2nd Annual Hudson Eye Arts Festival Goes Live and ‘Touchless’

(HUDSON, N.Y.) — The Hudson Eye – Edition #2, an artist-driven, 10-day annual public program with a focus on dance, music, performance, film, visual art, and “Hot Topic” panel discussions covering topics of concern to the creative community of Hudson and beyond, runs from Friday, August 28, through Monday, September 7, online and at physical locations throughout the city of Hudson.

The 20-odd artists and performers taking part in this year’s festival, presented by the Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation and arranged by curator Aaron Levi Garvey, include photographer and filmmaker Bibbe Hansen, interdisciplinary artist Laetitia Hussain, visual artist Tschabalala Self, choreographer and performer Nathalie Jonas, visual artist and filmmaker Shikeith, musicians Vitaly Vatulya and Maria Nemtsova, and interdisciplinary artist Filiz Soyak, visual artist Myron Polenberg, among many others.

 

 

 

Huck Plays Spaced-Out Funk at MASS MoCA

(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Prolific young Brooklyn-born musician and producer John Wolfe brings his band, Huck, to Courtyard D at MASS MoCA for two shows on Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 and 9:30pm. With Huck, Wolfe lays down wry, slightly woozy vocals over smooth funk and spaced-out beats — the perfect soundtrack for a beautiful late-summer evening under the stars in Courtyard D.

A fixture in New York City’s live music scene since 2011, Huck’s gone from Brooklyn DIY to Spotify’s Viral 50 without sacrificing one ounce of soul or grit. These two performances will take place outside, in accordance with the new state guidelines on event capacity. Limited tickets available.

 

 

 

Ian Spencer Bell Dances New Solo at The Mount

(LENOX, Mass.) – Dancer and poet Ian Spencer Bell performs Banderole, a new solo, at The Mount, from Wednesday, August 26, through Monday, August 31, at 5pm. Audience members are invited to view the live performance at a safe, social distance from the lawn and in the forecourt, where chairs are provided. The event is free, and a conversation with the artist follows.

 

 

 

 

PS21’s Modern Music Fest Continues with Violinist Miranda Cuckson and Pianist Conor Hanick

(CHATHAM, N.Y.) – Violinist Miranda Cuckson and pianist Conor Hanick perform back-to-back solo concerts at PS21 on Friday, August 28, and Saturday, August 29, both at 7pm, as part of the Modern Music Fest series. Widely admired and sought after as a soloist and chamber musician for the warmth and humanity she brings to the vast repertory for violin and viola that bridges the centuries, Miranda Cuckson will perform works by Bach, Elliott Carter, Mario Davidovsky, and Pierre Boulez. Conor Hanick, a champion of an astonishing variety of contemporary and iconic composers, will perform Galina Ustvolskaya’s Six Piano Sonatas.

All Modern Music Fest concerts will be livestreamed from our Facebook LIVE Page at the time of the event.

 

 

 

New Work by Michael Zelehoski on View at Bernay Fine Art

(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – An exhibition of new works by Berkshire-born and bred Michael Zelehoski is on view at Bernay Fine Art (325 Stockbridge Rd Suite #1) now through Monday, September 21, 2020.

Working to challenge visual and cognitive processes by deconstructing mundane objects and meticulously reassembling them in pictorial space, Zelehoski uses a unique wooden inlay technique to create his work. “I am trying to reconcile the dichotomy between pictorial and physical space, art and object, sculpture, and painting,” he says. The artist’s intention is to challenge the viewer to see the physicality of the work in a different form.

Zelehoski, who grew up in the Berkshires, is an internationally renowned mixed media artist. He has exhibited around the globe and his works are represented in major collections throughout the United States and abroad, most notably at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which acquired his monumental, 35 ft. piece Open House in the spring of 2015.

Gallery hours are Monday, Thursday – Saturday 11-5 and Sunday 12-4. Private appointments are also available. All COVID-19 guidelines are being strictly followed.

 

 

 

Sol LeWitt-Inspired Works by Peter Pincus on View at Ferrin Contemporary

(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – New works by Peter Pincus inspired by three of Sol LeWitts wall drawings–#340, #422 and #289, as seen first-hand in Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS MoCA, is on view at Ferrin Contemporary on the MASS MoCA campus now through Sunday, October 11, as part of the gallery’s Art in the Age of Influence series.

Using color theory and formulaic design patterns as points of departure, Pincus creates brightly colored vessels and expansive tile murals. Inspired by Sol LeWitt’s distinctive style, this body of work takes on his influence in their vibrant patterns and forms. LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #422 specifically relates to Pincus’s exhibition centerpiece, a series of 15 large-scale columns that carry colors across the surface of each form which create a large-scale painting when aligned together.

Gallery director Leslie Ferrin notes “Pincus’s work in this exhibition began during his first visit to our gallery located on the MASS MoCA campus for the opening of a group show, Glazed and Diffused. After a full day exploring Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective, we had an animated discussion of how the LeWitt works related to his creative practice. Like LeWitt, Pincus often begins a new series using a premise to explore various possibilities of form and color within a shared framework.”

“There is a big difference between being influenced by and being in conversation with,” says Pincus. “As an artist and educator, I am eager to acknowledge those who have elevated my thinking through their work and to consciously engage with influence as a productive and insightful element of studio practice. This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate LeWitt’s approach to making as a foundation, from which I can challenge myself to see new things and grow.”

 

 

 

Young Violinists Hannah Lynn Cohen & Jeremiah Blacklow Explore Evolution of Violin Duo at BTG

(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – Violinists Hannah Lynn Cohen and Jeremiah Blacklow will perform “The Evolution of the Violin Duo,” a program that will include violin duo selections from the Baroque era up to contemporary 20^th-century duets, as part of Bobbie’s Summer Series at the Unicorn Theatre Patio on the Stockbridge campus of Berkshire Theatre Group on Saturday, August 29, at 7pm.

Hannah Lynn Cohen has been collaborating with and studying under master teachers on a national and global scale for over fifteen years. Cohen recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Boston University School of Music. There, Cohen was a student of Peter Zazofsky. She began her violin studies at the age of four and her previous teachers include Jan Repko, Wendy Sharp and Betty Jean Hagen. She made her orchestral debut with the Holyoke Civic Symphony Orchestra as the winner of their concerto competition in May of 2015. She has attended numerous festivals, including National Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and MusicAlp International Academy of Music. Additionally, she has performed in masterclasses led by Daniel Philips, Irina Muresanu, Robin Sharp, Klaudia Szlachta and Bayla Keyes. Cohen currently resides in New York City where she is pursuing a Master of Music in Violin Performance at New York University Steinhardt School with Kurt Nikkanen and Cyrus Beroukhim, while simultaneously holding the position of Adjunct Teacher of Violin Studies for non-music majors at NYU.

 

Jeremiah Blacklow grew up in Boston, where he began studying violin at age three. He was a student of Catherine Cho and Joel Smirnoff at the Juilliard School and has also studied with Itzhak Perlman, Don Weilerstein and Li Lin. Recently, Blacklow performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Bach Society Orchestra, and in the past, he has appeared as a guest soloist with the Boston Civic Symphony and Concord Orchestra. His solo recitals include performances at Carnegie Hall, Neue Galerie and the Juilliard School. As a chamber musician, Jeremiah has worked with members of the Brentano, Shanghai and Cleveland Quartets. He has participated in summer and winter festivals at the Perlman Music Program, Taos School of Music, and Aspen Music Festival and School. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Music in Violin Performance at the Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Sylvia Rosenberg.

 

 

Curtis Sittenfeld Discusses New Novel ‘Rodham’ Online at The Mount

(LENOX, Mass.) – Novelist Curtis Sittenfeld will discuss her most recent book, Rodham—a work of speculative fiction that imagines a universe in which Hillary Rodham turns down a marriage proposal from William Jefferson Clinton—with author/editor Heidi Pitlor as part of The Mount’s True Conversations series streamed online via Zoom on Monday, August 24, at 4pm.

“Brilliantly weaving a riveting fictional tale into historical events, Sittenfeld delivers an uncannily astute and witty exploration of the exhilaration, iron determination and painful compromises demanded of female ambition in this unforgettable novel.”

Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of five novels: Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, Sisterland, and Eligible. Her first story collection, You Think It, I’ll Say It, was published in 2018 and picked for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. Her books have been selected by The New York Times, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and People for their “Ten Best Books of the Year” lists, optioned for television and film, and translated into thirty languages. Her short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Esquire, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Slate, and on “This American Life.” A graduate of Stanford University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Curtis has interviewed Michelle Obama for Time; appeared as a guest on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” CBS’s “Early Show,” and PBS’s Newshour; and twice been a strangely easy “Jeopardy!”

 

 

BSC Presents Rodgers & Hammerstein Cabaret

(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein, featuring the most-beloved songs by songwriting duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, will be presented by Barrington Stage Company at the Tartell Family Outdoor Stage at the former Polish Community Club – opposite BSC’s Blatt Center (55 Linden St.) from Wednesday, August 19, through Saturday, August 29.

The concert, directed by BSC founder/artistic director Julianne Boyd, features songs from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Performers include Alan H. Green (BSC’s American Underground, Broadway’s School of Rock), Storm Lever (Broadway’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Nicholas Rodriguez (Broadway’s Tarzan), Alexandra Silber (Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof) and Alysha Umphress (BSC and Broadway’s On the Town, Broadway’s American Idiot). Shea Sullivan (BSC’s Ragtime) will choreograph and Darren R. Cohen is the musical director.

 

 

Operation Unite to Host Hudson’s First Virtual Sankofa Black Arts and Cultural Festival

(HUDSON, N.Y.) –  The first Virtual Sankofa Black Arts and Cultural Festival in Hudson takes place now through Monday, August 31, 2020. The festival will include Sankofa Forums, with topics including education, racism, people of color in the entertainment industry, fitness and health, history on the river, entertainment, and the Sankofa Sunday Message.

Presenters include Sasha Sierra Allen, an American singer and actress born and raised in Harlem, who has been a backing vocalist for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Leona Lewis, and Usher; Yvette Taylor Jordan, educational consultant Dr. Leah Z. Owens, author, inter-cultural communicator and educator Kimberly Erwin, author-historian Janise Laboard, fitness and health specialist Ayanna Elohim, “Confidence Creator” fitness coach Emel Mosley, choreographer/dancer Kyle Marshall, singer-actress-dancer Ariana Debose (Hamilton, So You Think You Can Dance), choreographer/dancer Marcus McGregor, theater artist and filmmaker Tanisha Christie, performing artist/activist Taja Lindley, cosmic soul singer Lady Moon, African and African-American-oriented Harambee Dance Company, Wynton Marsalis sideman Zorkie Nelson’s West African Dancers and Drummers, and visual artists Chiarra Hughes, Ifetayo Cobbins, Pamela Badila, Nkoula Badila, and Lucy Welch. Continuing with tradition, Reverend Kim L. Singletary will bring the Sunset Service Sankofa message on Sunday, August 30, at 7pm, along with guest choirs.

 

 

 

All-Star Cast Pays Tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ Album via Bardavon

(POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.) – Musicians including Jack DeJohnette & John Medeski, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Kate Pierson of the B-52’s, John Sebastian, and a trio featuring Happy Traum, Cindy Cashdollar, and longtime Dylan band member Larry Campbell will pay tribute to Bob Dylan’s landmark 1965 album, “Highway 61 Revisited,” on Sunday, August 30, at 8pm, as part of the Bardavon’s free online series “Albums Revisited.”

“Highway 61 Revisited” was Dylan’s first album completely recorded with an electric backup band and featured such career-defining hits as “Ballad of a Thin Man,” “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Desolation Row,” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

For the tribute, artists spanning rock, folk, country, blues, and jazz will perform highly individualized versions of the entire album. Jazz legends Jack DeJohnette & John Medeski will tackle “Like a Rolling Stone,” the Weight Band will assay “Tombstone Blues,” the Darwin Effect, featuring Jimmy Vivino, Rich Pagano, and John Sebastian, will play “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.”

Blues-folk artist Guy Davis will perform “From a Buick 6,” Steve Earle will play “Ballad of a Thin Man,” Lucinda Williams will cover “Queen Jane Approximately,” Kate Pierson will tackle “Highway 61 Revisited” with the Restless Age, and “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” will be performed by the trio of Happy Traum, Larry Campbell, and Cindy Cashdollar, all of whom performed and recorded with Dylan at various times throughout his career.

Simone Felice will challenge himself with “Desolation Row,” one of Dylan’s longest, most intense numbers, and Laura Stevenson will play the album outtake “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window,” which was released as a single with backing by the Hawks, who would go on to become Dylan’s live backup band for his 1965-66 world tour before morphing into The Band, who recorded “The Basement Tapes” and “Planet Waves” with Dylan as well as accompanying him on 1974’s tour captured on the live album, “Before the Flood.”

The concert will be streamed for free on the Bardavon’s YouTube channel.

The “Albums Revisited” series is curated by Bardavon production manager Stephen LaMarca with commentary by Bardavon executive director Chris Silva.