SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga author Nicolas DiDomizio’s debut, “Burn it All Down,” will be celebrated with a book release party via Zoom at Northshire Bookstore on Monday, May 24. 

Published by Little, Brown & Company and billed as a mwother/son, crime/revenge thriller, the synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Joey Rossi and his mom, Gia, are close. Some might say too close. But ever since Gia had Joey as a teen, that’s the way it’s always been. The two of them against the world. As it should be, since they share a similar affliction: terrible taste in men. When Joey discovers his boyfriend has been cheating and Gia discovers her boyfriend has been lying about getting divorced, they leave their Bayonne, New Jersey, apartment and set out on a revenge mission.

Tickets are required and the event gets underway at 7 p.m. Go to: northshire.com. 

DiDomizio holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Connecticut State University and a master’s degree from NYU. He has worked in corporate roles at Condé Nast, MTV, and elsewhere. He lives in upstate New York with his partner, Graig, and their bulldog, Tank. 

Saratoga Springs — Congregation Shaara Tfille and The Jewish Community Center of Saratoga Springs will host a presentation from former Mossad Agent Yola Reitman. Reitman will share her leading role impersonating a diving instructor of ‘Operation Brothers’ to rescue Ethiopian Jews. This virtual event will be direct from Israel on Sunday, May 23 at 3 p.m. 

Reitman was recruited by Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad, to lead the rescue of thousands of Ethiopian Jews who had fled famine and war into neighboring Sudan. 

Reitman played a key role in the mission which was fictionalized in a Netflix feature film titled “The Red Sea Diving Resort.” 

Reitman’s discussion will be accompanied by a slideshow of true pictures alongside the real stories. The program is complimentary, but donations are encouraged to benefit Congregation Shaara Tfille and The Jewish Community Center for future programs. For reservations, please contact likebertrand518@gmail.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Dance Alliance of the Capital Region announces a unique virtual series that captures the allure of Hollywood’s Golden Age with a virtual tour by collector Mike Kaplan followed by a movement class in the style of one theme per week. 

Part 1 will include a virtual tour led by collector Mike Kaplan showing and speaking about Hollywood dance film posters with a common theme. 

Part 2 will be a short interactive sharing of participants and the dance instructor about the films and theme of the day. 

Part 3 will be a movement class as follows: May 26- Soft shoe tap with Johnny Martinez – film focus on Nicholas Brothers and Bill Bojangles Robinson; June 2 – Gene Kelly with David Prottas – film focus will be on An American in Paris; June 9- Films with a Latin flair with Diane Lachtrupp – Caliente, Bolero, West Side Story, Rumba; June 16 – From Broadway to Film with Robin Gifford – focus on the choreographic style of Bob Fosse; June 23 – Hollywood Western with Ginger Morris – a country western dance class; June 30 – Fred and Ginger with Holly Livingston – the incomparable ballroom duo in films.

The Wednesday afternoon program runs from 1 – 2:15 p.m., May 26-June 30 on Zoom. The cost for 6 classes is $50. A single class is $10. Dancing Through Time Virtual: The Golden Age of Hollywood registration at www.dancealliance.org 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Gimme Shelter. Love In Vain. Monkey Man, Midnight Rambler, and You Can’t Always Get What You Want. 

“Let It Bleed” – one of the Rolling Stones’ finest albums (although arguably some of the songs were better presented in the live album format that would follow), was released on Friday, Dec. 5, 1969, precisely 24 hours prior to the Stones staging their free concert at Altamont that drove a final nail in the coffin of the 1960s. 

Greatest Stones’ album or not, it came at one of their more tumultuous periods, and during the 1968 and 1969 era in which it was recorded, certainly at their most creative. And Rochman will tell you all about it, as he spins the tunes from the nine-track album starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18 at Caffe Lena. 

There will be limited seating inside the venue, and a Zoom Live Stream which may be viewed anywhere in the world. 

For more information and tickets to the Rochmon Record Club Listening Party Rolling Stones/ “Let It Bleed,” go to:  caffelena.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Absolutely Live Entertainment announce the return of the 2021 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, marking the first live performances on SPAC’s stage since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered arts venues last spring. 

The festival will be headlined by Dianne Reeves, Cécile Mclorin Salvant, Christian Mcbride’s New Jawn, Al Di Meola, Joey Alexander and Artemis, presented by Skidmore Jazz Institute, and will also feature acclaimed local musicians including Garland Nelson Leading “Joyful Noise” And Hot Club Of Saratoga, presented by Caffè Lena. 

Slated for Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27, gates will open each day at 10 a.m. with performances scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. The festival will be presented in compliance with current safety protocols to ensure the health and safety of artists, audience members and staff. As required by the State, all attendees of the festival will be required to show either proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test within 72-hours of the event. 

“Our Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is always one of the most exhilarating and anticipated weekends of the year, kicking off our summer season. While this year’s festival will look a little bit different as a result of COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, the very fact that we will once again be able to join together on the SPAC grounds for live music feels absolutely miraculous,” said SPAC President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol, in a statement.

Performances from noon to 6 p.m. on both days, will take place on the main amphitheater stage. Guests are welcome to bring in food in a clear plastic bag and factory sealed water; there will also be food and beverage options available to purchase on site. In addition, guests are permitted to bring in their own blankets (no larger than their designated pod size), chairs, personal umbrellas or clip-on umbrellas and essential personal items. 

Festival Line-Up 

Saturday, June 26: Five-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves, seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz bassist Christian McBride presents his latest project – Christian McBride’s New Jawn; Indonesian jazz pianist, contemporary bandleader and composer Joey Alexander; and local premier gypsy swing ensemble Hot Club of Saratoga. 

Sunday, June 27:

Internationally recognized guitar virtuoso Al Di Meola; composer, singer, and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant – recently named “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the 2021 Jazz Journalists Association; Artemis – 2021 Jazz Journalist Association’s “Mid-Size Ensemble of the Year”; “soulist” and bandleader Garland Nelson presents Garland Nelson’s Joyful Noise. 

TICKET INFORMATION: 

Ticketholders who kept their seats from the 2020 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, which was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be reseated in similar locations and contacted by the SPAC Box Office. SPAC Members will have early ticket access depending on membership level, beginning on May 18. Tickets for the public will be available to purchase on May 21. 

Designated pods of two will be allocated and reserved for ticket buyers in the amphitheater, while designed pods of two and four will be available on the SPAC lawn. Amphitheater tickets start at $130 per pod, which seat up to two people. Lawn tickets are available to purchase for $150 for a two-person pod, or $300 for a four-person pod. Single tickets will be extremely limited and available starting at $65 for the amphitheater and $75 for the lawn. Advance ticket purchases are strongly advised as ticket availability will be limited. If available, tickets will be on sale on the day of, but are subject to an additional fee. 

For more details about the event and Covid-19 Safety & Protocols, go to: spac.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Walk past the shop on Phila Street that stands nestled alongside Hattie’s Restaurant and just beneath the legendary performance stage that is Caffe Lena. Here, standing behind the stenciled glass front windows of the woodwind shop that bears his name, there’s a good chance you will find Billy Cole, continuing to do the work just as he has over the past several decades. 

What Cole does is he restores wind instruments. Over the past 40-plus years, he figures he has worked on more than 50,000 of them, from the repair of the instruments of teenagers learning their craft in school orchestras, to the sonic sculpting of the musical tools heard atop some of the world’s grandest stages. Many of the stories are shared in his new book, “With The Band: Memoir of a music shop owner.” 

Cole opened his first shop in 1977. Today, he writes, “I could never comprehend what a wonderful life I would lead when I started out so many years ago.” 

The stories of his tune-filled life date to his earliest days – forging a long-lasting relationship with musician Nick Brignola that was initiated with the repair of a baritone sax, to an insider’s detail of friendships and alliances that includes a community of legendary Woodstock musicians, orchestra members playing with the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, to Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and an assortment of traveling luminaries who have graced the Saratoga Performing Arts stage.     

He recognized the importance of the work early on. “Pitch, resonance, and sometimes intentional resistance could be shaped within an instrument to enable the artists to express the emotion in their music,” he writes in a 423-page memoir, accompanied by images and poignant glimpses of his family life, “with the help of my lifelong love and confidant Mary Alice, we have raised our family along with our little shop.” 

After decades in the business, Cole eventually set-up shop in Saratoga Springs in 2004 to, first in a space overlooking Broadway then on to Phila Street, where Cole’s Woodwind Shop is presently located, and regional readers of his memoir will recognize many local names among the stories that shaped the life of this music shop owner.

Billy Cole, “With The Band: Memoir of a Music Shop Owner,” published by Shires Press, available at Northshire Bookstore Saratoga on Broadway, and online via northshire.com. 

GREENWICH — The Washington County Fairground is opening the grounds and welcoming the community back to Old Schuylerville Road. This year they are bringing back some old favorites as well as new events to the community after a year of virtual communication.

Food Truck Fridays kick off Friday, May 7 with local band Kelly & Son. Food Truck Fridays will continue every Friday through the end of July. 

This spring will also host a delayed celebration of the newly completed Horse Arena with arena lighting made possible by the Glens Falls Foundation in 2020. To celebrate the arena’s completion, the Fairground will be hosting new equine events throughout the 2021 season. 

In conjunction with Food Truck Fridays, the second Friday of the month will star Gymkhana Under the Light, a Gymkhana series for all ages. 

On Sunday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be the Horse Tack Swap Meet. Admission to the event is a pet food item for the Comfort Food Pantry. Throughout the day, enjoy demonstrations by the Draft Horse Club and The Tri-County Liberty Club.

These are just a few events coming to the Washington County Fairgrounds in 2021. For more details and information visit washingtoncountyfairgrounds.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Trey Anastasio has announced he will return to the hometown of Phish collaborator Tony Markellis next month for three solo shows at SPAC. Markellis died on April 29.

Attendance will be limited to 30% of full capacity and all seating – including lawn – will be sold in “pods“ that range in size from 2 to 4 fans. Each group of seats must be purchased all together.

Concert goers will also need one of these: Proof of a negative antigen COVID-19 test taken within six hours of the event start time, or Proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the day of the event, or proof of vaccination. The type of vaccination proof required was not specified. For ticket information visit: trey.com/tour 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s flagship in-school program, “Classical Kids,” is set to return in a virtual format. 

Programs partnered with resident companies New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra will take place from May 10-28, and will reach more than 24,000 students and 55 elementary and middle schools in the greater Capital Region. 

New for this year, two engaging video performances that were curated exclusively for Capital Region students will be presented. All 24,000 students who participate in the program will then receive a SPAC Student Lawn Pass, which grants the student and an accompanying adult free lawn admission to all ballet and orchestra performances at SPAC until their projected year of graduation from High School.     

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused SPAC to innovate and reimagine many of our events and performances and our Classical Kids program is no exception. While we typically partner with our incredible local musicians and dance troupes, this year we had the unique opportunity to present ballet and classical music from our very own resident companies,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president & CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, in a statement. 

The Classical Kids programs will feature excerpts from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Steadfast Tin Soldier, performed by New York City Ballet and works by Beethoven and Dvořák, performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Both the dance and orchestra programs include an accompanying study guide, developed specifically for students.  Available to stream on demand from May 10-28, Classical Kids is scheduled to serve schools located in Albany, Essex, Fulton, Hamilton, Mongomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Rensselaer, Warren and Washington counties. 

To learn more on how to enroll your school, contact the SPAC Education Team at education@spac.org or visit spac.org for details. Classical Kids was made possible by CAP COM and Stewart’s Holiday Match Program. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Opera Saratoga has announced the company’s return to the stage for its 60th Anniversary with a season of performances inspired by the iconic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. 

Working closely with a team of medical professionals and a dedicated COVID Safety Officer, Opera Saratoga will be produced outdoors during June and July in partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, and Pitney Meadows Community Farm to provide three unique performance spaces for audiences to safely enjoy two fully staged productions and a special concert. 

In partnership with SPAC, Opera Saratoga will present MAN OF LA MANCHA, the Tony Award winning musical, featuring Broadway and Opera star Zachary James in the role of Cervantes / Don Quixote; and Opera Saratoga favorite, Kelly Glyptis, returning to Saratoga Springs as Aldonza. Three performances are scheduled on the SPAC Amphitheater Stage at 8 p.m. on July 8, 9, and 10.

In a more classical vein, Opera Saratoga will also present DON QUICHOTTE AT CAMACHO’S WEDDING, a one-act comic serenata by Georg Philipp Telemann with a libretto by Daniel Schiebeler, taken from an episode from Part Two of Cervantes’ celebrated novel, in which the Knight and his squire Sancho Panza encounter some rather strange wedding celebrations as they roam the world in search of adventure. The al fresco production will be staged by Rebecca Miller Kratzer and will be conducted by Michelle Rofrano in and around the Columbia Pavilion in Saratoga Spa State Park, with the backdrop of the forest creating a natural setting for this pastoral adventure.  Twelve performances are scheduled between July 14 and July 18, with performances at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 6 p.m.

The two staged productions will be complemented by QUIXOTIC OPERA, a concert of scenes from other operas inspired by Cervantes’ novel, presented in partnership with Pitney Meadows Community Farm. Two performances are scheduled at 7 p.m. on June 24 and 25.

“As we considered how to best return to the stage this summer, I found myself repeatedly drawn to works inspired by Don Quixote,” said Opera Saratoga’s Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson, in a statement. “ I think we’ve all needed to channel some of the famous knight-errant’s idealism and extreme optimism – and to dream impossible dreams in the face of unprecedented challenges.  Thanks to the willingness and enthusiasm of our partners at SPAC, Spa State Park, and Pitney Meadows to dream with us, we are able to come back together as a community to safely enjoy some incredible music and theater together this summer.” 

Leading up to the Festival, Opera Saratoga will also offer an 8-week online course: Another Age, Another Place, Another La Mancha:  Don Quixote and the Birth of the Modern World. Taught by Skidmore Professor Grace Burton, this course will explore why the story of an old man’s wanderings through the dusty plains of 17th-century Spain have captured the imagination of philosophers and filmmakers, composers and choreographers, dramatists, and dreamers alike. The course will be offered via Zoom, on eight consecutive Wednesday evenings, from May 12 – June 30. 

OPERA SARATOGA COVID-19 AUDIENCE SAFETY PROTOCOLS 
As required by New York State, all ticket buyers will be required to show either proof of vaccination at least 14 days prior to their attendance, or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the performance they are attending. In addition, attendees will be required to complete a health screening questionnaire and pass a mandatory temperature check prior to entry. Audience members will be required to wear masks at all performances, regardless of vaccination status or proof of a negative test. Restrooms will be available with social distancing and enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols in place in accordance with
recommended guidelines. 

TICKET INFORMATION 
Due to social distancing at all performances, tickets are extremely limited this season, and it is anticipated that performances will sell out in advance. At all venues, tickets will be sold in socially distanced pods of two seats.  At SPAC, pods of one, two, or four seats will also be available on the SPAC lawn for Man of La Mancha. Very limited single tickets will be available under the roof of the amphitheater for Man of La Mancha, but single tickets are not available for Quixotic Opera or Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding due to the seating configurations at these venues. Advance ticket purchases are required for Quixotic Opera and Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding. Advance ticket purchases are strongly advised for Man of La Mancha. If tickets are available on the day of performance at SPAC, ticket purchases will be subject to an additional fee.

Ticket sales open to the public on Monday, May 10. Go to: www.operasaratoga.org.