The three-day festival focuses on raising awareness for climate change initiatives in association with Brian Eno’s EarthPercent organization. In a statement, the organization felt they couldn’t produce the event in a way that met the high standards for participation, impact and sustainability, which are the foundations for the festival.
They take those fighting for survival on the front lines of ecological disaster and environmental justice incredibly seriously, therefore postponing the event until 2023 was the correct move. They acknowledged the amount of time and effort that went into the behind the scenes planning of the event, and they are looking forward to bringing a renewed platform “for those who truly inspire us with their commitment to creating a more just, equitable and habitable planet.”
Refunds will be issued at the original point of purchase, and if you ordered through AXS, a refund will automatically be issued to the credit card you used to purchase within 30 business days.
After receiving a highly-sought after $1.7 million grant from Creatives Rebuild New York, the NYC non-profit Creative Muse is working with multidisciplinary artists to expand the arts programming on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Founded in 2017, Creative Muse provides programming and mentorship to youth and adults placing importance on creativity and mindfulness. The organization primarily serves people of color, immigrant communities, and low-income individuals to help them access the creative and social skills critical for success.
Some of the programs being added due to the grant include artist residencies at Campos Plaza which will provide vulnerable youth, families, and communities the opportunity to creatively express themselves. The residency will allow individuals access to a theater, digital tablets, beat-making equipment, and more.
Providing professional artists with full-time employment, in an environment that allows them to pursue their craft, will lead to more robust programming for our students and communities and help solidify New York’s status as an artist-friendly state.
-Creative Muse Executive Director Jamie Parganos
Creative Muse was also founded with the aim to provide employment and mentorship opportunities for other adult artists and an environment where they are full-time employees. The non-profit offers higher than average hourly rates, monthly customized workshops, a robust substitute roster, a two-teacher per class requirement, and a great environment for artists to create.
As an artist, flexibility in a work schedule is crucial … this is the reason why many artists have little choice but to take on various part-time/contract jobs instead of committing to full-time work, effectively making basic socio-economic rights such as financial stability, healthcare, retirement savings, etc. luxuries instead of the norm. A workplace that ensures all of these rights while allowing us the freedom to pursue our own artistic endeavors is a rare and unbelievably special opportunity.
– Teaching Artist and Actor Libby Lee
With the support of CRNY, Creative Muse plans to continue to expand its programming throughout 2022. All programs will integrate Creative Muse’s model for mindfulness and social-emotional learning, which includes promoting resiliency and optimistic thinking. Stay tuned for community events, slam poetry readings, comedy shows, open mic nights, and more from the non-profit.
While being a musician has many redeeming qualities, we are merely human and yearn for true fulfillment … having the opportunity to apply my multiple decades of artistic experience to work with future generations fills a void that performing alone is unable to.
– Multi-instrumentalist and Producer Prince Terrence
For the full bios of all the Creative Muse teaching artists and more information about upcoming programming, visit the organization’s website.
The president of Chautauqua Institution, Michael E. Hill, released a statement in light of the recent stabbing of author Salman Rushdie on Aug. 12. Rushdie was set to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution before he was attacked on stage. Read the full remarks from President Hill below.
Sean Smith/The Chautauquan Daily
“By now you have likely heard we suffered a terrible tragedy at Chautauqua yesterday. What we experienced is unlike anything in our 150-year history. It was an act of violence, an act of hatred, and a violation of one of the things we have always cherished most: the safety and tranquility of our grounds and our ability to convene the most important conversations, even if those conversations are difficult.
“Chautauqua is a community of people of all faiths and none. Our collective family is holding Salman Rushdie and Henry Reese, as well their families, close in prayer and close to our hearts. We have been in touch with their loved ones, and I was grateful to spend a very brief amount of time with Mr. Reese yesterday evening.
“But yesterday was also an attack on an ideal we cherish: that freedom of speech and freedom of expression are hallmarks to our society and to our democracy, they are the very underpinnings of who we are and what we believe, what we cherish most.
“We are called to take on fear and the worst of all human traits – hate. And let’s be clear: what many of us witnessed was a violent expression of hate that shook us to our core. We saw it with our own eyes and in our faces.
“But we also saw something else that I don’t want us to forget. We saw some of the best of humanity in the response of all those who ran toward danger to halt it.
“I watched a member of our staff hurl themselves at the attacker.
“I saw Chautauquans rush the stage to help secure the perpetrator, making it possible for police to remove him.
“I saw Chautauquans who are doctors and nurses rush to provide selfless care while the ambulance arrived.
“I saw what our Chaplain of the week, Terri Hord Owens, called us to possess: a generous, radical love for each other and this community.
“So where do we go from here? How do we think about the days that follow? When hatred shows its ugliness…
“The response must be love, of course, but also action. We must return to our podiums and pulpits. We must continue to convene the critical conversations that can help build empathy; obviously, this is more important now than ever.
“There will be time in the days and weeks ahead to reflect on all we’ve experienced, and we have already been working on how to adapt to yesterday’s horror to ensure our conversations continue. We will soon share operational details about how we will proceed through the remainder of the 2022 Summer Assembly.
“At this time, we are called to double down on our prayers for Mr. Rushdie and Mr. Reese and all those who love them. We are called to stand witness that this Chautauqua has but one choice: to ensure that the voices that have the power to change our world continue to have a home to be heard. That is ours to do.
“We can take the experience of hatred and reflect on what it means. Or we can come together even more strongly as a community that takes what happened yesterday and commits to not allowing that hatred to be any part of our own hearts.
“I know this community and I know that you will make a choice for hope and goodness.”
Police identified the attacker as 24-year-old Hadi Matar who has been charged with attempted murder and assault. Rushie, 75, is currently in critical condition from the tragic attack. Henry Reese, who was to moderate the discussion, also suffered a minor injury to the head. To stay up to date with the stabbing news, visit the Chautauqua Institution’s website.
On September 10 and 11, AFROPUNK Festival returns with headliners The Roots and Burna Boy. This fall homecoming marks the first time the fest has come back to Brooklyn since 2019.
AFROPUNK began as a single-day event in Brooklyn in 2004 before evolving into a worldwide phenomenon. This year’s lineup brings some of the most exciting artists to Commodore Barry Park for two days of celebration.
The legendary hip-hop band The Roots will headline night one. Their expansive set will cover decades of the bands’ music as they celebrate 30 years together. On the night of the 11th, Burna Boy will close the festival and promote his upcoming album Love, Damini.
Other performers include TDE rhymer Isaiah Rashad, Lucky Daye, Freddie Gibbs, Tierra Whack, Earl Sweatshirt, and many more. AFROPUNK also welcomes Brooklyn-based artists to the lineup, including rapper Rodney Chrome, R&B artist Alex Mali, and hip-hop artist Talia Goddess.
AFROPUNK aims to highlight the diverse talent and depth of the Brooklyn Black music community. Audiences can expect performances from various genres and origins including rock, R&B, AfroBeats, and more.
The festival offers more entertainment than just a place to enjoy live music. Attendees will be able to peruse local foods from NYC chefs and food trucks at AFROPUNK’s Bites ‘n Beats. The Spinthrift Market will also operate, providing event goers with makers and curators from the area.
After hosting festivals around the world, including Miami, Atlanta, Bahia, and Johannesburg, AFROPUNK’s long-awaited return to Brooklyn is sure to be one to remember. More additions to the lineup, as well as more entertainment with added activations, are set to be announced. Stay tuned with the festival on Instagram here, and visit their website for tickets, here.
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame has announced its 2022 Music Scholarship Winners: four Long Island high school graduating seniors from Dix Hills, Manhasset, and Woodbury. These distinction in Music Award Scholarships were awarded to graduating high school seniors who has college plan in music study and further career pursuing.
This year’s winners are Gioianna DiGiorgio and Andrew Arloro, both from Half Hollow Hills High School; Emily Wei from Great Neck North High School; and Stephanie Massimo from Syosset High School.
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is honored to have the opportunity to support and acknowledge accomplished high school seniors who are pursuing a future in music. The talent that exists on Long Island is something we at LIMHoF want to celebrate. In addition to following their own dreams, we believe these students will encourage and inspire others.
Tom Needham, LIMHoF Education Chairman
Gioianna DiGiorgio from Dix Hills (Half Hollow Hills High School West)
Gioianna DiGiorgio (credit to Long Island Music Hall of Fame)
Gioianna found her passion in music since a young age. She believes that music is a connection to nature and other people and a beautiful way to tell a story and to express yourself and your emotions.
“As soon as I was old enough to understand the concept of theater, I was enamored with the idea of being on stage, and wanted to be a part of that world. My life-long passion for theater inspires me to push through the challenges so that I can pursue my passion.
– Gioianna DiGiorgio
Gioianna raised her career aspiration from her perform experience in local community theater productions. She became interested in being a soprano singer in musical theater and later a performer for the stage and screen.
As for the further plan, Gioianna DiGiorgio will be attending Baldwin Wallace University. She is intend to gain the BFA in their Acting program and a music minor. She is expecting to learn music theory and strong skillset to aid her professional life after college with the scholarship from LIMHoF.
Andrew Arloro from Dix Hills (Half Hollow Hills High School East)
Andrew Arloro (credit to Long Island Music Hall of Fame)
Andrew Arloro is a 17-year-old musician who lives on Long Island, New York. He is a recent graduate of Juilliard Pre-College and a current student at Half Hollow Hills High School East.
He has studied the French Horn under fanmous French Horn musicians such as Jen Montone and Jeff Lang, Principal Horn and Associate Principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and currently studies with Erik Ralske and Brad Gemeinhardt, Principal Horn and Acting Principal Horn of the Metropolitan Opera.
Andrew is recognized by the Discovery Competition for Children’s Orchestra Society. He also has extensive performing experience from a dozen times’ solos at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and tours in China, Spain, and Italy. He has been awarded the title of Principal Horn in various ensembles, including Juilliard Pre-College, All-State, SCMEA, Children’s Orchestra Society, Gemini Youth Orchestras’ Festival Winds and Symphony, and Cross Campus Wind Ensemble.
Next year, he will continue his studies with Erik Ralske at The Juilliard School, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance on the French Horn.
I would like to thank the Long Island Music Hall of Fame for the amazing opportunity to work with them, create with them, and share with the world the Joy of Music.
Andrew
Tiantian “Emily” Wei from Manhasset (Great Neck North High School)
Tiantian “Emily” Wei (credit to Long Island Music Hall of Fame)
Emily Wei, also called Tiantian Wei, is a graduating Senior at Great Neck North High School. She has been playing both the piano and violin since age 5. In 2021 she went to the Fete De L’ Alto LaSalle Summer Festival (France) and had master classes with Christophe Giovaninetti.
As the German poet E.T.A. Hoffmann said: ‘Where the language stops, the music begins.’ Music has no boundaries. It has unlimited possibilities and tremendous potential to be created and performed to express one’s unique understanding of music and sentiments, and to be shared with other people who may relate and empathize. I think that is the soul, and one of the missions of music is that it inspires and attracts people. It is an honor to be a LIMHoF recipient, I appreciate the recognition from Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
Emily Wei
Emily has won numerous awards for her music talents and has participated in a wide range of performances with various music organizations, including the New Jersey Youth Symphony Orchestra, NYSSMA, All County and All State Symphony Orchestras and more. Her most recent performances are with Great Neck North High School Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and also violin recitals at Oprea America Music Hall and Episcopal Church.
In this fall, Emily will attend Mannes School of Music. She explained her expectation of future that entering the New York Symphony Orchestra or forming her own chamber music group, performing in concert halls all over the world to show the beauty of music and expressing my unique understanding of music.
Stephanie Massimo from Woodbury (Syosset High School)
Stephanie Massimo (credit to Long Island Music Hall of Fame)
Stephanie Massimo, a Trombonist graduating from Syosset High School. She started playing the Trombone in second grade. She also plays the bass trombone and baritone horn. Throughout the years, she gained rich ensemble experience in Syosset, Nassau Suffolk, All-County, All-State, All National, and various summer camps.
I genuinely loved performing with these groups and meeting new people. Music has always been an important part of my life. It wasn’t until recently, though, that I decided to study music in college.
– Stephanie Massimo
In the fall, Stephanie plans to attend the Trombone major in University of Tampa (UT) to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She hopes to further advance her skills in both music and performance with the scholarship from the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Her plans in college is to participate in some UT bands/ensembles then eventually return to NY. She hope to work in a Broadway pit orchestra which allows her to use everything she learn in college while enjoying the music she likes best.
Bard SummerScape returns in 2022 summer with eight weeks of live music, opera, dance, and theater at the Fisher Center, located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley, from June 23 to August 14. Fisher Center supports artists, students, and audiences in the development and examination of artistic ideas, offering perspectives from the past and present, as well as visions of the future.
Highlights include the 32nd Bard Music Festival, Rachmaninoff and His World; a new production of Strauss’s The Silent Woman, directed by Christian Räth; a World Premiere commission from Pam Tanowitz and David Lang; a new adaptation of Molière’s Dom Juan, directed by Ashley Tata; and more.
Theater
Molière’s Dom Juan
SummerScape Commission/World Premiere Production New translation by Sylvaine Guyot and Gideon Lester Conceived and directed by Ashley Tata
Amelia Workman (Dom Juan). Photo by Maria Baranova
A glittering and ferocious study of lust and power, Molière’s portrait of the libertine Dom Juan combines slapstick comedy with the taut psychology of a thriller. In this bold new adaptation, director Ashley Tata (whose digital production of Mad Forest astonished Fisher Center audiences in 2020) sets the story in a fantasy world where 17th-century France meets late-1970s America, raising pertinent questions about class, faith and gender. Casting both the titular libertine and her sidekick as women, Tata’s production literally recasts this subversive and brilliant tragicomedy in a contemporary light—celebrating Molière’s 400th anniversary with a Dom Juan for the 21st century. Commissioned as the opening production of Bard SummerScape 2022, and marking this year’s global celebrations of Molière’s 400th anniversary, Dom Juan makes its world premiere June 23–July 17.
Dance
Song of Songs
SummerScape Commission/World Premiere Choreography by Pam Tanowitz Music by David Lang
Spiritual and erotic, playful and mysterious, The biblical Song of Songs (also known as The Song of Solomon ) is perhaps the greatest of all love poems—a hymn of yearning, steeped in images from the natural world. The poem’s unforgettable images of the natural world have inspired artists and lovers for millennia – indeed some scholars argue that the entire tradition of Western love poetry springs from its glorious verses. Now, composer David Lang and Fisher Center resident choreographer Pam Tanowitz join forces to create a major new dance-theater performance based on this radiantly beautiful text. A collage of sound, song, and movement that reimagines ancient rituals of love and courtship, Song of Songs holds the sacred and profane threads of the Song in perfect balance. The performance is making its world premiere July 1-3 as part of the 2022 edition of the Bard SummerScape festival.
“Tanowitz has long been one of the most formally brilliant choreographers around.”
New York Times
Opera
The Silent Woman (Die Schweigsame Frau)
By Richard Strauss The American Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein Directed and designed by Christian Räth
Jana McIntyre (Aminta) and David Portillo (Henry). Photo by Maria Baranova
Considered Strauss’s only true comic opera, this rarely performed work is by turns elegiac and incisively witty. The brilliantly written libretto by Stefan Zweig (loosely based on the Renaissance play by Ben Jonson) features a madcap cast of characters in a variety of guises. The imaginative and colorful production by Christian Räth (Das Wunder der Heliane, SummerScape 2019) featuring a stellar group of performers will be sung in German with English supertitles. Räth’s colorful, fast-paced new staging runs for five performances on July 22, 24, 27, 29 and 31.
a stentorian bass … with impressive focus, carrying power and quiet charisma
New York Times
Bard Music Festival
Rachmaninoff and His World
The Bard Music Festival returns for its 32nd season with an exploration of the life and work of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943), perhaps the last great exponent of Russian Romanticism, who nevertheless embodied many contradictions.
Through a series of themed concert programs, lectures, and panel discussions, Rachmaninoff and His World explores such themes as composition during the Cold War, virtuoso pianists and their public, and America’s ongoing love affair with Rachmaninoff’s music.
An edifying mix of academic and aesthetic delights.
– New Yorker
Through the prism of his life and career, Weekend One traces the complex course the composer navigated between Russia and Modernity (Aug 5–7), and Weekend Two investigates his relationship with the New Worlds he went on to conquer (Aug 12–14).
Spiegeltent
After a two-year absence, a magnificent Spiegeltent returns to SummerScape for a celebratory 15th year. Highlights include your first chance to experience new performances from Ms. Lisa Fischer and The Badass & Beautiful Band; the return of Black Roots Summer, a celebration of Black roots music curated by Michael Mwenso and Jono Gasparro; and returning favorites Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, Nona Hendryx, Susanne Bartsch, and more!
Gala: “Summer Enchanted Evening”
On July 16, Bard’s Montgomery Place Campus plays host to “Summer Enchanted Evening,” a special gala celebration to benefit the Fisher Center and Bard Music Festival.
SummerScape tickets
Tickets for mainstage events go on sale on March 9, starting at $25, and Spiegeltent tickets go on sale in April. For complete information regarding tickets, series discounts and more, visit fishercenter.bard.edu. or call Bard’s box office at (845) 758-7900.
The New York State Senate passed a bill that will limit prosecutors from using song lyrics as evidence in criminal cases, as first reported by Pitchfork. The bill was introduced this past November by Senator Brad Hoylman, Senator Jamaal Bailey and assembly member Catalina, and it is recognized as Senate Bill S7527 . It is designed to “limit the admissibility of evidence of a defendant’s creative or artistic expression against such defendant in a criminal proceeding,” according to the New York State Senate’s official website.
This bill has long been a point of contention from many within hip hop culture. Before coming to fruition, it was touted by the likes of Jay – Z, Meek Mill and Killer Mike.
In a letter signed by the aforementioned artists, Jay – Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, had this to say about the new legislation:
“Rather than acknowledge rap music as a form of artistic expression, police and prosecutors argue that the lyrics should be interpreted literally—in the words of one prosecutor, as ‘autobiographical journals. The genre is rooted in a long tradition of storytelling that privileges figurative language, is steeped in hyperbole, and employs all of the same poetic devices we find in more traditional works of poetry.”
This new legislation comes as Atlanta-bred rappers Young Thug, Gunna and other YSL affiliates were arrested and are facing charges under Georgia’s RICO act. It was reported that their lyrics were used by authorities as part of their criminal investigation.
Rapper’s lyrics have long been a point of contention in the courtroom. The likes of Boosie Badazz, YNW Melly, Mac Phipps, Tay-K have all had their words play a part in their criminal proceedings. In a rather famous instance, Snoop Dogg’s “Murder Was The Case” was played in the courtroom while he faced trial for murder in 1993. Now, rapper’s in the state of New York will have an extra creative freedom knowing their song lyrics won’t be used against them aimlessly.
Proctors Collaborative has announced the next shows coming to Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. The annual Proctors Collaborative announcement was recently held on the the Capital Repertory Theatre Facebook page.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
The 2022-2023 season at theREP starts with Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, co-written by Gordon Greenberg, scheduled for late September and running until October of 2022. Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is a lightning fast, laugh-out-loud 90-minute magical romp. Famed female vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and her motley company chase Count Dracula from the English Countryside to Transylvania.
Hairspray
Each subscription to theREP includes a crossover show at Proctors in Schenectady. This year, that show is a Broadway classic, Hairspray. The Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show.
New Season
“With the announcement of our 22-23 season, I feel like we are really back, with a selection of plays and musicals that span 500 years of great theatre! It’s exhilarating to be able to give our audiences a full season with depth and variety,” says Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, theREP’s Producing Artistic Director.
“Our audiences are back too, loving our new theatre, where every seat is great and you really feel like you’re part of the story on stage.”
The new season will include shows such as Secret Hour, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Honky Tonk Angels.
Subscriptions for the 2022–2023 Capital Repertory Theatre season go on sale Wednesday, April 13 and are available through the Box Office at Proctors, in person or online at proctors.org.
