Performing Arts Season Highlights
Our guide to the 2017-2018 performing arts season provides a sneak peek of what local art organizations have in store for the new season of entertainment.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts launches an indoor fall and spring season, with offerings of jazz, roots, cabaret and more from the Center’s Music Room. Set inside the Rosen House, this intimate performance space dons authentic Renaissance furniture, 16th-century paintings and Gothic tapestries. Kicking off the season is Takács Quartet with a program of Haydn, Shostakovich and Brahms (Oct. 15). The season continues with a robust lineup that features Mandy Gonzalez, star of Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton (May 5), a collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center that presents renowned trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and his International All-Stars (Apr. 14) and an evening of traditional European Christmas music from vocal ensemble TENET (Dec. 16). A special solo “roots” show will also bring folk legend Richard Thompson, one of Rolling Stone’s “top 20 guitarists of all time,” to its stage (Dec. 2). Photo caption: Noam Pikelny, 10/21 (photo courtesy of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts) caramoor.org
The Schoolhouse Theater
The Schoolhouse Theater in North Salem offers a full season of performances, from music to plays. This month, musical greats John Hall of the band Orleans and Laurel Masse of The Manhattan Transfer reunite, after having met early in their careers, for a night of “Songs and Stories” (Oct. 7); and the play First Ladies Coalition, which follows the story of a seamstress who is inspired by America’s first ladies to work toward a brighter future (Oct. 22). A “Suits for Soldiers” benefit comedy event encourages audience members to donate new and gently used suits for military personnel who are transitioning into the civilian workforce (Oct. 28). Other highlights of the season include a new adaptation of the classic The Wind in the Willows (The Enlightenment of Mr. Mole, Nov. 9), a family holiday production of The Gift of the Magi, adapted from O. Henry’s short story by Schoolhouse’s Artistic Director Bram Lewis (Dec. 14), and more. schoolhousetheater.org
Westchester Philharmonic
Westchester Philharmonic celebrates its 35th anniversary with annual favorites like its Winter Pops concert and Father’s Day barbeque, while still offering a varied selection of skilled musicians who are worthy of the big stage. The season opens on October 15, when Jinjoo Cho, violin protégé and former student of conductor Jaime Laredo, tackles Dvorak, Beethoven and Mozart with accompaniment from Laredo and the Philharmonic. This year’s Winter Pops concert on December 17 features Broadway star Laura Michelle Kelly for a program that includes holiday songs, hits from Mary Poppins, South Pacific and more. Broadway violinist Kelly Hall-Thompkins showcases her classical prowess for a Friends & Family concert (Feb. 11), Grammy Award-winning bassist virtuoso Edgar Meyer debuts on the Philharmonic stage (Apr. 8) and married pianist duo Orion Weiss and Anna Polonsky take on Rossini, Mozart and Mendelssohn for the Philharmonic’s annual Father’s Day event (June 17). westchesterphil.org
Emelin Theatre
Emelin Theatre’s season fills the stage with something for music-, film-, theater-, comedy- and dance-lovers alike. Music fills the theater with jazz and blues (C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Feb. 10), tunes by singer-songwriters (Suzanne Vega, Apr. 27) and Broadway standards (John Treacy Egan’s “Great Big Broadway Christmas,” Dec. 9). The Theatre’s annual “Dance Off the Grid” series takes the stage once more with four performances that feature innovative dance by emerging and established dancers and companies. Emelin’s Film Club introduces independent films to movie lovers along with insightful discussions with industry experts, while individual screenings of some of Stanley Kubrick’s greatest hits appeases the lover of classic films. Families can bond over child-friendly events like a live musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (Dec. 11) and a screening of Curious George: The Golden Meatball (Feb. 11). emelin.org
The Capitol Theatre
The Capitol Theatre’s historic venue paired with state-of-the-art light and sound systems allows it to open its doors to big-name and under-the-radar performers, all in Westchester’s backyard. This includes hit ‘90s rock band Third Eye Blind (Oct. 7) and bearded rockers ZZ Top (Oct. 25). The Shins rock the venue following the release of their newest album, Heartworms (Nov. 5) while Rodrigo y Gabriela celebrate their 10th anniversary by stripping down their sound to guitars and reacquainting themselves with their roots (Nov. 10). The season continues with jam bands, cover bands and more. Solo artist Neko Case kicks off 2018 with her harmonious and quirky sensibilities on January 17. thecapitoltheatre.com
Tarrytown Music Hall
Tarrytown Music Hall presents a lineup of stand-out acts and starstudded performances in its upcoming season: a years-ago love affair comes full circle as two 1960s legends, Stephen Stills and Judy Collins, perform on stage together (Oct. 12); singer-songwriter collaborative Cry, Cry, Cry features Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell and Dar Williams (Oct. 24); and The Psychedelic Furs perform with special guest Bash & Pop, which features Thomas Eugene Stinson of The Replacements fame (Oct. 6). Film (Line of Descent, Nov. 4), comedy (Jackie Mason, Nov. 11) and a collection of holiday shows like a Celtic Christmas (Dec. 2), Vienna Boys Choir (Dec. 9) and The Nutcracker (Dec. 10) add to the season’s festivities. tarrytownmusichall.org
The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College
As it enters its 40th anniversary, The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College (PAC) continues its rich history of shining a spotlight on cutting-edge performers in various artistic disciplines. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center continues its residency at PAC with a series of Saturday performances. Favorites from PAC’s robust past revisit its stage, such as Black Violin, which infuses hip-hop into its classically trained vocabulary (Nov. 3); Westchester Philharmonic, which entered into a new partnership with PAC to co-present its concerts (see page A3); and Purchase alum dancer and choreographer Kyle Abraham, whose interactive work breaks known traditions of the dance world (Oct. 20 & 21). Through October 6, PAC offers a 10% discount on its three jazz concerts: Branford Marsalis (Oct. 13), a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie (Nov. 4) and a Big Band Dance Party (Apr. 28), with code “Jazz 10.” Theatrical, classical and holiday performances round out the season’s offerings. artscenter.org
Chappaqua Performing Arts Center
Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPAC), Westchester’s newest arts and cultural destination, recently launched its inaugural fall season with a calendar of local and national arts programming. The Center, which saved the Wallace Auditorium on the former Reader’s Digest campus from demolition, has an array of plays, concerts and performances lined up through the end of the year. Kicking off the October roster is Tim Kubart & The Space Cadets with a family friendly dance party on October 8. The month includes tributes to The Allman Brothers Band (Oct. 20) and Frank Sinatra (Oct. 28), and a screening of cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Oct. 27) before the season continues with blues guitarist Matt Schofield (Nov. 2), a musical audience-interactive pirate play (Nov. 11), a Cinderella adaptation (Dec. 9) and more. chappaquapac.org
A version of this article first appeared in the October 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.
