The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

music

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.

White Plains Jazz Fest: A Fun-Filled Festival for Jazz Aficionados and Music Lovers of All Ages

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(L-R):: Wayne Bass, White Plains Commissioner of Recreation and Parks; Janet Langsam, CEO, ArtsWestchester; Kevin Nunn, Executive Director of the White Plains Business Improvement District; Kenny Lee (trumpet/flugelhorn) of Kenny Lee All Stars; Deputy Westchester County Executive Kevin Plunkett; Tom van Buren, Artistic Program Director, ArtsWestchester; and Tom Roach, Mayor of the City of White Plains

By Amanda Kraus

There’s good news for Westchester-based jazz lovers who may not be able to trek to New Orleans for Jazz Fest this year. This September, Westchester residents can simply take a quick trip to White Plains for the city’s sixth annual Jazz Fest in the downtown area, in collaboration with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains, and the White Plains Business Improvement District. “Every year gets better and better,” said Wayne Bass, White Plains Commissioner of Recreation and Parks and a key organizer of the event. The once single-day event now spans the five days of September 13-17 and will feature various world-renowned jazz musicians such as 14-time Grammy Winner Paquito D’Rivera, a clarinet and saxophone virtuoso and New Orleans-based saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., as well as talented emerging local artists.

Janet Langsam, the CEO of ArtsWestchester and an Armonk resident, envisions a county in which every resident has the availability and affordability to participate in the arts with Jazz Fest being one of those opportunities. Most of the Jazz Fest events are free and others have a nominal fee.

Jazz Fest was created to enrich the lives of not only downtown White Plains residents but also the wider Westchester community. “By bringing live music into downtown White Plains, people who might not be familiar with jazz can be exposed to a new genre of music. If you want to know what it’s about, you can just walk in to Jazz Fest and be a part of it. It’s all about opening up our minds and trying to create community –music is something that brings people of all races, nationalities, and backgrounds together. It has that common denominator,” notes Bass.

The festival kicks off with a jazz stroll, in which numerous local restaurants will have musicians playing in either their dining rooms or in surrounding outdoor areas. People can walk down the street and catch as many performances as they’d like. There will be performances in the ArtsWestchester building, in addition to Sunday’s culminating event, which takes place on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains, where there will be tents plus food vendors. The festival features a wide range of jazz music, from Afro-Caribbean to blues.

It includes both solo performers and bands including a small orchestra led by versatile Colombian pianist and composer Pablo Mayor to an ensemble led by local Peekskill-based jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz educator Ray Blue. The last day of the festival provides a grand finale of jazz sounds originating from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Dixieland and more.

With so much to do and see, it’s hard to find a reason not to go to Jazz Fest. Whether you’re a long-time jazz enthusiast or new to the genre, you’re guaranteed to have a good time no matter what day you choose to attend. For more information and a performance schedule visit www.artswestchester.org.

Amanda Kraus is an intern at the Inside Press this summer.

Elegant Aerial Performances Charmed and Dazzled on a Final ‘Third Thursday’

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Story & Top Photos By Molly Alexander   

The final Third Thursday on August 17 in Armonk was the first of its kind: a unique circus extravaganza featuring immensely talented and expertly trained performers. Armonk Square was the setting for an event with a distinct town fair feeling as cheerful, hard working Westchester Circus Arts staff spent hours engaging hundreds of residents and visitors alike–bringing to the Square magicians, performers on stilts, and most mesmerizing of all, the main event: the company’s highly elegant and sometimes gasp-producing aerial performances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attendees also enjoyed a tightrope walking workshop, a chance to watch jugglers and generally to experience pure magic as kids and grown-ups eutger danced near Main Street too at the front of the Square while humming or singing along to a festive lineup of 80s, 90s and contemporary favorites by the three-member band, Vinyl Countdown.

From their Tarrytown, N.Y. location, Westchester Circus Arts has five awesome instructors and teaches classes to the general public. Inside the Square, WCA staff  used a hoop, trapeze, silks, and more to capture their audience’s imagination and attention! With the trapeze hanging from four sturdy posts, attendees applauded and cheered as Westchester Circus Arts’ best performers and instructors quite simply, wowed the crowd.

The intricate moves were flawless and had some viewers staying on or returning back to the Square to catch additional performances. Each performer showed off her best routines for about five minutes, with shows starting at 5:30 and continuing every half hour or so.

Each Third Thursday has been a true success each with its own unique charms and offerings, according to Robby Morris, one of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce’s organizers of the event. “It’s really amazing how much the whole community gets involved, and how there’s a dedicated community working within the community.”

Indeed, walking into the small Square in downtown Armonk on a Third Thursday has started to feel like entering a circus tent, as live music carries cheerful vibes into the air and the sounds of laughter and a community coming together is heard and celebrated.

Families have ventured out for a chalk art contest, a chili cook-off and a classic car show through the streets of Armonk, all hosted by the Chamber. Stacy Wilder, the Director of Communications, said Third Thursday is a town favorite and attendance peaked thanks to the wonderful street performers adding to an impressive grand finale on a ‘final Third Thursday’ night in Armonk.

The reviews for Third Thursday attendees have been uniformly positive. Offered Armonk resident Michelle Savage, who has attended several of the events: “From the live music, to the balloons and to the face painting, this is why we love living here.” Get excited for the coming events this fall and winter! To keep up with what’s planned, visit armonkchamberofcommerce.com 

Molly Alexander, a rising Senior in the LIFE School at Horace Greeley High School, is an intern for Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines.

Additional Photos to the left and below by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

Vinyl Countdown band members

(L-R) Armonk’s James Shelly, Chamber’s Stacy Wilder and Friend

 

Representing the North Castle Historical Society

Tom Petty: Breaking Hearts at Mountain Jam

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By Amanda Kraus

Before the preceding performance began to cease, hundreds of people crowded to the front of the main stage at Mountain Jam, on Hunter Mountain, where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would be headlining — I was just one among many. The 45-minute wait time between the performances didn’t seem to faze any of his crazed fans; in fact, we were well lined up at 8:30, an hour and a half before he would take to the stage.

A distinct energy that had permeated the entire day began to condense in the crowd and intensify as his appearance drew nearer and nearer. I looked around: middle-aged women (the original fan girls), older men, entire families, and little children ran the gamut that was his audience. Despite our clear differences in age, origin, and livelihood, it was evident that we all shared a common enthusiasm for the band and their music, which had at one point gripped us all and infatuated us up until this moment.


 

And then it was time. The buzzing crowd erupted into a roar as the group made their way into the spotlight, opening with “Rockin’ Around (With You),” and proceeding to please with a wide variety of songs. When the air wasn’t being filled with a cascade of sultry notes, it saw endless appreciation in the form of applause, screaming, and whistling, to which the smiling Tom Petty expressed his gratitude. He didn’t need to say much; we could all feel it. The enchanting, ethereal scenery of the Catskill Mountains induced the magical feeling that encompassed his performance and the entire weekend. I had seen Tom Petty at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where a mass of people distanced me from the stage and the band. At Mountain Jam, you didn’t have to stare up at the huge screens to get a good look at him; the intimate setup allowed anyone to get close to the stage.

Photo by Matt Taylor

At one point in the set, Tom asked the crowd to sing along with him to his next song, which turned out to be the infamous “Free Fallin’.” It was the audience and the band, singing every word together, making music, and an unforgettable two hours. In the middle of the set, Tom welcomed Marty Stuart, who had performed earlier in the day, to the stage to play “Crawling Back to You,” with the rest of the Heartbreakers. There is no doubt that these rock legends got the audience moving and grooving for the entirety of their set — and especially me during my personal favorite, “You Got Lucky.” They closed the show with two encore’s, “You Wreck Me,” and, “American Girl,” leaving the audience fulfilled and elated.

After 40 years, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers still got it. Their music and conspicuous passion on stage enthrall the older and younger generations alike, keeping us coming back for more, time and time again — just as the ski slopes of Hunter Mountain do when they are magically transformed into the peaceful, bewitching festival grounds of Mountain Jam.

Inside Press summer intern Amanda Kraus is a rising junior at Tulane University studying English, Philosophy, and Psychology.

Discovering the True Gift of Dance… in an Operating Room

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When I started ballet in the 3rd grade, I was immediately thrust into the two worlds of dance: the world of practice and the world of performance. Practice consisted of endless classes and day long rehearsals where skills could be honed in the privacy of a studio. Mistakes were acceptable but promptly corrected and mastery of technique directly correlated with hours of hard work.

Performance, on the other hand, was different. The music enveloped you, bright lights illuminated you and as you look out on the dimly light audience between movements of carefully set choreography you realized there were hundreds if not thousands of eyes in the room…and they were all looking at you.

And while many people think dancers perform only for the applause, the truth is we perform for the intense, adrenaline-filled rush that accompanies successfully completing painstakingly practiced movements while under extreme pressure.

Although we practiced for months at a time leading up to our shows, inevitably every performance comes with its set of unforeseen errors. Props get dropped, people fall on stage, someone stands on the wrong mark, backstage lighting malfunctions, music starts too early or too late (or recently for our Snow Scene not at all!), but it is in those moments of chaos where true performers shine. Maintaining a calm demeanor when your heart is beating out of your chest, thinking up quick, effective solutions to unexpected snafus, and emotionally dealing with the embarrassment of a mistake cannot be learned in the ballet studio; it can only be learned on stage.

When I hung up my ballet slippers in 2011 after 13 years of dance, I felt a void in my life where performance had once lived; the adrenaline-filled moments I experienced on stage were gone. I resigned myself feeling this loss as the inevitable punishment for those who walked away from dance. But then, in my third year of medical school, I rediscovered the excitement in the most unexpected place: the operating room (OR).

In the OR for the first time, I felt an implacable but eerily familiar feeling. Scrub techs and circulating nurses were busy ensuring the surgeon had proper lighting and securing the patient to the OR table. After the patient was placed under anesthesia and covered with sterile drapes the room quieted as the surgeon and his residents entered. They gowned/ gloved up, the room lights were dimmed, the OR lights were turned on, and it hit me; I was at a performance! The OR had lights, cameras, a stage, and audience members. Principle, soloist, and corps dancers were replaced by surgeons, residents, and medical students. Each surgery had a carefully laid out choreography that required precise technique, impeccable timing, and hours of practice before show time.

In those early moments of my surgical training, I realized the gift ballet had given me–the gift of being able to perform. Thanks to years on the stage, it came naturally to me that I could think quickly while under the OR lights, improvise when something was going awry, and keep a calm demeanor when my heart was racing. In the Operating Room, confidence saves lives, and yet again, the confidence that my body would perform as I wanted it to under intense circumstances was there from day one.

To feel sure that you will actually help someone by cutting them open, inflicting wounds onto their bodies–which in any other setting is considered assault with a deadly weapon–and to believe after you have pieced them back together they will be better off (than if you had never touched them in the first place)…these are not convictions that can be learned in the library.

There are so many pieces of my life I am eternally grateful to dance for giving me: the best moments of my youth, great friends I still love seeing, a work ethic which got me through medical school, and the ability to thrive under the pressure of the OR.

Former dance students don’t say this enough to their instructors, and certainly not years later, but to Mr. Logrea, Mrs. Logrea, Nick and Carol, thank you for all the lessons and time you spent with me, I truly believe I am a better doctor and a better surgeon because of all of you.

From 1997-2007, Ari Bransdorfer, currently a first year Ophthalmology Resident at Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein College of Medicine, studied dance at Ossining’s Logrea Dance Academy www.logreadanceacademy.com  He returned as a guest dancer in 2008 and 2010.