SARATOGA SPRINGS —Area legend David Greenberger will be appearing with The Huckleberries at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19 in an exclusive event at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.
Greenberger, perhaps best known for 32 years of publishing his periodical – The Duplex Planet – which was borne out of his conversations with nursing home residents, beginning in 1979. The magazine led to a plethora of recordings and performances of monologues and music.
Greenberger’s new release, “My Autobiography Vol. 1,” features music and monologues culled from Greenberger’s own life and observations, voiced by more than two dozen participants.
At Universal Preservation Hall on Jan. 19, attendees will be treated to a showcase of the magic that lies in the art of conversation. With a specialty in sparking lively and spontaneous dialogue with all whom he meets, Greenberger’s latest artistic venture is a playground of conversation filled with knock-knock jokes, not-so-rhetorical questions and observations about the world akin to that of a child’s imagination and wonder.
For more information and tickets, go to: https://atuph.org/event/david-greenberger-the-huckleberries-celebrate-universal-preservation/.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Fred Astaire Dance Studios (FADS) in Albany and Saratoga Springs host their annual student showcase, this year themed “Everybody Dance Now,” at noon on Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Albany Marriott on Wolf Road.
The event celebrates the achievements of FADS students while sharing the joy of dance with the community— and this year’s showcase will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association, with partial proceeds supporting the organization’s efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The theme, “Everybody Dance Now,” underscores the transformative power of dance— as an art form and a scientifically proven way to enhance cognitive function, improve memory, and delay the effects of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
The Fred Astaire Dance Studios are located in Latham and Saratoga Springs. A short speaking program preceding the performances feature representatives from the Fred Astaire Dance Studios and the Alzheimer’s Association.
For ticket information and event details, visit the event page- Everybody Dance Now – at Eventbrite. For more information about Fred Astaire Dance Studios Saratoga Springs, visit fredastaire.com/saratoga-springs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Universal Preservation Hall has announced a dynamic March lineup featuring four musical performances coming to Saratoga Springs.
Kicking off the month, Southern rock icons The Outlaws will take the stage 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, bringing their classic Southern rock sound to UPH. With hits like “Green Grass & High Tides” and “There Goes Another Love Song,” the band has been a cornerstone of the genre since the 1970s.
Next, Brass Queens bring their unique fusion of jazz, funk and pop 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 8. This all-female ensemble is celebrated for its powerful brass arrangements and dynamic stage presence.
The Infamous Stringdusters have redefined modern bluegrass with their innovative sound and storytelling prowess. They will be in the Great Hall 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13. Known for their intricate musicianship and engaging performances, the Grammy-winning group blends traditional bluegrass with contemporary influences.
Finally, Hair of the Dog will bring the festive spirit of Ireland to UPH with a hooley 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15. With their lively Celtic tunes and spirited performances, a perfect show for an early St. Patrick’s Day party.
Tickets are on sale through the Box Office at Proctors in-person, via phone at 518-346-6204 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or online by visiting atuph.org. Groups of 10 or more can get tickets by calling (518) 382-3884 x 139.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Seabiscuit. Paint. Saratoga Trunk to Ghost Story. Aftermath and The Skeptic, to the Horse Whisperer and Billy Bathgate.
In actual setting or via its inspiration, Saratoga has provided a backdrop for filmmakers for the past 75. And consider this lesser-known fact: Truman Capote came to Yaddo in Saratoga Springs in the 1940s an aspiring young writer, and left having authored his first book. Forty years later an even younger trio of aspiring theater students shared classroom space and dorms at Skidmore College during a four-week arts camp. The three teens who meeting one another for the first time (there even exists a snapshot to prove it) – late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, director Bennett Miller and writer Dan Futterman – would later collaborate on the film Capote, and earn awards and accolades across the world.
An inaugural event – heralded as the Saratoga Film Showcase – aims to celebrate regional cinema, filmmakers, and the value of production offered in the Saratoga community with a series of happenings.
Events take place on Friday Jan. 17 and Saturday, Jan. 18 and kick-off with a 7 p.m. showcase short films and 9 p.m. welcome party Friday at Putnam Place, and continue with a variety of screenings and discussion panels on Saturday.
The weekend’s headline event features a screening of the locally filmed “Paint” and a subsequent Q&A session with the film’s director, Brit McAdams, 7 p.m. Saturday at Scene One Wilton Mall Cinema.
Suggested donation is $50 for tickets that grant access to all events throughout the weekend, and are available at: https://www.saratoga-arts.org/event-5978760. Proceeds will be donated to Camp Stomping Ground as scholarships for teens to attend ArtsFest this summer.
Amanda Robie at Opera Saratoga. Image: Nua Photography Co.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Opera Saratoga has announced the establishment of a new executive leadership position. Amanda Robie, formerly the company’s Managing Director, has been appointed to the role of Executive Director. In this capacity, she will collaborate closely with the General and Artistic Director, as well as the Board of Directors, to shape and advance the strategic direction of the company.
A resident of Saratoga Springs, Robie began her career in opera as a mezzo-soprano, having studied voice at Bucknell University and The Boston Conservatory. A notable highlight of her performing career was her role as Cousin Hebe in Opera Saratoga’s 2013 production of H.M.S. Pinafore. In 2019, she joined Opera Saratoga as Managing Director.
“Amanda is an invaluable asset to Opera Saratoga, and both the Board and I are deeply appreciative that she has accepted this new leadership role,” Mary Birnbaum, General and Artistic Director said in a statement. “I am excited to continue our partnership and to work alongside her in shaping the future of Opera Saratoga, beginning with the 2025 Summer Festival, which will run from May 20 to June 29.”
For more information about Amanda Robie or subscriptions for Opera Saratoga’s Summer Season, visit our www.operasaratoga.org.
World Premiere by flamenco dance company at Spa Little Theater.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Explore the fifth element of the universe with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana’s world premiere of “Quinto Elemento” (Fifth Element).
Considered the most prominent flamenco dance company in the United States, their debut of this piece at SPAC will portray the chaotic nature of this fifth element: ether, the essence that makes up the space around us.
Flamenco Vivo Carola Santana will stage 7 p.m. March 8 and 2 p.m. March 9 at Spa Little Theater. Tickets: go to: spac.org.
Coheed and Cambria, Mastodon with special guest Periphery, to stage in Saratoga Springs May 2025.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Coheed and Cambria and Mastodon announced the 20-city Infinite Arc Tour. includes a stop at Saratoga Performing Arts Center May 26, 2025.
Coheed and Cambria are gearing up for their brand-new album The Father of Make Believe, releasing on March 14, 2025. This year, Mastodon celebrated the 15th anniversary of Crack the Skye with a deluxe box set reissue, marked 20 years of Leviathan with special full album performances, and released a new track “Floods of Triton.”
ALBANY — Mixing delicate melodies with bursts of distortion and texture, Sophie Allison has always written candidly about her life, making Soccer Mommy one of indie rock’s most interesting and beloved artists of the last decade.
On Friday, Jan. 31, The Egg presents a show featuring Soccer Mommy with support provided by L’Rain.
Other selected shows upcoming at The Egg in 2025 include: Shemekia Copeland on Saturday, Jan. 18; Los Lobos on March 5, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on May 7.
The Egg Center for the Performing Arts is located at Empire State Plaza, Albany. Phone: 518-473-1845. For more information and a complete list of upcoming performances, go to: www.theegg.org.
Opera Saratoga summer season will take place May 20 – June 29.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Opera Saratoga, which performs for more than 25,000 people annually, will celebrate 64th Summer Season with a series of performances at Universal Preservation Hall in downtown Saratoga Springs and Ferndell Pavilion in the Spa State Park.
“This summer’s festival will transport audiences around the world for two sensational classics which give young singers a chance to shine” General and Artistic Director Mary Birnbaum said, “and two new operas which challenge audience notions of what opera means today. We’ll go on an exhilarating, romantic journey from Saratoga Springs and back again.”
Offenbach, Meilhac & Halévy’s sparkling, witty, and electric “La Vie Parisienne” takes us to the heart of the demi-monde in 1860s Paris where two bachelors play tour guide to a Swedish Baron and Baroness. With four performances at Universal Preservation Hall: June 20, 26 & 28 at 7:30 pm and June 22 at 2 pm.
Offenbach’s romp runs in repertory with Bock, Harnick & Masteroff’s jewel-box musical “She Loves Me.” Famous for tunes like “Vanilla Ice Cream,” “She Loves Me” and “It’s Been Grand Knowing You,” this sweet story focuses on two employees in a Budapest parfumerie who are sworn enemies during the day but unsuspecting lonely hearts penpals at night. With five performances at Universal Preservation Hall: June 21, 25, 27 at 7:30 pm and June 28 & 29 at 2 pm.
Earlier in the month, the company will produce a site-specific installation version of “In a Grove” composed by Chris Cerrone with libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann. This operatic adaptation of Akutagawa’s classic short story “In a Grove” which inspired the plot of Kurosawa’s renowned film Rashomon, offers a searing investigation into the impossibility and elusiveness of truth. With four performances at the Ferndell Pavilion in Saratoga Spa State Park: May 28 at 5 pm, 7 pm, and May 29 at 5 & 7 pm. Rain date: May 31.
Finally, the company will present a work-in-progress showing of composer Emma O’Halloran and librettist Naomi O’Connell’s A Mass for Women in Bathrooms. This opera-theater work for three singers, an actress and electronic sound design by Alex Dowling reframes the structure of the Irish Catholic Mass to tell an intimate family story of three sisters and their mother. A story born from personal experience, A Mass for Women in Bathrooms examines themes of infertility, reproductive rights, and dementia, while reclaiming bodily autonomy for women in a historically violent space. This project is funded in part by the Arts Council of Ireland. With two work-in-progress performances at Universal Preservation Hall: June 22 at 7:30 pm and June 27 at 2 pm.
For more information and tickets go to: operasaratoga.org or email info@operasaratoga.org
Sophia Subbayya Vastek to the Zankel Music Center, as part of the Surround concert series.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Surround music series – which seats audiences onstage with the artist for an intimate concert experience – invites pianist Sophia Subbayya Vastek to the Zankel Music Center, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26.
As a second-generation pianist and third-generation musician, Vastek brings a reverence for her collective history alongside a boundless, exploratory spirit. Her intuitive playing style—rooted in tenderness, improvisation, and classical training—has evolved into a dynamic, cinematic sound that shifts effortlessly across musical worlds.
Her latest LP, In Our Softening (2022), was recorded on a 1902 upright piano, complete with a crack in its soundboard, delivering an ambient-inspired sound that is at once both vulnerable and captivating.
The Surround concerts are staged at 4 p.m. one Sunday a month in January, February, and March. The series continues with performances by South Carolina singer and producer Niecy Blues on Feb. 9, and indie rock / jazz musician and songwriter Cassandra Jenkins on March 2. For more information about events at the Zankel, which is located on the campus of Skidmore College, go to: https://www.skidmore.edu/zankel/index.php.
