After a scary health scare, pop superstar Madonna had to postpone her upcoming The Celebration Tour. However, she just announced that most of her North American dates have been rescheduled for the end and beginning of the year, including her MSG and Barclays Center dates.
Her originally scheduled performance at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 27 had to, unfortunately, be canceled, however, to make up for it, an additional date at the Barclays Center was added on Dec. 16. Beginning Aug. 29, ticket holders for the previously scheduled Aug. 27 show at MSG will be able to purchase tickets for the new Dec. 16 show ahead of the public sale for those remaining tickets on Sept. 1. Those who purchased tickets to the canceled date will be refunded, and Ticketmaster will then provide all affected fans with a dedicated link and a unique code based on the quality of their previous seat locations to purchase tickets to the new date.
The original tour dates were postponed following Madonnaâs hospitalization in June for a serious bacterial infection. She has since made a remarkable recovery.
For more information about the rescheduled dates, and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Madonna – The Celebration Tour – UK-EUROPE
Show Date:City/CountryVenue Name
10/14/2023 London, UK The O2
10/15/2023 London, UK The O2
10/17/2023 London, UK The O2
10/18/2023 London, UK The O2
10/21/2023 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
10/22/2023 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
10/25/2023 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
10/26/2023 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
10/28/2023 Stockholm, SE Tele2 Arena
11/1/2023 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
11/2/2023 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
11/6/2023 Lisbon, PT Altice Arena
11/7/2023 Lisbon, PT Altice Arena
11/12/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/13/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/15/2023 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
11/16/2023 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
11/19/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/20/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/23/2023 Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum
11/25/2023 Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum
11/28/2023 Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena
11/29/2023 Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena
12/1/2023 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
12/2/2023 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
12/5/2023 London, UK The O2
12/6/2023 London, UK The O2
Madonna – The Celebration Tour – 2023/2024
New DateVenue CityVenue NameRescheduled From
12/13/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center Original Date (no change)
12/14/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center Original Date (no change)
12/16/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center MSG – 8/27/2023*
12/18/2023 Washington Capital One Arena Original Date (no change)
12/19/2023 Washington Capital One Arena 9/2/2023
1/8/2024 Boston TD Garden 8/30/2023
1/9/2024 Boston TD Garden 8/31/2023
1/11/2024 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 8/13/2023
1/12/2024 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 8/14/2023
1/15/2024 Detroit Little Caesars Arena 8/5/2023
1/18/2024 Montreal Bell Centre 8/19/2023
1/20/2024 Montreal Bell Centre 8/20/2023
1/22/2024 New York Madison Square Garden 8/23/2023
1/23/2024 New York Madison Square Garden 8/24/2023
1/25/2024 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 12/20/2023
1/29/2024 New York Madison Square Garden 8/26/2023
Snow Ridge Ski Resort, the former home of moe.down, in Turin, NY, was recently hit by a confirmed EF-3 tornado, causing extensive damage to several lifts, outbuildings, the cat, and more.
Snow Ridge damage, photo courteous of moe.
One of the longest-running music festivals in New York State, moe.down, was started in 2000 by the jam band moe. No one knew what to expect, and the first installment featured a hodgepodge of talent including, of course, moe., Martin Sexton, Les Claypool, David Grisman, and Charlie Hunter, among others at Snow Ridge in Turin.
The festival ran for three days and took place every Labor Day Weekend since 2000, however, the last one was in 2019. It attracted nearly 12,000 revelers a year. moe.down not only drew crowds because of its epic lineup of music but for its hilarious and quirky events that are fit for all ages such as its annual Campaign for Mayor or the opportunity to take part in overnight community camping.
The festival attracted a diverse array of established and up-and-coming musicians, featuring an eclectic mix of jam, pop-rock, jazz, and other genres. Past performers have included Dr. Dog, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, TV On the Radio, Slightly Stoopid, The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, and more.
More of the damage, photo provided by Snow Ridge.
With hundreds of trees down and their base area covered in debris, Snow Ridge will be holding a volunteer day on Aug. 26 starting at 10 a.m. to aid in the efforts of cleanup. They ask you to bring your own equipment, with lunch provided. If you’re unable to help clean up, there is a fundraiser set up to cover the things insurance won’t.
Snow Ridge is a staple among the famoe.ly, and needs the community’s help to rebuild. For more information about the resort and to help out, visit here.
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) the far-sighted orchestra and master’s degree program founded by Bard College president, conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein, announced its ninth season performances, happening from Sept. 16, 2023, through May 19, 2024.
Conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater on Sun 11-6-16. Photo by David DeNee.
The Orchestra Now is a group of 59 vibrant young musicians from 13 different countries across the globe, including the United States, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, and more. The main mission of the orchestra is to make orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences by sharing unique personal insights in a welcoming environment. Hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories—including the Yale School of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music—the members of TŌN give on-stage introductions and demonstrations, write concert notes from the musicians’ perspective, and have one-on-one discussions with patrons during intermissions.
Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein founded TŌN in 2015 as a graduate program at Bard College, where he is also president. TŌN offers both a three-year master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical, and Performance Studies and a two-year advanced certificate in Orchestra Studies. The Orchestra’s home is the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center at Bard, where it performs multiple concerts each season and takes part in the annual Bard Music Festival. Dubbed by the HuffPost as “dramatic and intense,” TŌN performs regularly at venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others across NYC and beyond.
The Orchestra Now musicians-Zhenyuan Yao, Milad Daniari, Paul Nemeth, Michael Franz, and Jonathan Wisner. Photo by David DeNee.
The Orchestra Now has also performed with many distinguished guest conductors and soloists, including Leonard Slatkin, Neeme Järvi, Gil Shaham, Fabio Luisi, Vadim Repin, Hans Graf, Peter Serkin, Gerard Schwarz, Tan Dun, and JoAnn Falletta. They are featured on several recordings, including Buried Alive with baritone Michael Nagy, released on Bridge Records in August 2020, which includes the first recording in almost 60 years, and only the second recording ever, of Othmar Schoeck’s song cycle Lebendig begraben.
For the 2023-2024 season, TŌN offers 20 programs and a total of 27 concerts, including two at Carnegie Hall, three at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, three free concerts at Manhattan’s Peter Norton Symphony Space and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and six at the Orchestra’s home at Bard College’s Fisher Center. This year marks the seventh season of The Orchestra Now’s popular broadcast series on WMHT-FM, the classical music radio station of New York’s Capital Region. TŌN’s performances are also heard regularly on American Public Media’s Performance Today.
As we approach the ninth successful season of TŌN, I am exceedingly proud of all we have accomplished since the Orchestra was launched in 2015. Since then, TŌN has performed a remarkable 668 works by 304 composers in 36 venues for more than 88,000 live and virtual concertgoers, with 320 soloists and 33 conductors. I am delighted to continue that impressive record in the 2023-24 season with three U.S premieres, an exploration of numerous undiscovered masterworks, and a roster of guest artists that range from Metropolitan Opera star Stephanie Blythe—Artistic Director of Bard Conservatory’s Vocal Arts Program—to rising young winners of Bard Conservatory Concerto Competitions.
Leon Botstein.
For more information about The Orchestra Now and to purchase tickets to the upcoming 2023-2024 season, visit here.
Exodus: Jewish Composers in Exile Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 at 7 p.m. The Orchestra’s Carnegie Hall series opens with Leon Botstein and the orchestra performing rarely heard works by Jewish composers written while they were in exile from their homelands during World War II. The program comprises Alexandre Tansman’s rhythmic Polish Rhapsody, inspired by the invasion of his homeland, the NYC premiere of Josef Tal’s dramatic Exodus, based on the Passover Haggadah, Walter Kaufmann’s Indian Symphony, written while in exile in Bombay, and Marcel Rubin’s melancholy Symphony No. 4, Dies irae, reflecting his experiences during the Second World War.
Photo by David DeNee – Conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall on Fri 5-13-16.
Violinist as Composer Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 7 p.m. Leon Botstein spotlights four European virtuoso violinists who were also major composers in their respective countries but are not household names elsewhere today. The program includes Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz’s contemplative Partita for Orchestra, Hungarian composer Joseph Joachim’s Variations for Violin and Orchestra, the New York City premiere of a recently discovered concerto by famed Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe, and the energetic and passionate Second Symphony of Romanian composer George Enescu.
Rose Theatre
Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 3 p.m.
TŌN welcomes rising French conductor Chloé van Soeterstède, who has conducted orchestras around the globe, including the London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. Her program begins with one of Debussy’s most popular works, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, inspired by a poem about the mythical creature and nymphs. Principal trombonist of the London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Moore, joins the orchestra for Dani Howard’s Trombone Concerto. The afternoon concludes with Rachmaninoff’s vibrant Symphonic Dances, the last piece he ever wrote, and his only work that was fully composed in the United States.
In the popular series Sight & Sound, Leon Botstein explores the parallels between orchestral music and the visual arts. Each program is accompanied by on-screen artworks and musical excerpts performed by The Orchestra Now, followed by a full performance and audience Q&A.
Copland, Culture & Politics in the 1930s Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 at 2 p.m.
The 1930s were a time of political and social turmoil in the United States. Through the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, art and music aided the struggling nation’s search for identity and hope, depicting and publicizing the struggle of the era’s masses. Aaron Copland mixed everyday Americana tunes with classical music in an unprecedented way. His strict orchestral Statements for Orchestra, written at a time when the composer was becoming more politically active, and Wild-West ballet Billy the Kid both quote popular folk music of the day, earning him a reputation as the United States “populist” composer.
The exhibition Art for the Millions: American Culture and Politics in the 1930s will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from Sept. 7–Dec. 10, 2023 in galleries 691–693.
Debussy & Matisse: Creating New Colors
Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Artist Henri Matisse helped to revolutionize the visual arts in the first decades of the 20th century with experiments in a technicolor style that changed the course of French painting. In the same era Claude Debussy was rejecting classical German musical tradition, developing his own style of harmony and orchestral coloring that would strongly influence a wide range of composers for years to come. His expressive Images for Orchestra, which evokes English, Spanish, and French cultures, exemplifies the composer’s explorations in color and texture.
Still, Johnson & the Harlem Renaissance Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 2 p.m.
With the rise of new, urban Black communities both in NYC and abroad, the Harlem Renaissance became the first African-American-led movement of international modern art. With that art came developments in visual art, poetry, jazz, and concert music. William Grant Still’s dramatic Lenox Avenue, which was commissioned by CBS for a 1937 radio broadcast, was inspired by street scenes in Harlem. Meanwhile, his orchestration of James P. Johnson’s Yamekraw, A Negro Rhapsody, was a response to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, capturing what the composer felt was a more “authentic” rhapsody about a black neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia.
The exhibition Harlem Renaissance will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from Feb. 20–July 28, 2024, in Gallery 999.
The Fisher Center Series at Bard
The Orchestra Now, Bard’s orchestral masters, presents its ninth season of six different programs and 11 concerts. All performances will be livestreamed on TŌNtube.
Two Sides of Vienna
Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 at 2 p.m.
Music Director Leon Botstein opens TŌN’s ninth season with a concert juxtaposing two distinct styles of Viennese music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include the vibrant and festive melodies of Franz Lehár and the Strauss brothers, and Mahler’s beautifully tragic Sixth Symphony. The concert opens with music from Lehár’s well-known 1905 operetta The Merry Widow, written in 1940 to celebrate the composer’s 70th birthday. This is followed by two dance pieces: Eduard Strauss’ train-themed polka Bahn frei!, and his brother Johann Jr.’s majestic Emperor Waltz. The program closes with a contrasting style from the same era, Mahler’s deeply personal Symphony No. 6.
Leon Botstein by Matt-Dine.
Jean-Marie Zeitouni Conducts
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Celebrated Canadian conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni makes his debut with TŌN in an all-French program, beginning with Saint-Saëns’ exuberant Bacchanale from his opera Samson et Dalila. Then mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, a co-founder of the Lynx Project who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, performs Berlioz’s song cycle The Summer Nights. The program also includes Fauré’s music for the play Pelléas et Mélisande, and d’Indy’s soaring and lyrical Symphony on a French Mountain Air, featuring Bard College Conservatory faculty pianist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough.
Stephanie Blythe Sings Brahms
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Award-winning mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, artistic director of Bard Conservatory’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program, joins TŌN for an all-Brahms concert. She performs his profound and dramatic Alto Rhapsody. The program also includes the sweeping cantata, Rinaldo, concluding with Brahms’ masterful First Symphony, which the composer toiled over for 14 years before its debut performance.
Stephanie Blythe.
Beethoven’s 6th & The Rite of Spring
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2 p.m.
TŌN welcomes spring with three musical tributes to the vernal equinox. These include Egon Wellesz’s 1911 The Dawn of Spring, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, performed alongside members of the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra, and Beethoven’s lush Pastoral Sixth Symphony, echoing the composer’s love of nature.
Free Concert Series
These concerts are free, no tickets necessary, advance RSVP suggested. Check here for RSVP information.
Schumann & Strauss
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 at 4 p.m.
Peter Norton Symphony Space
TŌN Resident Conductor Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The program comprises Barber’s overture The School for Scandal, Strauss’ powerfully evocative tone poem Death and Transfiguration, and Schumann’s intense and emotional Symphony No. 4.
Zachary Schwartzman, photo by Jito Lee.
Mendelssohn & Sibelius
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Peter Norton Symphony Space
Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The program comprises Mendelssohn’s fiery Ruy Blas Overture, Prokofiev’s masterful Violin Concerto No. 2 with soloist Yangxin Song, a winner of the 2022 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, and Sibelius’ voluptuous Symphony No. 1.
Schumann’s Piano Concerto
Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
TŌN Assistant Conductor Andrés Rivas returns to Simon’s Rock for a free concert that includes Species of Motion by retiring music department chair Larry Wallach. The program also includes a performance of Schumann’s symphonic Piano Concerto, performed with Yilin Li, a winner of the 2022 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition.
Award-winning actor, producer, and comedian Chris Tucker has announced his highly anticipated tour, his first in over a decade, coming to the Beacon Theatre on Nov. 17.
The Legend Tour will stop in 30 cities during the Fall and Winter. Chris Tucker is known internationally, mostly for his role as Detective James Carter in the blockbuster Rush Hour action-comedy film franchise. Most recently, he was seen on the big screen staring opposite Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Viola Davis in the Amazon Studio hit AIR.
Tucker’s career began in the early 1990s when he became a favorite on Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Comedy Jam. He then rose to prominence with his first starring role, in the 1995 cult classic Friday, alongside Ice Cube. In 1997, Tucker executive produced and co-starred with Charlie Sheen in the hit movie Money Talks and also appeared in Luc Besson’s globally successful sci-fi adventure The Fifth Element. His other film credits include the Hughes brothers’ Dead Presidents, Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, David O’Russell’s award-winning hit Silver Linings Playbook, and Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
In 2015, Tucker released Chris Tucker Live exclusively on Netflix, marking the first project he starred in and produced through his own company, Chris Tucker Entertainment. “I started my career doing stand-up in comedy clubs and it’s stand-up comedy that prepared me for all of my movie roles. I’m looking forward to getting back to my roots. I love performing live, there’s nothing like the energy of a live crowd and making people laugh. I’m excited to be back out on tour.” said Chris Tucker. He is also a dedicated humanitarian, spending much of his spare time traveling the world, and doing charitable work through The Chris Tucker Foundation.
Tucker will bring his rave-reviewed live comedy show to the Beacon Theatre on Nov. 17. Tickets for The Legend Tour will be available starting with an artist presale beginning on Thursday, Aug. 10. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, Aug. 11 at 10 am.
THE LEGEND TOUR DATES:
Fri Sep 08 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Sun Sep 10 – Norfolk, VA – Chrysler Hall
Wed Sep 20 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
Seven great bands will perform for free from Aug. 3-5 at Shepard Park in Lake George for the Rockin For Ronald Benefit Concert supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities.
The benefit shows will help Krantz Cottage, the Ronald McDonald Family Retreat location. It is for families whose children are experiencing serious illnesses and can house up to two families at a time for stays as long as five days.
Two bands will perform on Thursday and Friday and three on Saturday. Admission to all shows is free, and vendors will be on hand with beverages and food for sale. Kicking off the event on Aug. 3 from 6-7:10 p.m. is Across the Pond, who has been performing the music of The Beatles in the Northeast since 2008. Also performing from 7:30-9:30 are The Accents, a high-energy dance band that has been a staple in the Capital Region for many years. Featuring three powerhouse vocalists, a dynamic rhythm section, and powerful horns, they cover all your favorite Motown, dance, pop, and classic rock songs. They are also one of the first groups to be inducted into the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame and to be nominated for top dance band. Following the music is a spectacular fireworks show.
The next day, Aug. 4, starts from 6-7:10 p.m. with The Newells, a family band that includes well-known keyboard/guitar player and vocalist Jonathan Newell, his wife Jennifer, their teenage sons Brandon and Evan, and a great rhythm section. They cover music from the 60s-80s, including music by Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Hornsby, and 10,000 Maniacs. Ending the night from 7:30-9:30 p.m. is Skeeter Creek, a five-piece Americana band blending their variants of country, folk, bluegrass, and rock, ranked among the best of the new and upcoming alternative artists. They have each toured with some of the biggest names in the industry and won several awards.
Skeeter Creek.
The final day, Aug. 5, has three acts, starting from 4-5:40 p.m. with The Schmooze. The band has been one of the region’s premier party bands for the past two decades, getting the party rocking with their versions of rock, pop, dance, and country hits that will have the crowd dancing and singing along. The Ultimates, a fairly new band from Saratoga, plays from 6-7:10 p.m., featuring members from Bad Cheaperones and Dealt the Blues.
Ending the Rockin For Ronald benefit concert is Classic Rock Legends Live in Concert from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Formed by Albany native Gary Weinlein, the performance includes him as the Doors’ Jim Morrison, as well as recreates the music, the look, and the energy of the British Invasion (Eric Clapton) and American rock legends (Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks and Ann Wilson of Heart).
Aqueous has announced they will perform their final shows as a band before their hiatus at The Great Flamingle II Festival on the grounds of the Great Blue Heron Festival in Sherman, NY on Aug. 11 and 12.
Aqueous is a Buffalo-based groove band with a loyal following who put on spectacular shows. The band is taking a hiatus from touring after the band’s guitarist and keyboardist, who also does vocals, David Loss, welcomed his child into the world. He wants to spend more time at home raising his child, making the difficult decision to step away from the group.
Before the band disbands, they will perform at The Great Flamingle II Festival. Featuring two nights of incredible music, camping, and art, host band Aqueous will perform five sets throughout the weekend (including a special day-time set Saturday), and are joined by a carefully curated lineup of some of their favorite national, regional, and local bands.
The lineup includes Dopapod, TAUK, Flamingosis, Mungion, a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater tribute set led by AQ’s Mike Gantzer, TAND (AQ drummer Rob Houk’s new band), Witty Tarbox, The Pickle Mafia, Damone Jackson’s Outcome and much more. On Aug. 11 and 12, these bands will grace the stage on the grounds of the Great Blue Heron Festival, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this month.
This year’s Flamingle is genuinely going to be epic, and I don’t use that term lightly! With the band opting to take a break from touring after the festival in favor of prioritizing Dave’s new role as a father, these shows will represent a joyful celebration of the band and our love for each other and our fans. We’re leaving everything we’ve got on that stage over these two nights, and we’re beyond stoked to expand the festival to two nights at a place so special to us, which gives us every opportunity to deliver on our vision for an amazing fan experience top to bottom. We’re also bringing in some of our closest BAND FRIENDS that we’ve toured with over the years to help us tie a beautiful bow on this chapter of AQ. We urge fans far and wide to come to be a part of what will surely go down as one of the most unforgettable experiences in AQ history…
The Coby Foundation, one of the leading supporters of the textile art field, has awarded The Sembrich in Bolton Landing a $30,000 grant to aid in the restoration of Marcella Sembrich’s iconic Queen of the Night couture opera costume.
Marcella Sembrich’s Queen of the Night Gown (Front) – Photograph by Bill Hubert (2015).
Experience music, history, and nature at The Sembrich in Bolton Landing, featuring museum exhibitions and an annual summer festival with an exciting mix of world-class musicians, noted musical scholars, and a free film series. Listed on the National Historic Register, The Sembrich was once the teaching studio of Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich, one of the most famous musicians at the turn of the 20th century. Visitors can discover her storied legacy, which includes over 400 performances at the Metropolitan Opera and faculty positions at both the Juilliard Graduate School and the Curtis Institute of Music.
The gown was first seen at the Metropolitan Opera in 1900 when Sembrich performed in the company’s debut production of Mozart’s operatic masterpiece Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute). The costume, now over 120 years old, is slated as the centerpiece for The Sembrich’s 2024 Centennial Exhibition.
Sembrich’s Queen of the Night was created by Berlin designer Bertha Pechstein. According to Metropolitan Opera Costume Designer Judy Levin, the embroidered metallic stars on the gown allude to an 1816 Berlin production of The Magic Flute, the designs for which were inspired by images from Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. The spangled gown was mentioned in several newspaper articles as one of the most ornate and expensive costumes of the time, with suggestions that it cost upwards of $1,000 to design and create, equal to approximately $35,800 in today’s dollars. The Colby Foundation will give The Sembrich $30,000 to restore the costume.
The Sembrich’s costume collection contains several complete opera costumes worn by Sembrich during her 40-year operatic career. Robert Tuggle, the former Director of Archives at the Metropolitan Opera, considered The Sembrich’s costume collection as “perhaps the finest surviving example of the grandeur of opera in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.”
We are so grateful to the Coby Foundation for their generosity and support of this important project. The Queen of the Night gown is arguably one of the most notable and most recognizable textile works in The Sembrich Collection. The Coby Foundation’s generous gift is instrumental in moving this project forward and preserving this unique piece of fashion and theatrical history for future generations.
Lisa H. Hall, President of The Sembrich’s Board of Directors
The Coby Foundation, located in New York City, funds projects in the textile and needle arts field. Established in 1994 by Irene Zambelli Silverman in honor of her mother, Irene Meladakis Zambelli, it began its grantmaking in 2002, awarding more than $5 million to over 170 projects.
The restoration will cost approximately $75,000 and will be completed by Spicer Art Conservation, an upstate New York-based art conservation firm. The project will be overseen by the firm’s full-time principal conservator Gwen Spicer, who has over 25 years of experience in conserving historically significant textile works. Spicer has assisted many museums, institutions, and private collectors with the treatment of artifacts and antiquities for both display and storage.
Marcella Sembrich as Queen of the Night (ca. 1899) – From The Sembrich Collection.
For more information or to get involved in the effort to restore this unique work, visit here.
Legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan has announced they are headlining “For the Love,” a collaboration between SiriusXM and Pandora that celebrates Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary.
“For The Love” includes an unforgettable day of events on Aug. 10 in Queens at the Knockdown Center, by the Wu-Tang Clan, considered by many to be the greatest hip-hop group of all time. Founded in Staten Island in the early 1990s, the group is comprised of members RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, and the deceased Ol Dirty Bastard (ODB).
They have been touring as a unit since their debut record Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) came out in 1993. The now triple-platinum release vaulted the group with songs like “C.R.E.A.M.” (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) and “Protect Ya Neck.” Their live sets are a family affair, with every member of the crew representing their lyrical contributions to their eight studio albums, as well as notable cuts from the Wu-Tang solo discography. Every Wu-Tang Clan show is a celebration of prolific careers as individuals and especially as the most storied group in hip-hop history.
Earlier in the day, For the Love: Community Giveback Sponsored by Cricket invites fans to the Knockdown Center to celebrate hip-hop’s next 50 years with local students, families, and businesses in support of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens. Throughout the afternoon, the event will feature a wide range of festivities from breakdancing performances and double-dutch to live, interactive broadcasts of SiriusXM Hip-Hop Nation’s Gray Rizzy and The Heat’s DJ Steel. SiriusXM personalities Mina SayWhat, Torae, Coach PR, D-Stroy, Bugsy, DJ Superstar Jay, DJ Wallah, and DJ Taj will also be on hand during the event to host, DJ, and more. Food will be provided by a host of local, BIPOC-owned and operated food trucks.
Hip-hop is not just music, it’s a culture which has defined and redefined our society through the years. Wu-Tang Clan has contributed so immensely to the hip-hop community, making a lasting impact on so many people’s lives, and we are honored to share this momentous occasion with these music pioneers and have them take the SiriusXM stage to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of hip-hop.
Joshua “J1” Raiford, Vice President, Music Programming, SiriusXM/Pandora
SiriusXM and Pandora will also have a multitude of special hip-hop programs, including countdowns, female only rap, underground cuts, and more. The Wu-Tang Clan headline show will be open to SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora listeners, 21+. RSVP is required for an opportunity to attend the in-person show here.
Nick Balzano of the LI Jam Scene has announced his new venture Watkins Jam, taking place July 28-30 at various places in the state, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the famous Watkins Glen Summer Jam.
Nick Balzano has performed in many bands over the years, with his love for music starting at a young age with drums and piano. For the past ten years, he has been the vocalist and performed multiple instruments in LI Jam Scene. He has also put on many events over the years with companies and venues like Liquid Shadows Entertainment, 89 North, and more, and has always strived to give artists the fair shake and audience they deserve. His newest project, Pine Barrens Jam, hopes to showcase Long Island’s creative talent for years to come.
Now, Balzano is celebrating the anniversary of the Watkins Glen Summer Jam, which featured The Band, Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers Band. On creating the tribute shows, he said “[they] have been some of my biggest inspirations and I’m sure the rest of the members of this project can say the same. The songs, drumming styles, and even the communities they’ve created have had a huge influence on the path I’ve chosen as a musician.” When putting together the lineup, he specifically chose bands and artists who were also inspired by the three legendary acts.
The tribute shows take place on July 28 at Deep Dive in Ithaca, July 29 at Courtyard in Rosecoe, and July 30 at LI Glass in Holtsville. The lineup is comprised of various supergroups taking on each band’s eclectic catalog. Whaley will be presenting a set of The Band with the help of Damien Pagan of Funkin A’/Albums We Love on Long Island. The Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead sets will feature John & Rob from Ernie & The Band, as well as Damien & other guests. The original drummer from Balzano’s time in A Band In Ship, Ryan McCloskey, will be joining for The Allman Brothers set for the Upstate dates and Jager Soss of Baked Shrimp will be holding down the second kit on Long Island.
The original Summer Jam.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Theatre Within’s Annual John Lennon Tribute event has announced they will honor two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash with the 2023 John Lennon Real Love Award at the 43rd anniversary on Dec. 2 at Town Hall in NYC.
Graham Nash poses during a portrait session at the Cambridge Folk Festival 2019 at Cherry Hinton Hall on August 02, 2019 in Cambridge, England.Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.
Theatre Within’s Annual John Lennon Tribute celebrates John Lennon’s life, music, and highest values of peace and love. “With its joyful Annual John Lennon Tribute and John Lennon Real Love Project, Theatre Within is furthering the vision that John and I shared for a better world,” said Yoko Ono. Graham Nash is the ninth recipient of the John Lennon Real Love Award. Previous recipients include Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco, and Donovan.
This is a very special award. I thank Yoko [Ono] and the Theatre Within for thinking of me. Over many years, I watched John and Yoko ‘fight the good fight’ for many whose voices were not being heard, a fight that Yoko continues to this day. I’m proud to be associated with the many fine artists who were previously honored with the John Lennon Real Love Award.
Graham Nash.
Nash’s remarkable career spans from the British invasion with the Hollies to the legendary Laurel Canyon scene with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, for which he won a Grammy, to his still vibrant solo concerts and recordings. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once for CSN in 1997 and once for The Hollies in 2010.
Nash will play some of his favorite Lennon/Beatles classics and will be joined by several acts. These include folk legend Judy Collins, who will make her first Tribute appearance in over a decade. Rosanne Cash will perform for the third time, the first since she was chosen as 2018’s John Lennon Real Love Award honoree, and Grammy award-winner Rita Coolidge will make a rare live appearance, her first ever at the long-running benefit concert. Finally, drummer/percussionist Rich Pagano, a founding member of the Fab Faux, will serve as Music Director for the 15th consecutive year.
Proceeds from the Tribute support Theatre Within’s ongoing free workshops in creative expression and mindfulness, including the John Lennon Real Love Project songwriting program. Theatre Within is also providing 200 free workshops for children and adults impacted by cancer through the Red Door Community (formerly Gilda’s Club NYC) and other regional cancer support communities.
Tickets for Theatre Within’s 43rd Annual John Lennon Tribute on Dec. 2 go on sale starting July 22.
