NYS Music 202​2

Author: Abigail Baughan

  • The American Classical Orchestra Announces 2022-2023 Season

    The American Classical Orchestra announced their upcoming 2022-2023 season made up of four orchestral performances conducted by Founder and Artistic Director Thomas Crawford. The season will begin on September 22, 2022 and continue until May 18, 2023.

    American Classical Orchestra Season

    The three of the four performances will be at Alice Tully Hall, and one will be held at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer. The opening concert at Alice Tully Hall will feature Beethoven’s third piano concerto with Hungarian virtuoso Petra Somlai on the fortepiano.

    Other guest artists for this season also include Soprano Yulan Piao, Mezzo-Soprano Heather Petrie, Tenor Lawrence Jones, Bass Joseph Charles Beutel, and Violinist Rachell Ellen Wong. The orchestra draws talent from all over, and the players are the foremost in their fields.

    https://youtu.be/Ua_GHVEDCdI

    The American Classical Orchestra is New York City’s leading period-instrument orchestra and established a permanent home there in 2005. The organization is dedicated to performing the music of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century performers – using historic performance techniques and original instruments to replicate the sound as it would have been heard at the time.

    The American Classical Orchestra’s musicians are masters of the period-instrument, performing classics anew— with zeal and authenticity. This season will offer a wonderful opportunity for our audiences to experience Baroque and Classical masterworks on the very instruments heard in concert halls when they were first performed and will also reveal how the sound and nuances of these original instruments can bring the music of great Romantic composers to life in different ways.

    – ACO Artistic Director & Founder Thomas Crawford

    Some of this year’s season highlights include Mozart’s Requiem coupled with the world premiere of Thomas Crawford’s Elegy, which was composed in memory of ACO violinist Judson Griffin on October 28. On March 2, there will be an all-Bach program of cantatas offering audience favorites and on May 18, a romantic evening of music featuring works by Schumann, Sarasate, and Grieg.

    Tickets for individual performances are priced at $75, $55, and $35 and are available at aconyc.org. 

    Read the full 2022-2023 American Classical Orchestra season below:

    Opening Concert: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 – Thursday, September 22, at 8 pm, Alice Tully Hall

    Petra Somlai, fortepiano

    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor   

    Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major          

    C.P.E Bach: Symphony in F Major, H665

    Remember – Friday, October 28, 2022, at 8 pm, Alice Tully Hall

    Yulan Piao, soprano

    Heather Petrie, mezzo-soprano

    Lawrence Jones, tenor

    Joseph Charles Beutel, bass

    ACO Chorus

    Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626

    Thomas Crawford: Elegy (World Premiere in honor of ACO violinist Judson Griffin)

    Healing Bach – Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 8 pm, Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, Lexington Avenue at 66thStreet

    J.S. Bach:

      An Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42

      Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18

      Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36 

     *Soloists to be announced at a later date

    Romantic Fantasy – Thursday, May 18, 2023, at 8 pm, Alice Tully Hall

    Rachell Ellen Wong, violin

    Schumann: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 38 “Spring Symphony”     

    Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25Grieg: The Mountain Thrall, Op. 32

  • Specialists Return to NY With Summer Tour Starting on July 1

    The NYC-based funk and rock collective Specialists are set to perform across New York as they kick off their summer tour on July 1. The band completed a Southeast US tour in January of 2022 and returns to the Northeast with 6 shows across NY and PA.

    The summer performance schedule coincides with the band’s release of their upcoming full-length record. Other Specialists releases include Too Easy (2020), Specialists (2019), and No Need to Explode (2018). With irresistible groove, crafty arrangement, witty lyrics, and catchy hooks, the band’s sound will get any audience up on their feet.

    Specialists initially consisted of duo Billy Harden (guitar) and Mikey Rotunno (bass) before adding Christian Hickey (drums) and Pete Harden (keys) to the mix. Their newest single, “I Got You,” released in March of 2022, gives listeners a taste of their newest sound.

    After the band’s Brooklyn Made performance on July 1, they will head off to Syracuse’s Funk N Waffles on July 2. The Specialists will then take their sound to the Sterling Stage Ameribeat on July 3 before eventually finishing their tour in Peekskill. To listen before their upcoming tour dates, the band’s music is available on Apple Music or Spotify.

    Specialists Summer Tour Dates

    July 1 – Brooklyn Made – Brooklyn, NY

    July 2 – Funk N Waffles – Syracuse, NY

    July 3 – Sterling Stage Ameribeat (4pm – 5:10pm) – Sterling, NY

    July 22 – Deutschtown Music Festival – Pittsburgh, PA

    July 29 – Tigh Mhary – Lancaster, PA

    August 26 – Peekskill Brewery – Peekskill, NY

  • The Park Theater Launches New “The Park Presents” Podcast

    On Monday, June 20, The Park Theater in Glens Falls introduced their new podcast, The Park Presents, now available on Anchor and Spotify.

    Photo Credit: Peter Herrick

    The Park Presents, hosted by The Park Theater Foundation’s Executive Director, Chris Ristau, will introduce audiences to the artists in the theater’s upcoming free Summer Concert Series.  The series held its first season in 2021 and returns this year in the Crandall Park Bandshell each Friday evening in July.

    The podcast will let audiences get to know the artists coming to Crandall Park ahead of their anticipated performances.  Listeners will get a chance to hear about music inspirations, future plans, and more. Over the course of June and July, the episodes will welcome 5 local acts: Let’s Be Dead, Dylan Perrillo Orchestra, Josh Morris Band, Hartley’s Encore, and Chestnut Grove.

    The newest episode out on June 27 invites Let’s Be Dead (formerly Let’s Be Leonard) onto the show. The band is set to play a Grateful Dead set in the upcoming concert series. The podcast features also introduction music from Trevor Tunison & Nyna Nelson of Fort Vine. Audiences can catch their music at The Park Theater’s 2022-2023 Live and Local series.

    Established in 2021, The Park Theater Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to enriching the community with quality and affordable entertainment and educational opportunities with their programming. With concerts, movies, comedy shows, and more, the new podcast is the latest in The Park Theater’s range of entertainment.

    Located in downtown Glens Falls, The Park Theater hosts various events including their Sept. to May season that sees many local and international artists take the spotlight. The episode schedule for this new podcast can be found below:

    6/20 – Introduction

    6/27 – Let’s Be Dead 

    7/04 – Dylan Perrillo Orchestra 

    7/11 – Josh Morris Band 

    7/18 – Hartley’s Encore

    7/25 – Chestnut Grove

    For more information on events, membership or volunteer opportunities, visit www.parktheatergf.com. 

  • Bronx Street to be Erected in Late Onaje Allan Gumbs’ Honor

    On Tuesday, July 5, at 4 pm, the late Onaje Allan Gumbs will have a street sign co-named in his honor in the Bronx.

    Gumbs passed away in April 2020, but the late artist influenced jazz music for nearly five decades as a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. To remember that legacy, “Onaje Allan Gumbs Way” will be erected in his honor at the intersection of De Kruif Place & Dreiser Loop located in section one in Co-op City Bronx NY, where Gumbs lived.

    Born in Sept. 1949, Gumbs had a life-long passion for music, starting piano lessons in Queens at the age of 7. Some of his favorite musicians around that time included Henry Mancini and the jazz great Horace Silver, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and McCoy Tyner.

    After graduating from LaGuardia High School Of Music & Arts and the Performing Arts, and the State University of New York at Fredonia, one of Gumbs’ first commissions was a composition for The David Frost Show, where Billy Taylor was the Music Director.

    Since that moment, the musician continued to work with talented jazz artists, including Woody Shaw, Nat Adderley, Betty Carter, and Lenny White. In the seventies, Gumbs adopted the name “Onaje,” meaning “the sensitive one,” from the book of African names by Amiri Baraka. His seven albums as a leader include Onaje (Steeplechase), That Special Part of Me (Zebra/MCA), Sack Full of Dreams (18th & Vine), and Two, the Top, Featuring Nem Mahadr (Commercial Free Jazz).

    Gumbs’ legacy did not stop with his life as a musician. As an educator at The New School in NYC and at the Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut, Gumbs became a role model for many. He told Down Beat’s Eric Harabadian, “It’s important to talk to students about why we do this … our mission is to heal.”

    The foundation is happy to announce the street co-naming of Onaje Allan Gumbs … We are all the better for Onaje’s contribution to music. His music will live on forever.

    – The Onaje Allan Gumbs and Sandra Gumbs
    Community JazzArts Foundation

    The Onaje Allan Gumbs and Sandra Gumbs Community JazzArts Foundation preserves Gumbs’ legacy through an arts education program and collaborates with multiple art-based institutions to extend his memory.

    City Councilman Kevin C. Riley, District 12, along with the foundation, will officiate the ceremony on July 5. Many guest speakers and notable musicians will be in attendance in order to honor the memory of the jazz great.

  • Troy’s First-Ever Bacchanalia Arts & Music Festival to Begin This Fall

    Starting on Sept. 30 and ending on Oct. 2, the Bacchanalia Arts & Music Festival will grace the streets of downtown Troy. People can look forward to music, art, and good food and drinks for the entirety of the new festival.

    The owners of Whiskey Pickle, James and Erin Kehoe, came up with the idea last year as they enjoyed Troy’s vibrant downtown scene and remembered their years attending SXSW in Austin, Texas. Their wish was to bring a similar spirit to the people of Troy.

    The Bacchanalia Arts & Music Festival will host multiple bands, food trucks, art showings, and more throughout the three-day event. People exploring downtown, and music fans eager for some new sounds, will surely enjoy this debut festival.

    The event will have two outdoor stages, one on Fulton St. in front of the Whiskey Pickle, and one near the live music venue No Fun.  Other venues will also hold live music during the festival, including Rare Form, The Ruck, Slidin’ Dirty, El Dorado, Brown’s, and The Bradley.

    Currently, the Whiskey Pickle is working with Guthrie/Bell Productions to book the musical acts, and artists can also place submissions by clicking here. The organizers hope to hold a diverse lineup of acts, interesting selections of art, and other attractions so the festival sees patrons from all over.

    The first round of artists coming to the festival will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets will soon be available for the full weekend, with day passes at a later date. There will also be individual tickets to certain venues as their respective capacities allow.

    To keep up with festival updates follow the event on Instagram at @bamf.party and sign up for the mailing list here.

    Filmed by Christopher Brown

  • DJ Atlas.B Releases “First Launch EP” on June 24

    Capital District electronic music producer and DJ, Atlas.B, has released First Launch EP today, Friday, June 24. Heavily inspired by ‘60s/’70s funk, soul, and blues music, the 15-minute EP brings a lot of character over the course of the 5 tracks. The EP relies all on the high creativity of the instrumentation and layering of beats, with the occasional sampled phrase here or there.

    Atlas B

    Originally from Albany, Atlas.B worked on the EP over the course of a few months, with the final project finished with 5 tracks full of addictive rhythms. For his first EP, Atlas.B sampled dozens of vinyl records, overlaying drums, synths, keys, and other instruments which he recorded live from his own studio.

    Atlas B

    The track “Someday Soon” offers a mix of soul and electronic beats, alongside sampled music, which blends seamlessly together. “Midnight Run” begins with a bass track underlying most of the piece, incorporating keys and building with electronic synthesis as it continues.

    Atlas.B first released music in October 2021 and has since played at shows and festivals across the capital region. With performances including Empire Live, Photo City Music Hall, Bowery Ballroom, and Funk N Waffles, the DJ’s live sets embody all of the music that influences and inspires him.

    Fans of artists like Pretty Lights, Griz, Gramatik, Manic Focus, and Marvel Years may find their next favorite artist with Atlas.B’s First Launch EP out on June 24.

  • More Music Less Violence Showcase Comes to Caffe Lena on June 26

    On Sunday, June 26 from 4-8 pm, the More Than Music LLC will hold their fourth artist showcase, More Music Less Violence, in Saratoga Springs at Caffe Lena.

    More Music Less Violence Showcase

    The artist showcase on June 26 will feature local artists from all over the Captial Region. Performances include the likes of Emaculit, Precedence, spoken word artist The Young Optimist, GianLife, Ahzie, Mikayla Mclean, Quaudy Rouse, and Symone Noelle.

    More Music Less Violence started as a pop-up event in the summer of 2020 by Mario Johnson (also known as DJ HollyW8D), and has since been established as a permanent organization with influence throughout the Captial Region. The organization hopes to provide spaces for creative freedom and healing to bring in a new era of musicians.

     Photo Courtesy of EQPix

    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

    In addition to the live music at the event, audiences will also hear from Team H.E.R.O.E.S.’s Jerry Ford. Team H.E.R.O.E.S. (Helping Everyone Recognize Opportunities) helps communities empower young people and families with their long-term strategies and multiple programs. 

    The audience will also get a chance to see art as it is created. BOGRAN LLC will host a live painting, and Saratoga’s C.R.E.A.T.E Community Studios will be overseeing the making of a vibrant and collaborative community banner. 

    A photo booth and raffle drawings are also open to everyone in attendance. Donations will be accepted and encouraged as the More Music Less Violence team wishes to expand its outreach in an effort to stop the spread of community violence.

    Tickets to the More Music Less Violence Showcase are $20 at the door, or the fee for the event live-stream can be purchased for $5.

  • Flushing Town Hall Welcomes Sonia De Los Santos for Family-Friendly Concert on June 24

    On Friday, June 24 at 4:00 pm and 7:15 pm, Grammy-nominated Latin singer Sonia De Los Santos will perform her bilingual songs at Flushing Town Hall, as part of the Hall’s month-long Queens Rising celebration which highlights the borough’s cultural and creative diversity.

    Sonia De Los Santos
    Photo Courtesy of Hyphen Photography

    The performance will feature Sonia De Los Santos (vocals, guitar, jarana), Sinuhé Padilla-Isunza (leona, jarana), Elena Moon Park (violin, trumpet), Erica Kika Parra (drums), Berta Moreno (sax, clarinet), Fernando Brindis (bass), and Argelia Arreola (zapateado, jarana). 

    Both performances are family-friendly, and the group shares uplifting messages with Latin rhythms, body percussion, and traditional, Mexican folk dance demonstrations. The concert will offer parents and children a chance to celebrate the end of a long school year, and all that they have accomplished.

    Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Sonia De Los Sonto’s music career took off when she began touring with Grammy-winning kids’ music troubadour Dan Zanes in 2007.  In 2015, she released her first solo family music album, Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island to rave reviews. The album received the Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award and reflects on her experiences growing up and preserving her own heritage in a different country.

    In 2019, Sonia De Los Santos was nominated for a Latin Grammy with her second family music album, ¡Alegría!. She and her band have since performed throughout the country, including at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, The Getty Museum, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and many more.

    Santos’ recently released third album, Esperanza, is a bilingual collection of songs about hope, cherishing home, being grateful, dreaming of a better future, marveling at nature, and finding the light within ourselves. The musician and band are sure to make audiences smile with their encouraging messages and community pride.

    Flushing Town Hall is excited to welcome families to celebrate our city’s school children with this fun concert. We are all so proud of their resilience and accomplishments this past school year! It’s time to kick off summer with these amazing and engaging performers.

    Flushing Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek

    Flushing Town Hall has advocated for arts equity since 1979 and supports local, immigrant, national, and international artists with their programming. The Hall is also a proud member of the Cultural Institutions Group which is a collective of 34 non-profits committed to serving all New Yorkers. 

    Flushing Town Hall is accessible by car, bus, train, and foot. Access for wheelchair users and individuals with limited mobility is also available.

    Tickets for the event can be purchased at flushingtownhall.org.

  • The Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Gains Permanent New Home

    After nearly 18 years without a physical place to call their own, the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame announced they will finally have their first building location in Stony Brook. The grand opening for the space will be held in November. 

    Long Island Music Hall
    Photo Credit: Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame

    The non-profit signed a long-term lease with the Ward Melville Heritage Organization and will move into the educational and cultural center located in Stony Brook Village.  With 8,800 square feet and two stories, the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame has ample space to make the building their own.

    The Hall of Fame has existed since 2004 with no permanent building. With over 100 inductees including Billy Joel, Joan Jett, Lou Reed, LL Cool J, Twisted Sister, and more, the building will allow for a permanent “Hall of Fame” with plaques and exhibits to recognize these talents.

    We’re looking forward to creating world-class displays that showcase Long Island’s rich and diverse musical and entertainment history in new and exciting ways. We will feature different and exciting exhibits, displays, videos, and education offerings that will make our center a dynamic place for people of all ages to visit on a regular basis.

    LIMEHOF Chairman Ernie Canadeo
    Photo Credit: Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame

    The space will allow areas for a library, classrooms for educational programs and master classes, and even a theater. The main exhibit space will rotate through different themes to celebrate Long Island’s long musical history.

    Designed by world-renowned visual designer Kevin O’Callaghan, the music hall’s first theme will be “Long Island’s Legendary Club Scene: 1960s-1980s.” According to the president of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization, Gloria D. Rocchio, the center was specifically constructed with performances and exhibits in mind.

    Photo Credit: Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame

    Our organization has grown and our wish has always been to have a physical facility to showcase our mission of celebrating Long Island’s musical history and supporting education … we can now achieve our dream. 

    LIMEHOF Co-founder Norm Prusslin

    The official ribbon-cutting and public opening of the completed space is scheduled to take place this November. For more information and to see artist renderings of the exhibits, visit limehof.org

  • Butterfly Haus to Release New Record “Hold It Against Me” on June 22

    Brooklyn-based indie-alternative artist Osaze Akerejah, also known as Butterfly Haus, is set to release his new record, Hold It Against Me on June 22 via Glass Bullet Sound Company.

    The New-Jersey-born Nigerian-American artist came up with the project in 2019, and after three years, is ready to share it with the world. As an indie musician, the young artist’s production explores indie rock, alternative pop, hip-hop elements, and even snippets of the ’70s/’80’s new wave. Akerejah originally began making music in the late 2000s, and formerly went by the moniker SAZE.

    With this upcoming record, Butterfly Haus becomes more introspective, exploring themes such as love, mental health, identity exploration, and more. The project was born out of intense personal struggles, including a recent heartbreak, cancer diagnosis, and other mental and physical health battles. 

    These last few years have been beyond transformative. I’m not nearly the same man or artist I initially set out to try to be. Making music under the SAZE moniker was a lovely cocoon that I existed within since 7th grade, and I guess all the trauma, growth and self discovery of the past three-four years especially was what finally cracked the cocoon, ya know?

    Osaze Akerejah

    Butterfly Haus wrote “Hold It Against Me” after an extended hospital stay and as he attempts to grapple with questions about life, the nature of the universe, and manifestation.  The record is quite an emotional one, featuring hard-hitting lyrics, background vocals from Norwegian singer-songwriter Rosarii, and psychedelic electric guitar from Levi Wilkinson.

    Stayed tuned for this record’s release on June 22, and see below to explore more of the impressive artist’s work.