Brooklyn’s The National Reserve have announced their newest tour, taking place across the East Coast this spring and summer, including a residency at Skinny Dennis in their native Brooklyn.
Founded and fronted by singer-guitarist Sean Walsh, The National Reserve mines an archetypal musical seam, pulling together from countless influences to form their own timeless brand of American music.
For the past decade, The National Reserve have spent Friday nights lighting it up at Brooklyn bars, winning over fans with epic sets and a remarkable breadth of song-craft and showmanship. Since the release of their debut album in 2018, they brought that same energy across the US, Europe and Canada, sharing stages with Tedeschi Trucks Band, Margo Price, Jason Isbell, John Moreland and others along the way.
After their most successful year in 2019, playing nearly 200 shows, the pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt. However, frontman Sean Walsh wasn’t one to sit and wait it out. The National Reserve released four recordings in 2020, including an unreleased live recording from Norway and three EPs recorded live in studio. The band is currently working on their second full length release in 2023.
The National Reserve Tour Dates
April 7 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
April 14 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
April 21 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
April 28 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
April 29 – Askew – Providence, RI
May 5 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
May 6 – The Barn – South Egremont, MA
May 13 – Albino Skunk Music Festival – Greer, SC
May 19 – Dominion River Rock – Richmond, VA
May 20 – Dürty Nelly’s Pub – Charlottesville, VA
May 21 – River Road Fam – Franklin, VA
May 26 – Stephen Talkhouse – Amagansett, NY
June 2 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
June 9 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
June 16 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
June 23 – Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn, NY
July 1 – Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA
For More Information, and to purchase tickets, please visit the bands website.
Indie artist, composer, and New York native Shayfer James brought his Shipwreck tour to Rochester’s Photo City Music Hall on April 2. Opening the show for the mostly under 30 crowd was Rochester based Bellwether Breaks and Atlanta’s Sarah and The Safe Word.
Bellwether Breaks opened the show right about 7pm and immediately got the crowd into it. Lead singer, Elyse Coughlin was donning a 70s style wardrobe, and had some vocals reminiscent of the era. Her range and smooth sounds were similar to Amy Winehouse, with some early cabaret hints being tossed around. Playing a 9 song set, including newly released The Oracle, the band consists of: drummer Dave Goebel, guitarist Peter Goebel, vocalist Elyse Coughlin, keyboardist Chris Coon, and bassist Eugene Bisdikian. Chris Coon also plays a mean sax, as displayed at this show.
Having only been around for a few years, BB has developed a great following and in 2022 both Elyse and Chris received nominations for local “best of…” competition and the band was nominated for best rock band as well. Pretty damn good for this newly formed quintet.
Setlist: Say it Like it’s True; Headed Home; Peaches; About a Girl; Perfect Universe; The Oracle; I Put a Spell on You; The Prime Directive; Blow the Roof Off.
Following Bellwether Breaks was Sarah and The Safe Word. While not normally the music I gravitate to, this group from Atlanta left it all on the stage, with the crowd looking for more. Sara Rose is the leader and made their presence known. Smooth, clean vocals with a story behind every song, the band had the crowd moving all over the place.
Not normally politically charged performers, the band is strong advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and promotes support groups on their website. While they don’t necessarily put it on the forefront of the show, they are not afraid to slip in the well-placed political jab between songs, which also work as segways for next song.
The band consists of: Sarah Rose (vocals), Kienan Dietrich (guitar, vocals), Susy Reyes (violin, vocals), Beth Ballinger (keys, vocals), Maddox Reksten (bass, vocals), and Carlos Gonzalez (percussion, vocals).
As stated before, this is not normally the music I gravitate towards, but Susy Reyes absolutely blew me away. Jumping around on stage while playing violin, Lindsay Sterling-esque, Reyes stole the show for me. Amazing voice, with the occasional deep scream (think Jinjer), Reyes will leave you in awe every time.
Shayfer James. If you aren’t familiar with him, you need to be. James has released 10 albums, including his newest, Shipwreck.
James is known for his silky piano skills as well his thought out lyrics. Sometimes dark, sometimes sentimental, sometimes cliche. Regardless of how you hear them, James will leave you tapping your feet or bopping your head before you even realize what he is singing about.
The crowd at Photo City Music Hall had dissipated by the time James took the stage, but those who were still there, crowded the front of the stage almost within arm’s reach of this talented composer. They were treated to an amazing, intimate performance, as James played songs from most of his albums, including Welcome Back, Misery; For the Departed; and Weight of the World.
Follow Shayfer James and check out his music: Shayfer James
Singer/Songwriter A..J. Croce has announced he is hitting the road again in celebration of two more of his father Jim Croce’s legendary albums, 1973’s Life and Times and his final release, I Got A Name.
Jim Croce is best known for his five studio albums and numerous singles between 1966 and 1973. Croce’s breakthrough came in 1972 with his third album, You Don’t Mess Around with Jim, which produced three charting singles. The follow-up album, Life and Times, included the song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, which was the only No. 1 hit he had during his lifetime.
On September 20, 1973, after performing at Northwestern State University and the day before the lead single to his fifth album I Got a Name was released, Croce and five others, died in a plane crash on their way to Jim’s next show at Austin College.
The Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary show will feature a legendary band (including drummer Gary Mallaber, bassist David Barard, guitar/violin James Pennebaker) and a moving multi-media presentation accompanying Jim’s songs. A.J. Croce says besides the two albums Life and Times and I Got A Name, tracks from the popular You Don’t Mess Around With Jim – which fueled last year’s run – will also be part of the new show.
It was fan-demand for more, and the camaraderie that A.J. felt with the audience, the players, and the connection to his father’s timeless music that inspired A.J. to embark on the Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary tour for 2023. “The audience reaction has been so great,” says A.J. “The shows we did last year were not only met with a huge response, but I learned so much about what works and what resonates, we knew we had to keep going.”
During last year’s raved-about performances, A.J. shared intimate aspects of his dad’s career. He also drew praise for his own style and musicianship as well as his sensitive insight into Jim Croce’s enduring musical canon. While Jim Croce’s indelible music catalog still resonates on classic radio, streaming platforms, and more recently on hit films and TV shows like Django Unchained and Stranger Things, it is A.J.s unique showmanship that has helped enliven Jim’s amazing legacy.
A.J. says the upcoming Life and Times and I Got A Name shows will continue to be fresh and spontaneous. “People were surprised when they came that the show wasn’t just Jim Croce’s ballads,” he says. “I think one of the things the audience will appreciate if they haven’t seen us yet, is how alive these songs sound. All the musicians have a level of improvisation that makes it a lot of fun.”
The shows have renewed interest in Jim Croce and garnered praise for A.J: “I think they come as a Jim Croce fan but also leave as fans of mine. That’s something that has also made this whole experience really amazing.”
Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary Tour Dates
Oct 27 / Aria Ballroom @MGM Springfield / Springfield, MA
Oct 28 /The Wilbur / Boston, MA
Oct 30 / Count Basie Center for the Arts / Red Bank, NJ
Nov 1 / Santander Performing Arts Center / Reading, PA
Nov 2 / Sandler Center for the Performing Arts / Virginia Beach, VA
Nov 4 / The Town Hall / New York City, NY
Nov 5 / Keswick Theatre / Glenside, PA
Nov 7 / Kodak Center / Rochester, NY
Nov 8 / Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall / Munhall, PA
Nov 9 / Taft Theatre / Cincinnati, OH
Nov 12 / Royal Oak Music Theatre / Royal Oak, MI
Nov 15 / Hoyt Sherman Place / Des Moines, IA
Nov 17 / Pantages Theatre / Minneapolis, MN
Nov 25 / Florida Theatre / Jacksonville, FL
Nov 26 / Parker Playhouse / Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nov 28 / Capitol Theatre / Clearwater, FL
Nov 29 / King Center for the Performing Arts / Melbourne, FL
For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit A.J.’s website.
Just a hop skip and a jump from the historic boat houses of Canandaigua Lake is the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center. A newer venue repurposed from an older one, Fort Hill PAC house about 400 seats, with 40 mezzanine seats that provide amazing views of the stage. Amazing view for acts like Stanley Jordan who brought his solo guitar show the house on March 18.
Rising to notoriety in the mid 80s, Jordan was first artist signed to Blue Note Records by new president, Bruce Lundvall, as they were working to re-establish their label to include contemporary jazz. Subsequently, Jordan’s album Magic Touch was released and hit number 1 on Billboards Jazz chart for nearly a whole year. Jordan has released 13 other albums, with number 15 in the works for release early 2024.
Hitting the stage at Fort Hill PAC, Jordan was welcomed by a blend of younger baby boomers, with a pinch of Gen-X’s and a dash of young Gen-z patrons. Quite a diverse group of ages for Jordan, whose sound is lightly reminiscent of island sounds, perfect chill music after a long days work.
While Jordan didn’t interact with the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center crowd too much, he was definitely aware of everything going, and acknowledged the random “We love you, Stanley” or the unexpected ovation. Just as well, there was issue during set with the center speakers in front the performer, and while he played most of the first half of show with it, he addressed the issue and assured the fans that the show will be so much better when he can actually hear all the sounds. As expected, the crowd laughed and gave short round of applause.
To finish the first set, Stanley, took seat at the piano and did some double duty as he continued playing the guitar, while adding piano to the mix. Truly an amazing arrangement and showcase of his skill set on the stage.
Coming back from intermission, Jordan continued to play the guitar in his own way, which consists of very little traditional strumming, and more tapping along the neck to create his own unique sound. He opened up the second set with his rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21 and Blue Monk (Thelonius Monk), both remarkable in their own rights.
While I was not able to see the end of the show, he finished off with a cover of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” If like the rest of the show, I am sure the crowd was in awe with this, as I am sure I would have been.
Follow Stanley for up-to-date news including the release of his much anticipated 15th album. US tour dates continue through April, before headed off on his international tour.
One music that never fails to soothe me is Celtic music. I can just feel the stress and the tension of the day wash off, and something crisp and green take its place. It is always welcome, and in turn always welcoming, and there’s a heaviness and a frivolity that can dance with each other. But Kilashandra is not a strictly Celtic band.
They are a Celtic-inspired jam band, and while my questions center around the Celtic part, I hope you will see the band as they will show you below. Maybe we can get them to jam.
I sit with Mark Emanatian, Eileen Markland, Chris Gil and Tom Dolan of Kilashandra and we discuss the rarity of four-leaf clovers.
Liam Sweeny: Celtic music is instantly recognizable, and it makes people feel a certain way, like a gentle breeze on a hilltop of rolling grass, or the bow of a ship destined for the promise of the New World. So the sound is unmistakable. Do you think Celtic lyrics, if read without the music, would be unmistakable as Celtic? Why or why not?
Mark Emanatian: I think the deep rivers of Irish literature, poetry, storytelling and history would make Celtic lyrics unmistakably Irish.
LS: The music of Ireland is a tradition that goes back centuries, and listening to Celtic music, you can hear themes that, though timeless, did originate in a time. But it wasn’t just Ireland, was it? How much of Celtic music comes from Ireland, and how much from Irish immigration to America? MARK: All music is transformed as it intersects with new places and new experiences.
ME: Vocalist Chris Gil has an interesting story. I’m all about those, stories. But his was an impromptu chance to sing at the Pepsi Arena, and a standing ovation. If that doesn’t tell a person they got something, right? So something started shit right there, something inside, a switch from a private thing to a public pursuit. Tell us about it, will
Chris Gil: It was an honor and a thrill to sing the National Anthem at the Pepsi Arena and receive a standing ovation. I put the same energy into my singing whether it’s to a full crowd or 1 person in the back of a pub. It’s all about connecting with the audience.
But I really like singing and playing with this band Kilashandra. Mark Emanatian writes some great songs and is a master guitar player. Eileen Markland is a force of nature. Tom Dolan holds us together. We really connect with each other and we let the audience in on it too.
I’m looking to forward to some big gigs we have coming up: opening for the Young Dubliners at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield and the Watertown Irish Festival. And of course, we’ll be hitting the pubs from the Berkshires to the Catskills to the Adirondacks.
Come see us at a big show or a pub, I love singing to people
LS: Eileen Markland is a Berklee trained composer and arranger, with a universe of talent with different instruments, having played with more folks than can fit in a small club with the tables removed. One thing I read was that you work with music for visual media. How does playing for visual media differ from playing for the crowd?
Eileen Markland: Harmony is the reason I wake up each morning and endless melodies accompany every activity and quiet moment throughout my day. Composition is the only place in life where I experience true freedom. I can create and mix any scenario I’m craving or feeling by crafting a series of chords, melodies and vocal/ instrumental combinations which then have the potential to perfectly express what I need, if I get it right. Yes, I can tell you what I’m feeling in words, but a musical description is three dimensional, even four dimensional! Composition (and improvisation), for me, is the deep exploration and expression of the state of my soul.
Live performance is a unifying, raw experience that creates a shared sense of community and, really, nothing less than pure love between the people performing and those watching and listening. It’s a social experience with both tangible qualities, such as dollars earned and new friends made, and intangible qualities such as relieved anxiety and the lessening of feelings of loneliness. I deeply believe that live music has been and always will be one of the staples to a peaceful society on a worldwide scale. For me, personally, my best friends are the musicians in my life. The music we create together and the real bonds that come with this ride keep me happy and sane in all corners of my life.
LS: Mark Emanatian, you come from a background I’m very aware of; the blues. Coming to Celtic from blues, and going back again, must be an interesting experience. It seems that they are very different music with different conventions and origins, different historical contexts, so on. What is the common thread that unites them?
ME: First off, they come from a deeply emotional story…and tough histories of people oppressed…the music arises from that…and the music has several similar qualities based around major and minor pentatonics…you can hear a lot of the crossover in bluegrass music that was influenced by both of these musical rivers.
LS: Improvisation is my favorite quality in music. If my brain wasn’t so blues-soaked, I would’ve hopped on to the jazz train and would still be a passenger. Tom Dolan, you are an improviser. In Celtic music, is improvisation the same as it is in jazz, or is it more structured? Is there phrasing that you have in Celtic music that you base on?
ME: There is not a lot of bass in traditional Irish music. Often uilleann pipes are used for drone or acoustic guitar or bouzouki are used in place of the bass to add harmony and movement to songs and tunes. Irish music does not generally use chromaticism or altered and extended chords. So, there is not much similarity between improvising in Irish music and jazz. However, there is modal playing, and the use of pedal tones in common and that is useful for improvising in both genres. And listening to each other. Listening helps. It is using intensity, volume, rhythmic variations to push the tempo to move the song along, hopefully to greater heights, or down to support the lyrics. I have been playing in bands with Mark for 50 years. We have a good understanding of what each other might play. Mark and I have played with Eileen in various groupings for over ten years. Chris is an inventive rhythm guitar, acting as a catalyst, often playing bodhran rhythms, propelling the songs forward. We have a shared vocabulary that allows us to have a conversation on stage. Sometimes full group improvisation can break out. But above all the playing must support the song.
NYC’s Irish Arts Center has announced more than two dozen artists who will come together to celebrate and extend the immense legacy of Mick Moloney, a towering figure in Irish traditional music, who died last year.
The tribute concerts, co-presented with NYU Glucksman Ireland House, will unfold over three nights, March 30 & 31 and April 1, at 7:30pm at the Irish Arts Center.
The concert tribute, produced by Irish Arts Center under the musical direction of Athena Tergis and Seamus Egan, will feature just a sample of the range of artists influenced by Moloney throughout his long career, including Nora Brown, Jean Butler, Donie Carroll, Liz Carroll, Brenda Castles, Stephanie Coleman, Cheick Hamala Diabate, Brendan Dolan, Megan Downes, Seamus Egan, Donny Golden, Ivan Goff, Jefferson Hamer, Liz Hanley, Kieran Jordan, James Keane, Tamar Korn, Dan Levinson, Joanie Madden and Cherish the Ladies, Billy McComiskey, Dan Neely, Eamon O’Leary, Niall O’Leary, John Roberts, Leni Sloan, and Athena Tergis.
In a career spanning seven decades, Moloney, described in a New York Times obituary as a “pioneering scholar and superb musician,” was one of the world’s foremost advocates of the music, history, and culture of Ireland, Irish America, and the global Irish diaspora. In co-presenting the concert tribute, Irish Arts Center and NYU Glucksman Ireland House jointly celebrate Moloney’s legacy and long association with both institutions, serving as Global Distinguished Professor of Music at NYU, and presenting more than 100 concerts over a fifteen year period at Irish Arts Center.
Irish Arts Center, founded in 1972 and based in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, is a home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion or appreciation for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America. IAC presents, develops, and celebrates work from established and emerging artists and cultural practitioners, providing audiences with emotionally and intellectually engaging experiences in an environment of Irish hospitality. Steeped in grassroots traditions, IAC also provides community education programs and access to the arts for people of all ages and ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In an historic partnership of the people of Ireland and New York, Irish Arts Center recently opened a state-of-the-art new facility to support this mission for the 21st century.
Glucksman Ireland House is New York University’s center for the study of Ireland and the Irish diaspora. Renowned for dynamic programming and research initiatives, Glucksman Ireland House is the home of the Glucksman Irish Diaspora Series with NYU Press and the Archives of Irish America. The mission at Glucksman Ireland House NYU is to foster excellence in the study of Ireland, Irish America, and the Irish Diaspora in New York and the global communities.
John McEuen, founder of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, will make his way across New York this week, stopping at Sportsmen’s Tavern in Buffalo on Thursday, March 16th and The Linda in Albany on Friday, March 17th.
The man behind the legendary album Will the Circle be Unbroken – called one of the most important records to come out of Nashville by Chet Flippo (Rolling Stone), the album features McEuen’s musical mentors Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson, his brother Bill, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Roy Acuff, ‘Bashful’ Brother Oswald, Vassar Clements, Merle Travis and more. The now multi-platinum album has been honored both by the Library of Congress and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Multi-instrumentalist McEuen (banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, piano, dulcimer) was a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for 50 years before departing the group at the end of the 50th year anniversary tour in 2017, the same year he was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.With McEuen slated to cross the Empire State this week, NYS Music spoke with the legendary singer on his music, advice and an early gig working at Disneyland.
Samantha Rychlicki: Seeing how you’ve been performing for years, is there a song that makes you feel like you’re 18 again and why?
John McEuen: Much of the music I play makes me feel young, as music is like that sometimes – ageless. But “Shelly’s Blues,” “Bojangles,” and “House at Pooh Corner” are top contenders for ‘songs’. Among instrumentals of which I do a lot, there is “Dismal Swamp” and then “John Hardy” but most of the bluegrass gives you that youngster feeling, too! “Will the Circle be Unbroken” well that feels like an old one to me, singing to my long gone mom.
SR: What do you hope people get out of your tour?
JM: Bringing people into that magic space where, for a couple of hours, they forget where they are. They are laughing or singing or listening to something that ‘transport’ them to a ‘better space.’
SR: Is there anything that you are really hoping people think about after your show or is it more of a “Let’s all just get together, play some music and let people enjoy themselves”?
JM: Music, the stories behind how it happened, and the songs will hopefully transport people to a space they will think about days later.
SR: Your career has taken you to so many places and to meet so many people that someone in your shoes may say “Why keep going? What else is there?”, what is the number one thing that keeps you going?
JM: I get to tell people about some o those places, laugh about them, and sing about them. And I feel like they need or want to hear it.
SR: What is the one piece of advice that you would give to an aspiring folk musician?
JM: Do it as good as you can and don’t do drugs. Even David Crosby said they ‘did no good.’
SR: A little off beat but I read in an article that you loved magic and that’s why you went to work at Merlin’s Magic Shop. My question is… do you remember any of the tricks you learned while you were at Disney? Do you still perform them?
JM: I ‘perform’ them because they are fun, not to impress people but to shock and surprise them!
The 2023 Summer Camp Music Festival lineup has been announced, including traditional sets from both host bands moe. and Umphrey’s McGee, taking place May 26-28 in Chillicothe, IL.
The Summer Camp Music Festival first took place in 2001 to about 1,000 patrons with over 15 bands on two stages during the two-day event at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL. Now, the event is celebrating its 22nd anniversary, typically attracting around 20,000 visitors, of which between 8,000 and 10,000 arrive before the gates open. The festivities take place across Memorial Day Weekend and multiple stages with different genres. On top of all the live music, festival-goers have access to on-site camping, late-night shows, musician workshops, a non-profit village, unique arts & craft vendors and tons of great food and beer.
The current lineup includes Umphrey’s McGee, moe., Willie Nelson & Family, Vulfpeck, Mastodon, Boogie T, Badflower, Keller Williams Trio ft. Tye North & Dave, Watts, Andy Frasco & The U.N., SunSquabi, The Funk Hunters, Buku, Sierra Hull, Maggie Rose, Jennifer Hartswick Band, Bella White, Circles Around The Sun, and Balkan Bump.
moe. cohosts with Umphrey’s McGee.
Other artists scheduled to play include Aqueous, DOGMA, Eggy, Joe Samba, K+ Lab, Leah Marlene, Oh He Dead, Perpetual Groove, Roots Of Creation, Southern Avenue, The Sponges, Super Future, In Alphabetical Order, Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes, Cody Lee’s Last Detail, G-Nome Project, Old Shoe, Organ Fairchild, Jack Cloonan, LITZ, Manthom Phenace, Modern Drugs, Squeaky Feet, Still Shine, and Zentik.
A variety of ticketing options are on sale now, including 3-Day GA Passes, Sunday 1-Day GA & VIP, Volunteer Deposits, Thursday Pre-Party Passes, VIP Upgrades, & RV / Car Camping Spots. For more information visit here.
Caramoor, a cultural arts destination located on a unique 80-plus-acre estate in Northern Westchester County, has announced its events for the 2023 summer season.
Some of the many talents coming to Caramoor this summer.
Caramoor’s curated concert season presents performers representing a vast array of backgrounds and lived experiences, including classical live performances, American roots, jazz, and more. The estate sits on beautiful grounds, including the historic Rosen House, a stunning mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Edward J. Lewis III, Caramoor’s President and Chief Executive Officer, elaborated on the experiences one can have at the venue.
True to the vision of our founders, Caramoor is the place where you can be transformed by the convergence of an exciting and diverse mix of remarkable live music performances, stunning gardens and grounds, and the beauty of an art-filled historic home. The Caramoor experience leaves both the artist and audience refreshed and renewed and compels all to return again and again.
Edward J. Lewis III
There are five venues for performances, for more large-scale ones, those can go beneath the open-sided tent of the Venetian Theater surrounded by woods (cap: 1,220), while casual concerts on Friends Field offer a more relaxed vibe (cap: 1,000). More intimate settings include the outdoor Spanish Courtyard (cap: 388) and the Sunken Garden, the venue for Caramoor’s Music & Meditation series, classical guitar performances, and more. This summer, guests can attend intimate classical recitals in the Music Room, which was once the living room of Caramoor’s founders, Walter and Lucie Rosen (cap: 192).
The summer season runs from June 17-Aug. 18. Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award–winning singer and actor Audra McDonald opens with an Opening Night Gala featuring classics from the Great American Songbook, led by her longtime musical director Andy Einhorn conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL).
Described as “one of the most versatile and galvanic ensembles in the U.S,” by WQXR, OSL returns twice this summer, first with passionate pianist Hélène Grimaud and conductor Lina González-Granado for a program of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegía Andina, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Brahms’s Second Symphony on July 16. The next performance on Aug. 6 features MacArthur “genius grant”-winning cellist Alisa Weilerstein, along with conductor Roderick Cox, joining OSL for Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings.
Audra McDonald
New Music
Brooklyn Rider performs its “Four Elements” program at Caramoor on June 23, exploring the elements (earth, air, water, and fire) as a metaphor for the complex inner world of the string quartet and the current health of planet Earth. The program also includes works by Shostakovich, Osvaldo Golijov, and a Suite of American Folk Songs, collected/transcribed by Ruth Crawford Seeger and arranged by Brooklyn Rider violinist Colin Jacobsen.
Caramoor’s 2022-23 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence (ESSQIR) is the Ivalas Quartet – with a mission to champion diverse voices and spotlight Black and indigenous composers. Their yearlong residency concludes with a performance on June 29, including the world premiere of a Caramoor commission by Derrick Skye, a composer with Ghanian, Nigerian, Native American, and British/Irish ancestry who believes music is a doorway into the understanding of other cultures. Also on the program are works by Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and Eleanor Alberga.
Hailed by The New York Times as “a lush, brooding celebration of noise,” Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated Seven Pillars comes to Caramoor on June 30, his most ambitious project to date. Performed by Sandbox Percussion, the evening-length work is the largest-scale chamber music work that Akiho has written and that Sandbox has commissioned, their ongoing collaboration on the piece has spanned the past eight years. There will be a 7:00 p.m. pre-concert talk with members of the ensemble.
TheNew York Times declared that “America’s most astonishing choir…” The Crossing, led by Donald Nally, “combines an embrace of the new, a social conscience, and fearless technique.” They will perform the New York premiere of Ted Hearne’s FARMING for free on July 9 in the Sunken Garden. There will also be a pre-concert talk with Hearne, Nally, and director Ashley Tata.
Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto and celebrated American composer and pianist Nico Muhly collaborate on an intimate evening of unexpected musical connections on July 27. They reunite in a different format the following night, when The Knights perform the New York premiere of Muhly’s violin concerto titled Shrink, with Kuusisto as soloist. The Knights are dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audience and music.
The Knights
The rotating annual Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition is curated by Chicago-based sound artist and Northwestern University professor Stephan Moore. New this summer is Dyning in the Dovecote by Liz Phillips, an interactive sound installation where one can hear sounds of water, insects, dove calls and bird wings flicke, while underwater sound transducers create ripple patterns on the surface of the fountain. The official opening of Sonic Innovations and the grounds will take place at “Soundscapes” on June 4.
Baroque Music: Caccini’s Alcina, Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Ruckus
Caramoor welcomes the Boston Early Music Festival production of Francesca Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina, the first known opera by a female composer, to the Venetian Theater on June 25. Co-music directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs and director Gilbert Blin lead a stellar cast of Baroque soloists including mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel, tenor Colin Balzer, and mezzo-soprano Virginia Warnken Kelsey. July 7 brings Baroque supergroup Ruckus, with soloists Rachell Ellen Wong– the only early music artist ever to win the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant – on violin and Emi Ferguson on flute.
On July 23, another Baroque opera graces the stage, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, with the original 1718 version of Handel’s Acis and Galatea, one of the composer’s most popular dramatic works, led by Richard Egarr. There will be a pre-concert lecture with MIT professor emeritus and Handel scholar Ellen T. Harris.
Chamber music and recitals
July 13 has Davóne Tines at the intimate Spanish Courtyard with a program of spiritual and intellectual exploration titled Recital No 1: Mass, with pianist Adam Nielsen, featuring works by Caroline Shaw, J.S. Bach, Tyshawn Sorey, Margaret Bonds, and Julius Eastman. Austin-based, internationally celebrated Miró Quartet, formed in 1995 and one of Caramoor’s earliest quartets-in-residence, performs as well.
The Dover Quartet returns with classical saxophonist, composer, and 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner Steven Banks, performing Banks’s recent quintet Cries, Sighs, and Dreams. July 20 brings pianist-composer Conrad Tao, performing a collaborative event with choreographer-dancer Caleb Teicher titled “Counterpoint.” It is a dynamic interplay of piano and tap dance that includes works by J.S. Bach, Brahms, Mozart, Gershwin, Ravel, Schoenberg, and more.
Pianist Garrick Ohlsson, who 53 years later remains the only American to have ever won the Chopin International Piano Competition, performs an all-Chopin recital in the Venetian Theater on July 30. This summer, Tengyue Zhang – who received First Prize in the 2017 Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Concert Artists Competition, plays music by J.S. Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Albéniz, Rameau, and more at the Sunken Garden on Aug. 3.
A new series debuting this summer, Recitals in the Music Room comprises hour-long programs on Saturdays in the late afternoon. Alexander Hersh is joined by pianist Christopher Goodpasture for the first concert on July 8, including works by Debussy, Paul Wiancko, Webern, Mendelssohn, and Sollima. Chinese pianist Zhu Wang, winner of the 2020 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, will perform the music of Schumann, Beethoven, Stravinsky, William Grant Still, and Zhang Zhao on Aug. 5.
Jazz Festival and Events
Caramoor’s annual Jazz Festival returns on July 22, presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center and headlined by six-time Grammy-winning vocalist and MacArthur Grant recipient Cécile McLorin Salvant. Caramoor’s second Hot Jazz Age Frolic, featuring the 17-piece Eyal Vilner Big Band, takes place in the Friends Field tent on June 18. Two-time Grammy winner Samara Joy performs on Aug. 4.
Samara Joy.
Broadway/Pops: Over the Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen
Stage, jazz, and television artist Aisha de Haas, celebrated vocalist Mikaela Bennett, and Broadway actors and singers Nicholas Ward and Julie Benko join multi-faceted, Tony Award-winning orchestrator and musical director Ted Sperling for “Over the Rainbow,” an all-Harold Arlen evening in the Venetian Theater. Composer of over 500 songs, Arlen collaborated with some of the 20th century’s most notable lyricists on songs including “Over the Rainbow,” “Stormy Weather,” “Get Happy,” and more. The event takes place on July 8.
To celebrate Independence Day, Curt Ebersole and the Westchester Symphonic Winds return to Caramoor on July 2 for their annual Pops & Patriots concert. There will be guest vocalists and more performing patriotic tunes.
American Roots: Brandy Clark, Mary Chapin Carpenter & more
Caramoor’s American Roots Music Festival, an all-day celebration of the best in Americana, blues, folk, and bluegrass, returns on June 24. Headlining the festival this summer is acclaimed singer/songwriter and ten-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of George Strait, Carly Pearce with Patty Loveless, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, and many others, and she co-wrote the score for the new Broadway musical Shucked. Daytime artists for the American Roots Music Festival include Sunny War, Miko Marks, and the Mike Block Trio, with more artists to be announced soon.
On Aug. 5, Mary Chapin Carpenter performs her most recent album The Diry and the Stars. She is the winner of five Grammy Awards, two CMA Awards and is one of only 15 women inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
This summer, six Roots and world music concerts are held for the Concerts on the Lawn series, happening at Friends Field. The series opens on June 22 with a nod to Juneteenth featuring the Harlem Gospel Travelers. Closing out the Caramoor season and Concerts on the Lawn on Aug. 18 is Chicago-based singer/songwriter Neal Francis, whose new album In Plain Sight is a “must hear” according to Rolling Stone.
Global Music: Oumou Sangaré, Arooj Aftab, DakhaBrakha & more
Plena Libre are multi-Grammy-nominated masters of the traditional Puerto Rican plena and bomba styles, fusing well-loved traditions with modern Afro-Caribbean influences. On July 1, they will be performing at Caramoor. With roots in Ukrainian folklore and music filtered through punk, cabaret, rock, and hip-hop, DakhaBrakha is an award-winning quartet from Kyiv. On July 14 they will combine various instruments from multiple countries and powerful vocals to create an evening of “ethnic chaos” and national pride.
Grammy Award-winner Oumou Sangaré mixes traditional African percussion, distinctive vocals, and progressive social criticism, returning to the Venetian Theater at Caramoor after 12 years on July 15. She will perform a program that ranges from traditional Wassoulou music to contemporary African sounds, as well as songs from her recent critically acclaimed album, Timbuktu.
Brooklyn-based singer and composer Arooj Aftab, the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy, brings her new project “Love in Exile” to Friends Field on July 29 with two of her most trusted collaborators, pianist Vijay Iyer and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. The New York Times said: “Her voice is contemplative, breathy and relaxed, with the intimacy of indie-pop and jazz though she occasionally uses the microtonal embellishments of classical South Asian singing.”
Brooklyn-based electronic indie band Balún fuses Caribbean rhythms, Dembow (old-school reggaeton), intelligent dance music (IDM), and dreamy dance-pop tunes with the traditional sounds of their Puerto Rican homeland. On Aug. 11, they will be performing “music that you can sleep to while dancing.” Aug. 16 brings what NPR describes as “a sonic experience of epic proportions” in the form of composer, bandleader, and bassist Michael Olatuja, blending the sounds of Lagos, Nigeria (his hometown), London (his birthplace), and New York (his current home).
Music and Meditation in the Garden
Promoting mindful listening, the Music & Meditation in the Garden series on three Saturday mornings in July in the Sunken Garden comprises a meditation led by Jennifer Llewelyn followed by a performance. The first event on July 1 features the duo of violinist and ERS alum Tessa Larkand bassist Michael Thurber, member of Stephen Colbert’s house band.
Next on July 15 is Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, whose music has been described by the Irish Times as “buoyant, sprightly, and utterly beguiling” performing with guitarist Kyle Sanna. The series concludes with a string quartet performance from the Harlem Chamber Players on July 29.
Children’s Programming
Caramoor also mentors young professional musicians and provides music-centered educational programs for young children. One of Caramoor’s new ventures this summer is devoted to its youngest demographic: children ages 2–6 and their guardians. On Friday mornings at 11 a.m., the series Concerts for Little Ones, featuring world-class artists, will invite children to sing and dance to diverse styles of music. On July 7, the Musiquita program is presented by husband-and-wife team Blanca Cecilia González and Jesse Elder, who playfully explore Spanish and English music and song.
On June 18, a family concert with the Eyal Vilner Swing Band called “Gotta Swing!” will explore the history of jazz with dancers Nathan Bugh, Gaby Cook, Jennifer Jones, and Ray Davis.
Bassoonist Alexander Davis, one of Caramoor’s teaching artists, brings along some friends on July 14 to give a guided tour of his unique woodwind instrument. Finally, on July 21 two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeter Alphonso Horne brings the series to a close with the irresistible rhythms and energy of New Orleans jazz.
For more information on Caramoor’s 2023 summer season events and to purchase tickets, go here.
Rochester’s beloved Lilac Festival has announced the 2023 lineup for its 125th-anniversary celebration in Highland Park from May 12-21.
Lilac Festival (News 8 WROC photo/Matt Driffill)
The Lilac Festival brings in over 500,000 people a year from across Western and Upstate NY, the tri-state area, and Canada to Highland Park to see great music and look at the beautiful lilacs that grow in the park, as well as eat and drink amazing food. “One of the highlights of the Rochester Lilac Festival for visitors is the robust lineup of national, regional, and local entertainers and musical acts,” said Don Jeffries, president & CEO, Visit Rochester. “As we look forward to the 125th anniversary of the festival, this lineup of performers is sure to keep the thousands of visitors to Rochester’s Highland Park this May entertained!”
Kicking off the festival on May 12 at 4 p.m. is Personal Blend, a seven-piece reggae/ rock group out of Rochester. Get ready to feel good and dance to their new EP Inhale & Release. Following at 5:30 p.m. is Sneezy, a six-piece fusion rock band from Chicago that draws its innovative sound from Rock, Hip-Hop, and Soul influences.
The special headliner for the evening is the jam/funk quartet Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at 7 p.m. The band includes singer/guitarist “Scrambled Greg” Ormont, guitarist Jeremy Schon, bassist Ben Carrey, and drummer Alex “Gator” Petropulos. The band, through their 1,000 enthusiastic shows, has built a mass following and an ever-expanding fanbase known as “The Flock,” and has been hailed as “musical explorers” by Rolling Stone. PPPP has independently released six studio albums, including their latest record, Perspective, in 2022.
The next day at 3 p.m. four-piece reggae act MoChester performs, consisting of Brandon Sheffer on lead vocals and guitar, Jonathan Sheffer on keys, guitar and backup vocals, Ben Overmyer on bass, and Jimmy Grillo on drums. At 4:30 p.m. the funky soul powerhouse group Shine takes the stage, playing a mix of funk, soul, and pop music, with contemporary hits by the likes of Bruno Mars and Adele, and also classic soul going back to Prince, Michael Jackson, and more. Finishing off the day at 6 p.m. is the Zac Brown Tribute Band, capturing the sound and creativity of the Zac Brown Band by playing hits like “Chicken Fried” to the recent sing-along anthem “Homegrown,” there’s a bit of everything for fans.
Zac Brown Tribute Band
The next day begins with Latin Jazz Quintet, Sofrito, formed in 2009 by flutist Tim Forster and Latin percussionist Tony Padilla at 1 p.m. At 2:30 classic rock and popular rock cover band BB Dang performs, and headliners The Iguanas play at 4. The group has been a fixture of the New Orleans music scene for over two decades, showcasing America’s musical heritage – Tejano and Conjunto sounds from the Texas/Mexico border region, as best exemplified by the accordion and bajo sexto. Closing out the night is Seven Wonders, seven world-class musicians paying homage to the music of Fleetwood Mac.
May 15 features variety group Big Blue House at 4 pm., with Rochester’s premier psychedelic alternative country act Public Water Supply at 5:15. Finishing off the evening at 7 is Hudson-Valley-based musician Mikaela Davis, who has shared the stage with Bob Weir, Christian McBride, Bon Iver, and more. She also performs with her band Southern Star, recently recording at the Relix Studio in New York City, releasing an exclusive Relix Studios vinyl. The following day begins with the four-piece rock cover group Digglers Bridge at 4 p.m., with the three-piece instrumental organ trio/funky jam band Organ Fairchild following at 5:30. Ending the night at 7 is the Sam Grisman Project, paying homage to his father David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, music made in the early 90s.
The next day begins at 4 p.m. with the definitive Classic Vinyl 60s band, Inside Out. Headliners include Syracuse-based reggae group Root Shock at 5:30 and Allman Brothers tribute band Blue Sky Brothers, featuring members of Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, Mikaela Davis & Southern Star, The Moho Collective, and more. May 18 has the Led Zeppelin cover band Mothership at 4 p.m., Rochester-based variety cover band Stunt Double at 5:30, ending the night with Almost Queen at 7.
Almost Queen
Coming up on May 19 is roots rock band Steve Grills & The Roadmasters at 3:45 p.m., with American blues and swing revival band The Founders of Roomful of Blues at 5:30. Ending the night at 7 is Grammy-nominated American rock band The Record Company, comprised of Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals), Alex Stiff (bass, backing vocals), and Marc Cazorla (drums, backing vocals). May 20 starts early at 2 p.m. with 11 piece band The Medicinals. The group formed in Rochester and has performed with the likes of Julian Marley, The Wailers (4x), Turkuaz, Lettuce, and more. At 3:30 Hello City performs and at 5 headliner Shamarr Allen makes an appearance. Taking influence from the heart of New Orleans, he performs in jazz, hip-hop, rock, funk rhythms, blues, and country categories and is the lead vocalist and trumpeter of his band Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs. Ending the night at 7 is the only regionally touring full 7-piece Dave Matthews Tribute in the country: Big Eyed Phish.
Ending the festival on May 21 is Head to the Roots at 1 p.m., a passionate music project, led by American singer-songwriter Anthony Siciliano, pulling at the roots of folk, blues, reggae, rockabilly, and jam music. At 2:30, the high-energy group Vintage Pistol performs, Judah performing right after at 4. Headlining at 5:30 is the Grateful Dead cover band Workingman’s Dead. Also headlining and ending the festival is Into the Now, performing whatever they feel like for the past thirty years.
The Rochester Lilac Festival 2023 is a free event with no ticket required to enjoy the music. Those looking for an elevated experience can purchase MGM Associates of Rochester VIP High Spot Party Deck tickets, available here.
2023 Headliners
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – May 12 Zac Brown Tribute Band – May 13 The Iguanas, The Seven Wonders – May 14 Mikaela Davis – May 15 The Sam Grisman Project – May 16 Blue Sky Brothers – May 17
Almost Queen – May 18 The FOUNDERS of Roomful of Blues, The Record Company – May 19 Shamarr Allen, Big Eyed Phish – May 20 Into the Now – May 21 *Every headliner will have ASL Interpretation
2023 Supporting Talent
Sneezy, Personal Blend – May 12 MoChester, Shine – May 13 Sofrito, BB Dang – May 14 Big Blue House, Public Water Supply – May 15 Organ Fairchild, Digglers Bridge – May 16 Inside Out, Root Shock – May 17
Mothership, Stunt Double – May 18 Steve Grills & The Roadmasters– May 19 Hello City, The Medicinals – May 20 Head to the Roots, Vintage Pistol, Judah, Workingman’s Dead – May 21
