SARATOGA SPRINGS — With just a click from the comfort and safety of your home you can view and purchase the work of talented local artists and support the Saratoga Springs art community.   

This holiday season, the Saratoga Springs Art District (SSADI) presents the Beekman Street Arts District Online Holiday Marketplace. The 8th Annual Beekman Street Art Fair, a yearly event celebrating the local arts community and showcasing the art of regional artists, was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Pivoting in these challenging times, the Online Holiday Marketplace provides the opportunity to browse and buy a variety of fine art and crafts created by the artists of Beekman Street and beyond.

The new website features work of a group of unique and accomplished artists, and includes: jewelry, painting, wearables, ceramics, pottery, and home decor. Local pick up is offered along with direct shipping. The Marketplace is accessible through the Beekman Street Art District website at SaratogaArtDistrict.com

ALBANY — The Albany Symphony and WNYT NewsChannel 13 present The Magic of Christmas 2020, featuring holiday music performed by The Albany Symphony Brass Choir and Symphony Percussionists, Capital Region youth and performing arts groups, and special guests. 

The television special will air 7-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 on WNYT, Channel 13, and 4-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 on WNYA, My4. The show will be hosted by Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller and NewsChannel 13 Anchor Benita Zahn. 

Featured performers include: Albany Symphony Brass Choir and Percussionists  – performing at the Palace Theatre, The Music Studio, Empire State Youth Orchestra Jazz and Percussion Ensembles, The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, Northeast Ballet Company, and students from the City School District of Albany. 

“During these challenging times, the members of the Albany Symphony and I are so delighted to partner with our friends at WNYT and Benita Zahn to bring the magic of the holidays to our entire Capital region community,” Miller said, in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to feature so many talented young people from throughout our region and the wonderful organizations that nurture them year-round. We hope the whole community will join us in celebrating the beauty of the season.” 

The television show was inspired by the Symphony’s popular live Magic of Christmas performances held annually at the Palace Theatre. Due to COVID-19, The Magic of Christmas has been reimagined this year as a virtual celebration featuring holiday favorites, including “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Sleigh Bells,” a reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and selections from “The Nutcracker.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Congregation Shaara Tfille and The Jewish Community Center of Saratoga Springs will live stream the documentary “Aulcie” by Israeli twice academy-award winning filmmaker Dani Menkin from Dec. 20 – 22.  Aulcie Perry, an African American basketball player from the Newark ghetto, does not make it to the NBA, but he comes to international glory in the holy land by changing the country and himself forever.

In 1976, Aulcie Perry was playing basketball in Harlem when scouts from Maccabi Tel Aviv spotted and signed him. Aulcie moved to Israel, led the team to their first European Championship with an upset win and had what one Sports Illustrated writer described as “the most extraordinary season in its remarkable history.” A year later, he converted to Judaism, changed his name to Elisha Ben Abraham and became an Israeli citizen. Aulcie began dating Israeli supermodel Tami Ben Ami, further establishing him as Israel’s biggest star and the country’s power couple.  His rise to fame was precipitous, and his relationship with supermodel Tami Ben Ami became the subject of relentless media attention, solidifying his status as one of Israel’s biggest stars. 

Yet, behind the scenes, he had a growing drug addiction which culminated in his arrest and imprisonment for narcotics smuggling.  His charmed life came to a dramatic halt. While imprisoned, Aulcie was not only forced to confront his own demons but suffered the loss of long-time girlfriend Tami to cancer.

Open to the entire community, email likebertrand518@gmail.com to obtain the live streaming link. 

SARATOGA SPORINGS — Billed as “the ultimate social distancing concert – in motion,” local musician Garland Nelson and the Soul Session band will perform live music atop of a slow-moving flatbed truck Saturday. The event takes place noon to 1 p.m., and again 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, down Broadway,  onto Lake Ave., then onto Circular, and back again. 

ALBANY — Todd Rundgren – recording artist, producer, songwriter and tech pioneer, has announced his 2021 Clearly Human virtual tour, featuring 25 performances, each of which, organizers say, will be “geo-fenced and tailored” to a different US city. 

The 25 performance “tour” kicks off Feb. 14 with a Buffalo, N.Y. show, and continues Feb. 16 with a show tailored for Albany, eventually concluding March 22 with a Seattle date.    

Each performance will emanate from a Chicago venue and each of the shows will be “localized” to give both the band and the fans a sense of place. That is, local landmarks will appear on the video wall, catering for the band and crew will feature dishes associated with each city, etc. 

Single-ticket purchases in the U.S. will be limited to fans with zip codes corresponding to that show’s greater metropolitan area. 

Each show will feature Rundgren and an expanded 10-piece band performing songs from his 50-year-plus catalog, as well as his entire 1989 album ‘Nearly Human’, which will also be re-releasied on CD and colored vinyl. 

Remote meet-and-greets with Rundgren will be available at every show, as will options to select viewing from multiple camera angles and to be featured on several rows of video screens that will serve as the real-time “virtual audience” for the evening. 

The band for the Clearly Human Tour: Kasim Sulton (Bass), Prairie Prince (Drums), Eliot Lewis (Keys), Gil Assayas (Synth), Bruce McDaniel (Guitar), Bobby Strickland (Sax), Steven Stanley (Trombone), plus the erstwhile “Global Girls”: Michele Rundgren, Grace Yoo, and Ashle Worrick (Background Vocals).

Single tickets are priced at $35, with an array of premium add-ons and multi-date bundles available. The virtual box office is now open: ToddRundgren.NoCapShows.com

GLENS FALLS — The Park Theater will host a ‘Dinner & A Movie’ night Dec. 16, featuring the 1946 Christmas classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

There will be a special 3-Course Prix Fixe menu presented by Executive Chef, Matthew J. Delos featuring a selection of holiday dishes, all made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Guests will be able to choose from a selection of entrées including rosemary roasted prime rib of beef, roasted breast of turkey, and butternut squash ravioli. All meals will be served with a mixed baby green salad, as well as cranberry bread pudding for dessert.

The Park Theater is proud to offer a state-of-the-art fresh air ventilation system with MERV 13 filters for their indoor space, and is closely following all NYS and CDC guidance to maintain your utmost safety. There will be limited seating and tickets must be purchased in advance.

Upon the purchase of a ticket, guests will receive a follow-up email prompting them to select meal choices for their party. 

Tickets are $60 per person. Doors open at 5 p.m., dinner service will begin at 5:30 and the film will begin at 6:30. Go to: www.parktheatergf.com, or phone The Park Theater Box Office at 518-792-1150. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Rochmon Record Club hosts its last listening party of 2020 Tuesday, Dec. 15 at Caffe Lena, featuring a look back at the amazing artists who left the planet this year: Bill Withers, John Prine, Mac Davis, Trini Lopez, Joseph Shabalala and Kenny Rogers, among others. 

The event, streaming live from Caffe Lena, is free, but registration is required. Go to: caffelena.org. 

LAKE GEORGE — The Lake George Arts Project’s Courthouse Gallery invites regional and national, emerging and established artists to submit exhibition proposals. Preference is given to experimental or non-traditional work created in the last two years. 

Exhibition proposals must include 10 to 12 images of recent work, resume, and statement/bio. Proposals can be submitted online now through Jan. 31. 

The Lake George Arts Project was established in 1977 to offer comprehensive programs in the arts. Its mission is to provide exposure and income opportunities to professional and emerging artists, and to provide quality arts programming for the residents and visitors of the Lake George region. 

Please visit: www.lakegeorgearts.org/annual-call.htm for guidelines.  Questions? call LGAP at 518-668-2616 or laura@lakegeorgearts.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has announced the return of its juried photography exhibition program, Photo Finish. The Museum is now accepting submissions for consideration from both amateur and professional photographers of scenes depicting thoroughbred racing in America for their third annual exhibition. 

Racing scenes, portraits (both human and equine), whimsical, morning workouts, retired racehorses, etc., are all welcome; it is up to the photographer to interpret the theme and be as creative as possible. 

The Museum also welcomes photographs documenting what racing was like during the pandemic in this unusual 2020 season. Photographs for consideration must be submitted by May 10, 2021. A panel of judges representing both the racing and arts communities will select the photographs for the exhibition, which will open in November 2021 in the von Stade Gallery.

Application forms will be available at the Museum front desk and can be downloaded at: racingmuseum.org/sites/default/files/PhotoFinishForm-2020.pdf

Questions? Contact Curator Victoria Reisman at VReisman@racingmuseum.net or 518-584-0400 ext. 113. The second annual Photo Finish exhibition will remain on display in the von Stade Gallery through Jan. 31, 2021. The online exhibition will be available on the Museum website through Summer 2021. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Home Made Theater will present a virtual production of the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol,” streaming live starting at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13. 

Local theater mainstays, Patrick and Mairin Quinn, have a long-standing tradition of reading A Christmas Carol to their grandchildren. The annual family Christmas gathering was Grandpa and Grandma‘s favorite time of the year. Stories, reflections and songs were all part of the festivities. This year, the pandemic has prevented the usual joyful reunion from happening, so Grandma and Grandpa decided to put their Zoom skills to work and are regaling the family with their two person version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption, A Christmas Carol. 

This production will be presented as a pay-per-view fundraiser for Home Made Theater. The cost is $15 per view. The show will be available through Dec. 31. 

For more information, or to get your link to the production, go to www.homemadetheater.org.