The phrase ‘this darkness has got to give’ originates in the Robert Hunter penned Grateful Dead song “New Speedway Boogie,” a line that speaks of hope and aspirations of a brighter future ahead.
In June 2020, NYS Music started the series “This Darkness Has Got to Give,” amid uncertain times where we did not know what the next few weeks or months would provide for the musicians, venues, music industry staff and employees, as well as patrons across New York State. We hoped for the best, and while the era of streaming sufficed for a time and is permanently ingrained with bands and venus, live music has returned.
Sort of, at least. We have had some false starts, with tours cancelled shortly after they are announced, tours scaled back, and artists opting to require patrons to show proof of vaccination, as well as wear a mask inside venues. All of these are not major asks for patrons who have been deprived of live music, just as musicians have been deprived of audiences in the last year and a half. Given the tight COVID-19 protocols in place for touring musicians and at music venues, especially here in New York State, the result has been the return of live music to many venues, the arrival of crowds to outdoor and indoor events alike, and a feeling of normalcy, even if things don’t seem all the way normal just yet.
We are still not out of the woods yet. So long as mask policies are abided by and those eligible to be vaccinated do so, the full live music experience – at venues, music festivals, on cruise ships or in basements of college houses – can return in all parts of the state and country.
This edition of “This Darkness Has Got to Give” has a different angle to it. While we are looking at the music venues that dot the landscape all across the Empire State, we take a look this time not just at the venues, but at the crowds of fans who have flocked back to support their favorite artist and venue, and recharge ourselves through the power of live music. We begin where we started the series in June 2020, in Western New York, courtesy of Contributing Photographer Samantha Rychlicki.
Proclaiming the longevity of Shake Your Money Maker, The Black Crowes took to the road this year to celebrate its 31st anniversary. The Black Crowes tour, originally scheduled for 2020, included 37 dates across the U.S., culminating at Bethel Woods in Upstate NY.
Putting stories of infighting between Chris and Rich Robinson in the rear-view mirror, the two could be seen grinning from ear to ear during this final night of the tour. The show opened with The Texas Gentleman. Dirty Honey had been supporting the Crowes during the run. A switch was made for the closing date. The Dallas based band proved satisfactory as a warmup. With a Jim Carrey styled lead singer/keyboard player at the helm. Paying homage to the Woodstock music scene, they closed out with The Band’s “The Shape I’m In.”
Chris and Rich Robinson
To begin their part of the evening at Bethel Woods, the Black Crowes assembled at a what appeared to be a dive bar situated in the back corner of the stage. Separately, Chris Robinson sat on a drum riser in the dark, hidden by a large umbrella with the Black Crowes logo on it. A woman stepped out from the shadows and headed to an old-fashioned juke box located mid stage. Dropping a coin in and selecting a song, Elmore James’s “Shake Your Money Maker” filled the house and the show was on.
On cue, the band stepped forward, plugged in, and started with “Twice as Hard,” the opening track from Shake Your Money Maker, following the sequence of the album (“Jealous Again”, “Sister Luck”, etc.). At the midway mark, Chris called out praise for “The Big O” (Otis Reading) before the opening beats of “Hard to Handle” was heard.
Chris Robinson had his dancing shoes kicking his heels up and twirling with every number…
You could feel the energy from the band exceeding its limits as if the governor had been ripped off this rock and roll engine. Chris Robinson had his dancing shoes kicking his heels up and twirling with every number leaving no part of the stage untouched. Rich Robinson, offering a somewhat a stoic stance through the night, let his powerful guitar chops show this was not a one-man band
Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell stood out with power solos confirming his supporting role. Backup singers Mackenzie Adams and Leslie Grant along with keyboard player Joel Robinow helped add that little extra something to acknowledge the Money Maker milestone. With the completion of side two of Shake Your Money Maker, the band continued on. Pulling out tunes from their long career including “Thorn In My Side” and “Remedy.”
To close the night out, the encore gave praise to The Velvet Underground with a cover of their song “Rock & Roll.” Was this night a fairy tale? A happy ending for the brothers Robinson? One thing is for sure, it was not grim.
While I was driving up Route 17 to attend the Chris Stapleton “All American Road Show” at Bethel Woods, the rain was coming down like cats and dogs and squirrels and rabbits. With my windshield wipers on high, I started thinking of August 1969. Back then the heavens had opened up on a little music event at this same location. Maybe this was a good sign.
Chris Stapleton
The “Road Show “, which started in July, has been fluid with its opening acts. On this night Kendal Marvel, a gray bearded Honky Tonker, greeted the early attendees. He and his band delivered a short and driving set. “Low Down and Lonesome” had you moving your feet while “Gypsy Woman” took it down a notch reflecting on a transient love.
Kendal Marvel
Grammy nominated Margo Price followed. Price reached out to all in the house and took control of the stage. As she moved seamlessly between vocals, guitar, and percussion, Margo maneuvered from one end of the stage to the other in her knee-high black suede boots. Price’s set included “Tennessee Song” from Midwest Farmer’s Daughter and a cover of Leslie Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.” Backed by a full band, including a three-guitar army and pedal steel, her execution was top notch reinforcing her well-deserved musical status.
Margo Price
Stepping out from the wings with a flashlight directing his path, Chris Stapleton centered himself on a dark stage. A man and his guitar. Then, a single spotlight illuminated him from behind setting the tone for his set. This was not about him, but about the music.
Stapleton opened with “Whiskey and You,” a raw look at the struggles of the heart. His full band then joined him on an elaborately constructed stage, which was not pretentious but built to enhance the journey. To his left and lending vocals, was Stapleton’s wife, Morgane. Randomly through the show, she would snuggle up close to Chris and caress the tall Kentuckian’s beard bringing about a joyful glow.
No BS. No fireworks. Just Chris Stapleton and his songs.
The two-hour set maneuvered through Stapleton’s catalog, and included songs from his 2020 Starting Over album.There was not a lot of banter from the singer songwriter enabling each song to resonate fully before the next began. Throughout the night a continuous flow of guitar changes and band configurations afforded each song the opportunity to shine brightly.
You could feel the depth of Chris’s deep, raspy timbre as he shared the challenges of the common man. With Stapleton’s encouragement, the house joined in on “Starting Over” giving this audience of sixteen thousand the opportunity to be one with the artist. At one point, Chris teased the crowd with a snippet of Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” before breaking into “The Devil Named Music.” Taking creative license with the iconic “Tennessee Whiskey”, Stapleton melodically introduced his band and brought the set to a close.
Chris Stapleton
The night concluded with a two-song encore. Beginning with the title cut from his debut album Traveler, citing “this was where it all began.” To close Stapleton chose “Outlaw State of Mind.” The song built up in intensity while performed. As it concluded, each musician with their instruments feeding back put them down on the stage floor and walked off. Sending the music into the ethos.
The deluge leading up to the show did not deter the sold-out audience. What they experienced was a well-constructed night of musical purpose. No BS. No fireworks. Just Chris Stapleton and his songs. Unadulterated for all to consume.
In collaboration with P.S. 122 co-founder and performance artist Charles Dennis, Spaghetti Eastern Music today releases a solo electric guitar score for the dance piece “2 X 2 X 4.” Recorded live at Avant-Garde Arama Festival in Woodstock in July 2021, the three-track, 20-minute collection is available as a digital download exclusively on Spaghetti Eastern Music’s Bandcamp site, via Bad Egg Records 3100.
Premiering in 1989 to raves in media like The Village Voice, Charles Dennis’ “2 x 2 x 4” is an offbeat dance duet performed with fourteen wooden 2 x 4s, one whose mood is now heightened by Cataldi’s atmospheric, looped and layered guitar extrapolations captured on this live EP. Avant-Garde-Arama was originated in 1980 at the legendary East Village venue P.S. 122 (now called Performance Space 122) by Dennis, who also co-founded this vibrant cultural institution. This is the first time that the two-day festival of short works of dance, performance art, poetry and music has been produced outside of New York City.
Praised for his guitar innovations by the likes of The New York Times and Jazz Times, Cataldi’s three movement score was informed by his love of the pioneering ambient soundscapes of guitarist Robert Fripp and experience performing with avant-garde guitar orchestra composer Rhys Chatham. Cataldi performed with Chatham’s ensemble at Lincoln Center in 2010, at a concert captured on the album “A Crimson Grail: For 200 Guitars.”
Cataldi utilized multiple loop pedals, delays, fuzz tone, a string simulator, harmonizer, arpeggiator, an Ebow note sustainer and other effects to create the 20-minute score, which is divided into three selections on the EP titled: 2 x 2 x 4 Pt. 1 Of Sawdust & Seagulls (8:09); 2 x 2 x 4 Pt. 2 Pulse the Arpeggiator (4:37) and 2 x 2 x 4 Pt. 3 The Howl of Contemplation (6:24). The music moves from gentle chording and symphonic loops to a rhythmic pulse with dueling, echoed melodic fragments to a minimalist 4-chord organ pattern underpinning frenetic soloing and wailing wall of infinite sustained, harmonized note clusters at the culmination.
When I heard Sal play live, I knew he would be the perfect collaborator. I gave him a few notes about mood, pacing and rhythm and he took these ideas and ran with them – crafting three distinct movements that complemented the narrative flow. It was a unique musical soundscape, one that enhanced both my performance and the experience of Avant-Garde Arama’s live audience.
Charles Dennis
Cataldi’s debut album under Spaghetti Eastern Music moniker, Sketches of Spam, is a 16-track, 69-minute, genre-surfing journey through contrasting moods, with instrumentals inspired by 70’s Miles, Krautrock, Ennio Morricone, Fripp & Eno and ECM’s icy guitar great Terje Rypdal giving way to bare-bones acoustic vocal tunes reflective of the influence of John Martyn and Nick Drake. In 2020, Cataldi followed this with a trio of critically-acclaimed atmospheric singles that have been heard around the globe, “Her Lemon Peel Raincoat – Because It’s Raining,” “Peace Within” and “And This is Their New Hoax,” a COVID-19 musical editorial featuring samples of President Trump’s most noted denials to Cataldi’s soundpainting guitars and synths. His latest release, 2021’s “Blues for A Lost Cosmonaut,” is a nine-minute plus maxi single, again in the ambient mode, one that informed the live tracks he performed to Dennis’ piece.
This collaboration with Charles was a pure joy. It was a chance to extend on what I have been working on with my recent Spaghetti Eastern Music releases – to be ambient and minimalist and wildly maximalist, at the same time. It was also a way to challenge myself to create a multi-layered soundpainting completely solo, in a live setting, without a net, re-dos, etc. I look forward to reprising this piece and others with Charles in further performances.
Sal Cataldi
In 2020, Cataldi made news more beautiful sounds with “One Act Sonix,” the critically-buzzed about debut album from his spoken word/music side project, The Vapor Vespers, with noted Alaskan playwright/slam poet Mark Muro. The duo recently followed this up with two new singles, “Sex” and “You Changed.” Cataldi is also one half of the improvisational and ambient Hudson Valley-based guitar and efx duo, Guitars A Go Go, with Rick Warren. Their first single, a 12-minute improv opus called “The Volcano Lovers,” was a preview of the bold experimentation featured in their June 2020 CD debut, “Travel Advisory.”
Soul Blind is out to impress us once again. The Hudson Valley based alternative rock band has released their new EP Third Chain on Other People Records. Drawing from The Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, and Deftones, Soul Blind releases a nostalgic track that mimics something out of the 90s.
The newly released music video captures the band performing in a kaleidoscope of swirling colors through a fisheye lens. If that doesn’t give you 90s nostalgia then maybe Justin Sarica and Finn Lovell’s entwined guitar riffs will remind you of The Smashing Pumpkin’s sheer rock groove.
This track also reminds us the endless range of what the rock genre truly encaptures. Steve Hurley on drums is the foundation urging the beat forward urging nothing but a head-banging session leaving the listener engaged, asking where the melody will head to next. Third Chain gives us the original hard rock we have come to know and love while still having an original sound. Soul Blind’s other tracks including “Misplaced” and “Phantom Pool” continue delving into the lessons crucial relationships teach us about ourselves. Jon Markson and Adam Cichocki recorded each track ensuring a lush wall of guitars mixed with divine vocals.
The EP serves a lot of self reflection lyrically, as well as the emotional turbulence within personal relationships. ALl three songs reflect different feelings, but come together in the same world. Sonically we think these songs show some diversity in our sound and a clear example of our range of what can be expected from future releases, especially going into our first full length.
Soul Blind
Soul Blind is working toward becoming a household name and are on their merry way. In 2018, the group made their debut with the Willpower EP, followed by Untitled later that year with a handful of promo singles in 2019. Don’t just take our word for it. No Echo, Stereogum, and New Noise Magazine have released praising reviews gloating about the band. Opening for the likes of Vein, All Out War, Death Threat, Fiddlehead, Praise, Anxious, Modern Color and One Step Closer solidify their hardcore stardom.
Be sure to check out Soul Blind’s East Coast tour with Koyo. Tour dates can be found below.
9/17/2021 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ APEX Studios w/ Restraining Order 9/18/2021 – North Haven, CT @ The Cockeyed Crow w/ Restraining Order + Rule Them All + End It 9/19/2021 – Oakdale, NY @ Shakers Pub 9/20/2021 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire w/ Webbed Wing 9/21/2021 – Greensboro, NC @ Gate City Garage 9/22/2021 – Columbia, SC @ New Brooklyn Tavern 9/23/2021 – Jacksonville, FL @ Archetype w/ Magnitude + Point Of Contact + Kharma 9/24/2021 – Brandon, FL @ Noisebox w/ Magnitude + Point Of Contact + Kharma 9/25/2021 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark w/ Magnitude + One Step Closer 9/26/2021 – Pensacola, FL @ American Legion w/ Magnitude + One Step Closer 9/27/2021 – Atlanta, GA @ The Dog House 9/28/2021 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel w/ One Step Closer 10/09/2021 – Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds w/ No Pressure, Koyo, Victory Garden, Charity 10/30/2021 – New Haven, CT @ State House w/ Narrow Head + Waveform
The veteran guitarist and songwriter John Burdick is known in the mid-Hudson Valley as the leader of long-running stumble pop quintet, The Sweet Clementines, as well as for his work as an always tasteful sideman for Old 97’s front man Rhett Miller and his All-Stars, indie singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson and others. The name may also be familiar to music-lovers in NYS from his years as a music critic for outlets like Almanac Weekly (now Hudson Valley One) and Chronogram.
Birds and Birds is the name of Burdick’s latest, a four-track EP which is actually the first title released under his own name. It’s a maddening slim selection (at a little over 14-minutes, I wish there was more) of lush down-tempo art pop, the ideal chill-out listening experience for these troubled COVID times.
With the intro to “Unison Waltz,” we can hear that Burdick has spent a good deal of time listening to the electric guitar filagree of Richard Thompson. Like all the songs here, there’s a delight swirl of textures stitched by the electric and acoustic guitars, keys and background voices. Ten bonus points for working the word “gestalt” into the lyrics without having the tune grind to a halt! The slacker-rock socio-economic critique “Complikate” came out of SubFamily Records’ casual quarantine experiment Seed Project (reviewed here). But it was re-mixed for this collection by the Grammy-winning producer Danny Blume. This features more distinctive organ vibes and some melodic McCartneyisms on the bass.
The closer, “Birds of Heaven,” is a true standout, a perfect endpiece that reminds me a bit of John Cale’s placement of “Antarctica Starts Here” on his masterwork. Paris 1919. It dawns as the most minimal and poetic offering in the collection, before the thump kicks in two minutes in. Burdick’s ambient guitars, lush keys from Sarah Perrotta, the potent percussion and sound design by this track’s co-producer C.I.T.E and Dean Brown’s trombone solo on the make this another fine example of this artist’s eclectic art pop sensibilities.
Just as cargo shorts, hair dye and flannel are making a comeback in the ’20s, a classic jam band from the ’90s is also making a triumphant return. The Slip, having just reunited at LOCKN’ in August, will hit the road for six shows this November, with three shows in New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMRHbayESZQ
The Slip – drummer Andrew Barr, guitarist Brad Barr and bassist Marc Friedman – had released eight albums over 10 years, starting in 1997, and while they have reunited here and there over the years, this run of shows marks their first tour in more than a decade.
After starting the tour in Burlington at Higher Ground, they’ll make two more stops in New England at Fete Music Hall and The Sinclair before heading to Brooklyn Bowl for two nights, followed by an intimate performance at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock. Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. ET at each venue’s website below.
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 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
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 Conductorof the Year, Carlos Miguel Prieto will be a guest conductor at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The Sight & Sound serieswill return toThe 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 Still: Dismal 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, Indian, Dvořák: New 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 McTee: Circuits
Brahms: Brahmsiana arr. Leonard Slatkin (World Premiere)
Mussorgsky: Pictures 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. Strauss: Till 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
Handel: Messiah
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
Rossini: William Tell Overture
Alexander Zemlinsky: The 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
Brahms: A 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 Still: Dismal 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
Berlioz: Roman 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
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.
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.
Live Music Society, a nonprofit philanthropic organization has announced a third round of grants to be awarded this fall to live music venues across the United States. These grants benefit small venues with a maximum sellable capacity of 300, and has supported venues including Bowery Electric, Caffe Lena and Levon Helm’s Barn, among others.
Founded in 2020, Live Music Society is committed to awarding $1,000,000 dollars per year in grants to venues that promote and preserve the live music experience in intimate settings. These small venues allow artists of all levels and all genres to get their start, connect with their audiences and maintain their careers as performers. Individual grants range from $10,000-$50,000, and over the two initial rounds of grants, Live Music Society has awarded thirty-six venues in twenty-nine cities grants totaling over $1.2 million.
Small, live music venues throughout the U.S. are owned and operated by music-lovers who are tirelessly devoted to their community, their staff, and their artists. Without small music clubs, so many of our most promising artists wouldn’t have a place to share their work, hone their craft, and build their audiences. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these clubs have been fighting to keep their doors open. Live Music Society is focused on making sure these wonderful spaces stay solvent and independent. It is time to acknowledge and support the great efforts that these venues have made to keep our communities connected and vibrant through the gift of live music.
Live Music Societyfounder Pete Muller
Live Music Society encourages small venues with 50-300 sellable seats prior to COVID-19, established on or prior to July 1, 2017, to apply. Venues must be committed to live music as their primary activity to be eligible. Grant applications will be accepted from September 28 – October 20, 2021 via the organization’s website.
Prior grantees include:
Ivy Room (Albany, CA)
Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center (Berkeley, CA)
