Morning at the Truro Meeting House in a special program offered by the Truro Library and the Friends of the Truro Meeting House. What was it like to go to church almost 200 years ago; why do pews have doors? Search for familiar names on gravestones; identify what the stones are made of and what designs decorate them; learn about the most famous cemetery monument; and hear the bell linked to patriot Paul Revere. Scavenger hunt, sailors’ songs, crafts and sweet treats for all!
Sunday, July 16 at 7 pm
Lee Roscoe: “Wampanoag Art for the Ages, Traditional and Transitional”
(co-sponsored by the Truro Historical Society)
Lee presents her 2022 book followed by Q & A. This is the first and only book of its kind and was vetted by tribal elders. The book looks at life through the arts of this Algonquian Cape Cod tribe which greeted the first colonists. It starts in the wetu and goes on to look at pottery, wampum, clothing, adornment, matting, twining, finger weaving, painting and more with some of the foremost Wampanoag creators. Roscoe had access to the artists thanks to her decades of involvement with the Wampanoag people on Cape Cod. She spearheaded the saving of 300 acres of land in Santuit, some sacred to the tribe. She organized 2,500 signatures in favor of the tribe’s federal recognition and has written articles about the tribe for Provincetown Arts magazine, The Cape Cod Times, Journal of the Genealogical Society of Cape Cod, and The Cape Cod Chronicle.
Sunday, July 23 at 7:30 pm
Roseminna Watson and EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks:
MUSIC FOR TWO VIOLINS
Music of Jean-Marie Leclair, a set of miniature duets by Luciano Berio, and original music by Roseminna Watson for violin and her voice
Roseminna Watson is most known as a classical violinist, however, in recent years she has begun to emerge as a singer, composer, and multimedia artist as well. She holds a B.A in Visual Art from Yale University, an M.M. in Violin Performance from Stony Brook University, an A.D. in Chamber Music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is the former first violinist of the prize-winning Aiana String Quartet. Ms. Watson is fascinated by the human body as a vehicle that can carry us closer to the divine.
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks holds a performance degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a doctoral degree from SUNY Stony Brook and serves as principal second violinist of the New Bedford Symphony. She is on faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and the Birch Creek Summer Performance Center. EmmaLee is a master fiddler as well as a classical virtuoso.
Tickets sold at the door – Patron of the Arts $35, General Admission $20, Students/Artists $15.00, Children $5.00, or in advance at:
Sunday, July 30 at 5 pm
Jeongweon (John) Lee, Piano and Organ:
“Bach…to the Future”
(presented by First Parish Truro to introduce their new Music Director)
John Lee is a versatile musician who graduated from the Berklee College of Music. John began playing classical piano at age nine and studied for ten years before coming to America to study contemporary music, jazz, funk, Latin, and gospel, as well as classical music. He plays a variety of keyboard instruments, including piano, electric organ, and pipe organ. An accomplished improviser, he also composes and aspires to write an organ symphony.
Sunday, August 6 at 7 pm
Hyannis Sound
Cape Cod’s finest a cappella group returns by popular demand to the Meeting House. Founded in 1994 and named after this famed Cape marine feature, Hyannis Sound is composed of ten college-aged singers from across the country who come together for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to spend their summer making incredible music. Yearly auditions are held to showcase a different cast every summer.
Tickets sold at the door – General Admission $15, Veterans, Seniors, Students, and Children $10
Sunday, August 13 at 7 pm
David Corn Unfiltered!
(co-sponsored by the Truro Public Library)
A lot has happened to roil our country since our friend’s appearance last summer as guest speaker. You don’t want to miss this! Signed copies of David’s new book, An American Psychosis: An Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy, will be on sale.
Monday, August 21 at 5 pm
Books We’ve Read
Only on Zoom (Link to be provided prior to event)
Organized by Carlotta Dyer Zilliax, participants will read sections of books they found significant and would recommend. If you would like to read a short passage, please email: carlottazilliax@gmail.com
(Total presentation up to 5 minutes)
To be on our email list for future events, please go to our “Contact” page and send us your email address.
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First Congregational Parish of Truro Services are at
10 am Sundays
beginning June 18 through September 17, 2023
For information or to Zoom live stream, go to: firstparishtruro.com