Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA — Saratoga Bridges has been meeting the unprecedented challenges surrounding the COVID-19 crisis.  Due to the mandates on social distancing and limited numbers of people who can gather, Saratoga Bridges will not have their annual White Party ‘in person’ at Saratoga National Golf Club. 

They have re-envisioned their largest fundraiser to assist with the unanticipated expenses incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as generating support for their non-funded or underfunded programs.  The community is invited to join the transformed Facebook Live online event, which includes: an online Silent Auction from Sept. 17-24 featuring: A beautiful new deck; One week stay at Sanibel Island, Florida; Saratoga National Golf Club foursome with cart; Saratoga Mirror Lake package; 2021 Travers Day at the Races table. 

A Live Virtual Celebration will take place 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25. For more details, visit: saratogabridges.ejoinme.org/whiteparty. To support the event, contact Kelly Armer at karmer@saratogabridges.org.

QUEENSBURY — Pop country artist and Albany native Ryan Clark announced his virtual concert is set to take place on Sept. 27, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. benefiting area organization Prospect Center, an affiliate of the Center for Disability Services. 

Pop country artist and Albany native Ryan Clark announced his virtual concert is set to take place on Sept. 27, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. benefiting area organization Prospect Center.

The show, which will also include performances by Lance and Lea, Lizzie Cates, Marie-Claire and Oferle, will stream via streaming platform Sessions, with tickets available for purchase online. Viewers will also be able to purchase VIP tickets, which includes a merchandise bundle from the acts performing. 

The event marks the sixth year Clark has held a concert to benefit Prospect Center. The center is an organization that provides advocacy, education, services, and support to those with disabilities and their families. 

Clark recently released his latest single “Trust Me With Your Love” via country news hotspot The Boot. The video for the “pop-rock” (The Boot) single released Friday, premiering Thursday with Sounds Like Nashville.

Take one listen to pop-country up-and-comer Clark, and the upstate New York native’s easy-going, earworm melodies – paired with effortless, smooth vocals – make it clear he’s found his sonic sweet spot. Though the first in his family to display any kind of instrumental or vocal prowess, Clark’s music – inspired by artists like Dan + Shay, John Mayer, Sam Hunt, and Jack Johnson – quickly found its place in his hometown of Lake George (Albany) and has since migrated south to Music City itself. After years honing his craft, the singer-songwriter made the move to Nashville in 2019 – and has since celebrated a series of successful releases, including his most recent song “Nothing But Everything.” Clark’s upcoming single “So Real” is due out in early fall. Tickets can be purchased at sessionslive.com/ConcertForACause.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Molly Smith Metzler’s “Cry It Out,” will be presented by Home Made Theater and Charles Schwab of Saratoga Springs in a special fundraising production of to benefit HMT. 

The four-person play will be presented outdoors in Saratoga Spa State Park, immediately adjacent to the Spa Little Theater on Sept. 26 and 27 and Oct. 3 and 4. All performances are at 3 p.m. and rain dates are available.

Tickets to the fundraising live event are $75/person and must be purchased in advance. There will also be an online live-stream of the Oct. 4 performance available for $20/person.

Synopsis: The lives of four new parents collide in this candid contemporary comedy about who gets to make which choices in the tinderbox of parenthood and class in America. 

The production features cast members Talyah Chaires, Daniel M. Perez, Elizabeth Pietrangelo and Siobhan Shea and is directed by Patrick White.

Safety protocols include:
• The audience will be limited to 40 persons per performance and be a minimum of 12 feet from the playing space.
• Each party of 2 will be assigned a 10-foot square.
• Facial coverings of the mouth and nose will be required while moving about the space but may be removed if you wish once seated in your square.
• Each party is asked to bring their own chairs or blankets. Assistance is available if necessary.
• There will be NO tickets available at the door. All tickets must be purchased in advance.
• Other safety protocols will also be in place. For a complete list of rules and to purchase tickets please visit  homemadetheater.org/cryitout.

For more information, go to www.homemadetheater.org or call 518-587-4427.

BALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County History Center hosts a virtual town hall-style forum: “Does the Past Have a Future? Historic Preservation in Saratoga County.” 

The event will take place 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22 via Zoom and Facebook Live, and is free and open to the public.  Audience participation is encouraged.

Panelists include: Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation; Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner; Teddy Foster, Director of Universal Preservation Hall, and John Scherer, Senior Historian Emeritus at the New York State Museum and Historian for the Town of Clifton Park.  The event will be moderated by historian Field Horne.

Should a village’s century-old town hall be preserved or replaced?  Should low-income housing be razed for upscale shopping?  What happens when an historic fairground grandstand becomes unsafe?  Who should pay for these changes?  Who gets to decide?  How do we create a community culture that values local history?  These are the kinds of heart-wrenching questions that confront historic preservation professionals.  Choices about which buildings and grounds get preserved, demolished, or transformed affect entire communities.  Emotions, history, politics, and money are all part of the equation, and often decisions are made that change the very character of a location and make bold statements about wealth and power in that area. 

The panelists of “Does the Past Have a Future? Historic Preservation in Saratoga County” are leading experts in the historic preservation process with many years of experience making tough choices and navigating troubled waters.

For more information about the event, go to: brooksidemuseum.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Singer-songwriter and yogi Cassandra Kubinski’s new single “Stardust” has been given the remix treatment by acclaimed yoga world producers, DJ Taz Rashid. 

A music video for the remix featuring submitted clips from yogis nationwide flowing to the song is currently in production and will celebrate the yoga community coming together despite the COVID distancing measures still in place.

Regarding the collaboration, Kubinski says:  “I work at uniting individual spirit with universal spirit through my daily yoga practice, and music is the food that feeds my soul…I’ve always dreamt of incorporating more of my yoga lifestyle into my music, whether through breath, rhythms, approaches or community.”

Since its Aug. 21 release, the song has been spun thousands of times on Spotify, and added to more than 100 playlists.  Kubinski’s recently released EP, “Dreams,” featured singles and music videos “You Get Me,” which helped raise over $25,000 for animal rescue charities.

For more information about Kubinski, as well as the track go to: www.cassandrakubinski.com.

A Socially Distanced, Interactive, Outdoor Experience Co-Commissioned by SPAC 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Monday, Sept. 21 Saratoga Performing Arts Center will present Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK, a GPS-enabled work of public art in the Saratoga Spa State Park that uses music to illuminate the natural environment. 

Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid and co-commissioned by Saratoga Performing Arts Center as part of its SPAC REIMAGINED 2020 season, Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK is an immersive audio experience tailor-made for the Saratoga Spa State Park featuring its famous natural springs, wooded areas, a geyser, a waterfall and more. The New York Philharmonic, also a co-commissioner of this work, is presented the World Premiere of Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK on Sept. 10 in New York City’s Central Park. 

The exhibit is free to the public and can be experienced while following social
distancing guidelines.   

“Bringing this project to our park is part of our vision to connect the unique beauty of our natural surroundings… the lush pines, woodland walks, geysers and natural springs…with art and music. We’re excited that Saratoga is only the second place, after NYC, to present the installation – and excited to be offering this unique art/nature experience to visitors to the Saratoga Spa State Park,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC. 

Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK features a newly-written score, performed by SOUNDWALK Ensemble, as well as special musical “Easter eggs” hidden around the park for participants to discover. 

After downloading the free app and putting on headphones, participants embark on a mile-long route around the Saratoga Spa State Park, featuring the Vale and Geyser Springs. Movement around the park triggers Ellen Reid’s soundscape — musical cells which she carefully crafted to harmonize with the park’s landscape and attractions. The experience is guided by the listener: the path the participant chooses dictates the music they hear, ensuring that no two visits will be exactly the same. The installation will remain accessible in the park until Nov. 1. 

Composer and sound artist Ellen Reid was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera, p r i s m. Along with composer Missy Mazzoli, Ellen co-founded the Luna Composition Lab. Luna Lab is a mentorship program for young, female-identifying, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers. Since 2019, she has served as Creative Advisor and Composer-in-Residence for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Her music is released on Decca Gold. 

For more information, go to: spac.org.