With so much going on culturally speaking in our region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising events happening this weekend …
Composer Joan Tower (photo Bernard Mindich / courtesy Bard Fisher Center)
THE ORCHESTRA NOW PLAYS MAHLER’S FIFTH
The Orchestra Now kicks off its eighth season with Mahler’s heroic Fifth Symphony plus George Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Lilacs and Joan Tower’s virtuosic flute concerto in the Fisher Center at Bard College on Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. (Sat-Sun, Sept 10-11)
Nora Brown (courtesy Guthrie Center)
OLDTONE LITE ROOTS MUSIC FESTIVAL
The Oldtone LITE roots music festival takes place this weekend at Cool Whisper Farm in Hillsdale, N.Y., tonight and all day Saturday. Performers include Tuba Skinny, JP Harris, the Down Hill Strugglers, Jesse Legé & Bayou Brew, FERD, Dumpster Debbie, and Nora Brown. (Fri-Sat, Sept 9-10)
Liz Butler and Ben Jardine (courtesy the Foundry)
COMEDY COUPLE BRING IMPROVISED COMEDY CONCERT to THE FOUNDRY
Comedians and real-life couple Liz Butler and Ben Jardine bring Live from International Waters, a character-driven improvised comedy concert, to the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., tonight and Saturday night at 7:30pm. (Fri-Sat, Sept 9-10)
John Gorka (courtesy Caffe Lena)
JOHN GORKA PLAYS CAFFE LENA
New-folk singer-songwriter John Gorka brings his soulful baritone, his intimate portraits, and his biting wit to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., tonight at 8. (Fri, Sept 9)
STEVE EARLE PLAYS BEARSVILLE THEATER
Singer-songwriter Steve Earle brings his blend of country, folk, rock and politics to Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, N.Y., tonight at 8. (Fri, Sept 9)
Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs (courtesy artist)
MIKE CAMPBELL BRINGS THE DIRTY KNOBS to EMPIRE LIVE
Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell brings his band, the Dirty Knobs, to Empire Live in Albany on Saturday at 8pm. (Sat, Sept 10)
Steve Wynn (photo Tammy Shine / courtesy artist)
STEVE WYNN BRINGS WRY ROCK to KINGSTON
Rock singer-songwriter Steve Wynn, best known for his work with the Dream Syndicate, Gutterball, and the Baseball Project, brings his clever, tuneful repertoire to Chromatic Studios in Kingston, N.Y., on Saturday at 7pm. RIYL Lou Reed and Warren Zevon. (Sat, Sept 10)
THEO BLECKMANN BRINGS AVANT-GARDE VOCALS to THE FALCON
Eclectic avant-garde vocalist Theo Bleckmann performs with acoustic ambient duo Endless Field at the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday at 7pm. (Sun, Sept 11)
Jack Ferver (courtesy MASS MoCA)
JACK FERVER BRINGS LATEST PERFORMANCE PIECE to MASS MoCA
Performance artist Jack Ferver premieres their first full-length work in three years, Is Global Warming Camp? and other forms of theatrical distance for the end of the world at MASS MoCA in North Adams tonight and Saturday at 8pm. (Fri-Sat, Sept 9-10)
Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon (courtesy artist)
JESSE PARIS SMITH HEADLINES GREEN BENEFIT at BASILICA HUDSON
Basilica Hudson in Hudson, N.Y., presents a benefit concert for its Basilica Green initiative on Saturday at 7pm. Artists in performance and conversation include Melissa Auf der Maur, CAConrad, Devesh and Veena Chandra, Rebecca Foon, Jim Krewson, Rudy Shepherd, Jesse Paris Smith, TROUBLE, and Patrick Watson. (Sat, Sept 10)
TANNERY POND FEATURES ALL-RAVEL PROGRAM
Tannery Pond Concerts series presents an all-Ravel program at the Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., on Saturday at 6pm. (Sat, Sept 10)
Neave Trio (photo Mark Roemisch / courtesy artist)
NEAVE TRIO PERFORMS FRENCH PIANO TRIOS in NEW MARLBOROUGH
The Neave Trio performs three French piano trios, including Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor, at New Marlborough Meeting House in New Marlborough, Mass., on Saturday at 4:30pm. (Sat, Sept 10)
Hevreh Ensemble (courtesy artist)
HEVREH ENSEMBLE BRINGS ECLECTIC FUSION to COPAKE FALLS
Hevreh Ensemble, which performs an eclectic fusion of classical, jazz, Native American, and Jewish music, will perform an outdoor benefit concert at the Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Copake Falls, N.Y., featuring original works by Jeff Adler, on Saturday at 4pm. (Sat, Sept 10)
Yamma Ensemble (courtesy artist)
YAMMA ENSEMBLE BRINGS SOUNDS of MIDDLE EASTERN DIASPORA to RACE BROOK LODGE
The Yamma Ensemble, one of Israel’s leading world-music outfits, kicks off its American tour at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Mass., next Wednesday, September 14, at 7pm. The group blends the sounds of modern instruments with ancient Middle Eastern instruments including duduk, ney, kopuz, oud, and shofar, on arrangements fusing the sounds of the Jewish diaspora of Yemen, Babylon, and Sepharad, as well as Hasidic music. (Wed, Sept 14)