Two Truths, Rochester’s newest indie pop/rock outfit, was conceived during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic by musicians and roommates Blake Pattengale and Garrett Mader. Quarantine went quite swimmingly, as this new indie pop/rock band set off on the right foot with their first single “Brushstrokes,” with their forthcoming debut EP, Electric Campfire.
To fill out Two Truths, Max Greenberg joined on keys and Byron Cage on drums. Together their band’s sound pulls from a range of genres from Americana to rock, mixed with folk and a little electronic. Pattengale provides down to earth lyrics which are complimented by full vocal harmonies with electric drums and synths.
As ambiguous as “Brushstrokes” sounds, the song itself has more meaning than what meets the eye. Kerry Regan portrays a man who is looking to connect with his lost love. We see him at his art studio to revisit an old painting. The story unfolds to explain the man’s dreary present day life, compared to his past young happy and inlove self. A scenic picnic, a couple running through the fields accompanied with “When I was a younger man, I’d chase you through the fields that we painted with soft brushstrokes.”
Kerry Regan becomes covered in paint, attempting to immerse himself in his past with his young lover. The music almost feels ambient through its synth texture and angelic guitar picking. Luckily for the protagonist, he finally finds himself in the painting with his lover.
Two Truths serves up true potential in their first single, and we’re excited to see where they will go next. Follow Two Truths on Instagram.
The music for “Brushstrokes” was produced by Pattengale & Mader in Pattengale’s home studio, accompanied by Max Greenberg & Byron Cage, Mixed by Pattengale and Mastered by Ed Brooks. Video production for “Brushstrokes,” was made possible with collaborations by Olivia Rose (pre-production, artistic director, actor), Krit Upra of Floated Magazine (videographer, post-production, director), with additional help from Jeanne De Keyserling (painter, actor) & Kerry Regan (actor).
More Than Music LLC has announced the kickoff of a new series of artist showcases, dubbed as “More Music Less Violence,” taking place on September 12 at The Ground Up Café in Albany.
“More Music Less Violence” came into being as a pop-up event during Summer 2020, in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on bringing people together to heal the community through arts. A year later, COVID-19 restrictions are scaled back, and the Capital Region is still seeing an influx of gun violence peppering the area. The need for “More Music Less Violence” is ever-present, and returns ready to stay.
In keeping with the spirit of a positive energetic message, the first showcase is filled with a Capital Region roster of 11 young, bright talents. Included among the lineup are Freedom Stratton, Triya Love, Alexys Rae, Jaccpot, Ricky Bandana, Tony Twix, Rell Dolo, Chaz Money, Astrx Boomin, B Lyriq and Iveilah Dutton.
Photo Credit: Eddie Quinn Photography. Performers Pictured Here: Top Left to Right: Astrx Boomin, DJ Hollyw8d, Alexys Rae & Chaz MoneyBottom Left to Right: Jaccpot & Rell Dolo
More Than Music LLC CEO Mario Johnson – aka DJ HollyW8D – will be debuting a special surprise set as well. Originally from Brooklyn, DJ HollyW8D energizes crowds throughout Upstate New York and has always gravitated to music throughout his life and hopes to bring versatility in his music mixing wherever he goes. Drawing inspiration from many including his mother, Sean P. Diddy Combs and DJ Puffy, HollyW8D aims to inspire others with his daily grind and optimistic energy.
Due to the COVID pandemic there was no events going down, so I made an event. Music is a common factor that always brings people together and growing up in Brooklyn you saw violence every day. I don’t want to see it where I am living now.
Mario Johnson, CEO of More Than Music LLC, on his inspiration behind the event.
Intermittently throughout the evening, various representatives will be presenting on the issue of violence in the Capital Region. Guests can expect to hear from Councilman Owusu Anane of the Albany County 10th Ward, Albany Mayoral candidate Greg Aidala, representatives from the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area and Jerry Ford from TEAM H.E.R.O.
There will be an assortment of other activities for those in attendance, including live painting with artist Heartless Harlot, and kid-friendly interactive Chalk Talk with Carrie Love, who teaches kids how to silently protest. All attendees will have access to the photobooth and will receive a raffle ticket upon admission that can be used later for merchandise.
The event will be held from 4pm – 8 pm at Ground Up Cafe at 227 Quail Street in Albany.
Since 2010, the annual Alternative Guitar Summit has presented dozens of daring players who push the boundaries of this ubiquitous instrument to their most inventive, unexpected and beautiful extremes. Now the festival’s founder, Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer Joel Harrison, is revealing the inspirations and creative journeys of 27 of guitardom’s most intrepid masters in a new book, Guitar Talk: Conversations with Visionary Players(Terra Nova Press).
Harrison’s overview of creative guitaring begins with some of the influential icons who emerged in the 1970s including Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser and the criminally-underrated Michael Gregory Jackson. Jackson is a multi-genre master namechecked as an influence by the likes of Metheny as well as Vernon Reid, Bill Frisell and Brandon Ross, who are also featured in the book. Nels Cline, Julian Lage, Elliott Sharp, Ben Monder, Anthony Pirog, Mike and Leni Stern, Mary Halvorson, Wayne Krantz, Liberty Ellman, Dave Fiuczynski, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Ava Mendoza and Sheryl Bailey are also profiled in-depth. Harrison also explores lesser-known artists like Nguyên Lê, Rez Abbasi, Miles Okazaki and Rafiq Bhatia who are marrying the melodies and rhythms of their ancestral lands to the outer reaches of jazz.
As evidenced with a listen to any of the above, an enormous, fast-expanding range of approaches and sounds now exist within modern guitaring. The instrument can howl, hum, scrape, scratch, scream, sing, pluck, grate and soothe. What stands out in this book is not so much the instrument itself, but rather the wonderful and idiosyncratic personalities of these bold souls. They are all united by their sometimes wild, often zigzagging and ultimately profound journeys toward beauty, meaning and excellence in their work.
As an accomplished player who has known or collaborated with these artists over decades, Harrison is uniquely equipped to orchestrate these interviews. They are far more informed, revealing and absorbing than the ones you might read in general music media or hear on NPR. His intimate knowledge of their lives and creative struggles provides a unique perspective on this breed of musicians. They are the ones who take the road far less traveled to create artistry that never approaches cliche.
The book begins with a profile of Ralph Towner. Towner was the man who brought nylon-string classical guitar and acoustic 12-string into jazz, along with a litany of rich classically-informed compositions, through his work with Oregon, Weather Report and his solo ventures. He speaks about the impact of Big Band, Brazilian and Bach on his work. He also relates a humorous story of finding himself in folk singer Tim Hardin’s band at Woodstock ‘69, playing one of the “worst sets” of the legendary festival to a crowd of 450,000.
Many guitarists interviewed speak about the scene in Boston that grew up around the Berklee College of Music in the 1970s. It was an especially fertile one which launched players like Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Mike and Leni Stern and Pat Metheny to name a few. Metheny speaks about the development of his renowned sense of melody with his namesake quartet and also his lesser-known explorations to jazz’s far reaches with the Synclavier, Ornette Coleman and his Orchestrion records. A name that comes up with Pat and several other guitarists is Berklee educator Mick Goodrick, a chordal master who taught many of these names and shared guitaring duties with a young Metheny in the Gary Burton Group.
Harrison has a special reverence for the music of Michael Gregory Jackson. Jackson is a genre-hopping instrumentalist/improviser, as well as a later-day singer/songwriter in the R&B mold, who emerged as a teen in the mid-1970s NYC loft jazz scene with the Oliver Lake Group and groundbreaking solo records like his 1976 debut Clarity. Jackson packed influences ranging from Son House, Stockhausen, Hendrix, Albert Ayler and Stevie Wonder into his fast-evolving style, leaping from avant-garde to R&B to CBGB’s proto punk. His searing melodic style and techniques, like his use of volume pedal swells, has been noted as an influence by Metheny, Frisell, Mary Halvorson and others. The element of racism, the fact that the massively talented Jackson didn’t quite breakthrough to the big time, is sighted not only by the author but in interviews with Vernon Reid and Brandon Ross. After a quiet period, Jackson re-emerged in a big way in the last decade, recording acclaimed discs both here and in Denmark that are firmly rooted in his initial avant style.
In his interview, Bill Frisell charts his development from his busier, fuzzier earlier style to what Harrison labels the “deceptively attainable haiku style” of current day. Like many here, Frisell credits his sense of melody and harmony to his study and friendship with the great Jim Hall, along with a love of pop songsmiths like Burt Bacharach, someone his younger self would’ve considered “way too corny.” There’s also a fun story here about how his teenage R&B band beat one with future members of Earth Wind & Fire in a high school battle of the bands.
The husband-wife guitarists, Mike and Leni Stern, speak frankly of their battles – in developing unique and differing styles and with substance abuse. Mike relates how his ill-fated jamming partner Jaco Pastorius was the unlikely figure who sent him to rehab, while Leni relates the challenge of being one of three women in a Berklee guitar class of over 200. Mike also discusses the slings and arrows from critics for his now much imitated heavy metal bebop style introduced with Miles Davis on “Fat Time.” This was the searing opening track of Miles’ 1981 comeback album, a track titled for the nickname the trumpeter gave the then hefty guitarist.
Nels Cline speaks of his light bulb moment of guitaristic inspiration: hearing Hendrix’s “Manic Depression” at age 12. He also discusses the influence of artists as disparate as The Allman Brothers, early Weather Report and the avant-gardists of the AACM collective have had on his style. Cline is one of many musicians here who frankly discuss the financial struggle faced as a creative musician. He relates how he was about to quit full-time music and get a day job when he was called to join Wilco. He laments how current listeners seem to lack the attention span of those of decades past and how much more challenging it is to create a 5-second solo for a Wilco song than an expansive jazz improvisation.
Vernon Reid credits his interest in music to the now rare instrumental hits that made the pop charts when he was growing up, The Surfari’s surf standard “Wipe Out.” He also discusses his shift from the avant-garde to MTV and stardom with his rock band, Living Colour. Like Reid, Brandon Ross thinks the jazz university complex has maybe made for learned but less innovative musicians. He relates the huge impact that hearing Joni Mitchell’s “Dawntreader” had on him as a second grader, something that has influenced his shimmering acoustic work with singer Cassandra Wilson and on his own solo records. Ross also addresses the impossible financial challenges faced when festival bookers and A&R people can’t define a band and chose not to support adventurous bands like his edge-pushing trio, Harriet Tubman. David Tronzo, the innovator who brought slide guitar into the Sun Ra-like avant-garde, speaks about how the financial woes facing musicians out of the mainstream has played a role in his decision to forsake the road for a teaching gig.
Nguyên Lê is one artist who represents how jazz in evolving with the growing impact of non-Western musics and musicians, something evidenced in his album, Tales of Vietnam, and in the Indian/Cuban informed work of another interviewee, Rez Abbasi. Young Brooklyn guitarist Ava Mendoza details how she is using free jazz, noise rock, ragtime, blues and punk to create wholly unique sounds – in soundtracks, in collaboration with artists like John Zorn and works like her solo CD, Shapeshifters. Veteran player and educator Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski has been using his fretless guitar to explore the microtonality of world music for years. Here, he discusses his journey to departing from even-tempered 12-note per octave scales for ones with 24 to 128 tones per octave.
No guitarist among the edge-pushing modernists in this book may be as busy as Mary Halvorson. On the subject of being a woman in jazz, she says that many of her greatest role models and advocates have been men. But the danger for women is in the learning phase – when men might try and convince you that youcan’t play. Halvorson recalls her beginnings studying traditional jazz harmony and standards before burning out and turning to the more adventurous compositions and improvisational style of her teacher Anthony Braxton. Her singular style emerged at this time, in part with her creation of unique intervallic exercises that are still a hallmark of her work. Through a recent MacArthur Grant, she has furthered her work on several projects. This includes her three-woman/three-man Code Girl ensemble and a move into writing songs with lyrics, inspired by her love of Fiona Apple and Robert Wyatt.
Harrison’s book concludes with a wonderful discography of selected listenings. You can also check out his recent CD Guitar Talk, a collection of solo pieces and duets with artists like Ben Monder and Steve Swallow. The release was celebrated with a recent performance by at Brooklyn’s newest jazz institution, the wonderful Soapbox Gallery, which can be seen below.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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These all weather vinyl stickers are available in packs of 10 for $10.
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.
British indie rock icons Glass Animals started off their Dreamland North America tour right in Buffalo. With a sold-out show at Artpark on August 30, this band completely steam rolled the crowd. Getting to this level of success was nothing short of hard work and dedication.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
How It Started
Glass Animals members Dave Bayley (lead singer), Edmund Irwin-Singer (bass), Drew MacFarlane (guitar) and Joe Seaward (drums) met each other at age 13 in school. They began making music as a side hobby in 2010 and released their debut album ZABA four years later. This release accelerated their careers significantly, especially due to the viral hit “Gooey.”
After touring globally and appearing on several popular night shows, the band began developing their second album. As a singer, songwriter, and producer, front man Dave Bayley wanted to stray away from standard lyricism. Instead of writing about himself, Bayley sought to tell the stories of people he met on the road. And that’s how the How To Be A Human Being album was curated.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Creating Their Dreamland
These musicians built a community by celebrating the ability to be unique and different. Bayley felt this openness with his fans and decided to finally write material that was personal to him. The band faced a significant hardship as Seaward got into a horrific accident. This caused the group to have to reset as the drummer went through rehabilitation. It wasn’t until years later that they made their comeback with multiple singles and further on released their most ambitious album yet: Dreamland.
The 2020 autobiographical album was the most personal and raw material of theirs to date. Unsure of the outcomes of the future, Bayley spent time looking at his past. Dreamlandis about growing up and learning to be vulnerable even in the strangest of times. The band looks to challenge conformity and embrace the inevitable uncertainties of life. In hopes of capturing the essence of getting older, Bayley chose to add audio from old home movies. He layered audio from his Mom’s videos between the songs as interludes to provide a narration aspect.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Dreamland is nostalgic, funky, and very intricate. So many elements of this album are detailed in such a meticulous way that often go unnoticed. From creating a table of contents in the intro song to paying homage to Bayley’s favorite artist to alluding to album features on their website through games, everything was thought through. Basically, nothing went untuned when it came to producing this masterpiece. Glass Animals had to transform their at home production talent to an onstage experience after many years away, and let’s just say they did not miss a beat.
From Quarantine to Tour
The stage at Artpark was an immersive experience no matter where in the crowd you were located. The stage set-up felt like you were in a dream or rather submerged in Bayley’s head. A desktop computer image was loading in the background as the stage was filled with peculiar materials like a diving board, basketball hoop, neon signs, and even palm trees. Seeing all this made the packed crowd pumped up. It also helped that opening artist binki kept the funk alive. The indie musician filled the venue with groovy tunes and also performed magic tricks.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
When Glass Animals hit the stage, the screams echoed throughout Artpark. The band has undeniable infectious energy that had everyone up and dancing. They opened the show with the beloved single “Dreamland” which set the mood for the night. After that, not a single person sat down.
The hypnotic beats mesh effortlessly with Bayley’s delicate vocals. In addition, the rippling guitars and background psychedelic imagery was entrancing. The liveliness of the audience was incomparable as the band had to stop playing multiple times just to listen to everyone cheer. Being back to live shows never felt so good. They continued throughout the night playing hits off of all three of their albums including “Hazey,” “Pork Soda,” and “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.”
The energy shared from Glass Animals and the crowd made one huge epic dance party. No one wanted the night to end as multiple encores were cheered for. They closed the set with the streaming hit “Heat Waves” which did not disappoint. The song resonates with many as it deals with the struggle of identity and confronting one’s true emotions. Beyond that though, the beat and tempo in this is what makes it even more popular among fans. The night ended as an image of a desktop computer read, “It’s now safe to turn off your computer. Thank you, Lewiston.” There was no room for anything but feelings of awe as everyone left the venue.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Future Outlooks
If there was a “plain-Jane” section in the record store then Glass Animals’ discography would be located on the complete other side. Wait no scratch that, they would be located in their own area outside the store. Their sound is unmatched. From the use of rainforest audio, to obscure lyrics which always includes some kind of food, to mixing genres in innovative ways, this band cannot be contained. It’s only up from here and with all the growing momentum, the sky is the limit for Glass Animals.
Make sure to check out upcoming shows at Artpark. GOV’T Mule performs on September 7 and Phoebe Bridgers has a show on September 15.
Setlist: Dreamland, Life Itself, Tangerine, Black Mambo, Hot Sugar, Hazey, The Other Side of Paradise, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Cane Shuga, It’s All SO Incredibly Loud, Your Love (Déjà Vu), Take A Slice, Gooey, Youth, Pork Soda
