“Afternoon on a Hill”: Musical Celebration to Benefit Steepletop, Aug 13

On Saturday, August 13, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop, will be open for the first time in three years for a special musical event to benefit the restoration and maintenance of the historic site.

On Saturday, August 13, the grounds at Edna St. Vincent Millay’s historic home, Steepletop, will be open for the first time in three years for a special musical event to benefit the restoration and maintenance of the historic site. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to wander through Millay’s gardens and fields and explore the Poetry Trail that leads to the Millay family gravesites. Millay’s house will also be open for tours for a limited number of ticket holders.

The centerpiece of the day will be a 2:00 pm concert under a tent on the hill by Millay’s home, featuring celebrated musical interpreters of Millay’s poetry: Scottish harper, composer and producer Maeve Gilchrist, and The Edna Project, made up of Liz Queler, Seth Farber and their son, Joey Farber.

Maeve Gilchrist, who will perform the title cut from her latest CD, “The Harpweaver,” inspired by one of Millay’s iconic poems, has been described by one critic as “a phenomenal harp player who can make her instrument ring with unparalleled purity.” Maeve‘s innovative approach to her instrument stretches its harmonic limits and improvisational possibilities. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Brooklyn, New York, she is as at home as a soloist with an internationally renowned orchestra as she is playing with a traditional Irish folk group or working with electronic sounds in a more contemporary setting. Maeve has released five albums to date, including “The Harpweaver,” which the Irish Times gave a five-star review, calling it “buoyant, sprightly and utterly beguiling…a snapshot of a musician at the top of her game.” 

The Edna Project, who will perform a selection of Millay’s poetry set to music, has been hailed as “an eclectic sublimely musical melding of folk, bluegrass, rock and jazz with humor and great harmonies” and “an amazing bunch of top-notch musicians and first-rate lyrics taken from the poetry of Millay.” Each member is a remarkable musician: singer/songwriter/composer Liz is a three-time Grammy nominee who has performed extensively as a singer and as an instrumentalist.

Composer/musician Seth was music director for the late folk/blues legend Odetta and has also been nominated for several Grammys; he has numerous Broadway credits and his music has been used extensively for film and television. Joey, a recent graduate of the Berklee School of Music, is fast amassing his own impressive credits, including several national jingles, an off-Broadway show (“Soul Doctor”) and appearances on SNL and other late-night television shows.

A wine reception will follow the concert.

DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 13, 2022 / 10am – 5:30pm

LOCATION: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop
440 East Hill Road
Austerlitz, NY

TICKETS: $95, $125
$95 per person for concert & reception
$125 for concert, reception, and 45-minute house tour (a limited number of house tours are available).
Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.millay.org, or at the door.

MORE:
www.millay.org
facebook.com/MillaySociety
instagram.com/MillaySociety
info@millay.org
518-392-3362

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PS21 Presents “Dance with the Mark Morris Dance Group” at Hudson’s Riverfront Park, Aug 3 

PS21 presents “Dance with the Mark Morris Dance Group” at Hudson’s Riverfront Park on August 3rd.

PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century, presents “Dance with the Mark Morris Dance Group” at Hudson’s Riverfront Park on August 3rd.

PS21 is teaming up with the Mark Morris Dance Group to present Dance with MMDG as part of Waterfront Wednesdays. Share in the genius of Mark Morris in this fun and participatory evening of movement that introduces our community to choreography from the most recent work in the Dance Group’s repertoire, Water, at Hudson’s Riverfront Park. Fun for the whole family, Dance with MMDG is taught by MMDG dancers and accompanied by live music.

PS21 Presents Dance with MMDG

Selections from Water 

Choreography: Mark Morris

Music: George Frideric Handel – Suite in F Major, HWV 348 — “Water Music” — Adagio e staccato, Air, Bourrée, Hornpipe

Waterfront Wednesdays provide free family friendly programming at the Henry Hudson Riverfront Park in Hudson, NY from 5:30 PM to sunset. Beginning July 7 and running through September 1st, Waterfront Wednesdays feature musical performances, dance concerts, drum circles, boat excursions, educational programming, vendors, and more.  


DATE/TIME: Wednesday, August 3, 2022 / 7pm

TICKETS: Free

LOCATION: Henry Hudson Riverfront Park
Water Street (behind Amtrak Station) 
Hudson, NY 12534

MORE:
ps21chatham.org
facebook.com/PS21Chatham
instagram.com/ps21chatham

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Two New Architectural Installations Arrive at Art Omi

Art Omi welcomes two new architectural installations in August.

Rendering of Ensemble by Hana Kassem and Spencer Topel.

Art Omi welcomes two new architectural installations in August. Ensemble by Hana Kassem and Spencer Topel is an immersive art experience that explores the spatial and acoustic resonance of our environment. As visitors engage with and move around a field of hollow reeds, their movement activates sound elements. Ever-changing, both acoustically and visually, Ensemble is never experienced in the same manner twice.

Drawing Fields courtesy of Outpost Office

On August 13, join Omi for the installation of a temporary work, Drawing Fields No. 6 by Outpost Office. The event features the use of GPS-controlled painting robots to mark site-specific, building-size drawings at 1:1 scale on the grounds of Art Omi. Visitors may observe the installation process, interact with the robots and the architectural spaces as they are being formed, or visit the completed piece throughout the remainder of the month before it is erased through natural processes. Learn more about the installation event HERE

DATE/TIME: August, 2022 / Daily from dawn until dusk

LOCATION: Omi International Arts Center – Sculpture & Architecture Park
1405 County Route 22
Ghent, NY 12075

REGISTRATION: Visitors to Sculpture & Architecture Park encouraged to register in advance
Register Here

DONATIONS: $10
Suggested donation of $10 per person is encouraged for non-members, but all visitors are welcome regardless of donation

MORE:
ArtOmi.org
FaceBook/Art-Omi
instagram.com/art_omi

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Austerlitz History Center Salutes “Pop” Sweet w/ New Exhibit

The Austerlitz History Center in Spencertown has a new exhibit on the life and career of George R. “Pop” Sweet, the Famed Fiddler of Fog Hill.

The Austerlitz History Center in Spencertown has a new exhibit on the life and career of George R. “Pop” Sweet, the Famed Fiddler of Fog Hill. The Sweet exhibit will remain on view for the remainder of 2022.

In 1930, from the remote Fog Hill section of Austerlitz, Pop Sweet launched a career as an old-time fiddler and square dance caller that brought him wide renown in Columbia, Dutchess and Berkshire counties. There was hardly a hamlet where Pop Sweet and his Huckleberry Pickers did not play during the 1930s into the 1950s. Granges, fraternal lodges, dance halls, restaurants, taverns, campgrounds and even barns all resonated with the joyful sounds of Pop’s fiddling and calling.

Sweet’s fame extended beyond the local region. He was called by the founder of the National Folk Festival “the best caller in the United States,” a title he earned at the Philadelphia Festival in 1943 when he was selected as the best square dance caller out of a nationwide field of more than 130.

The Austerlitz History Center’s exhibit traces Sweet’s musical career and features a soundtrack that includes recordings of Pop’s fiddling and calling from 1947 that are now housed in the Library of Congress. Explored as well is Sweet’s colorful persona as a genuine backwoods character: a hunter and trapper, pursuer of the “Black Beast of the Berkshires,” and long-time Groundhog Day forecaster.

Accompanying the exhibit is a richly researched book on Sweet’s life written by Tom Moreland, Austerlitz Town Historian. It includes a detailed chronological review of Pop’s square dances, listing more than 300 appearances in more than 150 venues scattered among some 70 localities.

The Austerlitz History Center, 812 Route 203 in Spencertown, will be open on Saturdays from 9-11 am, or at other times as arranged with the Town Historian (tmoreland@austerlitzny.com). The Center’s permanent exhibits cover the history of the Austerlitz area from its settlement in the 1750s to the 21st century.

DATES/TIMES: Saturdays / 9 – 11am for the remainder of 2022

LOCATION: The Austerlitz History Center
812 Route 203
Spencertown, NY 12165

MORE:
https://austerlitzny.com

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Magic Beyond Imagination at The Lumberyard Center in Catskill, Aug 5 & 6

Don’t miss Magic Beyond Imagination featuring Garrett Thomas and Kozmo on Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6 at The Lumberyard Center for Film and Performing Arts in Catskill, NY!

Don’t miss Magic Beyond Imagination featuring Garrett Thomas and Kozmo on Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6 at The Lumberyard Center for Film and Performing Arts in Catskill, NY! This is a family event with a suggested age of 8 years and older.

Magic Beyond Imagination features:

Garrett Thomas is a magic creator, technician, and artist, as well as TV consultant to magician David Blaine. Blaine says that, “Garrett is simply the greatest close-up magician alive today.” His magic defies logic and understanding, changing the things you thought were possible. Garrett has just returned from a triumphant performance on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us” and an exclusive performance for Madonna, at her home in London.

Kozmo is a legendary street performer, who has thrilled audiences from Bourbon Street to The Great Wall of China with his hilarious brand of magic. He will keep you in stitches and blow your mind with miracles using ordinary objects. In addition to performing at festivals and on street corners around the U.S., Kozmo has appeared on the Tonight Show and toured China.

With help from the audience, these incredible magicians will give you the gift of new and impossible magical moments beyond your wildest imagination. They have performed for some of the biggest stars in the world, including Madonna, Johnny Depp, David Copperfield, Olivia Wilde, Willie Nelson, Scarlett Johansson, Seth Rogan, Jay Leno, Trace Atkins, and now they are coming to perform for you!

Let them show you things you could never imagine…

DATES/TIME: Friday, August 5 & Saturday, August 6, 2022 / 7:30pm
General admission doors open at 7:00. VIP doors open at 6. The VIP meet-and-greet starts at 6.

TICKETS: $35 – $45
Advance general admission tickets are $35. VIP tickets are $45.

VIP tickets include: early admission to the theatre, priority seating, and meet-and-greet performances by the magicians.

Seating is very limited. Advance tickets are strongly recommended. Available here.

LOCATION: Lumberyard Center for Film and Performing Arts
62 Water Street
Catskill, NY 12414

MORE:
https://mbishows.com/
https://www.lumberyard.org

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