(HUDSON, N.Y.) – New-music quartet ETHEL will play excerpts from their new original work, Circus: The Lives Behind the Big Top, in a special family-friendly performance at the Hudson Opera House on Sunday, March 5 at 3pm.

For this one-performance-only family concert, ETHEL will delight children and their families with selections from this very special work as they evoke the spirit of the individuals who brought fantasy, excitement and mystery to the three rings. The event is a presentation of Classics on Hudson, in association with the Hudson Opera House.

ETHEL returns to Hudson following a successful residency with the Hudson Opera House in 2016, culminating in a sold-out work-in-process performance of Circus at Second Ward Foundation.

In its final form, ETHEL – Circus: The Lives Behind the Big Top, commissioned by The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and directed by acclaimed projection designer and director Grant McDonald, will be a multimedia concert experience inspired by the heroes behind the magic of the Big Top, told through a seamless interaction between original music, immersive projection and, in some productions, live circus performance. The work will pair stunning archival images and films from the Ringling Museum’s expansive archives with intricate projection mapping and original music from ETHEL.

 

Students 13 and under, free; adults $10

Hudson Opera House

327 Warren Street

Hudson, NY 12534

(518) 822-1438

 

ABOUT ETHEL

“ETHEL…created a world in which classical music had never grown distant, a world in which it was fresh and direct as crowds dancing in the street.”

–The Wall Street Journal

 

ETHEL members Ralph Farris (Co-Artistic Director, Viola), Dorothy Lawson (Co-Artistic Director, Cello), Kip Jones (Violin) and Corin Lee (Violin), invigorate the contemporary music scene with their exuberance, intensity and exceptional artistry. Acclaimed as “unfailingly vital” (The New York Times), “brilliant” (the New Yorker), and “one of the most exciting quartets around” (The Strad), ETHEL has appeared on stages as varied as the Venice Biennale, Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, Kennedy Center, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

 

ABOUT CLASSICS ON HUDSON

Celebrating its third season, and led by newly-appointed Artistic Director Eugenia Zukerman, Classics on Hudson seeks to enrich the cultural life of the greater Hudson community by presenting concerts that span the classics to the contemporary, performed by internationally celebrated artists. Classics on Hudson serves to promote understanding and enjoyment of music through educational and concert experiences for audiences of all ages.

 

ABOUT THE HUDSON OPERA HOUSE

The Hudson Opera House is a cultural beacon in the Hudson Valley, offering a dynamic year-round schedule of music, theater, dance, literature, workshops for youth and adults, as well as family programs and large-scale community events such as Winter Walk. Located in an historic landmark that houses New York State’s oldest surviving theater, the Opera House is currently undergoing a complete transformation, starting with the restoration of its magnificent performance hall. Opening with an inaugural season in spring 2017, the new Hudson Opera House will reflect Hudson’s rich history in a modern facility that welcomes residents and visitors from throughout our local community, across the nation, and around the globe.