fbpx
Skip to main content

MLK Celebration Weekend Jan. 13-16

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

MLK Saratoga presents four days of events from Jan. 13-16.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — MLK Saratoga’s annual Dr. King Celebration Weekend takes place Jan. 13-16 in Saratoga Springs.  

A range of programs reflecting on social, environmental, racial, and economic justice issues, will include workshops, performances, lectures, and panel discussions.

This year’s theme explores and responds to Dr. King’s reflection: “In a sense, songs are the soul of a movement.”

Events begin 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 with the 8th Annual Dr. King Challenge: More Music Less Violence.  Hosted and curated by Capital Region’s DJ Hollys8d at the Holiday Inn, the event includes several regional performing artists. Reception with light fare & cash bar, fun art projects, photo booth. Family friendly. Suggested donation of $10 or pay what you can. 

Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Saratoga Springs Public Library: storyteller Jae Gayle’s family-friendly workshop “How the Negro Got His Song” at 10:30 a.m., followed by two presentations and panel discussions – Restorative Justice in Schools: Promoting and Protecting Dignity and Justice for Everyone at 12:30; and C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios’ Erasing Spaces & Faces – The Legacy of Urban Renewal in Saratoga Springs at 3 p.m.

At 6 p.m. on Saturday, Yaddo artist, award-winning journalist and author of Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop, Danyel Smith, will be in conversation with Skidmore’s Dr. Emmanuel Balogun & Dr. Tammy Owens, with a special performance by multidisciplinary artist/poet D. Colin, at The Pines @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Free, reservations required.

Sunday, Jan. 15 Caffè Lena hosts two music programs with the Nikara Warren Trio celebrating Black excellence in music and featuring music from her triumphant debut album Black Wall Street.  The afternoon kids’ show: Little Folks MLK Celebration with Nikara Warren Trio is at 3 p.m. The evening performance at 6:30 p.m. will begin with an interview with Nikara Warren before her ensemble brings her musicality to the stage. Both programs are free, reservations strongly suggested as seating is limited.

Monday, Jan. 16 begins with the National Day of Service. MLK Saratoga is offering in-person volunteer projects and actions in collaboration with a variety of community organizations. Projects for all ages include: C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios to make kindness rocks; Mooncatcher Project to assemble sustainable menstrual pad kits; Waldorf School for story-reading and card-making; Saratoga Free Fridge – donate food and grocery cards; Little Free Library at the Frederick Allen Lodge – donate books; Temple Sinai Take Note: donate children’s book and musical instruments drive; Youth Squared to make peace flags. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.

Weekend programs conclude at 2 p.m. at Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church, 175 Fifth Ave., Saratoga Springs with refreshments and fellowship. 

2 p.m. Songs are the Soul of a Movement – We will close the Dr. King Celebration Weekend by honoring Dr. King with music and community, with a little history and activism sprinkled in hosted by Soulist Garland Nelson. Program highlights: Freedom’s Highways – an interactive performance with Donald Hyman about artists, civil rights and protest songs. Jermaine Wells and the Ill Funk Ensemble will perform historical civil rights and contemporary protest songs. Community speakers and our city’s first poet laureate, Joseph Bruchac will be in attendance.  There will be refreshments and fellowship as well.

All events are free & open to the public. Check the website for details and updates. The links to reserve seats for events that require registration are located at the end of each event’s description on the main celebration page. www.mlksaratoga.org/celebration-weekend.  

Blending Comic Books and Art History: Acclaimed Artist Trenton Doyle Hancock to Deliver Lecture at Tang Museum

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

Installation view, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Mind of the Mound: Critical Mass, MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts, 2019. Photo by Tony Luong. Image courtesy the artist and James Cohan, New York.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces the sixth-annual Winter/Miller Lecture will be delivered by acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Trenton Doyle Hancock.

The in-person event is free and open to the public and is slated to take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.

Hancock has been revered as an innovative world-builder, developing his own fantastical narrative for almost two decades. Hancock’s prolific artistic output is part autobiographical and part fictional, often centering on current events to drive his ongoing narrative. In Hancock’s world, the character Torpedo Boy functions as the artists’ alter ego who protects the benevolent Mounds from the wrath of the Vegans of the underworld. 

Hancock first achieved national prominence when, in 2000, he was one of the youngest artists included in the Whitney Biennial Exhibition. Since then, he has had numerous solo exhibitions. The artist grew up in Paris, Texas, and lives and works in Houston. 

While comic artists such as R. Crumb are identifiable references in Hancock’s work, his influences range from throughout art history. This includes work by the sixteenth-century’s Hieronymus Bosch, as well as twentieth-century figures like the Surrealist Max Ernst, the outsider artist Henry Darger, and Philip Guston, who is known for using cartoonish figures in his drawings and paintings.

Previous Winter/Miller Lectures were delivered by Nicole Eisenman, 2018; Chris Ware, 2019; Wangechi Mutu, 2020; Nick Cave, 2021; and Juliana Huxtable, 2022.

The Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College reopens Saturday, Jan. 14, with regular hours, which are Thursdays noon to 9 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. More information at http://tang.skidmore.edu.

Dance In Albany Starts New Year with Bay Area Company; Collaboration with Skidmore

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

ALBANY — The performing arts centers at the University at Albany and The Egg present ODC/Dance as the sixth company in the 2022-23 Dance in Albany series. Having recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary, this San Francisco-based ensemble is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown University at Albany campus located at 1400 Washington Ave. 

Founded in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way, ODC/Dance was one of the first American companies to incorporate a post-modern sensibility into a virtuosic contemporary dance technique and to commit major resources to interdisciplinary collaboration and musical commissions for the repertory. 

Since then, the company has performed for more than a million people in 32 states and 11 countries with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. State Department and many state and city arts agencies. In addition to two annual home seasons, past highlights include numerous appearances at the Joyce Theater in New York, sold out performances at the Kennedy Center, two USIA tours to Asia and standing room only engagements in Europe and Russia. 

The company will perform three works on the program. Through a major collaboration with the Dance Department at Skidmore College, there will also be the premiere of a new work on the program. In a first-time choreographic collaboration by the pair, Way and Montalvo will spend five days at Skidmore from Jan. 18 to 22 creating a dance for 22 students selected through an audition process. ODC will welcome Skidmore’s students as guest performers on Jan. 27 when the students open the show performing the new dance.

Advance tickets for are $15 for the general public and $10 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Tickets purchased on the day of the show are $20 for the general public and $15 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff. Individual tickets can be purchased on the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s site at www.albany.edu/pac or The Egg’s website (fees apply) at www.theegg.org. 

Saratoga Jewish Community Arts Hosts Virtual Discussion of ‘The Last Suit’ Jan. 8

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Jewish Community Arts presents a zoom panel discussion at 7 p.m. on Jan. 8 of the character driven 2016 film, The Last Suit, written and directed by Argentine filmmaker Pablo Solarz.

The story is about one man’s attempt to reconcile with his past at the end of his life.

Polarz worked on the film on and off for 12 years before confirming the message as he originally intended. Abraham Bursztein survived Auschwitz and escaped to Argentina with the help of his friend Piotrek. In the 70 years since, Abraham worked as a tailor in Buenos Aires, raised a large family, and lost touch with the man that saved his life. As he approaches 90, eluding his family’s plan to move him into a nursing home, he sets off with the goal of returning to Poland, the name he will not say aloud, where he hopes to find his friend and gift the last suit he’ll ever make.  

Zoom panel discussion: register at sjca.sjcf@gmail.com. 

Saratoga New Year’s Fest

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

Live Music, Fireworks, Free Carousel Rides

SARATOGA SPRINGS — This year’s reimagined two-day New Year’s Eve/ New Year’s Day event will include a variety of entertainment throughout the city of Saratoga Springs.

More than 20 different acts located throughout venues in downtown Saratoga Springs will officially kick off at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. 

Cowboy Junkies will headline this year’s show. 

The festival will include performances by Jeffrey Gaines, The Samples, Delvon Lamar Organ Trio, Deadgrass and Friends, Halfstep, Peter Parcek Band, George Fletcher Blues Band, The Bob Stump Tree-Oh, Kevin Richards, Jenny Grace Band, Grit-N-Whiskey, Maggie’s Clan, Triskele, Keith Pray Quartet, Cait Devin, Clare Maloney & The Great Adventure, Kevin Kelly, 18 Strings of Trouble, and Son of a Gun.

Current participating venues include: Saratoga Springs City Center (three stages), Universal Preservation Hall, Putnam Place, The Parting Glass, Whitman Brewing Company, Bailey’s Café, The Ice House, The Wine Bar, Saratoga City Music Hall, and Hampton Inn.

Fireworks to celebrate the New Year will kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31 from the top of the Lake Avenue side of the City Center parking garage, and the Congress Park Carousel – normally closed during the winter months – will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. free of charge to the public. 

Additionally, Dance Flurry organizers will host a mini Dance Flurry event on Saturday, at the Saratoga City Music Hall, located on the upper level City Hall. The event will feature a variety of performers with guided dance instruction throughout.

Event badges will provide full access to all venues throughout the night and may be purchased online at https://bit.ly/3Fa6dmw or in person at Adirondack Trust (main branch on Broadway), Impressions of Saratoga, Dark Horse Mercantile, Putnam Place, The Ice House, Bailey’s Café, and select in-city Stewart’s Shops. 

“Early Bird” discounted all-show event badges are $20. Reserved and VIP packages are also available. 

The celebration will carry over into New Year’s Day, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, beginning with the Saratoga First Day 5K. The 5K will start at 11 a.m. outside of the City Center on Broadway, proceeding down Lake Avenue to Excelsior Avenue and back to the City Center. Registration for the 5K costs $30 for an individual and is a separate purchase from Saratoga New Year’s Fest tickets. Runners and walkers can register for the 5K online: https://bit.ly/3HbGfBX. 

Those interested in helping volunteer during Saratoga New Year’s Fest may sign up at: https://bit.ly/3XYMXB3

The Music Lineup for Saratoga New Year’s Fest
Go to: www.eventcreate.com/e/saratoga-new-year-fest.\

12/30 Friday

Putnam Place: Pre-Fest 8 p.m. High Peaks Band

10 p.m. Mighty Mistic

12/31 Saturday (NYE)

Ellsworth Jones Place 5 p.m. Ragged Company Duo

6 p.m. Fireworks

City Center: Ballroom 7 p.m. The Samples

9 p.m. Cowboy Junkies

11 p.m. Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

Parting Glass: Celtic Pub 7 p.m. Triskele

10 p.m. Maggies Clan

City Center: Country Party 7 p.m. Kevin Richards Line Dance

8 p.m. Grit N Whisky

9 p.m. Kevin Richards Line Dance

10 p.m. Jenny Grace Band

Ice House: Classic Rock Tent 7 p.m. 18 Strings Goes Crazy Horse

9 p.m. Son of a Gun

Wine Bar (Lower): Piano Solo 8 p.m. Andy Iorio

Baileys Cafe 7:30 p.m. Keanan & Kribs

9:30 p.m. Kevin Kelly

Putnam Place: The Dead Zone 6:30 p.m. Clare Maloney &
Great Adventure

8 p.m. Halfstep

10 p.m. Deadgrass & Friends

City Center: Blues Joint 8 p.m. George Fletcher
Blues Band

9:30 p.m. Peter Parcek Band

Universal Preservation Hall 7 p.m. Keith Pray Quartet

8:15 p.m. Cate Devin

9:15 p.m. Jeffrey Gaines

Hamption Inn: Comedy Room 7 p.m. Moody McCarthy Show #1

8 p.m. Moody McCarthy Show #2

9 p.m. Moody McCarthy Show #3

Whitman Brewing: Roots Cellar 7 p.m. Bob Stump Tree-Oh

9:30 p.m. Maple Run Band

Saratoga Music Hall: Mini-Flurry Noon: All Day & Night

Rees Shad Celebrates New Tattletale with Local Show In the New Year 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

Rees Shad, live on Jan. 8 at The Strand Theater. Photo provided.

HUDSON FALLS — Off the road for nearly 20 years, singer / songwriter / wordsmith Rees Shad’s recent return to the stage finds him exploring a more improvisational approach to performing his meticulously crafted narratives. This has resulted in performances akin to the freedoms found in live jazz. 

Shad celebrates the release of his brand new “Tattletale” album with a live performance in Hudson Falls at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8 at The Strand Theater, located at 210 Main St., Hudson Falls. 

A native of Manhattan who used his father’s Dictaphone to record his first song at the age of four, Rees grew up absorbing New York’s downtown music scene from Gerde’s Folk City to CBGB’s, before moving to the Greenwich area in upstate N.Y., where he immersed himself in rural culture, built a recording studio and started making music in earnest.  

On Tattletale, Shad recruited jazz bassist Ira Coleman (Vincent Herring, Pharoah Sanders, Tony Williams, Sting), Latin percussionist Carlos Valdez, funk drummer Tom Major, veteran rock guitarist Jimmy Weider (The Band), Folk singer Ruth Ungar (The Mammals), and Americana empresario/fiddler Larry Campbell (Edie Brickell, Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan, The Black Crowes). 

For information, visit www.reesshadmusic.com/tour. 

New Year’s Eve Dance, Dinner Event at Rivers Casino & Resort 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

SCHENECTADY — Guests are invited to ring in 2023 at Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady where they can experience a New Year’s Eve Hollywood Bash with the Refrigerators, a dinner at Dukes Chophouse, a chance to win a new Infiniti QX80 SUV, and other exciting New Year’s gaming promotions. 

The Hollywood style dance party will be held at the Rivers Casino Event Center on Saturday, Dec. 31.  Admission includes live music, dancing, party favors, cash bar, and a champagne toast at midnight, all inside a spectacular Hollywood-themed Event Center. Tickets are on sale for $25 at RiversCasino.com/Schenectady. Tickets will also be available on the day of the event while supplies last. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the party goes until 1 a.m. Open to the public. Must be 21+.

Guests can also celebrate New Year’s Eve at Dukes Chophouse on Dec. 31 with a special three-course dinner. Live entertainment with Jeff Brisbin from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Cost per person is $125 +tax and gratuity. Dinner available from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. Regular menu will also be available. Advanced reservations required at 1-518-579-8850. 

Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady is located at the Mohawk Harbor near the heart of downtown Schenectady. For more information, visit RiversCasino.com/Schenectady. 

Live in ’23 at The Egg: Manhattan Transfer, Brian Culbertson

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

ALBANY — The Egg has announced that The Manhattan Transfer (March 29) and Brian Culbertson (March 30) will perform as part of the 2023 American Roots & Branches concert series.

Details:  The Manhattan Transfer – 50th Anniversary Tour, Wednesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m.., $72, $59.50, $49.50.

Brian Culbertson – The Trilogy Tour, Thursday, March 30, 7:30 p.m., $49.50, $39.50

Tickets are on sale online at www.theegg.org or by telephone at 518-473-1845, or in person at The Egg Box Office Monday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.  

CulinaryArts@SPAC: Food as Medicine Series at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in ‘23

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new CulinaryArts@SPAC series entitled “Food as Medicine” will take place in the Nancy DiCresce Room at The Pines at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  

The series of events will feature culinary tastings and drinks alongside conversations with experts, physicians and writers discussing how food, lifestyle and wellness practices can support longevity, help to prevent disease, and manage chronic health conditions. 

Kicking off the new initiative is Brain Health Kitchen with Dr. Annie Fenn in conversation with WAMC’s Joe Donahue on Jan. 27, followed by Plants First with Dr. Katie Takayasu on March 25. 

 “As we approach the new year and the season of resolutions, exploring the link between food and health makes for a particularly timely topic. Both Dr. Annie Fenn and Dr. Katie Takayasu are fascinating speakers who integrate science and medicine into their culinary and wellness practices, making for an accessible, motivating and delicious way to start 2023,” said Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, in a statement. 

 Preceding the conversations, guests can enjoy mocktails, wine, and beer along with bites like Cod Pancakes, Crispy Cauliflower Tacos, Salmon with Avocado Butter, Brown Rice Paella with Shrimp and Artichokes, and Almond Butter Tahini Blondies from Brain Health Kitchen and tastings such as Coriander and Flax Roasted Eggplant, Almond Furikake Crusted Halibut with Coconut Lime Cream, and Extra Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse from Plants First: A Physician’s Guide to Wellness Through a Plant-Forward Diet. 

Tickets to attend Brain Health Kitchen with Dr. Annie Fenn are $75 and include drinks (mocktails, wine and beer) and tastings along with admission to the conversation. Attendees can also purchase copies of Brain Health Kitchen at a specially discounted price of $30 ($35 retail). A book signing with the author will immediately follow the discussion. Tickets to Plants First with Dr. Katie Takayasu will be on sale at a later date. Seating is on a first come basis. Visit spac.org for details.   

Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, Angelique Kidjo, Tower Of Power at 46th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival 

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Entertainment.


The annual Saratoga Jazz fest will be staged at SPAC June 24-25. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The 46th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will return for a full two-day and two-stage festival experience on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. 

This year’s lineup features 21 musical groups, headlined by Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, Angelique Kidjo, Tower of Power, and Chucho Valdes.

Additional appearances include: Snarky Puppy, Cory Wong, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Hiromi, Cindy Blackman Santana, Samara Joy, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Emmet Cohen. 

“The 2023 jazz festival features ‘A-list’ artists from start to finish, on both stages, all weekend,” Danny Melnick, the festival producer and President of Absolutely Live Entertainment, said, in a statement. “All of the amphitheater groups will perform longer sets and we’ve built in more time in between sets to allow the audience to go from stage to stage more easily. I couldn’t be more excited about what we’re planning.”  

Bonnie Raitt will be making her return to the festival for the first time since 1988. Headlining on Saturday for its second festival appearance is the 19-piece mega-band Snarky Puppy. 

Returning jazz icons include Pat Metheny; global music superstar Angelique Kidjo, called “Africa’s premier diva” and named one of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2021 by Time Magazine; R&B and funk group Tower of Power, who is celebrating its 55th anniversary, and Afro-Cuban jazz legend Chucho Valdes. 

Highlighting the 11 festival debuts is jazz and funk guitarist Cory Wong, best known as a frequent guest rhythm guitarist for Vulfpeck as well as for his ebullient solo material; eight-piece psychedelia and funk fiery band St. Paul & The Broken Bones; jazz and rock drum dynamo Cindy Blackman Santana, who is the regular touring drummer for Carlos Santana and previously Lenny Kravitz, and “Silky-voiced rising jazz star” (New York Times) Samara Joy, fresh off of her 2023 Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist.  

In addition to two non-stop days of music on two stages, fans can also enjoy a host of amenities including a fine arts and crafts fair, artist CD signings, and new and diverse food offerings. Guests are welcome to bring in their own food and beverages, as well as blankets, tents and lawn umbrellas. Parking for the event is free. 

Performances will begin at 11 a.m. on the Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage and noon on the Amphitheater Stage on Saturday, June 24 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., respectively, on Sunday, June 25.  

Tickets for the festival start at $78 and will be available online at www.spac.org beginning 10 a.m. on Jan. 6 to the general public and starting on Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. to SPAC members (tiered by level). New for 2023, members will also receive a discount of 15-20% (depending on level) on their ticket purchase. Two-day passes are also available for a savings of 10% off per ticket (offer ends 6/15). Children 12 and under receive 50% off tickets in the amphitheater and are free on the lawn. Full-time students with a school issued ID receive 25% off tickets in the amphitheater, or $28 on the lawn (student ID must be presented at will call).