SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga’s beloved Rick Bolton has given a mic and an opportunity to hundreds of aspiring musicians at his weekly Open Mics. He was among the first to spot the exciting potential in now-popular artists Sean Rowe, Ashley Sophia and Moriah Formica. With Lena’s open mic on pause due to the pandemic, the café has asked Rick take over the stage each Monday to play some tunes and showcase two of his current favorites. 

This month, he will be joined by: Greene Brothers & Heather Meaney (Oct. 12); Rich Ortiz & Steve Candlen (Oct. 19); Deena Chappell and Pete Pashoukos (Oct. 26).  Watch on Live Stream: caffelena.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center will present a Chef’s Table Harvest Dinner at its Pines Pavilion, 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 and 14 , as part of a new CulinaryArts@SPAC initiative. 

Curated by Kim Klopstock of Lily and the Rose, the dinner will be headlined by local progressive chefs Michael Blake, Head Chef of Yaddo and Saratoga Supper Club, and Michele Hunter, Executive Chef of Hamlet & Ghost and 2020 winner of the Food Network’s “Chopped.” 

The harvest dinners will feature a Modern French themed menu complete with five courses, wine pairings, and exceptional locally sourced ingredients. The intimate and COVID-safe dining experience will be limited to 50 people per evening and is in support of the region’s farmers and food purveyors.   

 The Chef’s Table Harvest Dinner serves as the kick-off to “CulinaryArts@SPAC,” a new initiative that will feature educational classes, food demonstrations, workshops and more to support the participating chefs, farmers and the local culinary community adversely affected by COVID-19. 

Seating for each night of the dinner is limited to 50 guests, accommodating parties of four, six and eight. Reservations are $175 per person and are available by contacting Philip Scibilia at philip@spac.org. The event will take place rain or shine in SPAC’s new Pines Pavilion. Due to strict seating protocols, cancellations will only be accepted up to 48 hours prior to the start of your reservation. For any questions, call 518-584-9330.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Arts’ October 2020 series of Art in Public Places exhibitions features 9 member artists and will be on view until Nov. 1

They are – Rosalie Presser: Freehand mandala artworks by Rosalie Presser are on view for in-person viewing at Saratoga Springs Community Federal Credit Union, 23 Division St.; Marta Baxter: Visions of Nature, oil paintings (online at saratoga-arts.org); Caroline Love Miller: So We Pass, paper cuts and paintings at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Road;  Phil Palmieri: My Summer Vacation, oil paintings at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Road; Tatiana Schynoll: Outliers, oil and encaustic painting (online at saratoga-arts.org; Shelley Tabakman: Acrylic paintings (online at saratoga-arts.org); Barbara King: People and Things, mixed media works on view at Saratoga Springs Public Library, 49 Henry St.; LifeSong Inc.: Group Show featuring 8 artists from Lifesong Inc. on view at Saratoga Arts, 320 Broadway. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS  —  Saratoga Jewish Community Arts and Temple Sinai, presents a Zoom discussion at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 regarding the film “Orchestra of Exiles,” the little-known story of Jewish musicians who were transported to Palestine in the 1930s when Nazism was escalating in power.

Participants should watch the film prior to the Zoom discussion. Orchestra of Exiles is available on Amazon Prime Video, Fandor, Epix, DIRECTV, Hoopla, and Fandor Amazon Channel. It is available to rent from Apple iTunes for $3.99.

“This is a Holocaust story you don’t know, almost guaranteed,” says Phyllis Wang, Coordinator of SJCA. 

Orchestra of Exiles, a 2012 documentary, written, produced, and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Aronson, tells this well-hidden saga. It is the tale of the founding in 1936 of what would become the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and how its founder Bronislaw Huberman (1882 – 1947), a Polish-Jewish violin prodigy, saved more than 1,000 Jews (many claim more like 3,000 when parents, wives, and others were swept along) in the process. 

Contact Phyllis Wang at sjca.sjcf@gmail.com to register and receive the Zoom meeting link and meeting ID.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Northshire Live – a series presented by Northshire Bookstore – hosts a live via Zoom conversation with Lee van der Voo and Jeff Goodell. The event takes place 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13. 

Lee van der Voo is an award-winning investigative and environmental journalist and author of As the World Burns: The New Generation of Activists and the Landmark Legal Case Against Climate Change.  Jeff Goodell is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone, frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine, and author of The Water Will Come.

Upcoming Northshire Bookstore events include the Bookseller Bookchat at Home on Wednesday, Oct. 14; political satirist P.J. O’Rourke in a special virtual conversation with WAMC/Northeast Public Radio’s Joe Donahue on Oct. 19; Monks of New Skete present The Art of Training Your Dog on Oct. 20, and Sharon Salzberg – a central figure in the field of meditation, and New York Times bestselling author in a virtual conversation with Northshire Bookstore owner Chris Morrow on Oct. 29.

For ticket information about these and other Northshire events, go to: northshire.com Northshire Bookstore Saratoga is located at 424 Broadway. 

GLENS FALLS — Adirondack Film Festival, in its fifth year of operation, has invented a new way to bring the film festival experience into patrons’ homes. 

“Most festivals are going digital at this point, which is imperative, but that leaves the audience missing arguably the best part of the whole festival:  the experience,” says Producing Artistic Director, Chad Rabinovitz, who announced what he calls “the world’s first Film Festival in a Box.” The program will be available Oct. 15-18.

“In addition to more than 100 short and feature-length films to choose from, you’ll also receive everything you need to recreate the exciting atmosphere that has become synonymous with AFF,” Rabinovitz says.  “Your box comes with items like your festival lanyard, killer AFF swag, 3D glasses (you may just need them), and even a rope to cordon off your room from those pesky housemates who don’t meet your VIP status.  We’ll provide you with some of the best new films on the planet – along with all the popcorn you’ll need to get through the weekend – and so much more.”

Unlike most digital festivals that allow the viewer to choose when they want to watch it, the AFF films will be shown at specific times, exactly as it would be with the in-person festival.  Filmgoers will be given a full schedule and must recreate the experience of choosing which films to see and when. 

The schedule will replace the traditional AFF venues with rooms in the home.  So, a patron may find themselves finishing up a movie in the bedroom and then racing to their living room to catch the next film on their list.  This “film fest experience” schedule will exist from Thursday through Saturday.  For those wanting to watch whatever they want, whenever they want it, the full catalogue of films will be available “on demand” for Sunday. 

Filmgoers will vote on their favorites through a live voting app and an awards ceremony will be held via Zoom, with AFF trophies mailed to the filmmakers after the festival. 

The 2020 film selection was curated by Programming Director Jessica Levandoski, and includes the headliners: First Cow, Saint Frances, We Don’t Deserve Dogs, VHYES, Freeland, and After Midnight.  Special screenings include: Bacurau, Benny Love You, and a 3D block of short films.  In total, AFF is screening 16 feature-length films and 105 short films divided into 22 blocks).  Each film will have a very brief pre-recorded introduction by the filmmaker in lieu of a Q&A.  Films will be screened via a Netflix-style platform which can be viewed either on a computer or a TV. 

VIP passes are $79 and include full access to all films and the total festival experience box complete with AFF swag.  Basic passes are $49 and include access to most films (excludes headliners) – no box is included. Prices will increase closer to the event. 

For more information about the films, go to: adkfilmfestival.org and www.intheboxentertainment.com.  Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Wood Theater Box Office at 518-480-4878. Audiences will vote on their favorite films in various categories with the winners being revealed live over Zoom on Sunday at 7 p.m.

ALBANY — The Albany Symphony unveiled its reimagined 2020-2021 season, which will include world premieres and concertos with brilliant soloists, as well as iconic masterworks. 

Curated by conductor David Alan Miller, the season brings to life an array of new and recent works by a panoply of living composers forging new ways to create art reflecting our time and place, with major masterpieces by Beethoven, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and others, and dazzling solo performances by artists including Inon Barnatan, Melissa White, Karen Hosmer and Grace Shryock.

 The newly reimagined season will be presented virtually.  As restrictions are lifted, live audiences will be invited back into the concert hall.  All concerts will be performed live, in real time, on Capital Region stages, by Albany Symphony musicians conducted by Music Director, David Alan Miller. 

“When we developed our original 2020/2021 season, we planned a season that celebrated composers whose artistry reflected their triumph over adversity,” Music Director David Alan Miller said, in a statement. ”Our newly reimagined season continues along those lines and is an affirmation of creativity.  We will continue to trace heroic journeys by great composers of the past and by a very diverse group of the most exciting composers of our own time.  I’m particularly thrilled by the many gorgeous new and recent works we’ll be introducing this season.”

The season kicks off Oct. 24, with a program featuring Michael Daugherty’s This Land Sings: Inspired by the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie. 

The 2020-2021 season features a collection of new works, including seven world premieres, by an assortment of extraordinary composers, including Andre Myers, Viet Cuong, Jessie Montgomery, Caroline Shaw, Tyson Davis, Tanner Porter, Michael Torke, George Tsontakis, Carlos Bandera, Nina Shekhar, Clarice Assad, Molly Joyce, Chris Theofanidis, and Alexis Lamb. 

 The season also features iconic works by great composers of the past. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 will feature soloist Inon Barnatan. The orchestra will perform symphonies by Haydn and Schubert, and Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 in its exquisite, seldom-heard original version.  Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun and Mahler’s Symphony No.4 will be presented in beautiful chamber orchestra versions.

 The 2020-2021 season runs from October through the American Music Festival in June. An Albany Symphony subscription includes all streamed events and in-person concerts once they can safely resume. Because of social distancing, seating will be available only to subscribers.   Purchasing a subscription will guarantee tickets for in-person concerts. Subscriptions are available by calling the Albany Symphony Box Office at 518-694-3300. For more information about the Albany Symphony and the 2020-2021 Season Reimagined, visitwww.albanysymphony.com.

2020-2021 REIMAGINED SEASON PROGRAMS

Oct. 24: Michael Daugherty, This Land Sings: Inspired by the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie

Nov. 14: Claude Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; Andre Myers, New Commission; Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 4 (chamber orchestra version). 

Dec. 12: Ludwig Van Beethoven, Creatures of Prometheus, Overture and Finale; Michael Torke, Ash; Viet Cuong, Extra(ordinarily) Fancy – Double Oboe Concerto; Karen Hosmer, Grace Shryock, oboes; Ludwig Van Beethoven, Symphony No. 1. Additional performances run through June 2021. Go to: www.albanysymphony.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces a series of public events — including pre-date primers, artist talks, and family programs — held conjunction with the election-year exhibition Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond.

Never Done: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Beyond, co-curated by Rachel Seligman, Tang Museum Malloy Curator, and Minita Sanghvi, Assistant Professor of Management, Marketing, and Business, Skidmore College, is a celebration, conversation, and critique of the journey women have taken and have yet to take in the struggle for equality and representation in the U.S.

The exhibition online features images of 100 artworks by women and non-binary artists along with statements by each artist that reflect on their work in relation to women’s rights, representation, justice, and the legacy of the suffrage movement. These images will be presented alongside new curatorial writing, student reflections, a list of feminist readings and online resources, and more.

All events will take place online via Zoom and are free and open to the public. For information on how to access the events, please visit the Tang website at http://tang.skidmore.edu. For questions, please call the Visitor Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or email tang@skidmore.edu.

Coming up in October: 

Vice Presidential Debate Pre-Debate Primer: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.: Minita Sanghvi, Assistant Professor of Management, Marketing, and Business, and Lucia Hulsether, Assistant Professor of Religion, both of Skidmore College, will discuss gender and race in politics in a primer ahead of the debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. Presented by the Tang Teaching Museum and the Political Science Department.

Never Done Artist Talk with Sonya Clark: Friday, Oct. 16, noon: Sonya Clark is a textile and social practice artist known for using hair, combs, beads, and other everyday materials to explore history, race, culture, and class. In conversation with Rachel Seligman and Minita Sanghvi, Never Done exhibition co-curators. 

Never Done Curators’ Tour: Friday, Oct. 30 at noon: Rachel Seligman and Minita Sanghvi lead an online tour.

SCHUYLERVILLE — Saratoga Clay Arts Center’s Schacht Gallery presents CLAYFEST, a national invitational exhibition celebrating the holiday season with a compilation of incredible functional pots and decorative works by twenty-one established clay artists from across the country. 

The exhibition opens on Saturday, Nov. 21 with a VIP Members-only preview from 5-6 p.m. followed by a public opening from 6-8 p.m. and runs through Jan. 16, 2021. Details for the exhibition can be found online at www.saratogaclayarts.org. 

The exhibition is a diverse exhibition of functional and decorative pottery – cups, mugs, bowls, teapots, pitchers, vases – as well as some fabulous ceramic jewelry and holiday ornaments. Participating artists include Jen Allen, Nolan Baumgartner, Hayne Bayless, Ted Camp, Adam Chau, Bethany Cohen, Dawn Dishaw, Alexandra Fitzgerald, Kenyon Hansen, Steven Hill, Bryan  Hopkins, Cheyenne Mallo, Jessica Palmer, Doug Peltzman, Darren Prodger, Don Reynolds, Zoey Scheler, Melanie Sherman, Wayne Smith, Mike Stumbras and Jon Townley.

Founded in 2011 by clay artist and educator Jill Kovachick, Saratoga Clay Arts Center is a ceramic art center located at 167 Hayes Road, Schuylerville. 

Visit www.saratogaclayarts.org  call 518-581-2529 or email info@saratogaclayarts.org for more information.

In celebration of her just-released, career-spanning album, “An Evening of New York Songs and Stories,” Suzanne Vega will play two globally livestreamed concerts from New York City’s iconic Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village. 

The first will go live on Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time for North American fans and the second will go live on Oct.  at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, to accommodate U.K. and European audiences. 

In a gesture of support for the independent live music industry, currently facing the existential threat of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Vega has partnered on the shows with more than 80 independent venues and promoters in the United States and additional promoters and major festivals in Europe

The full-band set will feature the album’s New York-centric repertoire, honoring Vega’s long musical relationship with her hometown. She will be joined on the Blue Note stage by longtime guitarist Gerry Leonard, bassist Jeff Allen and keyboardist Jason Hart. For tickets and more information, go to: bochcenter.org.