NYS Music 202​2

Category: News Desk

  • Irish Arts Center Announces Fall Programming

    On July 28, tickets for the upcoming fall programs at the renowned Irish Arts Center in NYC went on sale to the general public. The Irish Arts Center will offer multiple entertainment opportunities, including theater, dance, live music, and more.

    irish arts center

    Irish band PIllow Queens will stay in residence at the center from September 13 to 18. The indie rock band hails from Dublin, formed in 2016, and recently released a new album, Leave the Light On, available to listen to below. 

    The Irish Arts Center will also host the Irish Traditional Music Archive in October of 2022. The event exhibits New York-related Irish traditional music from the late 1800s to the late 1900s. Attendees can take in rare recordings, stories, and photographs that showcase the city’s rich Irish musical history.

    Ragas to Reels combines Indian classical and Irish traditional music for a riveting performance reflecting identity and connectivity from November 17 to 19. The performance also includes composer Linda Buckley, flute, whistle and sax player Sam Comerford, vocalist Ganavya, tabla player Nitin Mitta, and poet Sahar Romani.

    On November 20, the Irish Arts Center will host the closing performance of the New York Trad Fest with fiddler and Irish traditional musician Tony DeMarco. The festival showcases traditional dance, music, and song in NY. 

    The Irish Arts Center holds a long history in the city, dating back to its founding in 1972. The center serves as a home for artists and audiences who hold an appreciation for the Irish culture and holds programming throughout the year for people to enjoy.

    Just recently, the center finished on a brand new $60 million-dollar building to continue to bring the best education and entertainment. Singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke commemorated the 100th performance in the new center with a stay from July 15 to July 17.

    For a full list of upcoming fall programs and tickets, including literature, theater, dance, music, education, and more, visit the Irish Arts Center website. 

  • New Ownership Takes Over Nectar’s

    Legendary Burlington, VT bar and music venue Nectar’s is officially in a new hands thanks to a recent change in ownership. ElmThreeProductions founder Edward Maier, along with an investor group who shares a passion for music, have purchased Nectar’s with plans to not only preserve the history of this local landmark but also update the capabilities of the venue to current technology standards.

    Nectar's

    Under the new ownership Nectar’s and it’s connecting space Metronome will maintain its reputation for booking local, regional, and national musical acts. The technology upgrades are set to include new lighting, 4K streaming capabilities and a podcast studio partnering with Osiris Media.

    Maier and ElmThreeProductions are teaming up with Matt Kolinski, founder and agent at Omni Arts Group, who has an extensive history in the jam world, having worked with artists like Goose and Spafford previously. This merger will reestablish the Nectar’s Presents entity and bring in their talent buying, promotions, and management clients. Nectar’s Presents will now expand into a talent buying and management branch focused on emerging musicians as well as promoting musical acts in venues throughout the region.

    Nectar's

    Brett Fairbrother, former manager or Strangefolk, RAQ, guest service director of the Capitol Theater in Port Chester and talent buyer for Garcia’s bar, will also oversee the talent buying for Nectar’s and Metronome, further strengthening the venue’s musical ties.

    As a huge supporter of live music and Phish fan, I couldn’t think of a better venue to co-own, while leveraging the name for a new talent management agency with Matt Kolinski. Nectar’s and Metronome have been a staple in my life for catching a show and discovering artists.

    Ed Maier, managing partner for Nectar’s and Nectar’s Presents

    The talent management arm under the Nectar’s Presents umbrella will be called APON Artists and will
    include musicians from both the Omni Arts Group and A.F.T Artist rosters as well.

    ElmThree Productions is the creator of the “Jams on The Sand” for Asbury Park’s Convention Hall and
    has established itself as an independent promoter for venues such as Asbury Park, NJ’s The Stone Pony,
    Wonder Bar, The Saint and Atlantic City’s Bourbon Room (Formerly House of Blues Atlantic City).

    Jam On The Sand

  • Otsego County has Numerous Summer Concerts in the Mohawk Valley

    During the entire month of August, there will be numerous summer concerts held in Otsego County, from areas like Cooperstown to Richfield Springs and even Edmeston.

    otsego county music

    Otsego County is located in Central New York with a population of about 60,000. The county seat is Cooperstown, and the name Otsego is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning “place of the rock.” August brings a lot of music to the area, with different artists and bands featured all over the county.

    Richfield Springs

    Richfield Springs will continue its Wednesday evening “Concerts in the Park” series with free performances beginning at 7 P.M. in Spring Park on U.S. Route 20.

    Wednesdays in Spring Park

     August 3: New Horizons Barbershop Chorus and quartets (a capella singing in the barbershop style).

     August 10: Double Chase, playing old, new, and classic music.

     August 17: Cincinnati Creek (bluegrass)

     August 24: Rylee Lum Band (country)

     August 31: Salt City Brass (variety show)

    Cooperstown

    Cooperstown has many concerts coming up in August, in different locations. The Lakefront Concert Series begins Tuesday evenings at 6:30 P.M. at the bandstand in Lakefront Park.

    The Lakefront Concert Series

    August 2: Cooperstown Community Band

    August 9: Stoddard Hollow String Band (Appalachian mountain music)

    August 16: Jerry Dee and the Dovetones (early jazz, swing, classic rock, early soul, and ska)

    August 23: Bourbon and Branch (indie and alternative rock)

    August 30: Barnyard Saints (outlaw country)

    Cooperstown Community Band

    The Cooperstown Community Band will be playing in other locations in Otsego County, all concerts beginning at 7 P.M.

    August 9: Glimmerglass State Park

    August 16: Schuyler Lake

    Delhi

    Delhi will be hosting the Honest Brook Music Festival, which was founded in 1989 by Michael Cannon and the late Christopher Desler and has become a popular fixture of the classical music scene in Delaware County and the surrounding area. Performances are held in a converted dairy barn, with warm, resonant acoustics. To reserve a seat, go here.

    Honest Brook Music Festival

    August 7: Zhu Wang (pianist) at 3 P.M.

    August 14: Lun Li (violinist) and Ying Li (pianist) at 3 P.M.

    Edmeston

    Edmeston will be hosting Saturday afternoon concerts at the Pathfinder Pavilion. Pathfinder Village celebrates its 24 annual series of summer concerts with free, live performances starting at 2 P.M. The series is made possible from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the governor and the New York state Legislature.

    Saturday afternoons at the Pathfinder Pavilion

    August 6: Double Barrel (classic rock and country duo)

    August 13: Panther Creek (Americana and zydeco)

    August 20: Dirt Road Express (classic country and early rock)

    August 27: Small Town Big Band (swing orchestra with the big band sound)

    Oneonta

    Oneonta’s free summer concert series features area bands performing at the bandstand stage area of Neawha Park.

    Thursdays in Neahwa Park

    August 4: Off the Record

    August 11: Country Express

    August 18: Lucia & Levi

    Otsego County is hosting many different summer concerts throughout the county. For more information about the county and more events happening in the area, go here.

  • Park Playhouse Summer Season Continues

    On August 4, Playhouse Stage Company continues its Summer 2022 season with an engaging musical, The Wedding Singer, based on the hit Adam Sandler movie of the same name at Park Playhouse.

    Park Playhouse Logo

    The show, performed by Playhouse Stage Academy students, will run at Park Playhouse from August 4 to 20, Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 8 pm. Earlier in the season, audiences enjoyed Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids at the iconic Cohoes Music Hall and can look forward to the show Pete (her) Pan coming the last week of August at the venue. 

    Playhouse Stage Company recently undertook the responsibility of managing Cohoes Music Hall in 2020 but originally began summer productions in Washington Park in Albany in 1989. After drawing large crowds with free, outdoor programming, the amphitheater was built facing the lake to accommodate 1,500 people.

    Washington Park scene of Park Playhouse performances
    Washington Park Lakehouse

    In 2017, the stage company expanded its programming from just the summer season to all-year-around performances occurring both at Cohoes Music Hall and Park Playhouse. Attendees at the Park Playhouse venue for the upcoming The Wedding Singer show can enjoy for free on the lawn, or purchase tickets closer to the stage. The rest of the Summer 2020 Park Playhouse season is sure to entertain audience members of all ages.

    Playhouse Stage Company also recently announced its 35th season of musical theatre, including shows such as Frozen Jr., Assassins, Something Rotten, The Secret Garden, and many more. Stay tuned and don’t miss out on some fantastic pieces at the historic Cohoes Music Hall and beautiful Park Playhouse in Washington Park.

    Park Playhouse 35th season lineup poster

    For more information on Playhouse Stage Company programming and tickets to upcoming shows, visit their website available here.

  • World Premiere of “Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker” Debuts in NYC This Fall

    From November 15 to 27, the world premiere of “Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker” will come to New York City Center after a stay in Pittsburgh from October 19-30.

    The new ballet reimagines the beloved classic, with a libretto by Jessica Swan and music of legends Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Embracing the jazz genre, the ballet comes at a perfect time to ring in this fall’s holiday season at New York City Center.

    Composer Billy Strayhorn at the piano
    Composer Billy Strayhorn playing piano (Photo by Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images)

    “Sugar Hill” is a tribute to collaboration, diversity, and individuality. The music arrangement celebrates the jazz heartbeat of Sugar Hill in Harlem. Directed by Emmy Award winner Joshua Bergasse, with choreography by Jade Hale-Christofi, the show will present amazing dancers, orchestrations, and arrangements.

    Consummate master of self-expression Duke Ellington and classically-trained, jazz genius Billy Strayhorn, took something wholly European, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and transformed it into a story that symbolizes the American ideal — the freedom of individualism — by marrying it to jazz. There is no finer visual representation of this than through dance.

     -A. Alyce Claerbaut and Mercedes Ellington

    A. Alyce Claerbaut, niece of Billy Strayhorn, is the “Sugar Hill” Executive Producer, and Mercedes Ellington, granddaughter of Duke Ellington, and producer, director, and choreographer in her own right, expressed the genius of the ballet’s intent.

    Duke Ellington plays the piano
    American musician Duke Ellington (1899-1974). Undated photograph. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

    The “Sugar Hill” creative team also includes the talent of Julian Crouch (Scenic Designer), Linda Cho (Costume Design), David Finn (Lighting Design), Austin Switser and Switser + Knight (Projection Design) and John Shivers (Sound Design). Stay tuned for when the New York City Center tickets to this genre-bending ballet go on sale.

  • Turkuaz Releases Material From Band’s Final Albums

    Turkuaz has announced the release date for its last albums. Paradiso, inspired by the band’s recent sound, which draws on synth and electronic influences, and Apollyon, a funk-laden 12-track that pays homage to the band’s roots, will both be released on September 9.

    In advance of the band’s final release, Turkuaz has also shared the single “Strange People (Strange Times)” as well as its B-side “Feel No Pain.”

    The forthcoming albums were recorded before the 2021 exit of several band members amid the ensemble’s final tour, which left two founding members, Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein, to polish these final albums,

    It’s bittersweet finally putting these records out. Taylor and I are obviously sad about the break-up of the band. Though we have our frustrations, what seems most important right now is to give something to the fans that have supported us all these years, and we hope that two full albums of new Turkuaz material will serve as a half-way decent consolation prize in lieu of being able to tour anymore…This release is a celebration of the legacy and sound that the nine of us built together.

    ~ Dave Brandwein

    According to Brandwein, the forthcoming albums show two very different sides of Turkuaz. The musician views Apollyon as an old-school take on the group’s sound, drawing on an increasingly raw edge that still allows room for elaborate grooves and the band’s true funky spirit. Whereas, Paradiso is a modern, synth-laden exploratory that captures elements of Turkuaz’s developed tone in more recent years. Moreover, these albums will allow fans to experience a certain totality for Turkuaz, with the precision of an understood ending.

    Bred out of what Brandwein has deemed a full circle experience, Turkuaz’s final albums deliver two unique sides to the band, which flex distinct facets that showcase a decade worth of hard work and expertise.

    For more information on Turkuaz, visit the band’s website here.

  • St. Ann’s Warehouse Continues Get Back! Summer Concerts 2022

    On Wednesday, July 20, St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn began its summer series, Get Back! Summer Concerts 2022, which will continue every Wednesday through August 10 beginning at 7:00 pm.

    Get Back! Summer Concerts began in 2020 during the pandemic, and took inspiration from the Beatles’ 1969 rock event. The series aimed to provide and surprise people with live music and entertainment as they strolled through Brooklyn Bridge Park. Due to popular demand, the concerts have continued at St. Ann’s Warehouse.

    Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn provides the perfect scene for free live performances which include a wide array of talent and entertainment. The opening concert brought Nigerian-born, New York- and Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary sound artist, saxophonist, DJ, composer, and producer Eli Fola. Fola is a fan favorite and returns to the lineup after performing at Get Back! In 2020 and 2021.

    Two acts, the Queens-based band duendita, and DJ nicole misha, will take the stage for the night of July 27. duendita is a collaborative multi-medium project made with family and friends while nicole misha provides audiences with sets that span across categories.

    Melanie Charles with Zacchae’us Paul will bring the concert series into August on the 3rd. Audiences can expect jazz, soul, experimental, and roots music with Charles’ unique style and commitment to exploration. Atlanta-native Zacchae’us Paul’s original music takes inspiration from Marvin Gaye, and The Black Panther Party, and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

    To close out the 2022 season of Get Back!, the program, Ode to the Black Fiddler, will showcase multiple professional string performers of color. These artists include dancer, vocalist, and violinist La Lulu; violinist Lee England Jr.; and immersive sounds by DJ Sunny Cheeba.

    One of the major highlights of producing these outdoor concerts with St. Ann’s Warehouse has been observing how free access to the arts naturally creates diverse spaces for different communities to come together—especially youth—and find sparks of joy, express themselves, and be present.

    – Curator Khadijat Oseni

    Be sure to check out the concert series as you wrap up the summer! More information about the most up-to-date schedule and inclement weather announcements can be found on the St. Ann’s Warehouse website, here.

  • Willie Nelson & Family Come to SummerStage on September 20

    Country-folk artist Willie Nelson will perform at SummerStage this fall with special guest Charley Crockett, on September 20.

    The SummerStage concert will begin at 6:00 pm and the doors open at 5:00 pm at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. All ages are welcome, and tickets are available for purchase now. Willie Nelson is currently on his Outlaw Music Fest tour and will also stop in Bethel on August 13, Darien Center on August 14, and Saratoga Springs on September 18.

    At 89 years old, the country musician has long made a name for himself in the genre. Popular albums include 1973 Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger (1975), and Stardust (1978). Willie Nelson’s most recent album, 2022’s A Beautiful Time, was released on the singer’s 89th birthday this past April and received positive reception. 

    Nelson is also expected to perform at Farm Aid Fest this September alongside other acts such as Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, and Charley Crockett, among others. Nelson currently serves as one of the board members for the festival.

    Willie Nelson is one of many guests who have come to Central Park to perform at the SummerStage Festival. Since 1986, the event has curated acts across multiple genres. Previous performances include pop duo Oh Wonder, jazz legend Roy Haynes, and many more.

    Tickets to see Willie Nelson & Family, and Charley Crockett, at SummerStage are available now at the City Parks Foundation website.

  • Schenectady Symphony Orchestra Joins Proctors Collaborative

    The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra (SSO) announced to be a member of Proctors Collaborative from August 1st, 2022. It will keep a separate board of directors and Glen Cortese remains its Artistic Director, while but Proctors Collaborative will provide administrative functions.

    Schenectady Symphony Orchestra by Stan Hudy

    The SSO was founded in 1934 and gave first concert on February 5, 1935, conducted by Kenneth G. Kelley, Supervisor of Music in Schenectady public schools. Their second concert was in a pioneering broadcast three months later, which beamed to South America on General Electric stations to be one of the first American orchestras to be heard overseas via short wave radio.

    “Proctors and the Schenectady Symphony have a long history in the community and with one another. This management plan intends to turn that history into a long-term relationship for the health of the arts in our community!”

    Philip Morris

    The orchestra is comprised of both professional and non-professional musicians from the local community, including teachers, engineers, physicians, and local business people.

    Glen Cortese will begin his fourth season for the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra with the 22-23 season, The Musical Time Machine. Meanwhile, the SSO will host concert, A Night at the Movies on August 13 at the Music Haven Concert Series in Schenectady Central Park.

    “This season’s program is designed to transport you in time and focus on specific musical eras. We will present new works, traditional favorites, works rarely heard as well as new ways to listen to favorite familiar pieces.

    Glen Cortese

    Visit schenectadysymphony.com for more information on the new season.

  • Buffalo Jazz Festival to Bring Live Music Labor Day Weekend

    On Sunday, September 4, Buffalo Jazz Festival brings four acts to the area for a full day of live music during Labor Day Weekend.

    From noon until 6:30 pm, the West Plaza of the Seneca One Tower in Buffalo will bring audiences live music, food trucks, refreshments, and entertainment for all ages. In the second year of the festival using the venue space, people can enjoy a free community concert.

    To open up the Buffalo Jazz Festival, NYC-based John Troy Quartet will perform from 12 noon until 1:15 pm. John Aaron Troy is a saxophonist, multiple woodwind musician, and educator. The artist picked up the saxophone at age 10 and his music is ever-evolving since then. 

    From 1:45 pm to 3:00 pm, Trigger & the Sermon will take the spotlight. Trigger & the Sermon Organ Jazz Quartet play classical soul-jazz while mixing in unique rhythm and groove. The group has played at multiple venues in the Buffalo area, including at the Four One Six and Duende at Silo City.

    Trigger & The Sermon

    The Dave Hill Group brings more entertainment to the Buffalo Jazz Festival, with a performance from 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm. Dave Hill Group consists of Jim Linsler (drums), Pat Georger (keys), Tim Sheldon (bass), Colin Brydalski (bass), and Matt Harris on saxophone.

    To close out the festival Wendell Rivera Latin Jazz Ensemble will play from 5:15 pm to 6:30 pm. A Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Inductee who has played with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Arthuro Sandovar, and Ben Vereen, the performance is sure to be one to remember.

    Wendell Rivera

    JazzBuffalo promotes the genre of jazz in the Buffalo area with news, live performances, festivals, events, education, and more. The organization uses music and events to bring the community together and the Buffalo Jazz Festival is one such event. For more information about the organization and ways to get involved, visit the website available here.