“Music in the Air” Happenings This Summer

ArtsWestchester’s “Music in the Air” initiative is your destination guide to affordable outdoor arts events taking place in Westchester County throughout the summer. Below are some highlights for the summer season:

Jazz Concerts at Lyndhurst Mansion

Lyndhurst Mansion and Jazz Forum Arts present Sunset Jazz at Lyndhurst, a series of jazz concerts that are set directly on the sweeping lawns of the Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown. Performers include the Rocky Middleton Sextet, Ayako Shirasaki Quartet, Bill Warfield & Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra and more. Performances take place on Thursday evenings from July 6 through August 24. lyndhurst.org

 

A concert at the Hudson Park stage (photo courtesy of New Rochelle Council on the Arts)

Emil Paolucci Summer Sounds Concert Series

New Rochelle Council on the Arts and New Rochelle Department of Parks and Recreation present the 10th season of the Emil Paolucci Summer Sounds concerts. The series showcases more than one dozen bands on the stage of the Hudson Park bandshell on consecutive Wednesdays and four Fridays through August 30. Included in the lineup are Greetings From Anywhere, a band whose roots-rock hybrid reinterprets feel-good songs (July 21); New Rochelle Opera, which will perform opera and Broadway favorites (August 2); and Dennis Bell Jazz NY ensemble, featuring vocalist Lynette Washington, which will present songs from the Great American Songbook (August 9). newrochellearts.org

 

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet (photo credit: Will Marsh)

The City of White Plains Presents Concerts, Shakespeare in the Park

The City of White Plains’ “Neighborhood Nights” concert series presents free outdoor events, from a Billy Joel cover band to family-friendly movie screenings, which all take place on weekday evenings at parks throughout the City. On July 13, ArtsWestchester will co-present a production of Hudson Valley Shakespeare Company’s Romeo & Juliet at Turnure Park. The play, which has been shortened to 85-minutes, makes no changes to Shakespeare’s original language. It does make the play more relatable to a present-day audience by updating the wardrobe to reflect modern sensibilities and by introducing a contemporary soundtrack between scene transitions. The production is geared toward middle- and high-school aged students. cityofwhiteplains.com

 

Sir Cadian Rhythm (photo courtesy of Katonah Museum of Art)

Backyard Concerts at Katonah Museum of Art

Katonah Museum of Art turns the mid-week slump into a series of family-friendly nights in its backyard on Wednesday nights. The Museum will welcome guests to picnic in its sculpture garden as they listen to Westchester-based bands jam. On July 12, Dogbone plays original songs and acoustic covers. On July 19, Sir Cadian Rhythm will play original rock, soul and jazz tunes. Mark di Suvero’s monumental sculpture Rust Angel is also on display in the sculpture garden. katonahmuseum.org

 

 

“Music in the Air”  is supported with funds from Westchester County Government and is sponsored by Cross County Shopping Center.


A version of this article first appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews

 

About Mary Alice Franklin

Mary Alice Franklin is ArtsWestchester’s Communications Manager and Editor of ArtsNews. She has a Bachelors in English and Masters in Publishing, and has been published in Paste Magazine, HuffPost, Art Zealous, Art Times, and more.