Last puzzle swap until 2025 set for Nov. 30

NORTHFIELD — Puzzles of all sizes will be available at Dickinson Memorial Library during the next puzzle swap on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. After that, a puzzle swap won’t be held until Jan. 4, so attendees are advised to plan ahead.

All puzzles are free. Attendees can take as many puzzles as they want and keep them for as long as they need.

For more information, email friendsofdml01360@gmail.com.

Floriani choral group to perform at Thomas Aquinas College

NORTHFIELD — Having sung at Masses and concerts in shrines, basilicas and cathedrals in more than a dozen U.S. states and in Italy, the men’s choral group Floriani will enjoy a homecoming of sorts on Friday, Nov. 22, when it performs at Thomas Aquinas College.

Although Thomas Aquinas College students founded the group on the California campus nearly a decade ago, November’s concert will mark the first time the foursome has ever visited the college’s Northfield campus, which opened its doors in 2019.

“We are delighted to come and sing for the New England campus,” member Thomas Quackenbush, Class of 2014, said in a statement.

As students, Quackenbush, Giorgio Navarini (2017), Joseph Daly (2019) and Graham Crawley (2020) sang both on and off campus for liturgies, workshops and feast days. After graduating, they pursued various paths individually until 2021, when they reconvened and decided to begin singing professionally.

Since then, Floriani has gone on to perform and record sacred music and conduct retreats for church choirs. They also provide instruction in Gregorian chant through their Chant School podcast, an online masterclass for those interested in learning the ancient art on their own.

In July, the group appeared at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, singing traditional and original sacred music for more than 50,000 worshipers during Holy Hour and Adoration. The next day, the members sang again at a Mass attended by some 8,000 people.

“We are especially grateful to Floriani for taking the time to visit us,” Daniel Gutschke, head of the New England lecture committee, said in a statement. “They have a busy fall schedule, so it is a great blessing that they will be able to perform for the community here.”

Floriani will perform a mix of traditional Gregorian chant pieces, as well as some of the group’s original compositions. The concert, part of the 2024-2025 St. Vincent de Paul Lecture and Concert Series, is open to all alumni and friends of the college and free to attend.