Lexington Native Benjamin Sears (third from left) to kick off 16th Season, American Classics with 'RALLY ROUND THE FLAG, marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in songs from the battlefield to the parlor.  From the stirring call of “The Battle Cry of Freedom” to the poignancy of “The Vacant Chair,” the concert will take you on “a musical tour of our past.” Other performers include Eric Bronner, Bradford Conner, Maria Ferrante, Mary Ann Lanier, Heather Peterson, and Peter Miller, with Margaret Ulmer on piano.   In the nineteenth century, as the parlor piano became a staple of the American home, home music making grew in popularity.  Songwriters responded to this trend with songs appropriate not only for the stage, but for home use.  The period before, during, and just after the Civil War was a rich one for songwriting, with leading composers such as Stephen Foster, Henry Clay Work, George F. Root, Septimus Winner, and Walter Kittredge producing songs, many of which have become classics.  Performances are Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, 7:30pm at Follen Community Church, 755 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, and Sunday November 6 at 3pm at Longy School of Music/Pickman Hall, 27 Garden Street, Cambridge.  All tickets are $25 and Students/Seniors $20. For tickets and information call 617-254-1125 or visit http://www.amclass.org.