Cela has been described as a "superb conductor, performer and leader," and as possessing "high musicianship and talent" by the local media. As the music director and founder of the Soria Chamber Players, he has performed a wide repertoire. Under his direction, Soria recently gave the U.S. premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera "Lohengrin." Cela is Music Director of the Willow Flute Ensemble and also the Assistant Conductor of the Newton Symphony Orchestra. As a flutist he has appeared in Austria, Great Britain, Venezuela and many cities in the U.S. Cela teaches at All Newton Music School and the Brookline Music School.

With a repertoire spanning more than five centuries, Willow uses a diverse array of flutes to perform a wide range of styles from choral works to radio/telescope inspired pieces. Their most recent project was the recording of their first full-length CD with works by Sonny Burnette, Ryohei Hirose, Mozart, and others. The ensemble performed in 2002 at the National Flute Association Convention in Washington, DC. Other performances this season have been at Jordan Hall and Paine Hall. Past performances include the NFA Convention in Atlanta, GA in 1999, several annual appearances at the Greater Boston Flute Association Flute Fairs, the Longy School of Music’s Bach’s Lunch Series and concert series at the Lexington Depot Square Gallery, Old West Church in Boston, previously at the Library and other places.

Boston Symphony Orchestra violist Edward Gazouleas and pianist Jonathan Bass will return to the Newton Free Library to perform a Bach sonata, the energetic contemporary piece, "Variations on a Theme from Tristan" by Bergsma and a Romantic virtuoso sonata by Vieuxtemps on Sunday, June 1, 2:00PM. Seating is limited.

Gazouleas is third chair violist of the Boston Symphony (BSO) and Assistant Principal of the Boston Pops Orchestra. An active chamber musician, he appears regularly with the Boston Conservatory Chamber Players, Collage and in solo recitals. He has performed with members of the Muir, Audubon and Lydian String Quartets. Previously he was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony. He currently serves on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory.

A classically trained pianist with a unique jazz style, Katsenelenbogen has performed by invitation in concert and on radio around the world, including the United States, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. His original works span improvisational jazz to film scores. He holds a jazz faculty position at the New England Conservatory and is named on the Massachusetts Cultural Council Performing and Touring Roster, a select list of artists. He has been a featured artist on more than a dozen recordings for Jazzis, CDI, Savage, Oasis and his own production company, Eyran Records. In addition to performing, composing and recording, he has pioneered techniques for teaching contemporary music performance to autistic children.

"Cadence" magazine has glowingly reviewed his recordings: "…his playing…is at times introspective, at times explosive, but at all times dynamic and challenging….You cannot help but be moved by his performance."

Boston Globe science columnist and author Chet Raymo will return to the Newton Free Library to speak on his new book The Path: A One-Mile Walk Through the Universe on Monday, May 5, 7:30PM. The program will be followed by a booksigning with books provided by New England Mobile Book Fair.

For nearly forty years, Raymo has walked a one-mile path from his house in North Easton to the Stonehill College campus where he has taught physics and astronomy. Despite their familiarity, the woods and meadow, fields and stream that he passes every day have never failed to inspire his curiosity. In his new book, he shows how every pebble and wildflower, flake of granite and unassuming weed can open countless doors into astronomy, geology, biology, history and literature. In the annual blooming of the Canadian mayflower he sees the miracle of photosynthesis and nature’s eternal struggle with the law of entropy. A tiny scratch on bedrock is evidence of Ice Age glaciation. He also discovers a unique timeline of human history, one that chronicles the impact of the 19^th century industrialists who transformed natural resources into power, the turn of the century landscape architects and the conservationists of today.

This is "a little masterpiece combining the individual and the cosmic with a fine but unflinching eye: informative, captivating, heartfelt." Kirkus Review (starred review)

Raymo is a teacher, writer, illustrator and naturalist. He is the noted author of An Intimate Look at the Night Sky, Skeptics and True Believers, The Dork of Cork, 365 Starry Nights and others. Professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at Stonehill College, his column "Science Musings," appears weekly in the Boston Globe.

Alice James Books is a nonprofit cooperative poetry press, founded in Cambridge in 1973 by five women and two men. Their objectives were to give women access to publishing and to involve authors in the publishing process. The press is named after the sister of novelist Henry James and philosopher William James whose gift for writing was unrecognized within her lifetime. It is one of the few presses to be run collectively, selecting manuscripts for publication through annual competitions. The press has now published more than 100 poets, including Jane Kenyon, B.H. Fairchild and Jean Valentine. Since 1994, Alice James has been located at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Newton resident Matson is a poet and novelist. Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Poetry, The Boston Review, Harvard Review and others and have been collected in two volumes: Durable Goods and Sea Level. A recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fiction Fellowship, she has published two novels: The Hunger Moon and A Trick of Nature. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and other journals. She teaches English at Boston College.

Zuckerman is the winner of a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award and an Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award. She has published four books of poetry, Personal Effects, Monday Morning Movie, Poems of the Sixth Decade and Amerika/America as well as a chapbook. Poems have appeared in magazines such as New York Quarterly, Nimrod and Mystic River Review.

The Green Decade Coalition will present a talk on "Farmaceuticals at the Dinner Table: Crossing Agricultural Boundaries" at the Newton Free Library on Monday, May 19, 7:00PM

Discovering What’s Next: ReVitalizing Retirement will present their next forum on Resiliency in the Face of Life Changes on Tuesday, May 20, 7:00PM at the Newton Free Library. Drs. Ann Webster and Eva Selhub of the Successful Aging program at the Mind/Body Medical Institute in Boston will explore the physiological basis of stress and how it affects one’s physical, emotional and spiritual health. They will demonstrate self-care techniques that can enhance resiliency in the face of significant life changes such as retirement.

Webster, Ph.D., is a health psychologist and the Program Director of the Cancer and Successful Aging Programs at M/BMI. She also directs the program "21st Century Medicine" on Brookline Access Television. Selhub, M.D., is a board-certified internist and is the Medical Director of the M/BMI clinical programs. She teaches at both the Harvard and Tufts medical schools.

This series is designed to provide information, interaction, inspiration and involvement for people transitioning at mid-life and beyond. It is part of a community initiative sponsored by the Massachusetts Coming of Age Coalition, S.O.A.R., Newton Community Education, the Office of Volunteer Services and the Library

There are many church-state separation issues regarding the federal faith based initiatives, which become even more complex for Massachusetts citizens as the state constitution appears to conflict with current executive programs. Just what is the history of faith based giving in our Commonwealth and what are our laws relating to this issue? What is the impact of these "compassionate capital" grants on the operation of our state service providers and other social service organizations?

On Tuesday, May 23, at 7:00PM, the Massachusetts chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State will explore these and other issues in a roundtable discussion at the Newton Free Library. The panel will feature the following people as well as a representative from a faith-based organization.

Dr. Marguerite Rosenthal is Professor of Social Work, Salem State College. She is also the author of numerous books and papers on the child welfare system, post adoption services and faith based giving and the state of Massachusetts.

Robert Meltzer is an attorney and a free-lance writer for the MetroWest Daily News.

Ronal Madnick is Executive Director of the Worcester County Chapter of the ACLU and President of the Massachusetts Chapter of Americans United. A former teacher for 34 years and an instructor in the Criminal Justice Program at Anna Maria College, Madnick will also moderate the panel.

Americans United , founded in 1947, educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

Since 1993, Herlihy has maintained a law practice with a focus on intellectual property, entertainment law and the media. A member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), he teaches Copyright Law at Northeastern University. Musically talented as well, he was the former lead singer and principal songwriter for O Positive, a group which won three Boston Music Awards.

The Jane Austen Society regional chapter will present a talk by Nancy Clifton and Pamela Bromberg on the topic, "If Shakespeare Had a Sister: Some Thoughts on Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf." This program will take place on Sunday, May 11, 2:00PM at the Newton Free Library.