Young violinist showcased
Joshua Peckins (inset), a native of Boxford, is the first young artist to be recognized in a program launched by the local chamber ensemble Music at Eden's Edge.
The aim of the Emerging Artists at the Edge program is to showcase promising young musicians and give them performance experience with the ensemble.
"We are delighted to have Joshua playing as part of our ensemble as he prepares for an exciting and promising career," said Maria Benotti, founder and artistic director of Music at Eden's Edge, based in Beverly.
Peckins, who is 23, performs in "June Classically Discovered," the first concert in the ensemble's summer series, in Ipswich June 20 and Beverly June 21. The program features works by Beethoven, Gyrowetz, Mozart, and Boccherini.
Peckins began studying violin at age 5 and first performed as a soloist with the Essex County Symphony in Hamilton at 11.
A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, he has repeatedly appeared as a guest soloist with the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic.
He has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall in Boston.
Last season, he played two concert series with the Boston Philharmonic. He also has toured South and Central America and Europe and performed widely as a chamber musician.
The Music at Eden's Edge summer concert series runs June through September. Call 978-270-4463 or visit edensedge.org.
MUSIC THEATRE LOSS: Julie Arvedon of Winthrop, communications manager at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly for five years, has left for a new job at Boston Casting.
As director of marking and casting director, Arvedon is coordinating and managing the marketing, public relations, and new business activities for the company.
Boston Casting specializes in casting principal roles and extras in feature films, commercials, and reality television programs.
Among Arvedon's responsibilities is promoting and expanding Boston Casting's Media Performance Institute, which trains actors in public speaking, media performance, and improvisation. She also is casting director for industrials and TV projects.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: Local historian Eve Laplante discusses her book, "Salem Witch Judge," at The Book Rack in Newburyport Thursday, 6 p.m. The book is about Samuel Sewall of Newbury, who took part in the 1692 Salem witch trials and was the only judge to apologize for his actions . . . Diane Rapaport, a lawyer, historian, and genealogist, talks about her book, "The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of New England," Thursday, 7:30 p.m., at the Wakefield-Lynnfield Methodist Church in Wakefield. The event is part of the Sweetser Lecture Series, a Wakefield tradition for more than 100 years . . . Elizabeth Kendall reads from her book, "Autobiography of a Wardrobe," at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport on Friday, 7 p.m. The book is a memoir and exploration of the clothes and fashions of the past five decades . . . Sandy Schreier, author of "Hollywood Gets Married" and other books on fashion, discusses celebrity, movie, and real-life weddings, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem on Tuesday, 8 p.m. The event is in conjunction with the museum's exhibit, "Wedded Bliss: The Marriage of Art and Ceremony."
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: A debut solo show of work by Tina Greel opens at Pleasant Tea Company in Gloucester with a reception and celebration today at 5 p.m. Greel, who grew up in a fishermen's boarding house at the head of Gloucester Harbor, interprets maritime folklore in her oil paintings and sculptures of sirens of the sea . . . An exhibit of photographs and oil and watercolor paintings by Debra Lee Collins of Danvers is at the Peabody Institute Library in Danvers through June 28 . . . The Rocky Neck Art Colony of Gloucester begins its season with the juried exhibition "The Shapes of Emotion," opening with a gala event at the Bryan Gallery Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. About 325 entries from across the country were judged by Brian Allen, director of the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy in Andover. Sixty-seven pieces were chosen for the exhibit, which runs through June 15. Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. Photos can be sent, as jpeg attachments, to globenorth@globe.com. 