On Saturday, December 11 at 7:30pm, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra will continue its 2021-2022 Season with “Home for the Holidays,” a concert of symphonic holiday favorites, including The Polar Express, selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, and Festive Sounds of Hanukkah.
Jazz singer Ayana Del Valle will perform holiday classics, including “O Holy Night,” “The Christmas Song” and “Feliz Navidad,” and lead the audience in a Christmas sing-along. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for photos at 6:30pm in the lobby, and Nancy Wildoner will perform a pre-concert holiday organ recital at 7:00pm.
The Binghamton Philharmonic is a professional orchestra tracing its roots to 1949, when Fritz and Marie Wallenberg started a chamber orchestra in Binghamton. The Wallenberg family founded the Binghamton Symphony in 1955, and later merging with the BC Pops in 1996, to form the Binghamton Philharmonic. With a dedication to providing the Southern Tier with performances of live music by artists and making great music accessible to all through innovative, The Binghamton Philharmonic offers engaging and affordable programming within and beyond the concert hall.
The schedule for Binghamton Philharmonic “Home for the Holidays” on Saturday, December 11 includes:
6:30-7:30pm: Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus
7-7:20pm: Organist Nancy Wildoner plays the Robert Morton IV/24 Theatre Pipe Organ
7:30pm: Home for the Holidays concert, starring Ayana Del Valle
The performance is located at the Broome County Forum Theatre, 236 Washington St. For more information visit the Philharmonic’s website.
Bard College alumnus Chevy Chase will appear at a series of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screenings in Utica, Albany and Binghamton in December. The events will include Chevy Chase performing live on stage plus an audience Q&A following the screenings.
Chevy Chase is an original member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live and over the years became a household name for his blockbuster movies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Caddyshack, Fletch, Three Amigos, and many more.
The screenings are taking place in different cities across the United States with three stops in New York currently. More screenings in New York could be announced in time though. The tour announces dates as they go, being precautious of COVID-19 spikes across the country.
The three stops in New York start in Utica on December 13, 2021 at the Stanley Performing Arts Center at 7:30PM. The second stop in New York will be on December 15, 2021 at the Palace Theatre in Albany at 7:30PM. And the last stop in New York currently will be on December 19, 2021 at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton at 7:30PM.
Tickets to all three Chevy Chase National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screenings in New York and to the other stops on the tour can be purchased here.
For more information on Chevy Chase and his upcoming tour visit his website.
Eric Gales brought his incredible five-piece touring band to the Homer Center for the Arts on Monday, October 18, 2021. Gales starts his shows in a similar manner on the microphone by himself discussing the hardships he and all of us have taken on over our lifetime. Eric told the crowd, “If you haven’t cried the blues the past 18 months then god forgot to pass you out a soul.”
Photo by Out Loud Pictures, LaDonna Gales, Eric Gales, Nick Hayes
From this angle, Eric began his performance on the acoustic guitar talking about the same blues that his grandfather had. His grandfather used to play with Howling Wolf and Muddy Waters. Gales said he wanted to spread the spirit and the inspiration his grandfather instilled in him. During the fitting titled “Grandaddy Blues,” the rest of the band appeared behind him on stage following suit to the groove. On percussion and backing vocals was his wife, LaDonna Gales, Nick Hayes on drums, and on bass from Brooklyn, Nil Jones.
Photo by Out Loud Pictures, Eric Gales band
Eric made sure the microphones and sound were on point chuckling at the familiarity of its resonance in an old church. Gales is no stranger to Jimi Hendrix’s electric church. Eric was part of the cast touring with Jimi’s bassist Billy Cox, the jellyfish Buddy Miles on drums, and Stevie Rays’ Chris Layton for the “Experience Hendrix Tour.” Robert Ranndolph was there too,
He even educated the crowd that Jimi played a right handed guitar but strung it left handed. For clarification, Gales and bassist Nil Jones were playing completely upside down and backwards. So naturally as a salute they played Gales original “Southpaw Serenade.”
In between songs, Gales inner tales were serenading the crowd to a wide range of stories. From his funk playing days in Minnesota that caught the eye and ear of the legendary Prince to his overall approach on life. Eric told the crowd “I believe laughter and music are the best forms of communication and medication.” Gales took one four-minute break the whole night, while Jones helped rattle the brick inside Homer for a bass solo.
Gales returned to the stage fired up saying, “I’m getting tuned up I feel a sermon coming on, it’s been far too long.” At the end of a two and half hour performance, Eric treated the crowd to a bouncy funked up version of “Voodoo Child” that led to a blended jam of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” to remind the audience it is still Rocktober. Tony Hall told NYS Music after seeing Gales footage, “Hes a bad mother fucker”
Jimi Hendrix once said “When I get up on stage -well, that’s my whole life. That’s my religion. My music is electric church music.” Robert Cray looked to the ceiling at the Homer Center for the Arts last month during his performance and said “Jimi Can you hear me?” Eric Gales and his band channeled the same energy on a stormy Monday to start the week at the electric church in Homer.
Ana Popovic crushed the European leg of Experience Hendrix and The Center this year. Samantha Fish killed at the center Wednesday November 3rd. Mississippi’s Christone “Kingfish” Ingram took the Delta Roads from Mississippi to Homer, New York the night before Samantha. They are all blues disciples.
NYS Music loved that Eric started the week in Homer to only link up with Gary Clark Jr On “When my Train Pulls in” down the road in Greensboro. Flotations groovy I said a jelly fish will tell ya that. NYS Music agrees with Santana on Gales…its all a piece of the blues disciples history. Tony Hall and Arsenio Hall said it best “Yea he’s bad”
The fall concert series at The Dock in Ithaca is in full “Rocktober” mode. Kevin Black presented the AC/DC tribute band Bonfire on Friday, October 15, with a very fitting “Back In Black” vibe had by the all-ages crowd. What’s more fun than a band dressing up as a musical costume during a month of Halloween celebrations? Bonfire’s ensemble is a full attraction to casinos and festivals that fit nicely on The Dock’s stage.
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
Lead guitarist Donnie “Angus” Bottacio felt at home on the Cayuga Lake inlet venue. He is an audio-video specialist at Cornell University. This would explain the high quality production and sound levels the band put out at the Dock on Friday. Donnie made his way through the crowd while simultaneously shredding the red signature Gibson axe to make sure everyone could hear the Marshall amps like AC/DC did. Bottacio told Kat Walters on the I 100 radio station, “I do the riffs as close as humanly possible to Angus, I can’t be Angus but I try my best to celebrate his music with all the love the crowd has to come out and enjoy it.”
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
The infamous “Hell’s Bells” opened the show in a chilling fashion. They covered all eras of AC/DC’s catalog. The five-piece band crushed 30 songs in full character. The same bagpipes from AC/DC’s studio sound were brought to life on the Dock stage by Mexico, NY’s Kevin Dano. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
The group’s name is attributed to the variety in AC/DC’s 1997 five CD bag set release “Bonfire”. Lead singer Steve Seniuk helped cover the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson era of AC/DC with the same bravado. Bassist Mike Del Olio and Drummer Tom Reeder were locked in like TNT Dynamite for the set. Guitarist Kenny Romer rocked an inferno-like tempo on the Dock stage for the entire performance. The audience and band came to full speed during the October classic “Highway to Hell.” Goin Down, Party time, my friends are gonna be there too, yeah, hey mama look at me…I’m on my way to the promised land… I’m on a highway to hell!
Photo by Out Loud Pictures
On October 5, 1980 AC/DC came to Central New York’s Onondaga County War Memorial as part of their Back In Black Tour. The same spirit made its way through the Dock on Friday as part of “Rocktober” 2021. Kevin Black presents similar musical costumes the rest of this month with tributes to Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and naturally, Black Sabbath. For all other upcoming events at The Dock click here.
“Bonfire” AC/DC Tribute – The Dock, Ithaca, NY – October 15 2021 Setlist: Hell’s Bells, Shoot to Thrill, Dog a Bone, Dirty Deeds, Girls got Rhythm, Get it Hot, If You Want Blood, Money Talks, Sin City, Jailbreak, Demon Fire, Pollution, Long Way (with bag pipes), Thunderstruck, Back in Black, Shook Me, Have a Drink, Money Honey, Shake a Leg, TNT, Rosie, Bad Boy Boogie, The Jack, Big Balls, Highway to Hell, For Those About to Rock, Let There be Rock Encore: Night Prowler, Walk All Over You, High Voltage
Binghamton is bringing the heat this summer with several live concerts and other events planned. This summer’s lineup includes Wheelhouse, Wreckless Marci, and much more!
Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, NY, which will host several concerts this summer.
The city of Binghamton is jam-packed with fun musical events this summer, most importantly their Broome Bands Together concert series that began in July. Upcoming concerts include Wheelhouse on August 10, and Wreckless Marci on August 17. The events will be held at Otsiningo Park in the Town of Dickenson from 6pm – 8pm and all those attending are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.
In addition to the Broome Bands Together series, Binghamton will host the Harper Stantz Rec Park Music Fest on Sunday, August 8. The festival features local and regional musical acts and is a great event for music lovers of all ages. The event takes place in the historic recreation park in Binghamton and offers many fun activities besides music, making it a fabulous way for families to enjoy a Sunday afternoon. This year’s performances will be mostly bluegrass and Americana, with some reggae mixed in as well.
Binghamton Recreation Park
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra also has some exciting performances coming up. On August 14, Trio Pastoral will be performing as a part of the Summer Chamber Music series. On August 21, BPO’s Summer Chamber Music series will conclude with a lively performance featuring Unanimous Four, a greatly admired mixed ensemble.
The action continues in Binghamton with Porch Fest, one of the community’s most highly anticipated events, on August 29. Porch Fest is a collaborative celebration of cultures, combined with nonstop dancing and live music.
Binghamton Porch Fest
You surely do not want to miss out on all that Binghamton has to offer this summer. The lineup of events is as follows:
August 8th: Harper Stantz Rec Park Music Fest, 1-9pm, Recreation Park
August 10th: Wheelhouse, 6-8pm, Otsiningo Park
August 14th: BPO with Trio Pastoral, 5pm, Salvation Temple
August 17th: Wreckless Marci, 6-8pm, Otsiningo Park
August 21st: BPO with Unanimous Four, 5pm, Centenary-Chenango United Methodist Church
The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the return of concerts for its 2021-2022 season in a press conference. The Orchestra also announced their new executive director, Paul Cienniwa. Daniel Heige, the Music Director of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, presented the sponsors and performances that will take place for this season.
The Philharmonic also had sponsors give speeches on their relationship with the Binghamton Philharmonic and how they will contribute to helping the orchestra with this upcoming season. The music director stated that the orchestra will play music from composers such as Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Jessie Montgomery, Stacy Garrop, Vivian Fung. There will also be concerts featuring musical genres of rock and pop.
Here are the upcoming concerts at the Binghamton Philharmonic:
Summer Chamber Music: trio pastorale with Principal Clarinet Paul Cho, Second Oboe Amelia Merriman, and Second Bassoon Melissa Kritzer Saturday August 14 at 5p.m. and Sunday August 15 at 3p.m.
Summer Chamber Music: Unanimous Four with Concertmaster Uli Speth, Assistant Principal Cello Michael Newman, Principal Clarinet Paul Cho, and Principal Piano Tomoko Kanamaru.
You can check out the video of the press conference here.
Purely Technique Dance will be having its 8th annual dance concert and fundraiser. The theme they have selected for this year, “Heroes in Humanism,” will explore all of the avenues related to ‘real-life heroes’ who dedicate their lives and time to the betterment of humankind. The performance will take place on Thursday, June 24th at 7:00 pm at the Robert Eckert Theater at EPAC in Endicott, NY.
The evening will be celebrating movement, human emotion, and healing. Purely Technique Dance OUR Company is under the artistic direction of Erin Saddlemire. Saddlemire utilizes the thoughts, feelings, and actions of her dancers through improvisational structures and storytelling. Their ideas are an integral part of OUR Company’s creative process.
The performances will showcase the art of dance in a theatrical venue. OUR Company will use dance to celebrate love and will explore concepts, ideas, and feelings that cause us to contemplate and perhaps evolve.
“Heroes in Humanism” also features the hard work of Purely Technique dance classes and solo students who all have a tremendous passion for the art of dance. The show will also have guest performances by Dynamic Dance Movement.
For the past 8 years, it has been a tradition to hold the annual dance concert as a fundraiser. Each year an art club or organization within the Greater Binghamton community is chosen as a beneficiary group. This year Endicott Performing Arts Center was chosen as the recipient and as the host for this year’s performance.
Reserved Seating Tickets are now on sale. Tickets will also be available at the door and are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, and children 5 and under are admitted for free. For ticket purchase contact Erin Saddlemire at purelytechniquedance@gmail.com or call 607.245.6366. Erin Saddlemire can also be contacted through Purely Technique’s website at purelytechniquedance.org
On Saturday, June 19, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra will present a concert of 18th-century baroque music for strings and harpsichord at the Broome County Forum Theatre.
The concert, titled “Back to Baroque,” will be the orchestra’s first performance at the Forum since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of concerts over a year ago. The program, conducted by the Philharmonic’s Music Director Daniel Hege, will include Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3,” Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto,” Vivaldi Sinfonias, and more. After a year spent performing socially distanced concerts and online events, the Binghamton Philharmonic’s first live showing will be a breath of fresh air for everyone.
Daniel Hege is widely recognized as one of America’s finest conductors, earning critical acclaim for his fresh interpretations of the standard repertoire and for his commitment to creative programming. He was appointed to the position of Music Director of the Binghamton Philharmonic in May 2018.
“We are so thrilled to present live, orchestral music again, especially after such a difficult year,” says Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Executive Director Paul Cienniwa. “While we have to follow certain limitations of COVID-19 safety measures, such as smaller audience and ensemble size, we are still very pleased to end our season with live music in our beloved concert hall. Baroque music has many musical fireworks to offer, so I am happy to end our season with a bang!”
The concert, lasting an hour, will take place at both 6 pm and 8 pm. In order to follow COVID safety protocols, seating is limited to 250 patrons per performance of The Broome County Forum Theatre which is a 1,500-seat performing arts theatre. Because of the unique seating arrangement for this concert, all tickets must be pre-purchased by phone. For more information, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic at 607-723-3931 or visit the Binghamton Philharmonic website.
Today marks the anniversary of the final show The Grateful Dead ever played in Binghamton, NY. The final three of these all took place at Broome County Arena, with the first show being at Harpur College in 1970. Shows at the Arena then followed in 1977 and 1979. After a short run of shows on the West Coast to open 1983, the Dead traveled east for their spring tour. With keyboardist Brent Mydland now comfortably established in the band’s dynamic for a few years now, this show offers a glimpse of vintage of early ’80s Dead and a taste of all their varied sounds and styles to date.
The show starts off in a somewhat disjointed fashion with Jerry Garcia mumbling a good portion of the lyrics to “Alabama Getaway.” Harmonizing vocals and the customary wailing Hammond B3 organ fills from Brent Mydland help to mitigate the early shortcomings. After a fairly tame Garcia solo, the band quickly shifts into “Greatest Story Ever Told.” Bob Weir leads the vocals on this quick one that features a much improved Garcia solo at the end. Jerry continues his first set ascent with the “Bird Song” that follows, nimbly maneuvering through the lyrics and delivering some ethereal guitar work. Mydland on electric keys now and Weir on rhythm guitar create a wonderful canvas of sound upon which Garcia paints effortlessly.
“New Minglewood Blues” is next on the docket with Weir once again taking lead and Garcia and Mydland each exchanging boisterous solos on this one as each song so far seems to get progressively more cohesive. This carries on right into a must-hear “Peggy-O” that features a truly heavenly tone from Mydland on keys that accompanies Garcia on vocals.
The emotions remain high and flow nicely into the “Cassidy” that comes next, with Mydland continuing to dazzle with an array of different tones emanating from his keyboard rig. This yields another short but ferocious Grateful Dead jam that the Binghamton fans applaud appropriately on this recording.
“Loser” brings the first set heat back down to a simmer before another few Garcia solos rile up Broome County Arena once more. Things continue to pick up with the cover of The Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now” that follows and features more spectacular work from Mydland on the Hammond. Afterwards, the Dead throw it back a little with “Dupree’s Diamond Blues,” a recently revived classic that dates back to the late ’60s. A rousing “Let It Grow,” heavily fueled by the percussive tandem of Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, then ends the first set that seems to celebrate almost ever era of the band’s musical catalog to date.
The Grateful Dead‘s final set in Binghamton starts off in traditional fashion with a “Help On The Way” that unfortunately sees Jerry revert back to some fumbled lyrics. Its traditional tag-team partner “Slipknot!” gives Garcia a chance for redemption as he delivers a mesmerizing guitar solo atop another full bed of sound with constant accentuating flares thrown about by Mydland and Weir. A jazz-like jam evolves from this for a bit in a “Slipknot!” that gets stretched out nicely before rounding back into form. The abrupt segue into “Franklin’s Tower” then rounds out the second set’s triumphant opening trifecta. Garcia has no issues with the vocals here and throws in a few exuberant, rapid-fire guitar runs for good measure that surely enthralls the Broome County crowd.
A second set “breather” of sorts then ensues with another traditional Dead sequence. Bob Weir takes lead on “Lost Sailor,” a song the Dead would only continue to play for a few more years after this. Another abrupt segue then serves as the lead-in to “Saint Of Circumstance,” completing the longtime song pairing that had been a regular part of the band’s live repertoire since 1979. This paves the way nicely for “Terrapin Station” as the Grateful Dead delight Binghamton with yet another classic.
The song’s drum-heavy ending, as it had and would continue to do many times going forward, serves as a natural entrance ramp to the evening’s “Drums” > “Space” sequence. To little surprise, after the band reemerges on stage, so too does “The Other One.” At several points moments earlier, drummers Kreutzmann and Hart seemed to be fashioning a similar-sounding drumbeat to the iconic one that begins this song.
In vintage Dead fashion, the intensity of “The Other One” is juxtaposed nicely by the fairly mellow, in comparison, “Wharf Rat” that follows. This gives Garcia one last chance to deliver a couple of choice solos with a nice, jazzy backdrop of sound provided by the rest of the group. As “Rat” dwindles out, the opening chords of “Not Fade Away” start up as the Dead begin to close their final Binghamton gig. At its conclusion, the crowd shows its appreciation and continues singing “Not Fade Away’ all the way through the encore break, something that would become commonplace for this song throughout the rest of the band’s career.
As a result, the encore begins with the Dead reciprocating and playing an NFA-reprise in response back to the crowd. Fittingly, the show then ends with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” With a setlist featuring two songs with the words “It’s All Over Now” in it, it’s almost as if the Dead knew this is the las time they would ever grace the Parlor City.
Grateful Dead – Broome County Arena – Binghamton, NY 4/12/83
Set 1: Alabama Getaway-> Greatest Story Ever Told, Bird Song, New Minglewood Blues, Peggy-O, Cassidy, Loser, It’s All Over Now, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, Let It Grow
Set 2: Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower-> Lost Sailor-> Saint Of Circumstance-> Terrapin Station-> Drums-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Not Fade Away
