NYS Music 2024

Category: Ithaca

  • WindSync to Perform at Whalen Center in Ithaca

    Classical wind quintet WindSync is set to perform in Ithaca at the Hockett Family Recital Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music on April 10. The group plays their own unique approach to honoring one of the most influential boy bands of all time, NSYNC. Not only this, but the group plans to play original works, as well as covered works by various other artists.

    WindSync is made up of five classically trained virtuoso musicians who approach artistry, education, and community building with the charisma and openness of the boy band that inspired their name. The concert is free and open to the public. Earlier that afternoon at 4pm, WindSync will also offer a masterclass in the Hockett Family Recital Hall.

    The show celebrates the release of the group’s WindSync Plays Miguel del Aguila album which is set to be released five days prior on April 5. The album features music by Miguel del Aguila, a contemporary composer whose sound is highly influenced by his Latin American roots. 

    The April 10 program takes place at the James J. Whalen Center for Music as part of the Robert G. Boehmler Community Foundation Series. The program features the woodwind rendition of various artists, along with the group’s original compositions.

    April 10 Program:

    Shawn Okpebholo: Rise – premiered this season, the Nigerian-American composer’s work explored racial injustice.

    Mozart, Serenade in C minor K. 388 – this is a different kind of wind serenade. It’s brooding versus chipper, and Mozart wrote it at a time when wind music was trendy in Vienna.

    Marc Mellits: Apollo – in honor of the 2024 total solar eclipse – WindSync commissioned Marc Mellits to write Apollo in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. 

    Dieterich Buxtehude: Passacaglia in D minor, BuxWV 161 – hear how the wind arrangement of this solemn piece makes it even more haunting.

    For more information on the upcoming program by WindSync hosted at the James J. Whalen Center for Music, click here.

    • Ithaca Reggae Fest Returns to Stewart Park in June

      The sixth annual Ithaca Reggae Fest returns to Stewart Park from June 21-22. With a wide range of activities and music, the festival is dedicated to the protection of Cayuga Lake through a conscious celebration of Ithaca’s legendary reggae community and its history.

      Kicking off the weekend this year is the Puerto Rican king of smooth dub beats Pachyman, with his live band. There will also be an opening set from Ithaca Reggae Fest original team member DJ ha-MEEN spinning some lively tunes to get things started at the free Friday Welcome Party. Spin magazine cites Pachyman as “a breezy, fun-loving, and freedom-seeking artist… His works are a well sonically seasoned mix, in which his Puerto Rican roots shine bright.”

      The big day Saturday, June 22 begins with setting the intention with an interactive yoga workshop led by the Yoga Farm before celebrating Cayuga Lake with a cultural celebration led by the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ. The music gets going on Saturday with Ithaca’s own Ghanian-led roots reggae favorites, Mosaic Foundation, followed by the lively and big sound of Syracuse’s own, Root Shock. As the sun goes down, Jamaica’s living legend and first female dancehall DJ & writer/singer of the top sampled reggae song of all time Sister Nancy performs.

      Also, festival co-founder Kevin Kinsella reunites with the internationally renowned and legendary Ithaca-based pioneering reggae band he started – John Brown’s Body – for a once-in-a-lifetime experience on the shores of Cayuga Lake.

      Tickets are on sale now at Advance Rate 1 so purchase yours today before prices increase to Advance Rate 2 on April 23!

    • X Ambassadors Complete North American Tour with Stops in NYC and Ithaca

      Multi-platinum pop-rock band X Ambassadors have announced they will embark on a headlining tour across North America this spring, stopping in Manhattan, plus a hometown show in Ithaca.

      X Ambassadors cayuga sound festival
      Photo by Graham Fielder

      The group will make its rounds throughout Canada, and the US, with one stop in Mexico as well. Two New York shows are on the calendar as well – at State Theater of Ithaca and Irving Plaza in Manhattan. X Ambassadors, originally hailing from Ithaca, will return to their hometown for what is sure to be an incredible show on June 1.

      X Ambassadors originated in Ithaca as a pop-rock band. The group has performed with acts like Imagine Dragons, Panic! at the Disco, and recently made works with artists from the likes of Rihanna, The Weeknd and SZA. The band has recently relocated from Ithaca to Brooklyn but remain loyal to the crowds of their hometown as they tour across the nation.

      The band’s sound certainly has aspects of several different subgenres. They draw large influence from the indie-pop sound, with an acoustic-alternative mashup of sounds with overdrive chords and heavy drumbeats with backing acoustic chords. Their most popular song “Renegades” has over 340 million views on YouTube.

      The tour kicks off April 5 in conjunction with the release of their latest album, Townie. Songs from the new album, as well as the band’s classics will be performed on the tour. The dates for the tour in the US will feature support from Rowan Drake and New West. In Canada, the band will see support from Noah Gundersen.

      General on-sale begins on Friday, January 26 at 10:00am local time. Full details can be found at XAmbassadors.com.

      X Ambassadors 2024 Tour Dates

      April 5—Vancouver, BC—Vogue Theatre*

      April 6—Kelowna, Canada—Big White Ski Resort

      April 9—Calgary, AB—The Palace Theatre*

      April 11—Edmonton, AB—Union Hall*

      April 12—Saskatoon, SK—Coors Event Centre*

      April 13—Winnipeg, MB—Burton Cummings Theatre*

      April 16—London, ON—London Music Hall*

      April 17—Montreal, QC—Mtelus*

      April 18—Ottawa, ON—Bronson Centre*

      April 19—Quebec City, QC—Impérial Bell*

      April 23—Waterloo, ON—Maxwell’s Concerts and Events*

      April 24—Toronto, ON—Danforth Music Hall*

      May 4—San Diego, CA—The Observatory North Park+

      May 5—Pioneertown, CA—Pappy & Harriet’s+

      May 7—San Luis Obispo, CA—Fremont Theater+

      May 8—San Francisco, CA—August Hall+

      May 10—Portland, OR—The Hawthorne Theatre+

      May 11—Seattle, WA—The Showbox+

      May 13—Salt Lake City, UT—The Depot+

      May 14—Denver, CO—The Ogden Theatre+

      May 15—Colorado Springs, CO—Pikes Peak Center+

      May 17—Omaha, NE—Slowdown+

      May 18—Minneapolis, MN—Varsity Theater+

      May 19—Des Moines, IA—Wooly’s+

      May 21—Chicago, IL—House of Blues+

      May 22—Grand Rapids, MI—Elevation+

      May 24—Detroit MI—Saint Andrew’s Hall+

      May 25—Milwaukee, WI—The Rave II+

      May 26—Cleveland, OH—House of Blues+

      May 28—Millvale, PA—Mr. Smalls Theatre+

      May 29—Philadelphia, PA—Brooklyn Bowl+

      May 31—New York, NY—Irving Plaza+

      June 1—Ithaca, NY—State Theatre of Ithaca+

      June 2—Boston, MA—Paradise Rock Club+

      June 4—Washington, D.C.—9:30 Club+

      June 5—Norfolk, VA—The Norva+

      June 7—Charlotte, NC—The Underground+

      June 8—Atlanta, GA—Buckhead Theatre+

      June 9—Nashville, TN—The Basement East+

      June 11—Dallas, TX—Granada Theater+

      June 12—Austin, TX—Mohawk+

      June 14—Phoenix, AZ—The Van Buren+

      June 15—Los Angeles, CA—The Fonda Theatre+

      June 22—Mexico City, Mexico—Foro Puebla

      *with special guest Noah Gundersen
      +with special guests New West and Rowan Drake

    • Ithaca-based indie Pop Artist Rose Alaimo Releases “Power Lines”

      Ithaca-based indie pop-rock artist Rose Alaimo has announced the release of her latest single “Power Lines” underlining how we, as humans, are all inter-connected to one other like never before. This is the second single from her third full-length album, A Place To Go When You Need To Hide.

      Akin to the likes of The Cranberries, with the indie sensibilities of Radiohead, Rose Alaimo is a veterinarian and vegetable farmer in her day-to-day life. Her new record exposes a whole other side of Alaimo as she finds her way through the darkness to exercise her willpower, freedom of choice, and self-empowerment. Rose Alaimo writes, sings, performs, programs, records, and co-produces her music. In 2019, she released her more acoustic debut album The Importance of Centers followed by the gritty and anthemic Grow in 2021.

      The song ‘Power Lines’ is about the connections that exist between us, whether we are aware of them or not. One thing that was highlighted during COVID-19 was how unbelievably interconnected we are. How fast the virus spread across the world was astounding, and in the middle of everyone debating mask and vaccination mandates and people becoming increasingly stressed and angry and there being more and more division between everyone, a tree was blown over on my property, taking the power lines down in front of my house. I walked outside and, after the shock of seeing this healthy tree ripped up by the roots by a strong wind, I noticed the lines that were down.

      Rose Alaimo.

      “Power Lines” is a powerful and emotional track, featuring loud and booming electric guitar riffs, percussions that won’t quit, and Alaimo’s iconic voice. The single follows the more grounding lead track “Stars,” which is about finding an unexpected moment of stillness amid a crazy world.

      “I saw how they were connected to my house, and how the main lines also connected to my neighbor’s house, and how those same lines connected every single house on the street. I never stopped to notice how physically connected all of these houses were by these power lines and how what happened to my house affected everyone else around me. It struck me as an interesting analogy to how we as humans are also all more connected to each other and to the world around us than we might initially assume,” she continued.

      A Place To Go When You Need To Hide is out now and available via fine music platforms, including Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music.

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