Category: News Desk

  • Larkin Poe to Headline Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, Dates in Tarrytown, Albany and Buffalo

    Larkin Poe, the Grammy nominated sister duo of Atlanta-bred, Nashville-based singer/songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Rebecca and Megan Lovell, will be hitting the road with the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour this Fall. They’ll bring their brand of gritty, raw, and in your face rock n roll on a 27-date cross-country tour that kicks off on September 15 in St. Louis and will continue through the fall and winter.

    Rebecca & Megan of Larkin Poe create their own brand of Roots Rock ‘n’ Roll that is gritty, soulful, and flavored by their southern heritage. Originally from Atlanta and currently living in Nashville, they are descendants of tortured artist and creative genius Edgar Allan Poe.

    larkin poe

    With all of the music for the band’s 2020 release Self Made Man originally written with live performance in mind, Larkin Poe is truly excited to finally let the songs breathe.

    We can’t wait to get back on stage with the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour this fall for the first time since our album, Self Made Man, came out! It’s going to feel so good to be back in front of people celebrating live music again!

    For their newest release, out September 17th, Larkin Poe partnered with innovative hybrid orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble for Paint the Roses: Live in Concert— a new album that reinterprets Larkin Poe’s music, including their 2020 release Self Made Man and more, through an orchestral lens. Paint the Roses documents a collaborative, livestreamed concert by the two artistic groups in December 2020 at Miami’s North Beach Bandshell. The performance was part of Nu Deco’s 2020-21 virtual and socially-distanced concert season, which featured the ensemble’s genre-bending orchestral music and its powerful first collaboration with Larkin Poe.

    In addition to the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, Larkin Poe has announced several festival dates they are expected to perform at throughout the late summer and fall including BeachLife Festival, San Diego Blues Fest, Telluride Blues & Brews, Treefort, Columbia Roots N Blues, Shaky Knees, Fort Worth River & Blues, Lancaster Roots & Blues and more. The duo will also be supporting JJ Grey & Mofro for one performance in Salt Lake City this September.

    For tickets visit LarkinPoe.com/tour.

    larkin poe

    LARKIN POE ON TOUR

    September 10 – Redondo Beach, CA – BeachLife Festival 

    September 11 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Blues Fest

    September 15 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall*#

    September 16 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown*#

    September 17 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre*#

    September 21 – Ketchum, ID – Argyros Performing Arts Center

    September 22-26 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest 

    September 24 – Columbia, MO – Roots N Blues Festival

    September 25 – London, KY – World Chicken Festival

    September 26 – Prestonsburg, KY – Mountain Arts Center*#

    September 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden supporting JJ Grey & Mofro 

    October 7 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts*# 

    October 8 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall* 

    October 9 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue*

    October 10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre* 

    October 12 – Buffalo, NY – Forbes Theatre*

    October 14 – Albany, NY – Empire Live*

    October 15 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall*

    October 16 – Baltimore, MD – The Recher* 

    October 17 – Lancaster, PA – Lancaster Roots & Blues

    October 19 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVA*

    October 21 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre*

    October 22 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre*

    October 23 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Music Festival

    October 28 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom*

    October 29 – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre*

    October 30 – Grand Rapids, MI – Fountain Street Church*

    October 31 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues*

    November 5 – Oxford, MS – The Lyric Oxford*

    November 6 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues*

    November 7 – Jackson, MS – Duling Hall* 

    November 10 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theatre* 

    November 11 – Austin, TX – Mohawk*

    November 12 – Fort Worth, TX – River & Blues Festival

    November 13 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge* 

    December 3 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel* 

    December 4 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre*

    December 8 – Little Rock, AR – U. of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College

    *Monster Energy Outbreak Tour Presents: Larkin Poe

    #w/ The Cold Stares

  • A One Million Dollar Donation Gives Caroga Arts Collective a Bright Future

    In a summer season celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Sherman’s Amusement Park, and the 10th Anniversary of the Caroga Lake Music Festival, Artistic Director and Founder Kyle Barrett Price was presented with a check for $1,000,000 for benefit of the Caroga Arts Collective.

    Caroga Lake natives Ted Farnsworth and Rod Vanderbilt donated the funds, which will allow Caroga Arts Collective to evolve Sherman Park into a top-tier entertainment venue in the Northeast.

    caroga arts

    This is the town I grew up in and this is the town I love … I will never, ever forget the people who were so generous to all the kids who grew up here. I am truly honored that I can give back to the town that has given so much to me.

    Ted Farnsworth

    A previous donation to the Caroga Lake Music Festival of the formerly known 10.5-acre property, Myhill, began The Caroga Arts Collective in 2016.  With Bruce and Richard Veghte’s donation, the Caroga Lake Music Festival had a rich history to build upon. The Myhill estate had previously featured music from Frank Sinatra, Irving Berlin, and Elvis Presley, among others. Myer and Hildegarde Schine owned Glove and Hippodrome Theaters in Gloversville, NY while still being previous estate owners of Myhill.

    caroga arts

    Today Caroga Arts Collective annually attracts on average 100 musicians whether that be from orchestras, ensembles, or music schools. Some notable names include David Cook (Music Director of Taylor Swift), Sawyer Fredericks (winner of NBC’s The Voice), and Sierra Hull (GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass virtuoso). 

    Farnsworth was recently named in Variety Magazine, Top 30 Visionary and Disrupter of the Entertainment and Media Business of 2021. A current project that Farnsworth is involved in is his short-from video platform. Lomotif has earned its recognition as being a top-ten competitor of TikTok worldwide in 2021. Lomotif not only launched their own record label, Lomo Records, but gained enough traction to receive the music rights of artists like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber through a deal with Universal Music. He believes the collaboration will raise the profile of Caroga Arts Collective to new heights in Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

    caroga arts

    The collaboration between Farnsworth and Caroga Arts Collective has already proved successful. Next year’s shows at for the Caroga Lake Music Festival will be featuring even bigger talent, as well as a film festival through the Caroga Arts Collective which will be an extension of the Myhill Film Series, honoring the Schine family who were movie theater magnates in the mid-twentieth century

    We have been fortunate to create a uniquely accessible, intimate, and sought-after experience for artists, audiences and community members alike during our ten years of programming. We look forward to curating unforgettable moments and experiences for the generation of today and tomorrow.

    Kyle Barrett Price, Artistic Director and Founder
  • DelFest postpones to Memorial Day Weekend 2022, citing regional staffing and industry fallout from COVID-19

    The organizers of DelFest, held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD, have announced they have no choice but to postpone the upcoming music festival until Memorial Day 2022.

    Despite best efforts from promoters in working with state and local governments, the postponement was shared on Thursday, September 9, citing specific staffing and COVID-19 safety requirements needed for the event to carry forward. Issues are noted in the announcement by Rob and Ronnie McCoury point to a lack of vaccinated staff among local workers, coupled with a general lack of available workers for staffing. Among these cited are local shuttle services and vendors.

    The music industry by and large has needed strict adherance to safety protocols, including daily testing and mask wearing at all times, to ensure that one band or crew member getting sick does not cause a show, let alone a full tour or festival, to be postponed or cancelled. The surge in the Delta variant of COVID-19 left DelFest 2021 no choice but to push back to Memorial Day 2022, when conditions may better warrant a full festival experience.

    More Venues Across NY To Require Proof Of Vaccination For Audiences

    This edition of DelFest featured headliners The Travelin’ McCourys, Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Railroad Earth. Other acts included Old Crow Medicine Show, Sam Bush, and Leftover Salmon.

    DelFest will offer refunds as requested through September 20, with all non-refunded tickets honored at the 2022 festival. While DelFest is held each year in Cumberland, MD, promoters were forced to cancel the 2020 edition, and then postpone the 2021 edition until this September. Two years without DelFest and fans shouting ‘Del Yeah!’ leaves a gap in the festival and travel schedule for many.

    Revisit NYS Music’s past coverage of DelFest, and read the letter from Rob and Ronnie McCoury below.

    delfest
  • FreshGrass 2021 will Hit Mass MoCa’s Multiple Stages

    FreshGrass 2021 will be hitting Mass MoCa’s multiple stages despite the delta variant of COVID-19 raging on. The festival will take place September 24-26, 2021 for it’s 10th anniversary. 

    FreshGrass 2021

    The 2021 FreshGrass festival takes place annually at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art or more commonly known as Mass MoCa in North Adams, MA.  The festival is a three-day bundle of fun that highlights bluegrass and progressive roots music. The festival is dispersed across the 16 acres sized museum which has 4 stages. 

    This year is featuring: Dispatch (acoustic), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart (featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, and Bryan Sutton), Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), Sam Bush, Steep Canyon Rangers (FreshGrass Artist-in-Residence), Sarah Jarosz, Aiofe O’Donovan, Watkins Family Hour, Noam Pikelny, Bonny Light Horseman, Alison Brown, Amythyst Kiah, Darol Anger, Hawktail, Dedicated Men of Zion, A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe featuring Felicia Collins, Willi Carlisle, CJ Field, and more. 

    FreshGrass is also hosting other programming apart from the live concerts including: FreshScores (a silent film with original live music), FreshGrass commissions and world premieres, instrument and industry workshops, pop-up performances and retail, and local Berkshire food and spirits vendors. 

    Tickets are on sale now. 3 Day pass general admission weekend passes and single-day general admission day passes are available. A full COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test will be required to attend the FreshGrass festival this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Tickets can be purchased here.

    For more information on the 10th annual FreshGrass festival visit their website here.

  • Catch Gabe Stillman at Funk ‘N Waffles on September 14

    Gabe Stillman, a national blues artists has been touring with his band since his newest record, Just Say the Words was released and began charting weekly on Roots Music Report. On September 14 at 8pm, you can see Gabe Stillman and his band make their debut at Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse.

    gabe stillman

    The Gabe Stillman Band is a three-piece machine that runs at full tilt for every performance. While their sound is unmistakably rooted in the blues, the band draws from the deep well of all American roots music. A graduate from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Stillman went on to form his band in 2015. Stillman proved his talent at the 35th Annual International Blues Challenge, managing to be in the final eight contestants earning him the esteemed Gibson Guitar Award in Memphis, Tennessee.

    Not only was Stillman’s EP The Grind self-produced, but his follow up EP Flying’ High was backed by the legendary blues band, The Nighthawks.

    His album Just Say The Word has a total of thirteen tracks with two covers. The album also features contributions Texas Horns and special appearances by Funderburgh, Sue Foley, and Greg Izor.  Stillman’s reputation as an accomplished guitarist and meaningful songwriter. Gabe Stillman has established himself as an accomplished guitarist through his latest album which not only appeals to blues lovers, but music lovers in general. You won’t want to miss this show in Syracuse. More info and tickets are available here.

  • Blue Note Jazz Club Announces Robert Glasper “Robtober” Residency

    New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club has announced the return of multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Robert Glasper to the Blue Note stage for a stacked “Robtober” Fall residency in the heart of Greenwich Village.

    From October 1 to November 7, Glasper will perform a total of 66 shows across 33 nights, including Halloween weekend. The run of shows continues Blue Note’s historic 40th anniversary festivities.

    Robert Glasper

    Robtober is already shaping into an incredible run of shows with high-caliber guests who are sure to command the stage alongside Robert Glasper. Glasper’s previous Blue Note shows have included tributes to Stevie Wonder, Roy Hargrove and J Dilla. A-list celebrities and unannounced special guests, including Dave Chappelle, Kanye West, Chris Rock, Questlove, Jill Scott, Common, Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli (Black Star) and Yebba are known to pop by the Blue Note to join Glasper for impromptu performances when he is in town. 

    In 2018, Glasper became just the 4th musician to hold a month-long residency at Blue Note, joining a short list that includes jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea and Chris Botti. The residency was spotlighted in the New York Times, which proclaimed that Glasper is “probably the most prominent jazz musician of his generation.” 

    The Blue Note is special to me because it’s the pinnacle of jazz, but it doesn’t stop there. They allow me to step outside the box and be who I really am, unapologetically. They give me the venue to do it. The first two residences were amazing. We had to take a break but I’m really excited to be back and see my fans again. Not being able to perform for so long made it really clear how important the fans are so I can’t wait to go there and make some more history.
     

    Robert Glasper

    Robert Glasper is the leader of a new paradigm in jazz, with a career that pans musical and artistic genres, winning 4 Grammys and 8 nominations across 7 categories, as well as an Emmy for his song on Ava Duvernay’s doc “13th”. October 2021 marks his return to the Blue Note, one of his first jazz stomping-grounds, for another record breaking residency (coined “Robtober”) as he takes over the Blue Note New York with an astounding 66 shows over 33 days, celebrating his musical career. Whilst his style consistently defies definition, Glasper’s residency demonstrate not only different eras, but also various parts of his musical community and the impact his collaborators have had on his development and style.

    Robert Glasper

    Alex Kurland, Director of Programming at Blue Note says of Robtober, “This residency is a monumental and historic event within culture, with each show an experience and literally unforgettable. Robert’s residency always produces landmark and extraordinary moments, and to be able to move forward with it after such challenging times is deeply meaningful to the Blue Note, New York City, and to art and music culture. The caliber and range of Robert’s to-be-announced projects, special guests and collaborations, are an incredible testament to his icon status.”

    Special guests and daily lineup are coming soon. Purchase tickets here.

  • TŌN (The Orchestra Now) is Back for Live Performances at The Fisher Center, Carnegie Hall, The Met and more

    The Orchestra Now (TŌN) is not only a visionary orchestra but also a master’s degree program. Founder Leon Botstein’s rich history includes being a Bard College president, conductor, educator, and music historian. Starting this September 11th,  this will mark Botstein’s seventh returning season. From world renowned repertoire to exciting new 21st century pieces, this orchestra will perform four different series and three free concerts. A total of 21 programs and 38 performances will be heard through May 22, 2022.

    The orchestra now

    The Orchestra Now has used this pandemic as a way to grow and better their sound where this season will feature 16 new members. If you’re keeping count, that will be a total of 65 musicians from 13 countries. All in all TŌN has performed 489 works by 234 composers in 35 venues since their beginning in 2015. 

    The ability to perform for a live audience is uncanny. While the Orchestra worked on perfecting digital programs,  Nothing can replace the exhilaration of live performance,” said Music Director Leon Botstein. The pent up excitement of these young performers will be sure to produce exhilarating concerts where after more than 66,000 live and virtual concertgoers, with 237 soloists and 22 conductors, they are more than qualified to perform their best season yet.

    We are truly thrilled to resume a direct connection with our audiences

    – Music Director Leon Botstein



    This season will start with the world premiere of Brahmsiana by debut conductor and composer Leonard Slatkin (Sept. 18-19 at the Fisher Center). There is also new work from Scott Wheeler written for violinist Gil Shaham, who will perform at the world renowned Carnegie Hall (Nov. 18) and the Fisher Center (Nov. 13-14). We’ll also hear Dismal Swamp from William Grant Still and Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s Symphony No. 1. This piece was written to describe the treacherous conditions under the Nazi regime and will be performed this May 7th at the Fisher Center and May 12th at Carnegie Hall. Ravel’s Pictures at an Exhibition has been revived as Slatkin created a new arrangement noting its original composition for piano. Award-winning composer Cindy McTee who is conveniently Slatkin’s wife will perform Circuits this September 18-19 at the Fisher Center. 

    Lutosławski, Perry, and Bristow in addition to Wheeler’s world premiere will be included in the Carnegie Hall series. Musical America’s 2019 Conductor of the Year, Carlos Miguel Prieto will be a guest conductor at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The Sight & Sound series will return to The Metropolitan Museum of Art which focuses on Beethoven and Cristofori, Stravinsky and Picasso, and Dvořák and Delacroix to illuminate their interrelations between both music and art. Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ German Requiem will be performed at The Fisher Center series at Bard College along with another 18 concerts along with Brahmsiana’s debut. To gain a larger audience, TŌN offers three free concerts to help attract those who normally wouldn’t find themselves listening to classical music at Peter Norton Symphony Space in Manhattan with resident conductor Zachary Schwartzman. They hope that this will influence the future generations that will carry their love for classical music through the decades. To dazzle new concert goers repertoire from Mozart, Schumann, and Dohnányi will be played at Hudson Hall in Hudson, NY.

    Now if you will be missing TŌN’s Orchestra’s Fisher Center series you can always tune in. Don’t forget that TŌN can be heard on WMHT-FM, the classical music radio station of New York’s Capital Region and WWFM, the Classical Network station catering to New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. TŌN’s performances are also heard regularly on American Public Media’s Performance Today.

    CARNEGIE HALL SERIES, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage 

    Gil Shaham & Julia Perry Thu, Nov 18, 2021 at 7 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Gil Shaham, violin

    Scott Wheeler: New work (World Premiere)

    Julia Perry: Stabat Mater

    George Frederick Bristow: Symphony No. 4, Arcadian

    Renowned violinist and Bard Conservatory of Music faculty member Gil Shaham joins the Orchestra for the world premiere of a new piece written for him by multi-award-winning composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher Scott Wheeler. Currently Senior Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Boston’s Emerson College, Wheeler’s works have been commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and performed by such artists as Renée Fleming and Kent Nagano. Black American composer Julia Perry’s dramatic Stabat Mater, a setting of the 13th-century medieval poem “Stabat Mater Dolorosa,” describes the crucifixion of Christ from the viewpoint of the Virgin Mother and is dedicated to Perry’s mother. Also on the program is George Frederick Bristow’s rarely-heard Arcadian Symphony. A Brooklyn native and noted choral composer, Bristow frequently wrote music with American themes—his Symphony No. 4 was originally titled The Pioneer. It will be the first Carnegie Hall performances of Perry’s Stabat Mater and Bristow’s complete Symphony No. 4.

    New Voices from the 1930s

    Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 7 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Gilles Vonsattel, piano

    Frank Corliss, piano

    William Grant StillDismal Swamp

    Carlos Chávez: Piano Concerto

    Witold Lutosławski: Symphonic Variations

    Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Symphony No. 1, Essay for a Requiem

    The rarely-heard masterpieces in this concert spotlight works from the late 1930s, including William Grant Still’s evocative portrait of enslaved people taking refuge while seeking freedom, and Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s commentary on conditions under the Nazi regime. The program also features Mexican Symphonic Music Director and composer Carlos Chávez’s virtuosic Piano Concerto, called “imaginatively scored” and praised for its “elemental strength” and the “originality of its orchestral coloring” by The New York Times at its 1942 premiere. Leading progressive Polish music composer Witold Lutosławski’s adventurous Symphonic Variations was written while he was still a student at Warsaw University. His first substantial orchestral work, the Variations contain many folk-like themes.

    ROSE THEATER

    The Orchestra Now returns to Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall for the fifth season.


    Prieto, Falla & Debussy

    Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 3 PM

    Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor

    Solange Merdinian, mezzo-soprano

    Messiaen: Le tombeau resplendissant (The Resplendent Tomb)

    Debussy: La Mer (The Sea)

    Falla: El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat)

    José Pablo Moncayo: Huapango

    Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto, Musical America’s 2019 Conductor of the Year and music director of the Orchestra of the Americas, leads TŌN in a diverse program that includes Manuel de Falla’s vivid and eloquent ballet score Sombrero de Tres Picos, Debussy’s powerful La Mer, and a work by Spanish composer María Teresa Prieto.

    SIGHT & SOUND SERIES AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 

    The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

    Conductor and music historian Leon Botstein surveys the parallels between orchestral music and the visual arts with three concerts in TŌN’s popular Sight & Sound series at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This season explores the connections between Beethoven’s fascination with the emergence of the first piano; an interest in unconventional artistic and musical forms shared by Stravinsky and Picasso; and the European fascination with the peoples of the New World as expressed by MacDowell, Dvořák, and Delacroix. In each program, a discussion is accompanied by on-screen artworks and musical excerpts performed by the Orchestra, followed by a full performance and audience Q&A.


    Beethoven, Cristofori & the Piano’s First Century

    Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Shai Wosner, piano

    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor, and Cristofori’s 1720 Grand Piano

    At the dawn of the 18th century, Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori created what would come to be known as the piano. A century later, it was clear that the instrument would become the defining instrument of Western musical culture. Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto reveals the composer’s obsession with the musical possibilities emerging from the rapidly evolving technology of piano construction. 

    Stravinsky, Picasso & Cubism

    Sunday, February 20, 2022 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Blair McMillen, piano

    Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Winds and Picasso’s Man with a Guitar

    Upon settling in Paris in the 1920s, Igor Stravinsky formed close friendships with artists like Pablo Picasso, a founder of Cubism, which sought to deconstruct the familiar and reassemble reality through a disciplined, formal approach. The movement inspired Stravinsky to develop a new approach to the construction of musical forms. He loved to perform his Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, one of his earliest “neo-classic” masterpieces.

    Dvořák, MacDowell & Delacroix: The New World

    Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Edward MacDowell: Suite No. 2, IndianDvořákNew World Symphony, second movement, and Eugène Delacroix’s The Natchez

    From their earliest encounters in the New World, Europeans were mesmerized by the indigenous peoples of North America. French artist Eugène Delacroix painted a Natchez family as they fled the massacre of their tribe up the Mississippi River. Edward MacDowell’s Indian Suite incorporated native melodies and rhythms, and the second movement of Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony was inspired by Longfellow’s poem on Hiawatha.

    THE FISHER CENTER SERIES AT BARD, Sosnoff Theater

    The Orchestra Now’s residency at Bard College’s Fisher Center renews with 18 concerts and nine different programs including special performances of Handel’s Messiah and the Brahms Requiem, and the debut of conductor Leonard Slatkin with TŌN.

    Shostakovich & Dawson

    Saturday September 11, 2021 at 8 PM

    Sunday September 12, 2021 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    William L. Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony

    Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7, Leningrad

    William L. Dawson said of his emotionally charged Negro Folk Symphony that he wanted listeners to know it was “unmistakably not the work of a white man.” The work is paired with Shostakovich’s enormous and patriotic Seventh Symphony, Leningrad, written largely after he had fled the city following the German invasion during WWII.

    Slatkin Conducts Brahmsiana

    Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 8 PM

    Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 2 PM

    Leonard Slatkin, conductor

    Cindy McTeeCircuits

    BrahmsBrahmsiana arr. Leonard Slatkin (World Premiere)

    MussorgskyPictures at an Exhibition, Leonard Slatkin’s new arr. of Ravel’s orchestration

    Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin makes his debut with TŌN, leading the world premiere of his own arrangement of Brahms melodies, Brahmsiana, and his new arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition, which takes Ravel’s famous orchestration and reinstates portions of Mussorgsky’s original. The concert opens with Circuits, written by award-winning composer Cindy McTee.

    Strauss’ Merry Pranks & Bruckner’s Fifth

    Friday, October 1, 2021 at 8 PM

    Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 5 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    R. StraussTill Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks

    Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

    Richard Strauss’ audience favorite Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, which chronicles the misadventures of the practical jokester and German peasant folk hero, is presented in contrast to Anton Bruckner’s massive Fifth Symphony, which was performed only once during the composer’s lifetime. He died having never heard it.

    Gil Shaham & Julia Perry

    Saturday,November 13, 2021 at 8 PM

    Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 2 PM (see program description for Nov 18 Carnegie Hall performance)

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Gil Shaham,violin

    Scott Wheeler: New Work (World Premiere)

    Julia Perry: Stabat Mater

    George Frederick Bristow: Symphony No. 4, Arcadian

    Handel’s Messiah

    Saturday December 11, 2021 at 8 PM

    Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Vocal soloists from Bard’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program to be announced

    Bard Festival Chorale, Bard College Chamber Singers

    HandelMessiah

    Leon Botstein leads The Orchestra Now, soloists from Bard’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program, the Bard Festival Chorale, and the Bard College Chamber Singers in a performance of one of the most popular oratorios of all time.

    Tchaikovsky, William Tell & The Little Mermaid

    Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 8 PM

    Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    RossiniWilliam Tell Overture

    Alexander ZemlinskyThe Little Mermaid

    Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Pathétique

    The spring 2022 season unfolds with a concert of such audience favorites as Rossini’s iconic William Tell Overture and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid, richly orchestrated by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The program closes with Tchaikovsky’s final completed symphony, the Pathétique, which the composer called his “Passionate Symphony.”

    Clara Schumann & Brahms’ German Requiem

    Saturday April 2, 2022 at 8 PM

    Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 2 PM

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Anna Polonsky, piano

    Vocal soloists from Bard’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program to be announced

    Bard Festival Chorale, Bard College Chamber Singers

    Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto

    BrahmsA German Requiem

    Clara Schumann began writing her memorable Piano Concerto when she was just 14 years old, already a prodigy on the instrument. This virtuoso work will be performed by acclaimed pianist Anna Polonsky. Later in life, Schumann was close friends with Johannes Brahms. She said his German Requiem “is an immense piece that takes hold of one’s whole being like very little else.”

    Joseph Young & Rachmaninoff

    Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 8 PM

    Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 2 PM

    Joseph Young, conductor

    Julia Perry: A Short Piece for Orchestra

    Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3

    Julia Perry’s riotous Short Work for Orchestra was recorded by the New York Philharmonic in 1965. While much of her work has been neglected, she was a winner of the Boulanger Grand Prix for her Viola Sonata. Rachmaninoff’s rhythmically expressive Symphony No. 3 concludes the program. Guest conductor Joseph Young, Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony and Resident Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra–USA at Carnegie Hall, leads the Orchestra.

    New Voices from the 1930s

    Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 8 PM

    Sunday, May 8, 2022 at 2 PM (See program description for May 12 Carnegie Hall performance)

    Leon Botstein, conductor

    Gilles Vonsattel, piano

    Frank Corliss, piano

    William Grant StillDismal Swamp

    Carlos Chávez: Piano Concerto

    Witold Lutosławski: Symphonic Variations

    Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Symphony No. 1

    FREE CONCERTS SERIES

    TŌN continues its series of free concerts at venues in New York City and beyond, providing families with an opportunity to attend their first orchestral performance and introduce a new generation to classical music.


    Britten, Sibelius & Tan Dun

    Sunday, Dec 19, 2021 at 4 PM, at Peter Norton Symphony Space, New York City

    Zachary Schwartzman, conductor

    BerliozRoman Carnival Overture

    Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes

    Tan Dun: Symphonic Poem of Three Notes

    Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

    Mozart & Schumann’s Spring Symphony

    Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 7 PM, at Hudson Hall, Hudson, NY

    Andrés Rivas, conductor

    Soloists to be announced

    Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds

    Ernő Dohnányi: Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra

    Schumann: Symphony No. 1, Spring

    Liszt & Bartók

    Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 4 PM, at Peter Norton Symphony Space, New York City

    Zachary Schwartzman, conductor

    Emmerich Kálmán:Gräfin Mariza Overture

    LisztLes Préludes

    Zoltán KodályDances of Galánta

    Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra 

  • Maroon 5 Cancel Dates at SPAC and Madison Square Garden

    Maroon 5 has made the decision to cancel dates at SPAC and Madison Square Garden, but plan to continue on with the rest of their tour.

    Maroon 5 Cancel

    The concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center was scheduled for Monday, September 13, 2021. People who had purchased tickets in advance were notified by Ticketmaster this weekend with no explanation as to why it was cancelled. On SPAC’s website it states that people will receive a refund for their tickets directly through Ticketmaster or Live Nation depending on where they acquired their ticket. 

    The concert at Madison Square Garden which was scheduled to take place on Friday, September 10, 2021 has been cancelled as well, without explanation. On their website they state that tickets purchased with a credit card online or over the phone with Ticketmaster or directly through the Madison Square Garden Box Office will automatically be refunded to the original purchaser’s credit card account. People should expect to receive their refund in as soon as 30 days. If people purchased their tickets through the Madison Square Garden Box Office with any other form of payment, please call the venue’s Guest Relations Department at 212-465-6225 for more information.

    Maroon 5 Cancel

    Maroon 5 is still advertising tour dates at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA on September 7, PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC on September 8, PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on September 10, Fenway Park in Boston, MA on September 12, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC on September 15. So far it looks like just the New York dates have been cancelled. 

    For more information visit Maroon 5’s website.

  • More Venues Across New York to Require Proof of Vaccination for Audiences

    More venues across the state of New York are starting to require proof of vaccination for entry. With rising outbreaks of COVID-19 across the country due to the delta variant, the requirement of proof of vaccination to enter premises is becoming more and more normalized. 

    New York Proof of Vaccination
    Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

    On August 3, 2021 Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that NYC would be moving to require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, gyms and performances areas by mid September. Since then venues in NYC have been rolling out their vaccination proof protocols but more and more venues across the state are following in their footsteps. 

    Madison Square Garden announced that all guests 12 and older must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, meaning they have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.  Guests may also show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, meaning the day of your event is at least 14 days after your final vaccine dose, which, depending on the type of vaccine, may be one dose or two. Fully vaccinated guests are not required to wear a mask. Everyone else must wear a face covering while in The Garden, except while actively eating or drinking. Children under age 12 – not currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination – can attend events with a vaccinated adult, but please note that children ages 4 to 11 must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test (an antigen test taken within six hours of the event start time, or a PCR test taken within 72 hours of the day of the event.)

    The State Theatre of Ithaca announced on September 2, 2021 that it will now be requiring proof of vaccination for entry. They also stated that results from a negative COVID-19 test will NOT be accepted for entry for individuals over the age of twelve. In addition, masks are required to be worn at all times while at the venue and in any common areas.  People who already have tickets to an upcoming show and are unable or unwilling to adhere to the new policy can request a refund at the following link at any point until end of day, September 16.

    New York Proof of Vaccination

    The Capital Theater in Port Chester announced as of August 18, 2021 they would be requiring attendees to have either proof of their vaccine or a negative test result taken within the last 24 hours at the event. People can use the Excelsior Pass, NYC COVID Safe App, CDC Vaccination Card or NYC Vaccination Record for proof of vaccination.

    On September 11, 2021Nietzsche’s in Buffalo announced that in will now require all patrons to provide full vaccination proof in order to attend a show and will go into effect on Friday, September 17th.

    The KeyBank Center in Buffalo announced that people will need to have received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or single dose of the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the date of the game for entre. People who are fully vaccinated can show their vaccination card at doors. The venue will also accept Proof of negative antigen Covid-19 test (test must be taken within 6 hours of puck drop) or proof of negative PCR Covid-19 test (test must be taken within 72 hours of puck drop). They will also have Quest Diagnostics as an option that will offer antigen tests for $30 with test results within 30 minutes. Quest will also continue to offer PCR tests for $64 for people who have purchased tickets. 

    Many more venues across New York State will likely be announcing proof of vaccination requirements. For live music to survive, masking up and getting vaccinated are becoming the most useful way to insure it does. 

  • Tommy Stinson and Cowboys in The Campfire to Host Benefit Concert for Children’s non-profit

    On September 11, famed bass-guitarist Tommy Stinson will be performing with his latest rock ensemble, Cowboys in the Campfire. The longtime bass-guitarist for pioneering alternative rock group, The Replacements, and hard-rock group, Guns N’ Roses, has now partnered with steel player, Chip Roberts. The duo is working on an album set to be released later this year, but first, they will host a benefit concert to raise awareness for an organization that is not only near-and-dear to Tommy Stinson’s heart, but one that sees his daughter as an active participant. 

    Tommy Stinson

    Perfect Ten Hudson is an after-school program that benefits girls between the ages of 8-18. They are an independent non-profit organization committed to building respect, dignity, fairness, caring, equality and self-esteem with respect to the diverse life challenges of each girl. 

    This free performance will be held at The Park Theater in Hudson, NY at 723 Warren St., on September 11, beginning at 7PM. Donations will be encouraged at the show where concert goers can also purchase signed posters.

    In addition to the live performance, Tommy Stinson has donated various items that are being sold off in a silent online auction. The items include a bass, case and jacket that accompanied him on several Guns N’ Roses tours, record bags made from The Replacements t-shirts and more. There are many other items to bid on including an art experience with Victoria Wyeth (granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth), a guitar signed by Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, an in-home chef experience and lots of rock and roll memorabilia as well as local Hudson dining/entertainment/hotel packages.  

    The auction is live until Sunday, September 12 at 11:55 P.M. and can be found here.