SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces its first-ever spring season in the Spa Little Theatre with a robust slate of offerings featuring live theatre, jazz, folk, global and classical music.
Highlighting the series are the SPAC debuts of Aquila Theatre for two productions of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (March 11) and Grammy-nominated a cappella group Kings Return (March 31), making their Capital Region debut, in addition to the return of global music ensemble Banda Magda (May 4).
Also featured as part of the spring season is the return of Caffe Lena @ SPAC, performing in Spa Little Theatre for the first time to present The Steel Wheels (April 2) and The Brubeck Brothers Quartet (April 23). The previously announced year-round residency by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will also continue with two special programs, highlighted by a finale performance by Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel (March 18 and May 13).
The announcement follows SPAC’s fall and holiday concert series in the Spa Little Theatre and is part of SPAC’s mission to present year-round programming that extends beyond the traditional summer months.
First up in the programming is AQUILA THEATRE in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 11. Tickets cost $33-$68.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Voices of the Americas. Saturday, March 18. Tickets cost $45-$65 and are available now at spac.org.
Kings Return. Friday, March 31. The vocal band of brothers -- Gabe Kunda, Vaughn Faison, J.E. McKissic & Jamall Williams, fuses gospel, jazz, R&B/Soul, and classical music. Based in Dallas, Texas, Kings Return’s popularity grew when they began posting videos to social media from the stairwell where they rehearse. The group has now amassed almost 10 million views across all platforms. Tickets cost $33 and are all general admission.
Caffe Lena @ SPAC: The Steel Wheels. Sunday, April 2. A Virginia-based Americana band with a strong bluegrass underpinning, The Steel Wheels explore deeply rooted yet fresh folk rock sounds. Tickets cost $35.40-$44 and are available at spac.org, caffelena.org.
Caffe Lena @ SPAC: The Brubeck Brothers Quartet. Sunday, April 23. With Dan and Chris Brubeck as the foundation, guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb, complete this dynamic quartet. Although the Quartet’s style is rooted in “straight-ahead” jazz, their concerts reveal an inherent ability to explore and play odd time signatures while naturally integrating the influences of funk, blues and world music. Tickets cost $41.85- $53.68 and are available at spac.org, caffelena.org.
Banda Magda. Thursday, May 4. Following their SPAC on Stage debut in 2019, Banda Magda will return to Saratoga with all new music and their global sounds that range from samba to French chanson, from Greek folk tunes to Colombian cumbia and Afro-Peruvian lando. Their songs capture the best of mid-century pop ballads and cinematic arranging, drawing on the band’s global background and unchained musicality. Tickets cost $33 and are all general admission.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, An Evening with David, Wu Han & Arnaud. Saturday, May 13. Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel and violinist Arnaud Sussman perform Beethoven and Dvořák to close the CMS spring season. Tickets cost $45-$65 and are available now at spac.org.
