Just as baseball fanatics – especially self-styled scouts — look forward to spring season, opera-lovers savor open contests such as the Marcello Giordani Foundation Vocal Competition, which took place March 3 at the Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center in New York City. Conceived as a boost for early-career singers, the sing-off could well prove life-changing. ...more...
Arts America Blog
New Directors New Films Festival
February 29, 2012 by
When the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art team up for a film festival, you know the results will be well worth any ticket price. Now in its 41st year, the New Directors/New Films festival is one of the best places to take a look at the most promising emerging talent in the film industry. A few of the artists that have been featured over the years include: John Sayles, Spike Lee, Wim Wenders, Atom Egoyan, Wong Kar Wai, Richard Linklater and Sally Potter. Over the course of March 21- April 1st, this film festival will feature 29 feature films and 12 short films from 28 countries. ...more...
Beth Gill: Spare and Symmetrical
February 25, 2012 by
Gill is a Brooklyn-based choreographer who graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2003. Gill represents a constantly emerging new breed in dance, creating work that is by motivated design pared down, bare bones, structured, and highly symmetrical. In fact, symmetry seems to be the fundamental theme in her work, with use of mirror images and a stage often divided in perfect halves by her six dancers. ...more...
Kate McGarry “Girl Talk”
February 25, 2012 by
I first heard Kate McGarry when she stopped by The Kitano to perform a gorgeous cover of Neil Young’s “Old Man” with Moss bandmate, Peter Eldridge (of New York Voices). I was taken by her beautiful, smoky voice and stunning song interpretation.
Kate’s got a new record out called Girl Talk, inspired by some of her idols (Carmen McRae, Betty Carter, and many others).
“Girl Talk” is a wonderfully intimate record that …more…
Celebrate To Kill a Mockingbird’s 50th Anniversary at the Ziegfeld Theatre
February 23, 2012 by
As part of Turner Classic’s Road to Hollywood series, Roger Osborne and Spike Lee will host the World Theatrical Premiere Screening of the 50th Anniversary Restoration of To Kill a Mockingbird at New York City’s Ziegfeld Theatre
on March 1.
To Kill A Mockingbird is considered one of the most revered books of our time. It won the Pulitzer Prize and was declared as “Best Novel of the Century” by Library Journal. Films often are unable …more…
An Interview with Straight-Ahead Jazz Guitarist, Rick Stone
February 19, 2012 by
This week, NYC-based jazz guitarist Rick Stone answers some of my burning questions! Rick’s album Fractals with the Rick Stone Trio came out in 2011 and has been getting some great notice out on the interwebs, including a great review on AllAboutJazz.com. You can catch The Rick Stone Trio in at the Bar Next Door at La Lanterna in NYC on February 25th. More info at RickStone.com ...more...
Centennial Favorites, New Creations Meet at the Avant Music Festival 2012
February 15, 2012 by
Composer Randy Gibson(foreground) performing "Apparitions of The Four Pillars, Avant Music Festival 2011; culled from Avant Media's photostream on Flickr.
Rather paradoxically, “new” and experimental classical music is as much about the past as it is about the present. By its very nature, creating art that is avant-garde now demands an intimate understanding of what was avant-garde then. The aptly named Avant Music Festival–now in its third year in New …more…
Three Unique Oscar Inspired Events Around New York City
February 8, 2012 by
Outside watching as many Best Picture and Acting nominated movies as possible, there’s more than one way to get prepped for the Oscars. Below are three unique Oscar inspired events happening around New York City.
Oscar Docs, 1950-87: Creative Expression at MoMA
Trust the Museum of Modern Art to have one of the more intriguing Oscar inspired events in the city. A film exhibition that is an annual collaboration between the Academy of Motion Picture …more…
Esperanza Spalding – What now?
February 6, 2012 by
I have a soft spot in my heart for Esperanza Spalding. I used to catch her on OPB on whatever local arts show she happened to be playing that month. It was shocking and amazing when she won the Grammy for Best New Artist. Life changing. ...more...
Kids Take Over Broadway
February 6, 2012 by
“Kids Night on Broadway” is upon us again, offering young people and their folks a great opportunity to see Broadway’s best shows at a major discount. For selected performances now through February 9, any child aged 6-18 can get a free ticket when it’s purchased along with a full-price ticket for an accompanying adult. A slew of Broadway shows are participating, along with a handful of Off-Broadway shows, giving you the perfect chance to introduce a young person in your life to the joy of live theater at 50% of the usual cost. ...more...
The Agony and Ecstasy of Mike Daisey
February 5, 2012 by
Monologuist Mike Daisey, perhaps still best known for his 2002 breakout 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com, is performing his latest one-man theater piece The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs at the Public Theater in a return engagement scheduled to last through March 4. The show, which is funny, enlightening, and moving in equal measure, gained a heap of well-deserved acclaim during its initial Public run this past …more…
A Celebration of Women: The Athena Film Festival
February 1, 2012 by
When one looks at the Best Director Oscar nods every year, you often don’t find a single female name in the bunch. Kathryn Bigelow, who won for The Hurt Locker in 2009, is a recent exception. But that does mean that women aren’t behind the scenes. To get a dose of the amount of female power in the film industry today, attend the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College.
Now in its second …more…
Love Before Intimacy: Lola Montes Schnabel’s First U.S. Solo Show
January 31, 2012 by
"Exchange of Youth for Knowledge," 2001, 84 x 120 inches; photo courtesy of The Hole.
Visiting art gallery shows can be a particularly refreshing experience, contrasting in tone from the often retrospective views of museum exhibitions. There is a welcome immediacy in a gallery, the kind that grounds the viewer in the here and now.
Such is the case at Lola Montes Schnabel’s exhibition Love Before Intimacy at The Hole in …more…
Vocalese
January 30, 2012 by
I wanted to take a moment today to highlight one of the most under-appreciated sub-genres in jazz (in my incredibly biased vocalist opinion). ...more...
Diane Schuur @ The Blue Note NYC
January 27, 2012 by
From http://www.dianeschuur.com
I remember seeing Diane Schuur in Portland when I was quite young (the date and location escape me) and I remember being utterly fascinated with her voice.
Today, I can more easily spot the singers she imitates with ease and aplomb, but I suppose that makes it no less impressive.
Tonight, Diane will be at the Blue Note NYC. Tickets are here. I might just wander over there and see …more…
Come Back, Africa Being Screened at the Film Forum Until Feb. 2
January 25, 2012 by
One of the reasons I love New York City is that I love it when I have the opportunity to view an old classic on the silver screen. Starting this weekend on Friday, January 27, Film Forum is holding daily screenings of Lionel Rogosin’s groundbreaking classic, Come Back, Africa.
Here’s a little background on the film:
After making his Academy Award nominated documentary On the Bowery, Rogosin was determined to expose the injustices of …more…
Lembit Beecher Presents Documentary Oratorio And Then I Remember in NYC
January 20, 2012 by
Taimi Lepasaar, top, and Ants Lepasaar, flier for "And Then I Remember;" culled from Lembit Beecher's website.
Outside of the medium of opera, composers are not often characterized as storytellers. Increasingly in recent years, however, with the use of multimedia to tell abidingly personal stories in a concert setting, the description of composer-as-storyteller has become more apt.
At 8 p.m. today, January 20 and Saturday, January 21 at …more…
Fat Cat
January 14, 2012 by
I paid a visit last week to Fat Cat down on Christopher Street with a few friends. I’d forgotten how great this place is!
With some of the best pool to be played in NYC and a really swingin’ after hours jam session every night, what’s not to love? ...more...
New York Live Arts: 2012 Spring BASH
January 14, 2012 by
Fresh Tracks: Celebrating Women Choreographers
New York Live Arts is the product of Dance Theater and Workshop’s liaison with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. The project is designed to bring contemporary work to the fore through commissioned funding given by foundations and individual donors. Dance Theater Workshop, which was created in 1965, is one of the longest running juried platforms for presenting new dance to the public, …more…
2012 NY Guitar Festival: Buster Keaton and the Sounds of Silence
January 12, 2012 by
The New Year is upon us. For New York City concertgoers, this means the arrival of the New York Guitar Festival, and with it the seemingly anachronistic Silent Films/Live Guitars series. ...more...
New York Live Arts BLESSED by Meg Stuart
January 11, 2012 by
The American premiere of choreographer Meg Stuart’s BLESSED comes to New York Live Arts in Chelsea tomorrow, for a run that will last from January 12-14. It is a rare opportunity to see Stuart’s work here in the U.S. Though she was born in the States, Stuart lives and mostly works in Europe, where her experimental work has been highly influential. ...more...
One of Dance Magazines Top 25, Caleb Teicher: Suave with a Groove
January 7, 2012 by
As adorable as they come, you can immediately sense the charm in this young, talented dancer who taps out rhythms as elegantly as the greats, but with a thoroughly updated sensibility. ...more...
Dance Theater of Harlem Returns!
January 5, 2012 by
One of the most iconic ballet companies in the United States is about to return to life as auditions are underway for 18 dancers. When DTH closed its doors in 2004, it boasted a company of 44, dancing some of the greatest ballets created by George Balanchine and other renowned neo-classical, classical, and contemporary choreographers. Now the company readies itself for a more modest beginning that befits the time. With contributions amounting to $2.5 million, the company ultimately needs $5K to bring itself up to speed. A touring schedule that begins in October will help bring in these revenues that can embrace a New York season by April 2013. ...more...
2011 Top Musical Discoveries (a personal list)
January 1, 2012 by
Many critics, reviewers, and bloggers end the year with a top ten list of the year’s best recordings, best performances, top news stories, etc. For my record of San Francisco and Bay Area jazz happenings, I want to offer a list of top musical discoveries of 2011. Admittedly, this is a highly personal list and I offer it in the hopes that readers respond with their own discoveries:
Early Music scene …more…
Sonic Revelry: New Year’s Eve in NYC
December 30, 2011 by
If you’re a classical music lover who will be in New York City on New Year’s Eve, perhaps Times Square isn’t on the top of your list of destinations for revelry. Here are three more than viable options for your last concert experience of 2011 ...more...
