5 Things You Need to Know Today: March 4

1. Powers School of Music faculty member and soprano Jessica Cooper – a 2003 New England finalist for the Metropolitian Opera's National Council Auditions – with guest artists Thea Lobo, mezzo-soprano; Rosalind Stowe, viola da gamba; and James Meadors, lute perform a romantic evening of period music as part of the Powers Music School Music on Mondays concert series. The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Betsy Washburn Cabot Room at Powers Music School, 380 Concord Ave. Come Away, Sweet Love is a free concert of music from the Renaissance including Thomas Morley and John Dowland, arranged on themes of love and human nature. Call and RSVP at 617-484-4696.

2. Planning for the Costs of Higher Education – Financial Planning for Parents will cover the why's and how's of planning for the costs of education, so you can send your kids to college without endangering your retirement or burdening them with years of debt. This free program held today in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. is sponsored by the non-profit Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts as part of its mission to bring financial planning education to the public.

3. The filing deadline for the 2013 Town of Belmont Scholarship and the Suggested Parent Contribution Questionnaire is today, Monday, March 4. The application and questionaire are available at the Belmont High School and Minuteman Regional High School Guidance Departments, the Treasurer’s Office, and can be downloaded from the Treasurer’s Department on the Town’s website. The filing deadline for applying is today, Monday, March 4.  Please remember to return both the application and the questtionnaire to be eligible. If you have any questions please contact Floyd Carman at 617-993-2770 or via email.

4. The Fitness Center at the Beech Street Center has state of the art equipment and it’s easy and inexpensive to join. Schedule a one-hour orientation session, fill in some forms, and pay amembership fee ($35 for 3 months for Belmont residents 50 and older, $40 for non-Belmont residents 60 and over). Call 617-993-2970 for more information.