The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Gotta Have Arts

Classical Music on an Autumn Afternoon with Ani Kavafian

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Internationally renowned violinist Ani Kavafian will be the featured artist in An Autumn Afternoon of Music, a benefit concert on Sunday, November 12 at the Music Conservatory of Westchester. String players from the Yale School of Music will join Ms. Kavafian in a performance of Mozart’s C Major Viola Quintet, as well as other selections from the string quartet repertoire.

Also on the program will be two works by composer and Conservatory board member Mary Lynn Marx Bianco, who grew up in Westchester and studied at the Conservatory.

The afternoon will begin with a concert at 3 p.m. in the Conservatory’s Helen Demetrios and Michael Stadther Recital Hall, followed by a reception with the artists. Ticket prices are $150 for a Premium ticket, and $100 for an Individual ticket. Proceeds from the benefit will support the Conservatory’s Scholarship, Music Therapy, and Healing Our Heroes programs.

Visit musicconservatory.org

Unique Collections, Family Fun At the Armonk Outdoor Art Show

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Volunteers for Friends of the North Castle Public Library

On Business Park Drive, the sun shone brightly and visitors either strolled or boarded a complimentary shuttle bus all eager to arrive at the North Castle Community Park for the 56th Annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show (AOAS). With over 300 volunteers, more than 185 artists and excited attendees from near and far, this award-winning fine art and fine crafts show served as a warm and welcoming family attraction.

Sculpture by Valerie Bunnell

Corporate sponsors including Equinox, Houlihan Lawrence, Northern Westchester Hospital, and White Plains Hospital Medical and Wellness offered info and demonstrations. Family Activities sponsors included the Harvey School, First Five Learn and Play and the Neuberger Museum of Art provided wonderful activities for children of all ages. Silver corporate sponsors included William Raveis, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and Framings. For a full listing of sponsors, visit armonkoutdoorartshow.org.

Show-goers meandered through rows and rows of art ranging from crafts, sculptures, paintings, photography, jewelry, handbags and clothing. “It’s very interesting how all the artists are from everywhere; all around the country,” an attendee commented. “Every piece of art is different.”

Awards were also presented to artists in seven categories and two additional special awards had $1,000 prizes.

The Alan C. Solomon Best of Show Prize went to honor the artist who “exemplifies creativity, artistic talent and mastery in his/her artwork across all artistic categories.” It was awarded to Bounkhong Signavong, the founder of Lao Design.

In addition, The Sylvia Rogers Best New Artist Prize “to attract new artists to the AOAS and recognize the talent and imagination of up and coming artists,” was awarded to Cuban-born Enrique Miralles, who exhibited a powerful collection of dry point etchings.

The weather on both days was absolutely gorgeous, if a bit toasty, and kept guests sipping on iced drinks to keep cool and partaking in delicious foods from area vendors and restauranteurs. It offered a day of exploration for all with many visitors picking up original pieces of art wear, paintings, and sculptures created in a variety of mediums to treasure for many years to come. If you missed this event, come next year when the 57th annual AOAS will be held on September 29 and 30.

Woven Aluminum by James Mosier

Unique Collections, Family Fun and More at the Armonk Outdoor Art Show

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Friends of the North Castle Public Library holding court.

By Molly Alexander

On Business Park Drive, the sun shone brightly and visitors either strolled or boarded a complimentary shuttle bus all eager to arrive at the North Castle Community Park for the 56th Annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show (AOAS) on September 23 and 24. With over 300 volunteers, more than 185 artists and excited attendees from near and far, this award-winning fine art and fine crafts show served as a warm and welcoming family attraction.

Corporate sponsors including Equinox, Houlihan Lawrence, Northern Westchester Hospital, and White Plains Hospital Medical and Wellness offered info and demonstrations. Family Activities sponsors included the Harvey School, First Five Learn and Play and the Neuberger Museum of Art provided wonderful activities for children of all ages. Silver corporate sponsors included William Raveis, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and Framings. For a full listing of sponsors, visit armonkoutdoorartshow.org.

Show-goers meandered through rows and rows of art ranging from crafts, sculptures, paintings, photography, jewelry, handbags and clothing. Each tent had a unique artistic treasure inside. “It’s very interesting how all the artists are from everywhere; all around the country,” an attendee commented. “Every piece of art is different.”

Awards were also presented to artists in seven categories and there were two additional special awards with $1000 prizes. The Alan C. Solomon Best of Show Prize went to honor the artist who “exemplifies creativity, artistic talent and mastery in his/her artwork across all artistic categories.” It was awarded to Bounkhong Signavong, the founder of Lao Design. The Sylvia Rogers Best New Artist Prize “to attract new artists to the AOAS and recognize the talent and imagination of up and coming artists,” was awarded to Cuban born Enrique Miralles, who exhibited a powerful collection of dry point etchings.

The weather on both days was absolutely gorgeous, if a bit toasty and kept guests sipping on iced drinks to keep cool and partaking in delicious foods from area vendors. It offered a day of exploration for all with many visitors picking up original pieces of art wear, paintings, and sculptures created in a variety of mediums to treasure for many years to come. If you missed this event, come next year when the 57th annual AOAS will be held on September 29 and 30.

Sculpture by Valerie Bunnell
Woven aluminum by James Mosier

 

Painter John van Orsouw

This Weekend: Chappaqua Performing Arts Center Kicks Off Inaugural Season 9/23

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Opening Night Features Acclaimed Jazz Vocalist CYRILLE AIMÉE Performance and Love Art Gallery Exhibit / Reception Saturday September 23

CHAPPAQUA, NY –  Westchester County’s new hidden treasure, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, is finally ready to officially open its doors this weekend.

The inaugural season kicks off Saturday, September 23 with an opening night concert by the acclaimed jazz vocalist CYRILLE AIMÉE at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25-$75 are available in advance at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 and in person on the night of the show in the lobby box office.

Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy an entire evening of rich artistic experiences. Chappaqua Performing Arts Center has partnered with the LOVE ART Gallery to present a pop-up exhibition and reception entitled “Art for Positive Social Change” taking place in the lobby of ChappPAC from 4:00 to 7:00pm. The exhibition will feature a group of twelve artists from Connecticut and New York sharing a cross section of works focusing on social issues from race, to feminism to politics.

Described as “one of the most promising jazz singers of her generation” by the Wall Street Journal, CYRILLE AIMÉE is a vocalist with French and Dominican roots who fell in love with gypsy music and its culture heritage at an early age. Aimée grew up in Samois-sur-Seine, France – a village best known as the home of gypsy guitar icon Django Reinhardt – and its little wonder that its legacy resonates throughout her performances and recordings. In recent years Aimée has toured and recorded in a variety of ensembles configurations, among them, various duet projects with  Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo. Her rich hybrid of influences has resulted in an award-winning vocal style that incorporates gypsy swing with Brazilian rhythms and melodies into well-known standards and original compositions that led the New York Times to proclaim, “No other young artist gives me hope for the future like Cyrille Aimée, the brilliantly inventive jazz vocal prodigy.”

Located on the former campus of Reader’s Digest in a building once known as the Wallace Auditorium, the 425-seat Chappaqua Performing Arts Center — or ChappPAC for short – was recently saved from demolition and established to provide a blend of local and national arts and cultural programming for people throughout Westchester County and the region.

2017 CHAPPAQUA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FALL SEASON LINE UP
9/23 Cyrille Aimee (Jazz)
10/8 Tim Kubart & The Space Cadets (Children)
10/14 So Percussion (Classical)
10/20 Soulshine: An Allman Brothers Experience (Rock)
10/27 Rocky Horror Picture Show (Film)
10/28 Echos of Sinatra (Swing)
11/2 Matt Schofield (Blues)
11/11 The Greatest Pirate Story (N)ever Told! (Children)
12/1 What Fresh Hell Live! (Spoken Word)
12/9 Ragtag Theatre’s Cinderella (Children)
12/17 ELF (Film)

The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center is located at 480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514 just inside the gate on the former Reader’s Digest campus.

Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000

For additional information, visit www.ChappaquaPAC.org or call 914-458-5143

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChappaquaPerformingArtsCenter/

Musical Duo: The Kennedys Set to Grace the Stage at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center

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For more than two decades, husband and wife team Pete and Maura Kennedy have performed on stages in the U.S. and the U.K., as a folk/pop duo and as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra. Now for the first time ever the show will be one of the inaugural events in a special benefit concert at the new Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPAC), formerly known as the Wallace Auditorium on the Reader’s Digest campus. The benefit concert titled “Life is Large” at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 22 will raise funds for the Axial Theater, a professional theater company founded in 1999 that is a member of the Westchester Arts Organization. Axial Theater presents contemporary theatrical hits, timeless stage classics and original works in addition to hosting a bi-monthly Sunday Writers Series for play development.

The Kennedys have released over a dozen CDs, are longtime core artists on metropolitan New York’s jazz radio station WFUV and were named Artists-in-Residence at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Their original music has been described as uplifting, encouraging and empowering, and their choice of covers is emblematic of their love for the classic songwriting of Buddy Holly, The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Long time New York City residents, they are regulars at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on Hudson and have played legendary venues including Carnegie Hall, the Beacon Theater and the now defunct Bottom Line.

Tickets for The Kennedys’ Axial Theater benefit are $45 and can be purchased online by searching for “Axial Theater” at brownpapertickets.com. ChappPAC will play host to a variety of cultural events in its inaugural season through December including children’s concerts, jazz performances and family movies.

The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center is located at 480 North Bedford Road. Ample free parking is available.