The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Gotta Have Arts

Our Backyard Gem – and its Name is Caramoor

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PHOTO BY GABE PALACIO

If you’ve been to Caramoor, you already know what a treasure it is, but if you’re new to the area, or haven’t been in a while, then it’s time to discover or rediscover Caramoor’s summer music programming!

The season kicks off June 17 with a very special concert featuring the stellar vocalist Audra McDonald with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, performing classics from the American Songbook. The music continues the next day with a Hot Jazz Age Frolic featuring the Eyal Vilner Big Band (bring your dancing shoes!) and continues through August 18 with a concert on the lawn by Neal Francis, who according to Rolling Stone Magazine, “is making piano rock cool again”.

In between there are over 40 concerts, featuring performances by world-renowned artists with local ties, including Hélène Grimaud, Garrick Ohlsson, Alisa Weilerstein, Sandbox Percussion, and 2023 Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy winner Samara Joy. The summer also includes Davóne Tines, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, Brooklyn Rider, Pekka Kuusisto and Nico Muhly; Caccini’s Alcina and Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Arooj Aftab – the first Pakistani woman to win a Grammy – performing with Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily, Ukranian group DakhaBrakha, global superstar and Grammy Award winner Oumou Sangaré, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The American Roots Music Festival featuring Brandy Clark, the Jazz Festival featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant, and much more.

On July 2, the Westchester Symphonic Winds return for the popular Pops & Patriots concert, and on July 8, Ted Sperling will host a very special program titled “Over the Rainbow: The Songs of Harold Arlen”.

Caramoor is located on an 80-acre estate in Katonah NY and offers music lovers exceptional curated concert events across genres in incomparable settings.

In the words of Kathy Schuman, Caramoor’s Artistic Director: “Each summer, we try to curate an extremely broad variety of music, and one of the most fun parts of my job is choosing, from among our many beautiful venues, the perfect setting for each performance, whether it be orchestras and opera in the dramatic Venetian Theater, chamber music in the intimate Spanish Courtyard, Saturday morning deep listening in the Sunken Garden, casual global, jazz, or American Roots concerts on picnic-ready Friends Field and, of course, our all-day, multiple stage festivals and annual free site-specific event (Ted Hearne’s Farming with The Crossing this year). With so many different ways to enjoy music at Caramoor, I truly believe experiencing a performance here is unlike anywhere else in the greater New York area.”   

Audra McDonald performs June 17th (photo by Gabe Palacio)

Caramoor’s grounds will open for summer on June 4 with Soundscapes, a free event, in which everyone is welcome to discover a fascinating world of sounds through Caramoor’s Sonic Innovations sound art exhibition featuring live performances and the opportunity to meet the sound artists while exploring this unique and innovative collection spread throughout Caramoor’s wooded paths and grounds.

A second free event takes place Sunday, July 9, when The Crossing, conducted by Donald Nally, performs FARMING, a stirring new oratorio by Ted Hearne written specifically for this choir and scored for 24 vocalists with guitars, keyboard, and percussion, set near Caramoor’s Sunken Garden, allowing the audience to explore and listen to this explosive work as it unfolds.

New this summer are two Saturday afternoon indoor recitals in the Music Room, a Concerts for Little Ones series offered in July, and a collaboration with the Bedford Riding Lanes Association in which attendees of Caramoor’s Music & Meditation in the Garden programs on July 1st and 15th can add a pre-event 45 minute, 1.75 mile hike before joining the mindful listening program in the Sunken Garden.

Edward J. Lewis III, Caramoor’s President and Chief Executive Officer, elaborates: “True to the vision of our founders, Caramoor is the place where you can be transformed by the convergence of an exciting and diverse mix of remarkable live music performances, stunning gardens and grounds, and the beauty of an art-filled historic home. The Caramoor experience leaves both the artist and audience refreshed and renewed and compels all to return again and again.”

Whether you go to see a favorite artist, or to discover a new one, build in some time to explore the grounds and gardens, tour the historic Rosen House, discover the sound art, and enjoy the lively picnic scene with friends and family, a visit to Caramoor is sure to leave you renewed and inspired!

Information and tickets: caramoor.org

“Open Letter” from Craig & Elise for Phoenix

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Phoenix Festival | Live Arts

in Nyack Returns for

2023 Fall Season!

September 22 to October 21

“World-class performances!”

– Hi! Drama

“Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is doing something wonderful in Nyack!”

– Broadway Radio

 

Hello neighbors, friends, families and Westchester arts enthusiasts.

It’s with great pleasure that we invite you to join the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble for our second annual Phoenix Festival – Live Arts in Nyack from September 22 to October 21.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of live theatre, dance and music for audiences of all interests and ages – a celebration of arts, history and local culture.

We’ll be presenting 30 performances featuring over 30 professional New York City artists on multiple stages in Nyack – our jazzy riverside village on the west bank of the Hudson, just a quick trip from the city or from Westchester across the bridge.

As one audience member described the 2022 Festival, “It’s an E-ZPass to outdoor theater heaven!”

Here are the 2023 highlights:

• Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment: A taut 90-minute, edge-of-your-seat stage version of this famous murder mystery

• The Wind in the Willows: A new interactive adaptation of the beloved novel for all ages, confirming the power of friendship and the courage to make a difference in the lives of others

• Pan American Male: A theatrical dance fable about a boy resisting the call to grow up too soon. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey’s Shawn Rawls

• Drinks With Dead Poets: UK award-winning poet, playwright, and actor Glyn Maxwell finds himself in a bar in Nyack, a village with the distinction of having the last open library in America. Maxwell, playing himself, encounters dead poets offering advice and ordering pints. Site-specific with a cash bar–an unforgettable evening

• Honduras: A deeply moving solo piece based on real life personal stories gathered from mothers and children at the US southern border in the summer of 2018

• Children’s Shakespeare Theatre: Young actors bravely present the best of the Bard in their special fall production

• Reflections from the Shallow End of the Dating Pool: Debbi Hobson’s play shines a light on the fraught and often farcical experience of mid-life dating

• Concert presented by ArtsRock, Rockland’s resource for professional arts and multi-cultural programs supporting underserved communities.

• The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde’s frothy, funny, forever comedy–a Festival favorite selected by NYC’s Theatrescene as “one of the top ten productions of 2022”

Venues include the tented outdoor meadow stage at Marydell Faith and Life Center, the garden at Hopper House, the Nyack Center, the ‘little theater’ at Nyack’s RCC Culinary Arts Center and a classic Nyack restaurant/bar which a century ago served as the village courthouse and jail.

The Hudson River Museum amphitheater in nearby Yonkers will host a presentation of Honduras. Plus, Nyack itself will be onstage in a free, smartphone-based augmented reality walking tour of the village.

Along the way, you may want to check out Nyack’s one-of-a-kind retail shops, top-flight restaurants, friendly pubs, live music venues and vibrant night spots – over 100 businesses packed into a walkable space of just over one square mile. If you’d like some fresh air as part of your Festival itinerary, Nyack offers outstanding outdoor activities–bicycling, hiking along the river front, boat excursions and more.

You can begin to plan your Festival experience with a special offer for Westchester audiences – discounted early bird four-ticket flexible admission passes on sale from April 25 – July 15. Call 833-681-4800.

A word about us. Founded in 2004, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is an award-winning New York City theatre company that makes its second home in Rockland County, where we have created and performed both classics and original works since 2018.

Our mission is to present the great stories of the classical canon, as well as new adaptations and innovative stagings that speak to, and serve, contemporary audiences. We’re proud to be part of the Hudson Valley arts community, and excited about our 2023 Festival in Nyack.

Come explore, experience and enjoy the magic of world class performances in the Hudson Valley. See you at the Festival!

With the Fiddler Cast: A Celebration of Life at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center

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Photo by Lisa Wohl

It was an incredible end of winter treat to watch a dozen cast members of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, including the Fiddler HERself, take the stage of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPac) to share their remarkable journey through and since Broadway’s blockbuster production.

Merete Muenter, associate director and associate choreographer of the show, moderated. Each of the 12 cast members in attendance had a chance to speak from the heart, answering a series of Muenter’s wide ranging, food-for-thought questions–including ‘Do we still need Fiddler today?”

One cast member somberly reminded about today’s antisemitism while another addressed the plight of refuges from Ukraine–and so, the collective answer to us very (in agreement) fortunate theater goers was, yes, of course we do! The consensus: We need lots more Fiddler.

In lighter moments of ‘the Conversation,” with a slide show illustrating memorable cast moments on and off set, many of us romantics were tickled to learn of cast member romances, and even a marriage, with the hand-holding actors in attendance.

Photo by Lisa Wohl

If I were taking notes, I’d relate more and ‘who’ said ‘what’. But I confess I was there to kick back and enjoy–to capture all the personal feelings the timeless music Fiddler evokes, and right near home!

The unforgettable melodies have become a way to revisit my Jewishness, and I’m sure this is true for millions: part of the experience of being Jewish mirrors Fiddler’s celebration of Jewish faith and culture while never forgetting the struggles of the Jewish people through the ages… their production on Broadway will stay with me forever!

And these big-hearted, long time cast members–who have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Broadway Cares–didn’t disappoint.

Immediately, we were treated to hearing ‘Tradition,’ which amply set the mood!

We heard Tevye’s ‘If I Were a Rich Man’, The Daughters’ and Yenta’s ‘Matchmaker’, ‘The Sabbath Prayer’, and ‘Anitekva’.

We even got a short lesson in ‘Yinglish’ as the audience received a quick tutorial to singing along with ‘Sunrise, Sunset.’ Fun! We weren’t half bad. And what, in these times, could have been a better finale to the evening than ‘To Life’? Gornisht! (i.e., nothin!)

This review is dedicated to the memory of Chaim Topol.  September 9, 1935 – March 8, 2023. Topol is best known as the Israeli-born actor who portrayed Tevye the longest in Broadway’s iconic Shalom Aleicheem musical Fiddler on the Roof, and in the Hollywood movie adaptation.

Don’t Resist JUST DESSERTS at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center April 28-30

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Just Between Us: Dessert comes first, the playful among us like to say!  And now, an irresistibly delicious new Broadway-style musical, Just Desserts is coming to the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center! The whole family is invited to enjoy what its producers are calling “a charming, professionally performed musical (performers are Actor’s Equity Association artists) about a baking contest, and six strangers coming together, and after much mystery and drama, becoming friends and supporting each other!”

 Oh, and this: 100 percent of Just Desserts proceeds are being earmarked toward the wonderful San Miguel Academy in Newburgh!

As a collaboration between two area music powerhouses–Frank Shiner, producer and Brad Ross, composer–Just Desserts bills itself as “a charming show about a baking contest and the interaction between the contestants. “The music has a traditional Broadway sound, and it is VERY family friendly!” relays Shiner.  Read on for more, direct from Shiner, below.   — Grace

JUST DESSERTS: A Musical Bake-Off

Book and Lyrics by Barbara Campbell

Music by Brad Ross

Directed by Tom Wallace

It’s sweet. It’s savory. It’s five strangers putting their hearts, reputations, and baking skills on the line to become the crème de la crème of bakers at a county fair. The heat is on to create three different types of desserts during the finals. A determined young woman dreaming of opening her own bakery. A sexy nail technician who wants to fit in. A shy school nurse who doesn’t want to be there at all. A mysterious man from Brooklyn who arouses suspicion about his past.  And the reigning champion who is confident she’ll garner yet another victory this year. They’ll all get their just desserts at the Jefferson County Bake-Off! There’s a little mystery, a little romance, some potential cheating, and some back-stabbing – exactly what you expect when the competition is fierce – and the results are deliciously satisfying!

100% of your ticket purchase goes to San Miguel Academy of Newburgh… helping to break the cycle of poverty. Anyone attending can buy tickets and / or sponsor tickets so that those less fortunate can attend. “I would like to the children from the school and their families be able to attend,” noted Shiner, who explained that the San Miguel Academy takes Children from abject poverty and puts them through a 12-year, tuition free program. “This is truly a miracle in our own backyard… These kids had no chance in life, and they are becoming business leaders, working in politics, teachers, and wonderful family people. As of last year, it is a coed program.

The cast of Just Desserts will perform on Friday April 28Th, (7:30 p.m.) Saturday April 29th (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday April 30 (3 p.m. matinee)

A Frank Shiner music production, tickets can be reserved here: https://frankshiner.com/

“Fiddler on The Roof in Yiddish” Cast Members in Special Concert & Conversation at ChappPac on March 4, 2023

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On March 4th, at 8 p.m., the non-profit Friends of Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPAC) will be presenting a concert and conversation with members of the cast of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. There is also an opportunity to participate in a meet and greet with the cast after the performance!

A portion of the proceeds from this performance will be donated to UJA’s efforts to help Ukrainian refugees. Tickets can be purchased through the ChappPAC website: chappaquaPAC.org. ChappPAC is located at 480 Bedford Road in Chappaqua.

The 90-minute show will share the story of the how  Yiddish “Fiddler” came to be, featuring Zalmen Mlotek, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s artistic director and the production’s musical director, who conceived the New York production, along with Merete Muenter, the associate director of the show, and Lauren Jeanne Thomas, the infamous fiddler. The concert will also have several songs and screens with English subtitles.

Cast member Bruce Sabath, was integral in casting this concert along with Michele Gregson, Chair of ChappPAC. “We tried to do this concert two years ago and everything was set and then Covid came along so we put it on hold,” said Bruce Sabath who played Lazar Wolf in the production. “Our shtetl of Anatevka, which is in the Ukraine, has become a real family after all the years we’ve been together with this production. Putting this concert on in Westchester County is really special for us and donating some of the proceeds to help Ukranian refugees gives the performance even more meaning to the cast.”

“ I saw the production this past December and hoped we could resurrect the concert at ChappPAC,” said Michele Gregson. “We are thrilled to be able to bring this incredible version of Fiddler to Northern Westchester, along with many stories shared by the cast of how a small theater production at the Jewish Museum downtown, which was supposed to have a very limited engagement, became such a crowd favorite and played for 18 months and then again for seven weeks in 2022.”

The cast members who are scheduled to appear are:  Abby Goldfarb, Ben Liebert, Rosie Jo Neddie, Raquel Nobile, Bruce Sabath, Adam Shapiro, Drew Seigla, Stephanie Seigla, Jodi Snyder, James Monroe Števko, Lauren Jeanne Thomas, Bobby Underwood and Mikhl Yashinsky.

News Courtesy of the Friends of Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. Photo courtesy of “Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish”