The Sunday Rock Legacy Project in St. Lawrence County, NY, has announced an outdoor drive-in live theater presentation of The Sparkley Clean Funeral Singers, by Lori Fischer and Don Chaffer, with performances on August 20-22. [Read more…] about Sunday Rock Legacy Project Drive-In Theater Song And Dance
Music
Shakespeare on Pause; Violinist Madeleine Jansen (Streaming)
The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA) has announced two upcoming livestreams, as part of their ALCA-Seltzer Series: Online Relief from the Headaches of Social Distancing.
The first livestream, “Shakespeare on Pause: Part I,” is an encore performance of the 2019 Adirondack Lakes Summer Theatre Festival (ALSTF) production of Macbeth, set for Friday, July 31st; and a recital by violinist Madeleine Jansen on August 7th. [Read more…] about Shakespeare on Pause; Violinist Madeleine Jansen (Streaming)
Geneva Light Opera Presents Virtual Music Event
Geneva Light Opera (GLO) is set to present a retrospective of its recent work in Geneva’s historic Smith Opera House, in addition to digital recordings made by the cast from this summer’s cancelled production of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” from “lockdown” locations across the USA, on July 26th, at 3 pm. [Read more…] about Geneva Light Opera Presents Virtual Music Event
Sembrich Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th Birthday Online
The Sembrich is celebrating the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven as part of its 20/20: Virtual Visionaries online summer festival.
“A Beethoven Birthday Celebration,” The third installment of The Sembrich’s online festival, explores the composer’s innovative and unique contributions to classical music.
The Festival will look at the many qualities and characteristics of Beethoven and his music through historical images, commentary by both Sembrich Artistic Director Richard Wargo and The Musical Quarterly’s Christopher H. Gibbs, and video performances by virtuoso pianist Christopher Johnson. [Read more…] about Sembrich Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th Birthday Online
Lake Placid Sinfonietta Offers Virtual Happy Hours
While unable to offer the regular schedule of in-person performances this summer, the Lake Placid Sinfonietta is offering a series of “Virtual Happy Hours” on Sunday evenings in July and August. [Read more…] about Lake Placid Sinfonietta Offers Virtual Happy Hours
Drive-In Musical Theatre In The Adirondacks
If you had asked youth theatre producer/director Kathleen Recchia six months ago what she’d be doing this summer, she would not have included Zoom Webinars or setting up a drive-in theatre production on her to-do list.
Normally at this time of year, she is preparing for the Book & Blanket Players annual summer musical-in-a-week program. She is still doing that but this year that involves a whole new skill set. Instead of cancelling the production, which normally involves an intense week of working together at Keene Central School in the heart of the Adirondacks, with the performance of a full musical onstage at the end of the week, Recchia went about figuring out how to continue the program with new rules and new parameters. [Read more…] about Drive-In Musical Theatre In The Adirondacks
Ma Meyrick, Tallulah Bankhead and Jazz Age London
A significant aspect of the 1920s in London was the proliferation of unlicensed clubs that operated on the fringe of criminality. Lawmakers were determined to crack down on out-of-hours drinking, but youngsters beat them by organising all-night bottle parties.
Held on private premises, the host was expected to provide live music, a dance floor (the Charleston was the craze of the age), waiters, and suitable surroundings. Queen of the bottle party was Ma Meyrick, an Irish immigrant who was famous for introducing American jazz musicians and flouting licensing laws. [Read more…] about Ma Meyrick, Tallulah Bankhead and Jazz Age London
Lake George Jazz, Summer Concert Series Cancelled
Lake George Arts Project Staff and Board of Directors have decided to cancel the Summer Concert Series and Jazz at the Lake programs for this year. The Summer Concert Series was scheduled for Wednesdays nights in July and August and Jazz at the Lake was scheduled for September 19 and 20, both in Shepard Park in Lake George. [Read more…] about Lake George Jazz, Summer Concert Series Cancelled
Bayreuth and Brown Berries: German-American Music Traditions
The history of musical taste in the United States has a Germanic flavor. The symphony orchestras in Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston were founded by German-Americans. The impact of Richard Wagner’s operas is still apparent. A patch of the Bronx contains locations such as Lohengrin Place, Siegfried Place, Parsifal Place, and Valhalla Drive. [Read more…] about Bayreuth and Brown Berries: German-American Music Traditions
Ada ‘Bricktop’ Smith: Queen of Montmarte
Her hair was flaming red and so were her freckles. Born Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith on August 14, 1894 in Alderson, West Virginia, she was the youngest of four children.
“I am hundred percent American Negro with a trigger Irish temper” – as she summarized her genealogy. The “Queen Victoria” in her birth name is both puzzling and amusing, but whatever the explanation she lived her life as a royal – Queen of Montmartre. [Read more…] about Ada ‘Bricktop’ Smith: Queen of Montmarte