A highly selective preview of cultural events taking place this weekend in the greater Hudson, N.Y., region, including soul-folk; an Americana art exhibit; chamber music; bluegrass banjo; a literary reading; and a whole lot more.
Birds of Chicago
BIRDS OF CHICAGO BRING SOUL-FOLK to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Folk-soul duo Birds of Chicago brings its unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll and “secular gospel” to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, February 12, at 8pm. Husband-wife duo JT Nero and Allison Russell anchor Birds of Chicago, a sprawling collective of soul-inflected, groove-based Americana from the Midwest. Birds of Chicago’s music seamlessly spans genres, drawing on the soulful balladry of the gospel tradition while simultaneously embracing deep grooves of country and soul. Singer-songwriter Levon Henry will warm up the crowd for Birds of Chicago.
Kassi Underwood (photo Adrien Bisson)
KASSI UNDERWOOD, FRANZ NICOLAY, & ROSELEE BLOOSTON to READ at SPOTTY DOG
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Writers Kassi Underwood, Franz Nicolay, and Roselee Blooston will read from their works at Spotty Dog Books & Ale on Saturday, February 11, at 7pm, as part of Volume, the free monthly reading and music series every second Saturday of the month. The readings will be followed by book-signing and a set by DJ Giovanni Di Mola.
Image by Robert Polack, taken from a 1920s edition of Candide
MUSIC INSPIRED by ‘CANDIDE’ at HUDSON OPERA HOUSE
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Works inspired by Voltaire’s “Candide” by Haydn, Schumann, Prokofiev, Brahms, Golijov, and others will be performed by musicians from The Orchestra Now in “Candide’s Journey” at the Hudson Opera House on Saturday, February 11, from noon to 5pm. The casual event, to be held in the Opera House’s intimate West Room, is free and open to the public. Music lovers are encouraged to step in and out throughout the day.
The event is part of “Make Our Garden Grow,” a free music festival by The Orchestra Now, which is based at Bard College.
Caroline Dunigan
20TH CENTURY MUSIC for STRINGS and WOMEN’S VOICES at THE SCHOOL
(KINDERHOOK, N.Y.) – “20th Century Music for Strings and Women’s Voices,” a program of works by Vaughan Williams, Britten, Saint-Saëns, Poulenc and Foote, takes place at The School | Jack Shainman Gallery on Sunday, February 19, at 1pm, as part of the Concerts in the Village (CITV) series. CITV artistic director David Smith will conduct the Broad Street Orchestra and the women of the Broad Street Chorale in the 20th concert of the series, the third at The School.
Soloists include sopranos Amanda Boyd and Caroline Dunigan and flutist Elizabeth Chinery.
Noam Pikelny
NOAM PIKELNY BRINGS INVENTIVE BLUEGRASS to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Grammy Award-nominated musician Noam Pikelny, the preeminent banjoist of his generation, will play old favorites and preview new songs from his upcoming album, “Universal Favorite,” at Club Helsinki Hudson on Friday, February 10, at 9pm. Pikelny is a founding member of Punch Brothers, a three-time Grammy Award nominee, and was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2010.
photo by William Hellerman
HUDSON ALLEYS & GARAGES FEATURED in PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT at OPERA HOUSE
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – “No Parking: The Alleys and Garages of Hudson,” featuring works by three local photographers who find unconventional beauty beyond Hudson’s more well-trafficked main streets, is on view through February 19 at the Hudson Opera House. Exploring the parallel realities that exist in the city, “No Parking” features photographs dating back nearly two decades from local artists Lisa Durfee (exhibition organizer), the late William Hellermann, and Peter Spear.
Under the EL by Arthur Hammer
MULTIMEDIA EXHIBIT at CARRIE HADDAD GALLERY EXAMINES ‘AMERICANA’
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – “Americana,” a new exhibit that stages concrete and abstract symbols of American values in a striking selection of ballpoint pen drawings, wood and cardboard constructions, paintings, and photographs that recall contemporary “artifacts” relating to American history, culture, and tradition defined by previous centuries, is on view at Carrie Haddad Gallery through Sunday, March 12.