The Cape Ann Museum invites families to a musically rich, theatrically educational performance on Saturday, November 3 at 11:00 a.m. Musical Pastimes, a duo comprised of musicians Dr. Susanne Powers and Larry Young, make history personal by offering emotional connections to the everyday lives of the men and women who went off to sea. Expect plenty of music, humor and audience participation! This program is free and open to the public.

Larry Young received a music degree from Dartmouth College after studying violin with Andrew Jennings and music history with Charles Hamm. He studied violin pedagogy at the Longy School of Music with Wolfgang Schocken and improvisation at the Berklee School of Music. Performing on violin, viola, cittern and voice, Mr. Young takes great pride in bringing the past alive with his costumed performances of music from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. He is also an accomplished lecturer who employs intriguing and humorous facts and anecdotes to provide a unique experience he calls “ historical edu-tainment.”

In addition to playing for corporate and private functions on land and at sea, weddings, funerals and holiday events, he has performed for numerous universities, museums and historical societies from Boston to San Francisco, on national public television and on live classical radio. Some of his recent performances have been at Boston’s Old State House, Old South Meeting House, the Worcester Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Peabody Essex Museum, Faneuil Hall, Old Deerfield, Mystic Seaport, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the San Francisco National Maritime Park.

Dr. Susanne Powers, a native of Hamburg, Germany, started playing the violin at the age of 10; within a few short years she was winning top prizes in national competitions across the country. Dr. Powers earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School in New York City, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Highlights of her career include solo engagements with the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Catholic University Orchestra, concerts at the Austrian, Russian and Vatican Embassies, the Supreme Court, the National Gallery of Art, with the Martha Graham Dance Company at the Library of Congress, and for former President Bill Clinton. Dr. Powers is active as a violin teacher and concert violinist in the Boston area.  Since co-founding Musical Pastimes with Larry Young, the duo has been in high demand as educators and performers, presenting high quality and fun-filled historical programs throughout New England.

Introduced in September 2005, Saturday Showcase is designed to bring parents and children into the Museum to share enriching experiences. The focus is on the visual and performing arts, with strong ties to Cape Ann. Painters, musicians, dancers, and storytellers are among the artists who have presented programs. Funding to support the Saturday Showcase series has been provided by The Goldhirsh Foundation.