WASHINGTON COUNTY — Art lovers and curious explorers alike are invited to spend a weekend discovering the creative spirit of Washington County. The seventh annual Artisan Trails in Washington County will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 12 -13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This self-guided tour features open studios and pop-up artist fairs across the county, where visitors can enjoy live demonstrations, plein air painting, hands-on workshops, and a wide variety of artwork available for purchase.
Hosted by the non-profit Artisan Trails in Washington County, the event celebrates the region’s vibrant creative community and highlights the rich history, scenic landscapes, and diverse handmade traditions found throughout the area.
Visitors will be guided to each site via maps both online and on paper, along with roadside signs. The tour typically includes studios of painters, textile artists, metal sculpturers, stained glass artists, photographers, potters, furniture makers, beekeepers, blacksmiths, farms, cider houses, breweries, and more. The event itself is free and open to the public.
The application deadline for participating artists is June 1. More information and registration are available at www.artisan-trails.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — This season at Universal Preservation Hall, Shakespeare, strings, and a Broadway star are each taking center stage in the venue’s lineup of performances.
“Antonio, or What I Would” will be in the Great Hall 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31 and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 1. The production takes a firmly gay stance on Shakespeare’s favorite pirate. It’s the closing performance of a somewhat successful outdoor production of “Twelfth Night,” and the actor playing Antonio finds himself asking, “What happened here?” as the queerness of both his character and his own identity is relegated to stage left. “Antonio, or What I Would” was developed at the Play on Labs with Troy Foundry Theatre in 2024.
Long before “Bridgerton” broke the Netflix algorithm, Vitamin String Quartet had helped establish classical crossover as a genuine force in contemporary music. They will be in the Great Hall 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9. On their latest tour, VSQ has created fresh arrangements of the cultural phenomenon that is Taylor Swift, performing spellbinding and innovative renditions of Swift’s music alongside familiar hits from Billie Eilish, BTS, “Bridgerton,” The Weekend, and Daft Punk.
The first show in the Great Hall announced for 2026 is Matthew Morrison: Rhythms & Revelations 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5. Matthew Morrison, known for his standout role as Will Schuester on “Glee,” is a dynamic performer whose charisma and versatility have captivated audiences for years. With a background in musical theatre, Morrison effortlessly blends his impressive vocal talents with a strong acting presence, bringing depth and charm to his performances.
Tickets are on sale through the Box Office at Proctors in person, via phone at 518-346-6204 Tuesday- Saturday 12-6 p.m. or online by visiting atuph.org. Groups of 10 or more can get the group discount by calling 518-382-3884 x 139.
On tour: blink-182 will stage a show at SPAC in September.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Following a blockbuster 2024 tour that saw them headline stadiums across the globe, blink-182 returns to the Capital Region with a show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Sept. 7.
Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker’s Missionary Impossible Tour follows the release of their latest album “One More Time,” the first album in over a decade with the original trio back in the studio.
Special guests Alkaline Trio will play in a supporting role.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Little Big Town is hitting the road in 2025 with their Summer Tour ’25, bringing their signature harmonies and live show to amphitheaters across North America.
Produced by Live Nation, the 22-city tour includes a stop at Broadview Stage at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, on July 31, with special guests Wynonna Judd and Shelby Lynne.
Little Big Town – consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook – burst onto the music scene 25 years ago with smash hits “Boondocks,” “Bring It on Home,” “Good as Gone” and “Little White Church.” The band’s breakthrough albums Tornado and Pain Killer produced multiple No. 1 singles, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking,” as well as the history-making, best-selling country single “Girl Crush.”
The tour follows Little Big Town’s celebrated 2024 performances and marks the band’s first full summer headline run since 2019.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Jerry Crouth, Saratoga Lake FM DJ, will presents his new book, “Thank You, Mom: My Life’s Stories Growing Up in the Forties,” at the Saratoga Senior Center May 6.
The book pays tribute to Crouth’s mother, who brought up young Jerry and his five siblings, after his father was permanently institutionalized in Marcy Mental Hospital, one month before Jerry’s birth.
“We didn’t just survive,” Crouth said. “We had very happy formative years living together. It was all because of our mother.”
The book acts as a testament to the strength the family found in each other, and includes memoirs written by the author’s mother.
Crouth will provide a book overview at the event at the Saratoga Senior Center, which takes place 10 a.m. Tuesday. The event, free and open to the public, will include an author signing as well as the 244-page book available for purchase. Those unable to attend may learn more about the book at: store.bookbaby.com/book/thank-you-mom and on Amazon.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Voices kicks off its 55th anniversary year with a performance at Arthur Zankel Music Hall, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.
Zankel Hall is located on the campus of Skidmore College.
The masterworks concert features a full orchestra and professional soloists. The program consists of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, Haydn’s Missa Cellensis, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, and Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine.
Tickets are available at saratogavoices.org.
In June, members of Saratoga Voices will be performing Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine at Carnegie Hall, featuring Saratoga Voices Artistic Director Noah Palmer conducting in his Carnegie Hall debut.
Penny Arcade at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College on April 24, 2025. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Legendary writer, poet, actress, and theatre-maker Penny Arcade visited Saratoga Springs last week, where she participated in two days of events.
On April 24, Arcade (aka Susana Ventura) was the featured guest in conversation with Skidmore College professor Joseph Cermatori. The program was part of the Dunkerley Dialogue program at the Tang Teaching Museum. The museum is currently featuring the exhibition “a field of hum and bloom.” The exhibit runs through July 20.
The following day, she returned to the Tang Museum and was interviewed by students as part of Dayton Director Ian Berry’s The Artist Interview class. The goal of the class is for students to learn how to interview artists and about creating new oral histories. Arcade is also an archivist, oral history maker, and videographer, and along with longtime artistic collaborator Steve Zehentner, founded “The Lower East Side Biography Project,” which may be viewed at YouTube.
HMT presents Oklahoma. From left to right – Tricia Reilly as Ado Annie, Scott Brown as Will Parker, Lauren Schirnhofer as Laurey, Ken Kashe as Curly, and Sharon Piegaro as Aunt Eller. Photo: Anne-Marie Baker.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Home Made Theater will present the American Classic musical, Oklahoma across two weekends starting on Friday, May 9 at the Pitney Meadows Community Farm in Saratoga Springs. First debuting in 1943, Oklahoma is considered to be the musical that pioneered the combination of music, lyrics, plot, and dancing to tell a cohesive story, launching a golden age in American theater.
The story of this musical surrounds the rivalry between local farmers and cowboys in a western territory just past the turn of the 20th century. This rivalry then creates the pathway for the love story between the charming cowboy Curly and the feisty farm girl Laurey, while also opening the audience up for the contrasting comedy of Ado Annie and Will Parker.
Performances will take place Friday May 9 and 16 at 7 p.m., Saturday May 10 and 17 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday May 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. There will also be a performance on Thursday May 15 at 7 p.m.
General admission tickets for the performances will be $25. Students with ID can purchase tickets for $20.
Pitney Meadows Community Farm is located at 223 West Ave. in Saratoga Springs. Visit www.homemadetheater.org or call 518-587-4427 for tickets and other information.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Folk-Americana trio The Wildwoods will perform at Caffe Lena on May 9. Show time is 8 p.m.
Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, The Wildwoods feature tunes laced with violin, acoustic guitar, upright bass, percussion, and cello – coupled with homespun harmonies.
The band’s fourth full-length album, “Dear Meadowlark,” was released April 11.
Billed as taking the hallmarks of the folk-Americana sound and dressing it in indie sensibilities a la heroes Nickel Creek and Gillian Welch as well as genre mainstays Bon Iver and Mumford & Son, the three 20-something musicians are on a 24-city tour promoting their latest release.
The Wildwoods are Noah Gose on vocals, acoustic and electric guitar; his wife, Chloe Gose on vocals and violin; and longtime friend Andrew Vaggalis on vocals and upright bass.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center summer residency at Spa Little Theater will be staged June 15 – Aug. 17. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center welcomes the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center back to Spa Little Theater for its summer residency from June 15 – Aug. 17.
Led by Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel, the season is highlighted by the SPAC debut of the Viano Quartet, one of the most sought-after young ensembles today and recipients of the prestigious 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant. The next generation of star soloists gracing the stage include pianist George Li, following his 2024 SPAC debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and cellist Sterling Elliott, alongside the return of audience favorites Arnaud Sussman, Matthew Lipman and Stella Chen.
“Since expanding our partnership with CMS, we have had the privilege of opening the doors of Spa Little Theater to new and returning audiences, all four seasons of the year. We look forward to welcoming this dynamic roster of artists to Saratoga this summer, under the brilliant direction of Wu Han and David Finckel,” said SPAC CEO Elizabeth Sobol, in a statement.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s summer season opens with “Beethoven and Dvořák,” led by Wu Han (June 15), followed by “Great Sonatas” featuring Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart (June 22). The series continues in July with programs anchored by “Mendelssohn’s String Quintet in A Major” (July 13), and “Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Winds” (July 20). Included in the season is the SPAC debut of the Viano Quartet (Aug. 10) in a program offering classic string quartets by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich, and a closing program with major works by “Shostakovich and Dohnányi” (Aug. 17) featuring CMS artistic co-director, cellist David Finckel.
Anchored by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Artistic Directors Wu Han (piano) and David Finckel (cello), this season’s guest artists include violinists Chad Hoopes, Stella Chen, Bella Hristova, Arnaud Sussman, Danbi Um, Julian Rhee and Sean Lee; violists Matthew Lipman and Paul Neubauer; cellists Paul Watkins, Nicholas Canellakis and Sterling Elliott; pianists George Li, Gilles Vonsattel, Evren Ozel, Sahun Sam Hong, and Anna Geniushene; clarinetist Sebastian Manz; flutist Tara Helen O’Connor; oboist James Austin Smith; bassoonist Marc Goldberg; Nathaniel Silberschlag on horn, and the Viano Quartet.
All summer 2025 CMS events will take place at the Spa Little Theatre (19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs,). There is one performance of each program at 3 p.m. Doors open at 2 and the house opens at 2:30pm.
For full season subscriptions to all six summer programs, single performance tickets and other information, go to: spac.org.
