We’re coming up on Father’s Day Weekend, and in Syracuse, join the Westcott Community Center for live music, visual arts, and William’s Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Thornden Park Amphitheater and more on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday June 14th-16th.
Shakespeare in the Park – Kick off the summer with the 22nd season featuring Hamlet in the beautiful Thorden Park Amphitheater! Pack a picnic, bring our friends, and prepare for laughter, love, existential crisis, concern for family, romance, and classic comedy from Friday, June 14th, Saturday the 15th at 5:30PM and Sunday, June 16th at 2:30PM.
Westcott Art Trail – Celebrating it’s 23rd season, enjoy a self-guided tour and explore 70 local artists in their front yards! Pick up your map at the Westcott Community Center and Petit Library on Saturday, June, at 10AM – 6PM.
Rose Day 2024 – Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the EM Mills Rose Garden with Syracuse Rose Society located at the Ostrum Ave entrance of Thornden Park. Garden walking tours and skilled demonstrations (rose corsage making, insect and rose disease identification, rose pruning, and more) will be available Saturday June 15th, 11AM-3PM
Strings in the Garden – Enjoy a free concert performed by the Syracuse Orchestra String Quartet featuring your favorite 1960’s musical selections in the beautiful EM Mills Rose Garden Gazebo located at Ostrum Avenue (entrance to Thornden Park). Enjoy a father’s day weekend full of arts and live music on Sunday, June 17th between 12PM-1PM.
Central New York boasts a vibrant music scene with a diverse array of venues, offering everything from intimate live performances to large-scale concerts. These venues contribute to the region’s rich cultural tapestry, providing platforms for both local and national acts.
Glimmerglass Festival is found at Alice Busch Opera Theater as a professional non-profit summer opera company dedicated to producing new productions each season. The company continues its tradition of four new fully staged productions, now including three operas and one work of American musical theater, performed with full orchestra, large cast and no sound amplification. These four productions are supplemented by special performances, cabarets, concerts, lectures and symposiums throughout the season.
A 112-year-old orchard located just south of Syracuse in Lafayette, Beak and Skiff offers a tasting room, distillery and general store, plus a summer concert series that garnered great attention during the social distancing of 2020 and has continued to bring a strong number of artists to a scenic location in southern Onondaga County.
Black Oak Tavern has been a staple for the Central New York social scene for almost 50 years, priding itself on great drinks, a friendly atmosphere, and fantastic live events.
Crouse Hinds Theater – Mulroy Civic Center At Oncenter(Syracuse)
The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater contains one of the largest stages in Upstate New York. Symphoria performs concerts on its Masterworks and Pops series at this theater.
Cortland Beer Company has been a part of the scene in Historic Downtown Cortland for over a decade, serving as a popular music venue with indoor and outdoor stages.
Deep Diveâs mission is to provide a safe and inclusive space for artists, patrons, and staff, a neighborhood joint for all walks of people, showcasing a calendar of top-class, unique, and inspiring musicians and performers
This state-of-the-art facility comfortably seats up to 17,500 avid music lovers. The venue, managed by ASM Global and promoted by Live Nation, opened its gates on September 3rd, 2015.
The Folkus Project brings high-quality live acoustic music to Central New York audiences and nurtures the experience of community that live music creates.
Address: May Memorial UU Society, 3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse 13214
The Hangar Theatre is a non-profit, regional theatre. Its mainstage season and children’s shows occur during the summer, but the Hangar, and other organizations, utilize the space year-round for special events.
The Homer Center for the Arts is known for hosting national music concerts, feature film screenings, a community theater program (Center Players) and showcase artwork by regional, national, and international visual artists in the art gallery. The Center also hosts classes, workshops and programs throughout the year, and adds to the economic vitality of Central New York.
Founded in 1976 by Greg Italiano, The Lost Horizon is one of the longest operational club-sized concert venues in Central New York, playing host to hardcore, hip-hop and variety acts on an irregular basis.
McGirks Irish Pub is a great restaurant for lunch, dinner, take-out, catering, with specials on beer, wine, spirits, and live music on Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
The Other Side is a Utica-based, not-for-profit organization committed to providing space for community initiatives. In addition to sponsoring its own musical, cultural, and social events, The Other Side is available to members of the community who wish to utilize it for yoga classes, musical gatherings, craft fairs, used-record sales, meditation groups, reading groups, and the like.
During the summer months, Saranac Brewery welcomes bands to perform on their outdoor stage, offering live music in the heart of downtown Utica. F.X. Matt Brewing Company is the fourth oldest family-owned brewery in the United States and serves up tasty beers during the shows, with an array of food options for each show.
Seven Of Jazz Lounge opened its doors on Jan. 5, 2023 with the goal of offering a ârelaxing environmentâ for those who want to listen to live music or even just hang out with friends. It is currently under renovations.
Having opened in 1969 as a small corner bar, Shifty’s has maintained its presence in the Lincoln Hill section of Syracuse, offering live music five nights a week, along with award winning wings and veteran staff.
Amid evergreens that create a cozy campground and the backdrop for incredible music, the home of Sterling Stage music festivals and other concerts since 1995, are offered on two unique stages. Welcoming families and kids of all ages, dogs, grills and coolers are permitted at Sterling Stage, with overnight camping included with all tickets.
The State Theatre of Ithaca is a historic, 1600-seat theatre located at Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York that hosts various events from bands, to plays, to comedy acts, to silent films, and more. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996
Located in the Southern Tier and close to the Pennsylvania border, this diamond in the rough serves a desert of live music, with rock and country acts performing each summer at Tag’s Summer Stage.
A 1920s speakeasy-style bar that is located in the cellar of Oh My Darling restaurant in Downtown Syracuse, The Fitz offers a variety of music to pair with craft cocktails in a unique space, located close to the Landmark Theatre for pre and post show music and libations.
A classic hunting lodge, now offering weddings and event space, The “G” Lodge welcomes events hosted by Hey Dude After Hours, who bring community-driven and family friendly music events, as well as summer and fall music festivals.
Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial (Syracuse)
The Upstate Medical University Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial is a multi-functional 7,000 seat venue with event space available on three levels, and home to the Syracuse Crunch, hosting concerts around the year.
The Westcott Theater is a 700-person multi-purpose concert venue in Syracuse’s Westcott neighborhood. Known for its cinema-style setting, the venue accommodates various genres but has particularly expanded its electronic music acts in recent years.
Wonderland Forest is more than just a forest: it has hiking trails, campgrounds, a wedding venue, and more recently, an outdoor music venue with various bands, food vendors, and other activities from across the United States. They have played host to the 50th anniversary of Summer Jam, Biscoland, Trey Anastasio, and many more concerts on tap for 2024.
Built on the site of Dopps Run, Dave Woods started Woods Valley in 1964, and Woods Valley Ski Area has been teaching families to ski for 60 years. Plenty of music can be found year round in the lodge, with performances by touring and regional bands peppering the calendar and warming up the nights after skiing the slopes at Woods Valley.
Harlem Stage announced its new Artistic Director and CEO, Indira Etwaroo, at Harlem Stage’s 40th anniversary sold out gala in City Winery.
Etwaroo hopes to emphasize the local and international connection in her new position. “Harlem is our home, but the world is our stage” is her north star phrase when it comes to leading the company. She upholds Harlem Stage’s core values of giving artists of color opportunities and dismantling the systems that historically oppress institutions and companies operated by people of color.
Etwaroo will succeed the now former Artistic Director and CEO of 25 years, Patricia Cruz. She expressed her gratitude for her new position and explained her challenges in today’s political climate. “It is not lost on me that my leadership tenure begins at a time when we must face—head on—the fragility of our fractured democracy, challenge demagoguery and the normalization of blatant falsehoods, and demand that cultural institutions be thought of as first responders and artists as frontline workers in this quest to create a more just, more truthful, more inclusive and more equitable world for the next generation and for generations to come,” she said. “I am deeply committed to the work ahead.”
With an extensive background in media and theater work, Etwaroo is familiar with directing. Etwaroo was the director of Steve Jobs theater from 2020 up until now and before that, she was the founding executive producer of both NPR from 2013-2015 and the century old radio station, The Greene Space from 2006 to 2013.
Etwaroo also has a background in fundraising. She became the first executive advisor of the Chadwick Boseman Estate, molding the foundation. During Covid-19 she helped raise $10 million for black theaters throughout the country.
Her work in the past was centered around community in the arts, something that Harlem Stage was built upon. The company was founded in 1983 to give a platform to Black artists and to expose Harlem to censored talent. Today, the stage hosts music and dance performances from artists around the world.
Upcoming performances include works from choreographer Camille A. Brown June 14 and 15 as well as the Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra on Sept.12.
For more information on Harlem Stage and Indira Etwaroo you can visit their website here.
In a quaint corner of the Hudson Valley, bordering Massachusetts lies Spencertown. This small hamlet is home to the Spencertown Academy, an institution dedicated to education and preservation of the arts. The academy strives to foster a sense of community by promoting the arts and humanities to all ages.
For over 50 years, the Spencertown Academy has excelled in this mission, hosting a slew of traveling musicians and artists, as well as holding numerous annual events. The venue has hosted performances supporting local talent, such as one highlighting blues women of the Capital Region. Additionally they have hosted national stars, like grammy-nominated singer-songwriters Gary Lucas and Guy Davis.
The Academy also promotes community involvement in the arts, hosting free writing, and blues workshops for all to attend.
The Spencertown Academy Arts Center’s history dates back almost two centuries to 1845. At its founding, the academy was not an arts center, but rather a teachers school. Founded by pastor Timothy Woodbridge, the academy was open to the region’s boys and girls, an uncommon practice at the time.
By 1847, construction on the schoolhouse had been completed, leaving the Academy’s current structure. The two-story high Greek revival building featured imposing ionic columns, a large front portico, and a high gabled roof, making it an architectural marvel of the region. In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance.
The Academy continued life as a public school until its closure in 1970. Desperate to save this community icon, Spencertown residents founded the Spencertown Academy Society. This society undertook a 10 year restoration of the building, allowing for its reopening as a community arts center. Following the tumult of the 2008 recession, the community banded together to eliminate the academy’s debt and establish it as a volunteer-based organization.
Today, the Academy hosts rich arts spaces, both indoor and outdoor. At its center, a 110 seat auditorium holds the Academy’s concerts, theater performances, and film screenings. The Academy’s Backer Room is a smaller, more intimate space in a restored classroom, used for its educational programs. The interior of the Academy also features two art galleries, featuring art and artisan pieces from locals.
In addition to this is the sprawling outdoor spaces, home to many of the Academies annual events. The Academy hosts the annual Hidden Gardens event, offering tours of the Spencertown Green’s manicured landscapes. This event also hosts a plethora of local craft and antique vendors. Other outdoor events, like Twilight in the Garden, and Community Day offer a chance for Spencertown’s residents to get together and enjoy food, and live music in an outdoor setting.
The Academy remains dedicated to the community, and especially its youth, hosting events to get them involved in the arts. The annual Festival of Books, sees the Academy transformed into a massive library, offering books for all ages. Additionally, the event features book talks, live readings, and other special activities.
The Academy has a busy upcoming season, with many events scheduled for the Summer. On May 31, the Academy will host The Lovestruck Balladeers playing an old-fashioned mix of Americana and swing. Continuing their dedication to arts education, the Academy will host a poetry and prose writing workshop on June 15. This workshop will focus on the Summer landscapes of Columbia County, and how nature has influenced past poets. In terms of theater, the Academy will show a production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest on June 21. The upcoming summer season continues to show the Academy’s dedication for the performing arts, and local arts education.
For more information, visit the Spencertown Academy website here.
In the heart of the Hudson Valley, just 30 minutes south of Albany lies Catskill’s Bridge Street Theatre. The theater is a non-profit seeking to enhance the cultural life of Greene County through the independent production of musical and theater performances.
Greene County’s seat of Catskill is home to the Bridge Street Theatre opened in 2014. Since its founding, the theater has sought to set itself apart from the region’s other performing arts centers, with a focus on accessibility. The theater’s board focuses on highlighting overlooked musical and theater artists, even commissioning new works for the stage. They also strive to keep ticket prices low to make sure their performances can reach the widest possible audiences.
Since 2014, the Bridge Street Theatre has been a haven for cutting edge performance art. The theater has hosted over 62 musical performances, 84 plays, and 33 dance performances. It has staged productions of Monty Python’s Spamalot, Frankenstein and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Amongst these productions was The Shaggs’ Philosophy of the World, a stage retelling of The Shaggs’ legendary outsider music career. Additionally, the theater has also hosted a decade’s worth of musical performances ranging from classical to bluegrass. These concerts include San Francisco’s award winning Zelos Saxophone Quartet, and Capital Region folk band Ramblin Jug Stompers.
Downtown Catskill, NY
The theater’s story begins with its founder John Sowle. Following decades of acting and theater production in both San Francisco and Manhattan, Sowle relocated to Catskill in 2008. Following the move, Sowle focused his attention on finding a permanent home for his nomadic theater production company Kaliyuga Arts.
This plan came to fruition in 2013, when Sowle purchased a derelict air curtain factory just outside of downtown Catskill. After a year of renovations, the abandoned factory was transformed into a state of the art 12,000 square foot center for performing arts.
The derelict air curtain factory on the site of the theater, 2009
The theater’s premises house many venues for performing arts. At the center of the theater, is the Charles and Priscilla Patterson Mainstage. This auditorium has seating for 84 people, making it a perfect setting for the theater’s major productions.
There is additionally a smaller cabaret-style concert space, known as “The Speakeasy.” This area also currently serves as the theater’s lobby, but can be quickly converted into a performance space, with a small raised stage allowing for intimate shows. The venue also houses “The Big Room,” a space to host sculpture and art exhibitions. The theater values the comfort of its performers, housing dressing rooms, a lounge and living spaces for visiting artists.
The theater prides itself in collaboration with Catskill’s local youth. As it is located next to Catskill High School, the theater provides opportunities for local students to get involved in theater production and performance, getting a new generation involved in music and the arts.
The Bridge Street Theatre has a busy upcoming Summer season, with a host of performances set for the near future. On June 1, the theater will welcome world-renowned sitarist Ustad Shafaat Khan. Khan is famous for his simultaneous vocals, sitar, and tabla playing, which has spread appreciation for Indian classical music across the world. His performances have taken him around the globe, playing with legends like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.
On June 8, the theater will be hosting the local magician Thomas Baker for an all-ages journey through the history of magic. The Saugerties-based illusionist puts a modern twist on classic magic tricks, all while sharing fun stories from throughout his life.
Finally, on June 22, the theater will host the 7th Bridge Street Belly Dance event. This event will weave together dance, music, and poetry to tell a story of how pain and beauty go together in life. Featuring dance from multi-disciplinary artist Jesse Sykes, and the poetry of Alysia Quinn, the event will tell a story of innovation and personal growth.
For more information, visit the Bridge Street Theatre website here.
A new recording studio, Tones Studios, has opened in Irondequoit, NY and to welcome the community into the new space, the studio will host a listening event of artist Sarah De Vallière‘s new album on May 31.
This state of the art studio which was founded in 2017 was constructed in 2019 in a renovated church just outside of Rochester giving a chance for artists in the local area to connect with each other as well as high quality recording technology.
Tones offers a variety of production suites, including a live recording studio, a video and photo recording suite and even a fully functioning kitchen. Tones also has an editing suite to bring production to live after a recording session.
The studio has been widely used by the community including to film live performances, Joe Bean commercials, and cooking videos as well as recording music.
De Vallière’s album, The Healing is a 10-song concept album that explores growing and changing from trauma. The album is set to release on June 7 but guests at the listening event will be able to get a preview of the album on the ATC SCM50 monitoring system, as well as guided tours of the facilities. De Vallière herself will be in attendance as well as Tones Studios project managers.
You can listen to her music and find more information here on her website. You can RSVP to the free event here.
Over the past year, the Orpheum Theater in Saugerties has renovated and redesigned its third floor into a space called “The Mark.”
The Orpheum in Saugerties, NY – Photo credit: Joseph Janisheski
The Mark is envisioned as a place to host everything from feature films, to director Q&A’s and live musical performances. The theater seats 99 people. It is the latest in many renovations that have taken place since the Orpehum was purchased by the non-profit Upstate Films in 2021.
The Mark officially opened on March 15th and has already screened everything from Dune: Part 2 to a silent film titled The General, which featured live musical accompaniment.
The Mark interior – Photo credit: Joseph Janisheski
The design was led by architect and audio designer John Storyk and his acoustic consulting and architectural design firm WSDG, which is based in nearby Highland, NY. Aside from giving back to the local community, this project was extra special to Storyk.
The Mark is named after beloved community figure and supporter of the arts Mark Braunstein who passed away in 2021.
“As a dedication to Mark Braunstein, there just was a fire under our bellies,” John Storyk said. “This is a passion project.”
Even if you haven’t heard of Storyk, you’ve probably heard his work before … at least indirectly. Storyk is a world renowned architect and audio designer who’s built music studios for the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Jay-Z. He’s also led the charge on projects in venues like the Lincoln Center. His latest project in Saugerties takes place on a slightly smaller scale, however, the work is no less meaningful.
John Storyk – Photo credit: WSDG
Nowadays, there is much hype around the visual quality of IMAX and 3D movie experiences. And while sound isn’t the first thing your average movie-goers might critique, Storyk says good audio is the real key to an immersive experience.
“The audio is magic,” he said. “It gives you the envelopment and it’s what makes the theater experience special.
This is more than just “lights out, popcorn,” as Storyk put it. There has been intricate attention paid to every aspect of the redesign – from the exact angle of the wood panels on the walls to the position of the stage – all to optimize the acoustics of the room.
Photo credit: Joseph Janisheski
Perhaps most notably (or audibly) the new space boasts a Dolby Atmos sound system. It is one of very few theaters in the region
For my own curiosity I asked Storyk what is the best seat to choose at the movies. In general, Stroyk said he preferred to sit about one-third or two-thirds back and off to the side
“I want to hear the room, I want to hear the wall,” he said.
However, in the specific case of the Mark, Storyk says there isn’t a bad seat in the house given the intimate setting and the way the seats are arranged.
One of the main challenges of designing the Mark was optimizing sounds for both movies and live performance. To accommodate this, Storyk installed two separate sound systems for each use case. In total, the space has around 30 speakers
Storyk made use of existing materials as well, in particular keeping the tin ceiling that adds so much character to the room. But beyond the aesthetic, Storyk said the thin ceiling coupled with the insulation behind it was quite good for absorbing certain higher audio frequencies.
Photo credit: Joseph Janisheski
As Storyk explained, much of his design focuses on how the room absorbs and reflects different frequencies of sound to create the optimal listening experience. Have you ever watched a movie and found the dialogue to be muddy or difficult to understand? Chances are the acoustic design of the theater could have played a role.
On April 10th, The Mark will be hosting a free event led by Storyk and eight-time Grammy-winning producer and sound engineer Elliot Scheiner. The two will demonstrate the audio properties of The Mark using samples from Scheiner’s Emmy-winning History of the Eagles and musical work, live performance that showcases the Mark’s live sound system.
Reservations are strongly recommended which you can book for free through the Orpheum’s website: here.
Beyond the perspective of traditional theater, one might fix their gaze upon the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater.
As the story goes, Peekskill opened its doors in 1930 to serve as a 1,100 seat subsidiary of Paramount Pictures. George and Charles Rapp designed quite the structural feat given the resources and materials available within that era.
Completely decked out to the nines, this Art Deco style theater hosted so many wondrous artistic elements. For nearly a generation, the Wurtlizer organ ascended from the pit of the stage to provide simply spectacular symphonies.
Some of the greats like Banks Kennedy provided plenty of tuneage to those in attendance of the 1,500 person capacity limit. More times than not, standing room only seemed to be the status quo.
Paid in Full had been “picturized” by Paramount in 1919. The producers, with their unerring instinct for a good play, were being judicious in their re-entering the game. Change was in the air. Motion pictures were making headway all across the country with most small towns now having converted their stages into motion picture theatres.
Other interesting facets of the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater were the industrial sized accouterments that helped the Peekskill facilities run smoothly. To stand the true test of time, any building must be designed with innovation and longevity in mind.
One of those incredibly interesting features was the industrial sized A/C plant on the premises.
As time went on, the rise of shopping malls and cable television led to the theater’s demise.
Gone but not forgotten, the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater saw a resurgence via revitalization in 2013. Relaunched as a multidisciplinary center, the space became essential for cultural and educational experiences such as theater, dance, music, storytelling and poetry readings.
Local playwrights continue to emerge upon the flourishing arts scene in this nonprofit multidisciplinary center for the arts. Thanks in part to a grant from ArtsAlive [ArtsWestchester], many rambunctious actors and actresses have continued to thrive.
“The arts, it has been said, cannot change the world, but they may change human beings who might change the world.” [CH] Maxine Greene, an American author, teacher, philosopher
Notably, the theater’s re-emergence led to the inception of a “Dramatist Guild” by the name of DG Footlights. All in the name of developing your craft, these witty dramatists contribute to a vibrant, valued and phenomenal art scene.
This soundscape, including the previously mentioned rendition of “Ol’ Man River,” accompanied by the fear and anger portrayed by Aluko in his performance, illuminated the Peekskill Riots as an eruption of emotion charged by vehemently differing philosophies and feelings and further hindered by institutional (in)action.
Of late, Paramount Hudson Valley Theater was pinned upon the list of Westchester County Landmarks, as well as the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The Kaufman Music Center (KMC) presents music programs for students, performers, and audiences alike with its intimate performance space Merkin Hall and the Special Music School – among other things. It is the premier destination for learning and listening to music in New York City. The center is constantly cultivating and nurturing new generations of artists, inspiring both the young and old to learn instruments and turn their passion for music into a career.
Kate Sheeran – the Executive Director for KMC – spoke about the many initiatives she has helped create, providing insight into the center, her favorite things about it, and holding such a high position of power.
Kaufman Music Center believes “Music is essential to the human experience and a vital component of education for everyone,” showcasing that mission with its variety of programming. Merkin Hall – the Center’s intimate performance venue – provides access to today’s most compelling artists, competitions, and workshops. Other programs, like Artist-in-Residence, give performers resources to develop groundbreaking protects and educational opportunities to mentor and inspire the Special Music School students; New York’s only K-12 public school prioritizing musically-focused education without financial barriers.
Executive Director Kate Sheeran handles a lot in her day-to-day life at KMC. “My overall position is overseeing the entirety of the organization, obviously in conjunction with our board of trustees, and on any given day, that can mean a number of things. It’s overseeing how the building works and working with a team; making sure that we’re sticking to our mission of giving as much access to as many people as possible to music, whether it’s as audience member or student or various other things. But on any given day, you can find me in or out of the building doing all kinds of things,” she explained.
Kate Sheeran with students.
In her personal life, she is a professional French horn player, attending school for performance – learning educational and leadership skills along the way. She has performed with a wide range of ensembles including Ensemble Signal, The Wordless Music Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, Ensemble LPR, and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. As a student of music, she can put herself in other people’s shoes and create programming and events to better serve the community.
The building staff are surrounded by students and audience members of all ages. Students as young as four up to their 80s come to the center to learn, while new and old audience members enjoy the magic that is the Kaufman Center. “I love to pop down to a classroom and see young class learning, you know, a new lesson for the first time. Sometimes even sneak into the balcony to watch a dress rehearsal to get to see everything happening,” she added.
Students learning, photo by the Kaufman Music Center.
Kaufman Music Center has only been led by women since its origins in 1952. Kate is the third of three; her predecessor was in the leadership role for 40 years, and hers before that was also there for decades. “It’s very natural to have a woman at the helm and it makes for very efficient activities and it makes my job even more joyful,” she explained.
Faced with adversity as a young woman in a male-dominated industry, Kate explained that finding allies and mentors helped her network and move into her many career paths. She was inspired and motivated as the Provost and Dean of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in San Francisco when a grad student said she saw herself in Kate. “I hope we see an ever-increasing amount of women in positions up and down in the music industry,” she explained.
Find the work that you think is interesting, whether it’s an artist or someone running an organization – learn about that organization…Ask questions. I think a lot of my careers were shaped by just asking lots and lots of questions – so don’t be afraid if you have questions, probably someone else in the room or someone else has that question too. Try different things. Sometimes I thought that my career would go one way and I tried something else and then that ended up being the right thing. Instead of waiting for the perfect thing to come along, try something that might be a little different; it usually leads to a pretty interesting outcome.
Advice from Kate Sheeran.
Under the stewardship of Kate, KMC has implemented various transformative initiatives including the introduction of The Musical Storefronts Project. Split over two seasons during the COVID-19 pandemic, this project produced over 200 safe concerts for the community and provided employment opportunities for professional artists when traditional concert halls were closed. “Thousands of people showed up over these 200 concerts. It was really interesting to have all artists home in New York City. When does that happen that people aren’t on tour? We had classical musicians and Broadway and jazz people singing pop tunes…you just saw hundreds of musicians pouring their hearts out after being home and not being able to do that.”
Since the pandemic, she says she sees more people buying last-minute tickets and concerts are still well populated. More adults are learning instruments and joining ensembles. Also, KCM has more artist connections from the pandemic, fostering more diversity.
She also spearheaded the newly launched Pathways Program, which offers students tuition-free weekly private instrumental lessons and group classes, as well as access to masterclasses, workshops, and performances. School, which is the largest of the community art schools in New York. We do music, theater, and dance for about 2500 students every year and we try to give as much scholarship as we can to those with financial needs, so that access is really paramount for us,” she explained.
Within the NYC Public system, KMC runs the Special Music School, providing music education with free lessons and instruments; some of the kids that join the program are as young as four or five. Kate explained, “In New York City, a lot of students, more students who have access to instruments, tend to pick string instruments or piano. Other places are the opposite; we’re starting with winds and brass to build that from eight years old when students usually start those instruments and grow the pool of students who can go on to high school for music and college and we hope to professional life.”
Kate Sheeran is also responsible for starting the Artists-in-Residence program (now in its fifth year) – which gives performers the resources to develop multidisciplinary projects as well as educational opportunities to mentor and inspire. From masterclasses to imaginative performance experiences, they can be on stage at Merkin Hall, in the classrooms, and out in the community participating in dynamic and engaging learning experiences with students across the programs. “We’re bringing in artists to inspire our community and especially our students. But the flip ends up happening just as quickly that the artist is inspired by the younger people or by the audience members, and doing projects with the students,” Kate said.
In terms of age and demographic and style and everything we have in our New York City public school, they can all find mentors that look or sound like them or have careers they might want to model. And to me, that’s the magic because it kind of demystifies what it is to be a musician and they get to know these artists as people – that is magical. I think that’s just so important and it’s inspiring to see that that’s happening whether people may know about it or not know about it.
Kate Sheeran
From the day-to-day operations to making the magic happen for the hundreds of students at KMC, Kate Sheeran’s ability to cultivate diverse and inspiring programming for young and old is something to be admired.
For more information about the Kaufman Music Center and to purchase tickets to upcoming events, visit here.
Caffé Lena has a storied history in Saratoga Springs starting in 1960, launching the careers of many folk greats including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Don McLean. Now, the venue is providing that same feel-good listening experience and great talent, set in their iconic intimate setting. In honor of Women’s History Month, it is important to highlight the women helping make the industry happen. Executive Director at Caffé Lena, Sarah Craig, is one of these women leading in the industry.
Lena and Bill Spencer opened Caffé Lena with a deeply entrenched European influence. Upon the passing of Lena in 1989, the venue was converted to a nonprofit institution, supported by concert revenue, grants, private and corporate donors, and a team of volunteers. Lena started the venue as a way to present deserving talent regardless of fame, emphasizing community over business. Over the years, this theme still sticks with Caffé Lena’s diverse range of programming. Whether in-person or on a live stream, those can enjoy the intimate setting and vibe while garnering the sense of community so prevalent in everything they do.
Sarah Craig has been the Executive Director of Caffé Lena since 1995, a role she earned by applying to an anonymous job posting in the classified section of the newspaper. All it said was, “Nonprofit arts organization seeks full or part-time executive director.” She was the only applicant, and the rest is history.
Photo by Derek Java.
Craig earned her BA in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Vermont, where she developed organizing skills as an activist. “[I was] inspired by two things: my sister’s participation in the Peace Corps in rural Paraguay, which was a huge eye-opener for me, and my own exposure to Liberation Theology in the Catholic Church, which was an important part of my life at the time,” she said. She became interested in gay rights, ecology, and economic justice, working in the sphere of some very effective senior activists, including Bernie Sanders and Roddy Cleary.
After college, she moved to Boston and began canvassing for Massachusetts Peace Action, serving as the Executive Director before eventually going to Caffé Lena. When she first started at Lena, her duties included grant writing, house management, and developing the volunteer and membership base. Now that there are a dozen people on staff, the budget has grown more than 2,000%. She says she spends “about 1/2 of my time booking shows, 1/4 fundraising, and 1/4 developing new ideas and managing the team.”
Caffé Lena takes up most of her time – waking and sleeping. “It’s an outlet for my creative energy, my social energy, and my dreams of saving the world. But, ever since the start of the pandemic, I’ve made a concerted effort to not be all Caffe all the time,” she explained. She is working on a sequel to a novel she finished and started playing the French horn again. She likes to spin yarn and felt, run or X-C ski, and when it’s the season – grow vegetables. She also likes to play online Scrabble with her daughter in NC a few times a week, and explains that was one of Lena’s great passions, “she was a 400 player.”
Sarah Craig speaking at a press conference. Lauren Halligan – MediaNews Group file.
In 2016, the venue underwent $2 million in renovations creating a home for Lena’s celebrated program for decades to come. New additions also included a 100% handicap-accessible space on their second-floor performance space.
Caffé Lena has a wide variety of programming available besides their eclectic mix of performers. In 2020, they launched the School of Music to carry on the folk tradition of music as a social pastime. Children and adults learn in small, friendly groups, mastering a repertoire of folk classics, and write some too. Some more experienced kids have now formed their own band, The Rolling Pebbles.
Folk gets passed along by venues, festivals, camps, places of worship, community groups and families. The School is our investment in this process. We offer activities for toddlers to seniors that are social and musical. It’s the most wonderful thing to sit at my desk and hear 30 senior citizens in the next room jamming away on three-chord songs and just having the best time. Or seeing our youth students developing into righteous little fiddlers and guitarists…There are powerful forces in the world pulling us deeper and deeper into a world of technology, where people are rarely face to face with their community. People are not experiencing social life in the way we’ve evolved to experience it. The School of Music feels like a win for basic, old-school humanity.
Sarah Craig.
Other programs that have been seen at Caffé Lena are The Bright Series – monthly shows featuring artists playing the venue for the first time; Caffé Lena on the Road, where headline artists travel into the community to deliver live music at places such as elderly care centers, recovery groups, soup kitchens, and more; Pride Night; Little Folk Shows – kid-friendly matinees; and so much more.
Since Craig’s time at the venue, she has seen a variety of musicians, with some of her favorites including those that have not risen to widespread fame besides small clubs like Lena. “In that category, I’d cite Jeremy Wallace, Gina Forsyth, and Chandler Travis. Some were real jaw-droppers and indeed they did go far: Anais Mitchell, Billy Strings, 14-year-old Sawyer Fredericks, and Allison Russell, who just won two GRAMMYs.” She went on to say “Our staff gets asked a lot, ‘Who’s your favorite?’ and we all agree: it’s the one we saw last night.”
Bob Dylan with Lena Spencer. Photo by Caffé Lena.
Caffé Lena has a long history in the folk scene but as Sarah Craig pointed out in our conversation, the emergence of Americana music in 2007 replaced some of the singer-songwriters from the ’80s and ’90s. The popularity of folk-rock string bands has stayed strong for nearly 20 years. Since taking the reigns in 1995, she noticed that the Internet has drastically changed many things.
“It completely changed the culture of everything everywhere, but that definitely includes live music,” she explained. “On the positive side, it has greatly facilitated our success in building an audience with eclectic tastes that is willing to explore new music. On the downside, it has radically amped up the way of life at Caffe Lena. Lena used to book her musicians for a full weekend. These days, it’s a different show every night, and bands rush in 2 hours before showtime and hit the road immediately afterward to get to the next gig.”
With events happening almost every day, the venue is busy and booming. Sarah Craig loves the atmosphere of the venue. She loves when the volunteers arrive and start baking cookies and making coffee, and when the “legendary Joe Deuel, Lena’s sound tech for the past one thousand years, starts setting up the mics.” The little moments that she experiences every day are her favorite; turning off the lights at the end of the show and saying goodnight to the iconic venue.
https://youtu.be/ht2zdYvs_wc?si=1krBF-BOObg_R9AH
The music industry is largely dominated by men, but some very decent people love music and enjoy spending their lives with musicians and are not in it for the money. Asking Craig about her experience as a woman in the industry, she said that her experience has overall been good. Despite the fact she isn’t a man, who can get more bookings, she has made it work. Something notable she highlighted was that the nonprofit world, like Caffé Lena, is largely dominated by women, however, the majority of executive directors are men.
Why does she think this is? Sarah explained “Because boards of directors have more confidence in men. The world continues to misread women because women tend not to be swaggering and self-advocating. They just do a rock-solid job, and expect that to be enough. This is something people in supervisory positions need to be conscious of: valuable male workers and valuable female workers don’t necessarily look the same.”
Despite this, working in the music industry is a rewarding experience for her, and many women across the board.
Goodnight Moonshine at Caffe Lena. Photo by Derek Java.
Caffé Lena has an eclectic lineup month after month, full of vibrant musicians and welcoming people. For more information about the venue, visit here.
