Tag Archive for "Performing Arts" - The Adirondack Almanack

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Posts Tagged ‘Performing Arts’

Monday, August 26, 2013

Hobofest: Saranac Lake’s Celebration of American Roots

by Editorial Staff

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The fifth annual Hobofest takes place Sunday, September 1, 2013 at the Union Depot in Saranac Lake. Hobofest celebrates American roots culture and the independent spirit with free musical performances from noon til late.

Chef John Varga of Eat and Meet will be at the grill. Blue Line Brewery will serve a signature “Hobo Brew” in the Depot building in the afternoon. Children’s activities range from Sunita Halasz’s workshop table to the Adirondack Carousel right next door. A large tent will protect the crowd from the weather, and Russ Feher’s Fine Line Audio will run the sound.

In addition to the main-stage offerings, Vermont Joy Parade will board the 1pm Adirondack Scenic Railroad and play a round-trip gig to Lake Placid and back. Upon their return they’ll join the Shamrock “regulars” for an inclusive “open jam” in the Depot Building. Attendees are invited to join the circle. » Continue Reading.

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Lake Placid Community Helps Build A Band Shell

by Chris Morris

Construction is set to begin this fall on a new band shell in Lake Placid’s Mid’s Park.

This community project, led by a small group of dedicated volunteers and supported by the generosity of countless full-time and seasonal residents, has been in the works for years, and the rubber is finally ready to hit the road, according to Bill Billerman of the Paul White Memorial Bandshell Fundraising Campaign.

The Lake Placid village Board of Trustees recently accepted a bid from Murnane Associates of Plattsburgh to construct the band shell. Billerman said the two sides are negotiating a contract, and work will likely start in September. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Adirondack Folk “Songs To Keep” Concert Tour Underway

by Diane Chase

The “Songs To Keep” documentary, album, book and concert tour are underway, raising awareness of rare Adirondack North Country folk songs. Collaborating with TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York), the Adirondack History Center Museum and SUNY Plattsburgh Feinberg Library’s Special Collection, Mountain Lake PBS is helping to bring the Majorie Lansing Porter Song Collection to light.

Along with an album recorded from the collection, a songbook, manuscript and traveling exhibit, the PBS documentary will bring all aspects of this previously unavailable historic assembly of regional folk songs to the public. » Continue Reading.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Fred’s Kerslake’s Remarkable Pigs (Part Two)

by Lawrence P. Gooley

The three mains stars hogging the limelight from Fred were pigs Jerry, Peggy, and Pete, whose antics were irresistible. Recognizing the possibilities, booking agents sought them for summer tours and winter vaudeville circuits. Rave reviews followed in Buffalo, Chicago, Philadelphia, and a host of other stops in between. Audiences couldn’t get enough of watching pigs play leapfrog, read, and count―it was both bewildering and hilarious at the same time.

Professionals were taking notice as well. Among them was Germany’s Carl Hagenbeck, who pioneered the displaying of animals in their natural habitats rather than in caged enclosures. Hagenbeck emphasized properly selecting animals with the right temperament for training or display (choosing only a few prospects from a large group), and then using what was described as “constant patience, firmness, and kindness” to train them. Still, there’s no denying that whips were used to tap or give a quick sting to an animal during training. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Third Year for Lake George Music Festival

by Diane Chase

In just three years The Lake George Music Festival has grown from a small grass-roots classical musical event with a handful of volunteers to a destination event with hundreds of helping hands providing free public access to award-winning classical musicians.

Executive Director Alexander Lombard says, “We have an amazing amount of support from individuals, businesses, sponsors and volunteers. The community has embraced having a classic musical festival in Lake George.” » Continue Reading.

Monday, August 12, 2013

‘An American Tragedy’ Opera Preview at View

by Editorial Staff

View will present Francesca Zambello and the Glimmerglass Festival preview of the opera An American Tragedy on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. in Gould Hall. Glimmerglass Festival Artistic & General Director Francesca Zambello and singers from the 2013 season will present a program about the opera, An American Tragedy, by composer Tobias Picker and libretto by Gene Scheer.

Based on the Theodore Dreiser novel about the murder of Grace Brown, whose body was found in Big Moose Lake in 1906, An American Tragedy had its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005, directed by Zambello. It will be given an original new staging at Glimmerglass in 2014, with a score revised by the composer and librettist. Zambello will talk about the process of bringing this opera to the stage at the Met and the exciting revisions that will be premiered at the Glimmerglass Festival in 2014. Excerpts from the opera, including a new aria, will be performed. » Continue Reading.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Fred Kerslake’s Great Pig Circus

by Lawrence P. Gooley

“That’ll do, pig.” It’s a line I’ve heard more than once from my wife and business partner, Jill (we’re always razzing each other about something or other). It is, of course, the famous line near the end of Babe, a movie we both enjoyed. We’re also fans of Arnold from Green Acres, and of the pigs who played leadership roles in George Orwell’s allegorical novel, Animal Farm. You can see a theme developing here―a bunch of very smart pigs who, in fantasy worlds, did all sorts of things that a reasonable person knows a pig can’t really do.

Can’t really do? Not so fast. Yes, Orwell’s pigs were the smartest animals in the barnyard. Arnold could get the mail and understand English. Babe could herd sheep as well as any sheepdog. But in the real world, the North Country once had something to rival them all. I give you Fred Kerslake’s pigs. » Continue Reading.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Twelve Years A Slave: Solomon Northup of Minerva

by David Fiske

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Minerva, primitive and remote in the early 1800s, hardly would have seemed a likely birthplace for a man who would write a book which would attract national attention, make the author a household name, and, to some degree, help start a civil war. But indeed, it was there that Solomon Northup, author of Twelve Years A Slave, was born.

Technically the town of Minerva did not exist at the time of Solomon’s birth on July 10, 1807 (though his book gives 1808 as his year of birth, more official documents have it as 1807); the town of Minerva was not formed until 1817. In 1807 the area, not yet known as Minerva, would have been part of the Town of Schroon. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

View Presents ‘I Am The Adirondacks’

by Editorial Staff

View will present a multi-media experience based on an inspirational poem written by Miriam Davis Kashiwa. I Am The Adirondacks by Carl Heilman II will be performed on Wednesday, August 14,2013 at 7:30 p.m.

The live performance stars folk musicians, Dan Berggren, Dan Duggan, Peggy Lynn, and composer/musician Casey Fillaci. Heilman’s images combined with the live music and narrative from Kashiwa’s poem, combine to capture the spirit of the Adirondack Park. Tickets are $20/$15 or $5 for children. » Continue Reading.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Adirondack Lakes Center: Shakespeare in the Park

by Diane Chase

For the fourth season, the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts is bringing Shakespeare to the masses in a live, outdoor theatre setting. With other performances of Shrek the Musical, Cabaret and Songs for A New World, their ADK Summer Playhouse is in full swing.

The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts Artistic Associate Danielle Melendez says, “We are doing MacBeth this year with a twist. This year we shorted the play to an hour and 15 minutes, to its purest form and only using six actors. We have the actors playing Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, but the actors portraying the three witches also play all the supporting roles. The physicality and costumes are only part of the transition.” » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Event Recalls Kidnapping of Minerva Native Into Slavery

by Editorial Staff

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The 15th annual Solomon Northup Day: A Celebration of Freedom will be held on Saturday, July 20th from noon to 4 pm at Filene Hall, at Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs.

Solomon Northup Day was founded in 1999 by Saratogian Renee Moore to honor and to bring awareness to the life of Solomon Northup, a local free-born Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841.

Northup was born a free man in what is today Minerva, Essex County, in July 1808. He was a literate man who worked on the Champlain Canal. While working as a cabbie and violinist in Saratoga Springs, he was abducted, held in a slave pen in Washington, DC, and sold into slavery in Louisiana for 12 years before regaining his freedom. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

ADK Summer Playhouse Presents Cabaret on Gore Mountain

by Editorial Staff

The Adirondack Summer Playhouse puts a unique twist on the musical “Cabaret” in three performances this weekend on Gore Mountain. The production, which runs July 11-13, takes place in a modern “Spiegeltent,” an Austrian mirrored circus tent, offering classic German beer and goodies such as knödel, bratwurst, sauerkraut, sausages and pretzels.

“Cabaret” is set in Berlin in 1931, as the Nazis are rising to power. It focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw. Overseeing the action is the master of ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub. “Cabaret,” which made its Broadway debut in 1966, won eight Tony Awards; a Broadway revival in 1998 won four Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. The show was adapted into a film in 1972 starring Liza Minelli. » Continue Reading.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Amazing Grace Vineyard Summer Concert Series

by Diane Chase

Summer in the Adirondacks is not only about the beautiful wild outdoors, but can be a mixture of cultural activities while enjoying nature with artists and musical entertainment. For the fourth year, Amazing Grace Winery is pairing its fine Champlain Valley wine with local musical talent for a casual evening under the stars.

Established in 2008 in Chazy, Amazing Grace produces cold hardy varietal wines and fruit wines and has a recently expanded 1,400 square foot winery/tasting room as part of its small farm vineyard. In addition to tours, tasting and musical events the vineyard hosts a bimonthly Farmers’ and Craft Market the first and third Sunday in July and August.

“We have tried to keep the summer concert series affordable,” says Amazing Grace Vineyard and Winery owner Mary Fortin. “Most of the performances are free though we do raise money for various local charities like The Food Shelf. People don’t have to donate, but we do ask. We also do charge an admission for the annual musical.” » Continue Reading.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Father’s Day Weekend at Kate Mountain Music Fest

by Diane Chase

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Though there are plenty of activities and reasons to get outside this Father’s Day weekend, the Kate Mountain Music Festival and BBQ is one opportunity to put some spring in your step.

On Saturday, June 15, Vermontville is bringing a buffet of musical talent to the Fourth Annual Kate Mountain Music Festival. With vendors, children’s games, and silent auction starting at 10 am, the musical talent will kick off at noon with blues guitarist Chaz DePaolo.

Organized by the Kate Mountain Community Recreation Association (KMCRA), the Kate Mountain Music Festival’s focus is to provide a place for families to spend some quality time together. According to Founder and President of KMCRA Derrick Romeo the goal is to bring back old-fashioned family time. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Hill and Hollow Music in the Town of Saranac

by Diane Chase

In its 20-year history, Saranac’s Hill and Hollow Music has brought over 100 professional chamber music ensembles to the Adirondacks. Their community outreach has included over 1,250 presentations in schools, churches, senior residences and community centers. For founders Angela Brown and Kellum Smith the vision has grown to include a year-round Rural Retreat Program for professional musicians and the Northern Adirondack Vocal Ensemble (NAVE).

NAVE debuted in December 2011 and currently Conductor Drew Benware continues to work with Hill and Hollow to fill a distinct niche with this a cappella choir. According to Brown, by keeping this vocal ensemble small, NAVE is able to focus on a musical repertoire that enhances the goals of Hill and Hollow. » Continue Reading.