HudsonValleyWeekend Cultural Preview, Aug 4-8, 2016

A highly selective preview of cultural events taking place this weekend in the greater Hudson, N.Y. region, including a concert of works by Puccini; a soul-rock legend; an art exhibition; an all-female mariachi group, and a whole lot more.

 

 

 

Soprano Melody Moore (photo Chip Gillespie)

Soprano Melody Moore (photo Chip Gillespie)

BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL CELEBRATES PUCCINI and HIS WORLD

(ANNANDALE-on-HUDSON, N.Y.) – The 27th annual Bard Music Festival – an exploration of “Puccini and His World” – opens Friday, August 5, with Weekend One: Puccini and Italian Musical Culture. The first of the weekend’s five themed concerts, Program 1: “Opera, Politics, and the Italian,” examines the ways Italians perceived their newly unified homeland in the comparatively peaceful half-century between the Risorgimento and the First World War, through operatic and other excerpts by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) and his contemporaries.

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Robert Randolph

Robert Randolph

ROBERT RANDOLPH BRINGS SOUL-ROCK to HELSINKI HUDSON

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Robert Randolph and the Family Band bring their unique blend of gospel-influenced soul-rock to Club Helsinki Hudson on Friday, August 5, at 9pm. Randolph’s unprecedented prowess on his instrument garnered him a spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list, and also attracted the attention of such giants as Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana, who have collaborated with him on stage and in the studio.

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Marc Swanson, 'Clear Pine Box,' detail

Marc Swanson, ‘Clear Pine Box,’ detail

NEW WORKS by MARC SWANSON at BASILICA HUDSON

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – “Sorrow in Sunlight,” an exhibition of new works by Marc Swanson, opens in the Back Gallery at Basilica Hudson on Saturday, August 6, with a reception from 4 to 7pm. In this new body of work, Swanson examines the experience and emotions of moving from New York City to the Upper Hudson Valley through installation, sculpture, abstraction and metaphor. The exhibition is co-presented by Jeff Bailey Gallery, and will close with an evening of readings by Jack Ferver and Chris Freeman on Saturday, August 20, at 4pm.

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Jonathan Epstein as Shylock   (photo Ava G. Lindenmaier)

Jonathan Epstein as Shylock (photo Ava G. Lindenmaier)

A SYMPATHETIC SHYLOCK at SHAKESPEARE & CO.

(LENOX, Mass.) – This summer’s production of “The Merchant of Venice,” directed by Tina Packer and starring Jonathan Epstein as Shylock, is Shakespeare & Company at its best, combining a skillful presentation of the text with an improvisatory spirit that is true to the history of Shakespearean theater while signaling the timeless and contemporary nature of the work. It’s also damn funny and entertaining, and runs through August 21.

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Mariachi violin colorALL-FEMALE MARIACHI BAND HEADS to MASS MoCA

(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.)  – Trailblazing Latin Grammy Award-nominee Mariachi Flor de Toloache, New York City’s first all-female mariachi band, performs in the Dré Pavilion at MASS MoCA on Saturday, August 6, at 8pm. The band infuses a classic ranchero sound with bursts of hip-hop, soul, jazz, and salsa.

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Anders Osborne (photo Jay Blakesberg)

Anders Osborne (photo Jay Blakesberg)

ANDERS OSBORNE BAND BRINGS SOUTHERN ROOTS-ROCK to HELSINKI HUDSON

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Anders Osborne Band brings their unique blend of original, Southern-influenced roots-rock to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, August 7, at 8pm. Indie-grunge artist Oliver John-Rodgers will warm up the crowd for Osborne.

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