SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Schick Art Gallery presents “Alchemy of Light,” an exhibition that centers photography as an experimental medium through the work of eight artists who use light as a creative tool. In an age of quickly consumed digital images, these works ask the audience to abandon their preconceptions about photography and slow down. 

“Alchemy of Light” is co-curated by Teaching Professor of Art and Schick Gallery Assistant Director Trish Lyell and Schick Gallery Director Rebecca Shepard. 

The exhibition will run from March 29 through April 26 in Schick Art Gallery, on the second floor of Saisselin Art Building. 

All Schick Gallery exhibits and events are free and open to the public; visit the Schick Art Gallery website to learn more. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Roots scholar, multi-instrumentalist and Caffè Lena favorite Michael Eck will be staging his 60th Birthday celebration at Caffe Lena on April 19, and he’s bringing a full band AND a brand new album along with him. 

Eck, who first debuted at Caffè Lena in 1990 will be joined by an all-star ensemble featuring Rosanne Raneri, Kevin Maul – who’s flying in from Florida for the show, and Sten Isachsen and Bob Buckley of Jim Gaudet & The Railroad Boys. 

“A nifty little ensemble to accompany me on an evening of original chestnuts, new compositions and classic folk songs at my favorite venue,” Eck says. 

The new album is titled “Fermata,” and will be released in conjunction with the show. 

“A fermata is a musical notation. It looks like a bird’s eye and is sometimes called a hold. It allows the player discretion regarding the value of a note or a rest. To me, it speaks of freedom in music,” says Eck, who will spend the earlier part of the show date getting the design tattooed on his back. 

“Each of the characters singing these songs, whether myself, an addict in Kentucky, an old coin, a bereft wife or a bullet in a revolver, has been thrown an unexpected pause—a hold. And I know from pauses,” he says. 

Eck’s musical legacy in the region is lengthy – breaking in with the Albany punk scene of the early ‘80s with Glaze, to more recent collaborations with Ramblin Jug Stompers and Lost Radio Rounders. The release of Fermata comes 30 years after Eck’s debut, Cowboy Black, and along the way he has served as curator and host of WAMC’s American Roots Series at The Linda; assistant producer of the Music Haven Concert Series, and producer, host of fundraising concerts, and longtime board member at Caffe Lena, alongside among many other accomplishments. 

“It’s a celebration of my 60th birthday, and I hope you’ll join me,” says Eck. “I’m not old, I’m seasoned!”

The special Michael Eck and Friends performance will be staged 8 p.m. Friday, April 19, at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs. For more info, go to: www.caffelena.org.

SCHENECTADY ­— A five-act Golden Oldies Spectacular comes to Proctors Theatre at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. 

The Doo Wop Project – consisting of five Broadway stars from smash hit shows like Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical, will headline the show. 

The Doo Wop Project traces the evolution of the classic American Doo Wop sound with five guys singing tight street-corner harmonies (including songs by The Crests, The Belmonts, the Flamingos and more). This musical journey includes the hit-sounds of Motown (including The Temptations and Smokey Robinson) and classic East-Coast Pop royalty like Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Dion. Attendees will also experience “DooWopified” versions of hit songs by more recent stars such as Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, Garth Brooks, Maroon 5 and more. 

Co-headlining the show is The Brooklyn Bridge. The Bridge was formed by combining the Crests’ lead singer, Johnny Maestro, with the Del-Satins (Dion’s backup singers) and the horn players from the Rhythm Method.  Maestro had several hits in the late 1950s with the Crests, including “16 Candles,” “The Angels Listened In” and “Step by Step,” and the Bridge still perform those songs in concert.  The incomparable Johnny Maestro died in 2010, and Joe Esposito is the current amazing lead singer.  He performed “Lady, Lady, Lady” in the 1983 hit movie “Flashdance” and “You’re the Best” in 1983’s “Karate Kid.”  He collaborated with Donna Summer on “Heaven Knows” and “Bad Girls.” 

Additional acts performing include The Capris, Bobby Brooks Wilson – the son of the legendary Jackie Wilson recreating the on-stage persona of his dad, and E’stefano DiStanto. 

Tickets are on sale now at the Proctors Box Office, by phone at 518 346-6204 and on the web at proctors.org. Proctors is located at 432 State St., Schenectady.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Yaddo’s annual Summer Benefit will take place on the grounds of the historic artist retreat at 7 p.m. on June 20. 

Heralded as The Party of the Season, this year’s event features singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega in a performance under the stars.

Vega last performed in Saratoga Springs in April 2023, kicking off her U.S. Northeast tour at Universal Preservation Hall where she performed an 18-song set that included “Luka,” “Small Blue Thing,” “Marlena on the Wall,” “Left of Center,” “Tom’s Diner,” and a poignantly beautiful “Walk On The Wild Side” encore, featuring all of Lou Reed’s original words.

The annual summer benefit champion artists and Yaddo’s crucial role in culture. Tickets and information go to: yaddo.org. 

WASHINGTON COUNTY — Artists and artisans are invited to participate in a weekend celebrating the talent in Washington County. 

The sixth annual Artisan Trails in Washington County – a weekend of open studios and mini vendor fairs – will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 13-14. 

Artists and artisans are invited to apply by May 15, online at www.artisan-trails.org. 

New this year, “hubs,” such as breweries, galleries, shops, etc. will host multiple artisans and artists at their location on the open studios tour, along with live demonstrations, plein aire painting and workshops. 

The event is organized by Karen and Steve Mattison with Kris Gregson Moss, who co-founded the Artisan Trails in Washington County in 2018 with Susan Whiting. 

The tour typically includes studios of painters, textile artists, metal sculpturists, 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. 

More information is available at artisan-trails.org.

ALBANY — The Theatre Program of the University at Albany’s Department of Music and Theatre presents its upcoming Fresh Acts: A Festival of New Plays, now in its sixth year. 

This year’s festival is a collaboration involving more than 40 students, with five performances from April 10 through 13, at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown University at Albany campus. The schedule includes shows on Wednesday & Thursday, April 10 & 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday, April 12 at 3 p.m. and Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

Fresh Acts presents readings of six one-act plays written, directed, stage managed and performed by students under the mentorship of Fresh Acts artistic director Kate Walat, associate professor and playwright-in-residence in the Theatre Program. The plays were chosen from a competitive, blind submission process. The final selections were made by Brooklyn-based playwright Amina Henry, whose own play Little Rapes will be presented in the Authors Theatre reading series in collaboration with the New York State Writers Institute on Tuesday, April 2. 

Advance tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for students, senior citizens and UAlbany faculty-staff.  Tickets purchased on the day of the show are $13 for the general public and $10 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff.  All tickets must be purchased on-line from the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s site at www.albany.edu/pac/tickets.  Information and assistance can be obtained by contacting the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s main office at 518-442-3995 or pac@albany.edu

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Historian and author Donald Miller will be featured in a program at 7 p.m. on April 30 at the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Springs. 

The Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library’s Saratoga Book Festival, in partnership with Literary Arts@SPAC and the Saratoga County Veterans Peer Connection program, will present the event: “Masters of the Air: An Evening with Donald L. Miller.” 

Miller’s book, “Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany,” (Simon & Schuster), is the inspiration behind the Apple TV streaming series Masters of the Air. The series is produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

The book tells the story of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II and the young pilots who flew the bombers that helped defeat the Nazis and liberate Europe. 

“Miller’s interviews of more than 100 surviving airmen as well as civilians who were victims of the bombing campaigns in Great Britain and Europe, shed new insights into what was essentially an entirely new form of warfare,” Ellen Beal, Co-Chair and Founder of the Saratoga Book Festival said in a statement.

The book talk will include a short clip from a key scene of the Masters of the Air TV series and an audience Q&A, followed by a book signing. Tickets and copies of the book are available now at https://saratogabookfestival.org/donald-l-miller-event/. Veterans are encouraged to sign up for free passes at: https://saratogabookfestival.org/donald-l-miller-event/.

Miller has authored 10 books and has hosted, co-produced, or served as historical consultant for more than 30 television documentaries. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications.

The Saratoga Book Festival is an annual citywide book festival and literary marketplace that showcases acclaimed writers and debut authors, workshops, programs for children and teens, and other events. This year’s Saratoga Book Festival will be held Oct. 5-6, 2024 in Saratoga Springs. Most events and all youth programs offer free admission. For more information, go to: saratogabookfestival.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —In the Round Series returns to Universal Preservation Hall Friday, April 19  with a show by New Zealand-born pop star Kimbra. 

Kimbra’s 2011 debut, “Vows,” was certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand. Kimbra exploded that same year with “Somebody That I Used To Know,” a duet with Gotye that topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2012 and was the best-selling song of that year in the U.S. In 2014 she released the highly acclaimed album, “The Golden Echo,” recruiting artists as diverse as Thundercat, Omar-Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta, Bilal and John Legend to highlight her eclectic musical style. 

Next, UPH welcomes homegrown artists Jocelyn & Chris with special guest Sydney Worthley 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 17. Jocelyn & Chris, along with their band, charted five consecutive commercial radio singles in the Billboard AAA Top 40.  The siblings have recorded eight albums and toured coast to coast.   

Also announced is Shayna Steele and Buggy Jive at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 14. Steele will be featuring her third album “Watch Me Fly,” offering six self-penned originals and four select classics ranging from soul via blues and gospel and crossing over to retro R&B and jazz. Joining her is Buggy Jive, a soul rock singer-songwriter from Upstate New York. 

Tickets 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 visit atuph.org.

HUDSON FALLS —The Strand Theatre will host the Smoky Greene Scholarship Concert – with performances running from 12:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 7.

Honoring Smokey Greene’s legacy, the scholarship concert supports Schuylerville School aspiring musicians. Proceeds benefit a Schuylerville student pursuing studies in the arts.

Performances will be staged by The Gibson Brothers, The Green Brothers, Al and Kathy Bain, The Stony Creek Band, Kevin McKrell and Friends, and the Seth Sawyer Band.

Tickets are $30/general admission, $15/seniors and veterans in advance. $35/20 on day of show. Tickets are available at the Strand Box Office; cash or check only. For more info, visit www.mystrandtheatre.org.  

The Strand Theatre is located at 210 Main St., Hudson Falls.