SARATOGA SPRINGS —Tom Rush will be performing in Saratoga Springs at Caffe Lena on Friday, May 31.
Rush’s distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a treasure to audiences around the world in a musical career that spans 60 years.
His new album, entitled Gardens Old, Flowers New, is his first album of new music since the 2018 Voices album and was released on March 1 on Appleseed Records.
Rush, a hero to James Taylor and a big influence to Garth Brooks, is credited with helping shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the genre in the ’80s and ’90s. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne.
Tickets and more information, go to: caffelena.org.
ALBANY — The performing arts centers at The Egg and the University at Albany, which jointly present Dance in Albany, present the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 as the final performance in the 2023-24 series.
The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (ESDC) is the resident company of The Egg and will be joined on stage by musicians Brian Melick, Maria Zemantauski and Bob Buckley. The performance will take place at The Egg at the Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany.
Two works on the program will feature live performance of original compositions fused with an array of jazz and funk by Melick and Zemantauski. The percussionist and guitarist will play live for Falling from 2003 which was commissioned by The Egg for its 25th anniversary. Buckley, on fretless electric guitar, will join the pair in performing the music for Compas which premiered at The Egg in 2008.
The three musicians will also offer a musical interlude between the choreographic works.
The other two dances on the program premiered earlier this season and have visual arts at their core. The company’s newest work, Boundary Behavior, is set to the music of David Walther, Jr. For this presentation of the work, there will be the addition of a projected image of kite paintings by Willie Marlowe that are made from different shapes of painted triangles – equilateral, scalene and isosceles – on paper and form a collage. The fourth and final work on the program is Séance which premiered at the Opalka Gallery in December.
Prior to the performance, there will be a Prelude talk sponsored by the Dance Alliance that begins at 7:15 p.m. and will feature Sinopoli along with several of her collaborators. Tickets are $26 and are available at The Egg Box Office on the Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza in Albany, by phone at 518-473-1845 and online at www.theegg.org. A $13 student rush price is available at the box office window that evening to those with a valid ID.
All performances in the Dance in Albany series that take place at The Egg are supported by Executive Park at 4 Tower Place in Albany.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus won third place in Division A (small chorus-containing 12-30 singing members) and placed fifth overall (based on scores from all small, midsized, and large competing choruses) at the Greater New York/New Jersey Region 15 Annual Convention and Competition, Sweet Adelines International held in Albany.
The chorus competed in a four-part Barbershop style with 25 singers under the direction of Jennifer Hunter, and performed a musical package that included the nostalgic ballad “From the First Hello to the Last Goodbye,” and the lively uptune “Let’s Get Away From It All.” The pairing created an entertaining set enjoyed by the audience and the judging panel.
Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus is an award-winning women’s a cappella group, singing four-part harmony and performing everything from classics and jazz to ballads and contemporary songs.
The chorus has been entertaining since 2008. Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus is a not-for-profit chartered chorus of Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performance.
Saratoga Soundtrack Chorus rehearses Monday nights at the Knights of Columbus on Pine Rd. in Saratoga Springs. To learn more about the chorus, or those interested in auditioning to become a member, visit the website: https://www.saratogasoundtrack.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Saratoga Performing Arts Center will present Beethoven For Three featuring Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma with special guest Antoine Tamestit on Aug. 25 at 3 p.m. in the 500-seat Spa Little Theater. Proceeds from the performance will go toward establishing a programming fund for the Theater, SPAC’s year-round performance home.
“Seeing these artists, who are all among the best musicians in the world, is a sublime and moving experience in any format. We feel incredibly fortunate to have this unique opportunity to present ‘Beethoven For Three’ in the intimate and glorious acoustic of our Spa Little Theater,” Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC’s President & CEO said in a statement. “All tickets purchased for this special concert will support our efforts to provide year-round programming for the community in the Spa Little Theater.”
Beethoven For Three features Emanuel Ax (piano), Leonidas Kavakos (violin), and Yo-Yo Ma (cello) in Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 6. Joined by special guest, Antoine Tamestit (viola), the group will then perform the monumental “Eroica” Symphony No. 3 reimagined for four players, in an intimate arrangement that maintains the power and immediacy of Beethoven’s orchestral work.
Since reopening in the fall of 2022, SPAC has presented year-round programming in the Spa Little Theater, bringing the best in music, theater and dance to the region and welcoming artists from around the world. Tickets to Beethoven For Three are available at spac.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Concertgoers can purchase $25 tickets through May 14 for select Live Nation promoted shows at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
How Concert Week Works: fans can visit LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek to see the full list of participating events. Filter search by participating events, venues, or artists. Once a show is selected, look for the ticket type labeled “Concert Week Promotion,” add the ticket(s) to cart, and proceed to checkout.
Some Of 2024 participating Shows at SPAC include: Khruangbin performing May 26; Hootie & The Blowfish; Lainey Wilson; Niall Horan and Brooks & Dunn in June; Train/REO Speedwagon (July 23) and Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire(July 24), and New Kids On The Block, Creed, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Goose and many more each slated to perform later this summer.Concert Week tickets include all fees upfront in the $25 all-in cost.
GLENS FALLS —Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) announced it has put single tickets on sale for its 30th Anniversary season. One performance is already sold out, and audiences are encouraged to book their tickets now.
The season kicks off with the world premiere musical comedy Todd vs the Titanic by the creators of the international hit Murder for Two, which ATF originated in 2010. ATF’s production of Todd vs the Titanic will transfer to the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca following the run in Glens Falls.
Next, ATF will stage a concert presentation of the new Broadway-aimed pop musical The King’s Wife (running July 19 – 21). With music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter Jamie Floyd and book by Mêlisa Annis, the sweeping epic imagines the secret history of the first wives of Henry VIII.
The season will close with Jeffrey Hatcher’s edgy new adaptation of Dial “M” for Murder (running Aug. 1 – 7), the play by Frederick Knott which inspired the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film.
Additionally, ATF audiences can sneak a peek at a newly commissioned ATF play. Worth: An Intimate Exhibition, is a one-person play written and performed by Jessica Frances Dukes, who starred in the Netflix hit Ozark as Agent Maya Miller. Dukes will perform a developmental reading at the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council’s Lapham Gallery from July 12 – 14. Tickets to this special presentation are priced at $20.
Single tickets for Todd vs the Titanic, The King’s Wife, and Dial “M” for Murder currently range from $25 to $49. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.atfestival.org, or by calling the Wood Theater Box Office at 518-480-4878, or in-person at the Box Office at 207 Glen St. The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Murder in Spa City – the seventh installment in author David K. Wilson’s Sam Lawson Mystery series, brings a wisecracking Texas detective to Saratoga Springs where he is pulled into a murder mystery.
Wilson is originally from a small town in East Texas, but he’s lived in upstate New York for more than 20 years and currently lives in Saratoga Springs.
“Most of the books in this series take place in Texas, but I’ve been wanting to bring Sam to Saratoga Springs for quite a while,” Wilson said. “A colorful character in a colorful city.”
The story is set against the city’s many historic landmarks, as well as the bustling nightlife during horseracing season.
In the new novel, Sam has come to Saratoga Springs to attend a wedding, but is soon thrust into the murder investigation of a local wealthy businessman. It isn’t long before he realizes the key suspects are every member of the victim’s dysfunctional family.
The book is released this month, and for more information about Wilson, as well as how to get a copy of the book, go to: davidkwilsonauthor.com.
SCHENECTADY — Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors Collaborative, announced the promotion of Jean Leonard to President.
Leonard, currently the chief of staff and head of programming, has served the institution for 12 years. In that time, in addition to program responsibility and duties in the office of the CEO, she has intermittently been responsible for other departments as well as special projects.
President is a new position at the Collaborative and is reflective of continued recovery from the nearly two-year shutdown during COVID and the expanding portfolio of activities that the Collaborative embraces. The President will head all operations day-to-day and continue to lead an expanded programming department.
The Collaborative manages the collection of Proctors facilities in Schenectady, as well as Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany and Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Frederick Allen Elks Lodge #609 will host a semi-formal evening of snappy cocktails and delicious jazz from 5 – 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11.
The event, featuring music by Azzaam Hameed of SmoothKeys, with vocals by Annette Harris, will be staged to raise awareness and funds for the Frederick Allen Elks Lodge and their Annual Education Award. Music, Lite Hors d’Oeuvres, Silent Auction, Cash Bar.
Frederick Allen Elks Lodge #609, is located at 69 Beekman St., Saratoga Springs. For more information, go to: www.FrederickAllenLodge.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Opera Saratoga has elected four new members to its Board in preparation of the 2024 summer season, and under the leadership of General and Artistic Director, Mary Birnbaum.
New board members include: Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Works, Jason Golub; Supervising Judge of the Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District, Hon. Christina Ryba; local business owner and musician Derek Stannard; and, president and CEO of Empire Media Network, Abby Tegnalia.
“All community leaders in the Capital Region, each new member brings a valuable perspective and talent to our leadership team. I am looking forward to working with them as we continue to take Opera Saratoga forward,” board President Steve Rosenblum said in a statement.
Interested in learning more about Opera Saratoga’s 2024 season, its board, or wish to become involved, visit www.operasaratoga.org or contact Managing Director Amanda Robie at arobie@operasaratoga.org.
