HUDSON FALLS — The Strand Theatre welcomes Joe Barna and Sketches of Influence at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4 for an evening of jazz.

Barna is a Jazz Drummer/Composer/Bandleader originally from Troy, whose passion and dedication to music have taken him across the globe and back. 

He has performed with 3-time Grammy Award winners The Celtic Tenors, 7-time Grammy Award recipient Gary Smulyan, world renowned classical violinist Peter Fisher and 4-time Grammy Award recipient Ralph Lalama. 

Sketches of Influence include saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist Fima Chupakhin, bassist James Robbins, with Joe Barna on drums & cymbals.

$15 general admission. Tickets are available at the Strand Box Office; cash or check only. For more information, please go to www.mystrandtheatre.org. The Strand Theatre is located at 210 Main St, Hudson Falls, NY.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – At its annual meeting on May 16, 2024, leadership and staff of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center reflected upon the successful 2023 season and looked ahead to the upcoming 2024 summer season. 

In addition to welcoming back resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, SPAC will also continue to grow its year-round programming and educational outreach. 

“SPAC has been transformed, while staying true to its identity as the long-time summer home of New York City Ballet and the great Philadelphia Orchestra,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president & CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Annual Meeting. 

Sobol, who completed her seventh year at SPAC in October 2023 added, “Over the course of these seven years, we have expanded our season into all 12 months of the year, exponentially grown our education program, and enlarged and deepened our sense of purpose to serve art, artists, our community, and to be agents of change for a more harmonious world.” 

The organization also announced its 27-year relationship with Freihofer’s Baking Co. supporting the Saratoga Jazz Festival will be coming to an end after this year. 

“It is with sadness, but also deep gratitude, that we share that our treasured partnership will come to an end following the 2024 Festival,” Sobol said. The bakery and its parent company Bimbo Bakeries USA have committed more than $2 million in sponsorship over the course of its 27 years of support. “We are firmly committed to honoring the legacy that we have built together, while also looking forward to the festival’s vibrant future, which will continue to embrace community, connections and great live music.”

 The Saratoga Jazz Festival, now in its 47th year, is one of the largest, most prestigious, and longest consecutive running jazz music events in North America.

This year’s festival takes place June 29 & 30 and features two stages during the course of the two-day event with 22 artists, Norah Jones, Stanley Clarke, and Lake Street Dive, among them. 

In all, the 2024 summer season will span three months, with 28 performances, 21 artists and groups making their SPAC debut, and nine SPAC premieres.

Closing the summer season on Aug. 25 is Beethoven for Three with Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma with special guest Antoine Tamestit. Proceeds from this performance will go toward establishing a programming fund for the Spa Little Theater, SPAC’s year-round performance home. 

Since taking over the operations of Spa Little Theater in 2022, SPAC has presented more than 50 public and private events in the theater and welcomed more than 17,000 guests, with 34% of the audiences attending Spa Little Theater events being new to SPAC.

A 2023 economic impact analysis, commissioned by Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency and performed by Camoin Associate, reported that SPAC annually contributes $105 million in economic impact to the region.

“The economic health of our region is vitally important and we are committed to growing our already significant impact year over year. One of the ways we plan to expand this reach is through cultural tourism,” Sobol said. 

SPAC ended the year with approximately $100,000 in operating reserves – attributed to fundraising efforts supported by members, the Board of Directors and the general public. The reserves will be used to help SPAC navigate the challenging 2024 season ahead. 

SPAC administration and the board of directors thanked Susan L. Dake who completed her term as the board chair. The board welcomed Charlie Wait, Jr. as the new chairman of the board and Will Aldrich and Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D. as new board members.

2024 Summer Residency Dates at Saratoga Performing Arts Center include: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, June 16 – Aug. 18 at Spa Little Theater, the New York City Ballet from July 9-13, and The Philadelphia Orchestra July 31- Aug. 17. 

LAKE GEORGE — This year’s Memorial Day weekend festival in Lake George features Dispatch, The Revivalists and more.

The Memorial Meltdown event takes place at the Charles R. Wood Park in downtown Lake George on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday May 26. 

Headliners include The Revivalists (Saturday) and Dispatch (Sunday), along with performances by Ryan Montbleau Band, The Mallett Brothers Band and Rob Beaulieu Band on Saturday and Mihali (Live Band), The Samples and Annie in the Water on Sunday.

Formed by Chadwick Stokes and Brad Corrigan, Dispatch has forged its own path outside the mainstream music industry as one of the most successful bands in the roots rock scene, selling out three nights at Madison Square Garden and drawing over 100,000 fans to a massive outdoor show in their adopted hometown of Boston without any traditional radio or major label support.

Eight-piece rock ‘n’ roll collective The Revivalists have made the journey from hole-in-the-wall gigs to sold-out shows at hallowed venues, multiplatinum success, more than 800 million streams and major media praise.

The two-day event will also feature a variety of food and craft vendors.  Gates open each day at 2:30 p.m. with music set to begin at 3:30 p.m. and run until about 11 p.m. Tickets for this all-ages event are on sale at: www.memorialmeltdown.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — “Women Aren’t Funny,” the all-female comedy show, is celebrating its one-year anniversary at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs on June 5. 

 Since its debut one year ago, Women Aren’t Funny has been packing the community room at UPH on the first Wednesday of each month, when talented women from the Capital Region and beyond have brought audiences non-stop laughter and entertainment.

 “I can’t believe it has been a year already,” said the show’s creator and host, Erin Harkes. “I’m so grateful to the fans who come each time, the talented women who have performed each month, and the venue for believing in this show.”

The anniversary show will feature a lineup of hilarious comedians with Harkes headlining as she begins work on her next album. 

Harkes has two albums, one YouTube special, and performs regularly in NYC as a host at New York Comedy Club. She has also opened for Craig Robinson, Demetri Martin and Mark Normand. 

The one-year anniversary of Women Aren’t Funny will be staged at Universal Preservation Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5. Tickets are available at atuph.org or erinharkes.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Opera Saratoga opens its 2024 season with Cabaret at the Mansion, a showcase of the fabulous voices of this year’s Festival Artists at The Mansion Inn, located only minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs.

“These young singers are some of the best we’ve ever had in Saratoga Springs – they’ve won national awards, sung for big houses like Seattle Opera and many are going to Europe next year,” General and Artistic Director Mary Birnbaum said in a statement. “We are tremendously lucky to have them at Opera Saratoga, and I can assure you you won’t want to miss this chance to hear them in a beautiful, intimate setting.”

The showcase “Cabaret” features many favorites of the cabaret repertoire including highlights of German cabaret, headlining music of Kurt Weill and Arnold Schonberg, French cabaret like Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, and music of the early American cabaret with pieces by Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter. Finally, a brand new take on the definition of cabaret, with selections by Ricky Ian Gordon, Tania León, and much more!

The performance at Saratoga’s The Mansion Inn is accompanied by a scrumptious buffet and refreshing cocktails prepared by their premier chef, Rick Beiber.

The event takes place Sunday, June 2.  Lunch at 1 p.m., Performance at 2 p.m. Dinner at 6 p.m., Performance at 7 p.m. Rain or shine, seating is on the porch, under a tent. 

The Mansion Inn is located at 801 NY 29 Rock City Falls. Web: https://www.themansionsaratoga.com/.

Tickets are available with or without the meal. Visit www.operasaratoga.org/cabaret for more information and or purchase tickets.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s “The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists” will return for its seventh annual event on Sunday, June 2 from 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 

Following the theme Rhythm – an inspirational thread woven throughout SPAC’s 2024 season – the festival will celebrate the collaborative creativity of more than 700 of the Capital Region’s brightest young dancers, musicians, singers, poets, and visual artists all in support of SPAC’s mission to provide free access to enriching arts programs for local youth. 

Featuring students from local schools and organizations such as Empire State Youth Orchestra, Capital District Youth Chorale, Saratoga Springs Youth Ballet, Capital District Arts Initiative, and the SPAC School of the Arts, the afternoon will include individual pop-up performances and art displays, culminating in a large-scale, coordinated production on SPAC’s stage. As part of the production, an original musical composition by festival student, Lucia Vysohlid (Niskayuna HS, Grade 12), will premiere on the SPAC stage, performed by the ESYO Symphony Orchestra, Capital District Youth Chorale, and singers from Saratoga Springs, Schalmont, and Shenendehowa high schools. 

Kicking off at 2 p.m., SPAC’s grounds will be transformed into a festive celebration and will feature individual pop-up performances by student ensembles from the Capital Region, fine art displays, food stands, poetry slams, lawn games and immersive art activities, plus free ice cream provided by Stewart’s Shops. At 4:45 p.m., hundreds of young artists will gather to present a celebratory concert on SPAC’s main stage, featuring large-scale productions that combine music, song, poetry, visual art, and dance. 

This event is free to the community; however, registration is required for admission. Visit spacfoya.org for details. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces a new exhibition that brings together modern and contemporary abstract artworks, Vorágine: Yente and Cecilia Biagini, through Sept. 22. An opening reception and performance will be Saturday, June 1, at 4 p.m.

Yente (1905–1990) was a pioneering figure in abstraction from Argentina whose work has been gaining greater recognition in recent years. Cecilia Biagini (b. 1967) is an artist of Argentine origin now based in Brooklyn. 

Vorágine presents works Yente made from the late 1930s through the early 1960s, a period when she experimented with the visual languages of geometric abstraction across media, including painting, sculpture, tapestry, and artist books. Biagini, who has lived and worked in New York since the late 1990s, has a similar omnivorous approach to artmaking that includes installation, sculpture, painting, and music. 

Together, the two artists’ works narrate an often-overlooked history of women abstractionists in the Americas. 

Vorágine: Yente and Cecilia Biagini is organized by Ayelen Pagnanelli, an independent curator who recently earned her doctorate in art history at the Escuela IDAES at Universidad Nacional de San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also a Skidmore College graduate of the class of 2014 and a former Tang intern. 

The opening reception on Saturday, June 1, at 4 p.m. will also include a special performance with violins, movement, and voice at 5 p.m. by exhibiting artist Cecilia Biagini and Aimée Niemann. All are welcome. Admission to the Tang is free. For more information, call the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit https://tang.skidmore.edu.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Eleven concerts highlight the fifth season of annual international music festival celebrating modern classical music. 

The Mostly Modern Festival mainly takes place June 6-21 at the Arthur Zankel Music Center on the Skidmore College campus. Co-founded by a husband-and-wife team, composer Robert Paterson and violinist Victoria Paterson, the festival emphasizes modern classical music, paired with outstanding repertoire from the 20th century.

This season brings 11 shows total—orchestral, vocal, and chamber concerts by festival and guest ensembles of all new music. The festival hosts the Mostly Modern Festival Institute, a three-week intensive with a distinguished 50-member faculty for up to 30 composers and 100 instrumentalists, vocalists, and conductors.

Seven of the concerts are open to the public. All are staged at Zankel, with the exception of the opening night kick-off. They are as follows: 

Thursday, June 6: 5th Season Mostly Modern Kickoff at Caffè Lena.

Saturday, June 8: Enchanted Equestrian Evening of Modern Songs.

Sunday, June 9: Mostly Modern Orchestra with David Amado, Conductor.

Saturday, June 15: Mostly Modern Orchestra with Ankush Kumar Bahl, Conductor.

Sunday, June 16: Family Father’s Day Special – New York Stories.

Thursday, June 20: Dior String Quartet.

Friday, June 21: 5th Season Finale of Mostly Modern Orchestra with JoAnn Falletta, Conductor.

VIP Premium Seating – $35; General Admission – $20; Group 8 or more – $12 each; Students, Skidmore Alumni and Faculty – $10.

Mostly Modern Festival “Season Pass” for $175 includes admission and premium seats to all public performances, attendance to dress rehearsals for the public concerts, meet & greets, as well as attending select private events.

For concert and ticket details, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/mostly-modern-festival-season-five-2927179. 

ALBANY — Does your temperature go rising, your pulse go racing and your basal metabolism go roaring at the mere thought of that adorable archfiend, Alice Cooper? 

Fifty years ago this month, that question marked the opening passage of 16 Magazine’s front-page featurette showcasing a “clinical and super-scientific test devised by the divine Dr. Alice Cooper.” 

The Coop was at the time celebrating the honors bestowed upon him by a world made all the more fun in the aftermath of releases like “School’s Out,” “Love It To Death, “Killer,” and “Billion Dollar Babies.” 

And while that classic Alice Cooper group – the original lineup of Alice’s band – have been impossible to match, recent on stage groupings of musicos supporting Alice The Singer have come pretty darned close.   

Alice Cooper will bring his latest tour, “Too Close For Comfort,” to Albany’s Palace Theatre July 31. 

Tickets range from $39.50 to $124.50 and are on sale via Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Palace Theatre Box Office, located at 19 Clinton Ave. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Enter now for your chance to win a VIP Experience for two to the 47th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival on June 29 & 30 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. 

Grand prize winner will receive:

Two VIP weekend passes; Access to The Pines Terrace with complimentary food and beverages; Two 2-nights’ accommodations on June 28 and June 29 at the Gideon Putnam hotel in Saratoga Springs; $500 gift card to Price Chopper/Market 32; 1-year supply of Freihofer’s Bread; Swag bag with merch and goodies. 

The festival takes place over days, atop stages, and features 22 electrifying artists.

Contest ends Wednesday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET. To enter sweepstakes, go to: https://spac.org/vipsweepstakes.