SARATOGA SPRINGS — American Modern Ensemble (AME) emerges from the pandemic silence with a performance about a modern ritual that has confounded millennials and boomers alike: online dating. 

Caffè Lena presents the World Premiere live stream at 7 p.m. on Oct. 29. 

Composer Robert Paterson and librettist David Cote present two song cycles that explore the narratives of those looking to find true love in digital space – a chamber musical for the “Tinderella” in all of us.

The program features the world premiere of In Real Life II, the counterpart to In Real Life. This song cycle explores the humor and heartbreak of online dating through the lens of five different men. In Real Life II was written for Baritone Jorell Williams who portrays each of our eligible bachelors from the prototypical player who exaggerates his attributes to the secret passions of an “everyday guy.” 

To stream this live performance, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRNEpyIlmsc with a suggested donation – tip jar to Caffè Lena.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Spooktacular, a socially-distant alternative this Halloween with a drive-thru trick-or-treat celebration, will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31 on the grounds of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. 

The two-day, family-friendly event will invite families to don their Halloween costumes and travel the SPAC grounds by car while collecting individually-wrapped candy from numerous stations represented by local companies and organizations. Each station will feature festive Halloween décor and will deliver candy to trick-or-treaters in a socially-distanced manner. 

Reservations are required and will be available in 15-minute increments for $6 per vehicle (plus applicable fees). Each vehicle may contain up to six people. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis at mazzonehospitality.com. Reservations will be capped at approximately 500 vehicles per evening.

Proceeds from the Saratoga Spooktacular will benefit SPAC, which was forced to suspend programming this summer due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global health pandemic. 

The event is presented by Mazzone Hospitality. 

All attendees will be required to wear facial coverings and maintain proper social distancing. Safety recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be strictly followed and enforced, as will New York State guidelines for events and gatherings.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Home Made Theater presents “Something Wicked Home Made This Way Comes” on Saturday, October 24. There will be three performances: noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

The family friendly event will feature singing, dancing, jokes, edible treats (while supplies last), and ghost stories performed by some Home Made Theater favorites, including Mike BelloT (Young Frankenstein), Marc Christopher (Shrek the Musical), and Melissa Lacijan (Mamma Mia), among others. 

Due to current state mandates, space is limited to 35 attendees per performance. Tickets are $10 per person, and must be purchased in advance. There will be no tickets sold at the door. 

The event will be held outdoors, in front of the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Spa State Park. Rain date is Oct. 25. Audience members are asked to bring their own blankets or chairs. Expect to have your temperature taken and to fill out a brief health screening questionnaire.  Tickets can be purchased on Home Made Theater’s web site, www.homemadetheater.org.

ALBANY — If you’ve been guilty of saying recently that nothing exciting is going on locally, take a brief moment to raise your hand, then plunge head-first into this self-titled debut from Sky Furrows — a journey of comfortable remembrances, emanating warmth atop a path you’ve somehow forgotten about, and leading you to a clearing you’re discovering for the first time.

Layers of sonic atmosphere ignited by Philip Donnelly, Mike Griffin and Eric Hardiman – members of Albany’s long-running psych rock unit Burnt Hills, and verses and voices by poet Karen Schoemer.

Go to: skyfurrows.bandcamp.com/releases

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.