Thirty days hath November and for a couple of them, the Vacaville Museum — a normally staid institution given to informative and enlightening exhibits about Solano County history — will become a music mecca.
Museum leaders, who recently mounted the ongoing “Fruit of the Vine: A Grape Story” show, have teamed up with numerous organizations and artists to continue their sold-out concert series, Music in the Museum.
Contemporary fado artist Ramana Vieira, a Vacaville resident who has performed internationally and released several recordings of what is sometimes called “Portuguese Blues,” will perform at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the museum, 213 Buck Ave.
Tradtionally associated with pubs and cafes, fado — a genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon — is renowned for its expressive and deeply melancholic flavors. Its lyrics often tell stories of loved ones lost and fisherman who never returned home to their wives and families.
Vieira sings some of the old fado classics, particularly tunes made famous by Amalia Rodrigues, aka The Queen of Fado, but she also sings and records music that ranges from haunting ballads and playful songs to her own original compositions and contemporary fado.
The series continues with The Thalea String Quartet, in collaboration with Chamber Music at Rancho Flaubert, at 7 p.m. Nov. 17.
Its name pronouned “Tah-lee-ah,” from the Greek word Thaleia, meaning “to flourish, to blossom,” the quartet, by all accounts, brings a finely tuned artistic commitment — and no small measure of fun — to their shows.
Their program is expected to feature works written in the last decade that celebrate diverse musical traditions from around the world, alongside Beethoven’s String Quartet, his final work, composed a year before he died in 1827.
But concertgoers may also hear the quartet’s version of “Shortnin’ Bread,” an American novelty tune written in the 1800s, or “Bigger Blues (String Quartet No. 5), both adding a new wrinkle to traditional ideas of string quartet music.
The Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China, including at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. They have shared the stage with chamber music luminaries, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD, and visionary R&B artist Charlotte Day Wilson. Thalea is currently the Doctoral Fellowship String Quartet at the University of Maryland.
Tickets for both Ramana Vieira and The Thalea String Quartet shows are available online at vacavillemuseum.org/events. Single tickets are $35 per person.
But besides the music in November, there also are a pair of fundraisers at the museum, music to the ears of a charitable nonprofit group.
In collaboration with Festival of Trees in support of Opportunity House, the museum will be the host location for this yearly holiday tradition.
Beginning Sunday, decorated holiday trees throughout the gallery and museum lobby will be auctioned for the benefit of Opportunity House, the city’s homeless shelter. The trees will be on view through Nov. 28. Regular museum hours at 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
And there’s more:
From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Nov. 16, the museum also will be the site of “Cocktails for a Cause,” during which ticket holders can enjoy drinks from eight different bartenders and vote on their favorite. It will then be featured at the Festival of Trees gala on Nov. 27.
Tickets can be purchased on festivaloftrees-opportunityhouse.com.
For more information, telephone (707) 447-4513 or visit www.vacavillemuseum.org.