In the Arts Archives - Glens Falls Business Report

THE HYDE COLLECTION CELEBRATES YOUNG ARTISTS AND ARTISTIC EXPRESSION WITH THE 2024 HIGH SCHOOL JURIED SHOW

Written by Staff Report on May 1, 2024. Posted in Featured, In the Arts.

Amelia Lusignan, *Sailing,* 2024, acrylic paint on board, 6×6 inches.

The Hyde Collection is thrilled to announce the return of the highly anticipated 33rd Annual High School Juried Show. This spring exhibition serves as an extraordinary platform for budding student artists across Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties to showcase their talent and immerse themselves in a professional, competitive arts environment.

Taking place from May 4th to June 2nd, 2024, the High School Juried Show is one of the nation’s longest running events of its kind, spotlighting the works of dozens of outstanding regional artists. This year’s exhibition promises to be exceptional. We received over 580 artwork submissions from 261 students representing 14 regional schools.

The High School Juried Show serves as a transformative opportunity for area high school students to delve into the intricacies of the art world, gaining invaluable experience and knowledge along the way. High school artists employ diverse styles and mediums, including drawing, painting, digital illustration, photography, mixed-media, jewelry, sculpture, and ceramics. This esteemed exhibition exposes participants to the finer points of a professional competitive exhibition process, fostering growth, creativity, and a deeper understanding of their craft.

In an extensive jurying process in which all submissions are reviewed, judges selected 100 pieces of artwork for the exhibition. Our jurors this year include Rebecca Pelchar, Director of Visual Arts Gallery at SUNY Adirondack, Jade Miner, Youth Program +Workshop Coordinator at Salem Art Works, and Aili Lopez, Program Director at C.R.E.A.T.E Community Studios.

“The High School Juried Show is an amazing opportunity for area high school student artists to learn and experience the finer points of a professional competitive exhibition process. As one of the nation’s longest-running high school juried shows, we are proud to continue providing this opportunity for our region’s amazing young artists,” said Katelyn Foley, Curator of Education & Engagement at The Hyde Collection.

The exhibition’s winners will be announced at the opening reception on May 4th in The Helen Froehlich Auditorium at The Hyde Collection. Awards will include Best of Show, Curator’s Awards, Juror’s Awards, and the Visitor’s Choice Award. Additionally, winners will receive scholarships for art classes at SUNY Adirondack, gift certificates for summer programs at Salem Art Works, or a gift of membership at North Country Arts.

A total of fourteen school districts entered and are featured in this year’s exhibition. Included are students from the following New York school districts: Argyle Central School, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School, Cambridge Central School, Fort Edward High School, Glens Falls Central School, Johnsburg Central School, Lake George Jr and Sr High School, North Warren Central School, Saratoga Springs High School, Schroon Lake Central School, South Glens Falls High School, Queensbury High School, Ticonderoga Central School District, and Whitehall Senior High School.

The High School Juried Show exemplifies The Hyde Collection’s commitment to fostering creativity, growth, and artistic excellence in our community. We invite art enthusiasts of all ages to join us in celebrating the power of artistic expression and the talent of our region’s youth.

*With thanks to Francine and Robert Nemer for their lead sponsorship of 2024 Educational Programs. *Support for the High School Juried Show generously provided by: SUNY Adirondack, Salem Art Works, North Country Arts, and Keena Staffing, Inc.

*General Exhibition sponsorship is provided by: Barbara Lauer, Margaret Sparrow, and Sheila Riley

2024 Youth Program Summer Offerings

• July 8-12, 9 am-4 pm: Summer Youth Class: Community Mural Design

Ages 10-15, $350/$300 for members (scholarships available)

• July 22-26, 9 am-4 pm: Summer Youth Class: Fashion Camp

Ages 12-16, $350/$300 for members (scholarships available)

• July 29, Aug 1 & 2, 10 am-12 pm: Summer Youth Class: The Art of Crafting The Graphic Novel

$200/$150 for members (scholarships available)

• Aug 10-11, 1-4 pm: College Portfolio Preparation

• Aug 16 & 23, 12:30-4:30 pm: Open Studio For High School Students

$25 per session

*With thanks to Stewarts Shops and Touba Family Foundation

About The Hyde Collection

The Hyde is one of the Northeast’s exceptional small art museums with distinguished European and American art collections. The core collection, acquired by Museum founders Charlotte and Louis Hyde, includes works by such artists as Sandro Botticelli, Tintoretto, El Greco, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, and Pablo Picasso and American artists Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, James McNeill Whistler, and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The Museum’s Modern and Contemporary art collection features works by artists including Josef Albers, Dorothy Dehner, Sam Gilliam, Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Robert Motherwell, Ben Nicholson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bridget Riley. Today, The Hyde offers significant national and international exhibitions and a packed schedule of events that help visitors experience art in new ways. Visit www.hydecollection.org

Throughout the years, the Museum has expanded considerably from the historic Hyde home. It includes a modern museum complex with an auditorium, classroom, five galleries, and a state-of-the-art storage facility.

Adirondack Theatre Festival’s World Premiere Production of Todd vs the Titanic Will Transfer to Ithaca’s Hangar Theatre

Written by Command on March 14, 2024. Posted in Featured, In the Arts.

The show, by the authors of ATF’s international hit Murder for Two, will premiere in Glens Falls June 27 – July 3.

Photos courtesy of Adirondack Theatre Festival.

GLENS FALLS — Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) announced today that the world premiere production of Todd vs the Titanic, which will open ATF’s 30th Anniversary season, will transfer to the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca following the run in Glens Falls.

ATF Producing Artistic Director Miriam Weisfeld said, “The world takes notice of the brave new work nurtured here at the Adirondack Theatre Festival. In the last six months alone, Pump Up the Volume received a Broadway industry presentation, Mystic Pizza launched a West Coast tour, Murder for Two traveled to Shanghai, The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers bowed off-Broadway, and Ithaca’s Hangar Theater announced that it will present ATF’s Todd vs the Titanic following its run in Glens Falls. ATF is punching above our weight like never before, thanks to the tenacious support of our community.”

Murder for Two originated at ATF in 2010. Since then, it has enjoyed an Off-Broadway run, multiple national tours, and hundreds of licensed productions around the globe. Composer Joe Kinosian and lyricist Kellen Blair, along with book writer Scott Rothman, will return to ATF with Todd vs the Titanic, running June 27 – July 3 at the Charles R. Wood Theater. ATF’s production will then be presented at the Hangar Theater in Ithaca, NY from July 27 – August 3.

The one-person musical comedy is set inside a theatre in Schenectady, following an unnamed apocalyptic event. This event has wiped out most of the human race, including every cast member of a new musical about the Titanic… everyone, that is, except for Todd, who was cast in the show’s smallest role. As the world burns, Todd attempts to perform the epic Titanic musical alone, without his partner, without his fellow cast members, and possibly without anyone else in the world being alive. Todd vs the Titanic is a hilarious and heartfelt tour de force about the power of art to sustain us.

Next, ATF will stage a concert presentation of the new pop musical The King’s Wife (running July 19 – 21). With music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter Jamie Floyd and book by Mêlisa Annis, the sweeping epic imagines the secret history of the first wives of Henry VIII. Produced by special arrangement with Jennifer Kranz.

The season will close with Jeffrey Hatcher’s edgy new adaptation of Dial “M” for Murder (running Aug. 1 – 7), the play by Frederick Knott which inspired the iconic Alfred Hitchcock film. Said Weisfeld, “This delicious season takes us on an epic journey from dazzling comedy, to breathtaking drama, to stylish thrills. And it reminds us that great stories start here at the Adirondack Theatre Festival.”

Additionally, ATF audiences can sneak a peek at a newly commissioned ATF play. Worth: An Intimate Exhibition, is a one-person play written and performed by Jessica Frances Dukes, who starred in the Netflix hit Ozark as Agent Maya Miller. Dukes will perform a developmental reading at the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council’s Lapham Gallery from July 12 – 14. ATF audiences may add this performance to their subscription for $15.

Three-show subscriptions are $130, or $75 for those age 25 and under, from now until May 1 and may be purchased at www.atfestival.org, or by calling the Wood Theater Box Office at 518-480-4878, or in-person at the Box Office at 207 Glen Street. The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5pm.

About Adirondack Theatre Festival

Martha Banta and David Turner, along with a 12-member founding committee, created the Adirondack Theatre Festival in 1993 and presented its first 18-day season of new and contemporary theatre at the French Mountain Playhouse within the Lake George RV Park in 1995. Today ATF is the leading professional theatre in New York’s Capital Region dedicated to emerging artists, new plays and new musicals.

Each summer ATF produces a nine-week season at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls. The organization operates under a Small Professional Theatre Agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. The actors seen on the ATF stage, as well as the designers and directors, have worked regularly on and off-Broadway, on television and in movies.

Glens Falls Symphony March 10, 2024 Concert “The Original Paul and George” – SOLD OUT with Waiting List

Written by Staff Report on February 19, 2024. Posted in Columns, Community, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts, News.

Begun as a community orchestra in 1977 at the then-named Adirondack Community College, the Glens Falls Symphony (GFS) returns to its roots on Sunday March 10 with a concert of George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman at SUNY Adirondack’s Theatre. The jazzy afternoon includes Charleston-inspired dancing in a program called, “The Original Paul and George”. GFS Music Director Charles Peltz shares his own welcome to this toe-tapping event, “We are delighted to bring this unique music to a special place unique in our history.”

Following a youthful career as a classical violist in the Denver and San Francisco Symphonies, bandleader Paul Whiteman eventually titled himself “The King of Jazz,” and performed with his incredibly popular dance band throughout the 1920s. He commissioned many pieces and songs from emerging composers, including a young George Gershwin. The best-known of these today is the beloved “Rhapsody in Blue”, which will be performed in a unique performance with Tim Ray only a few weeks following the Rhapsody’s 100^th anniversary.

Featured artist Tim Ray, who served as music director and pianist for the legendary Tony Bennett for a number of years, has also performed with an extensive list of musical icons, notably Aretha Franklin, Lyle Lovett, Jane Siberry, and Soul Asylum, just to name a few. Mr. Ray has also performed repeatedly on “The Tonight Show”, “Late Night”, and “The Conan O’Brien Show”, among others. He is a grant recipient from the National Endowment for the Arts, and is a professor on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music. Tim was previously on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music, has lectured and taught improvisation at Harvard University and MIT, and also conducts workshops and clinics at colleges and high schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.

**Florin Vlad and Natalia O’Connor from Dance Fire Studios. Photo provided.**

Also joining the symphony on stage will be Florin Vlad and Natalia O’Connor from Dance Fire Studios of Saratoga Springs, NY. Together, this competition-winning pair have represented the US at multiple World Championships and have trained under World Champion Eduard Simon. Their combined accolades include placements in the Top 7 at the World’s most famous ballroom event- Blackpool Dance Festival and reaching the World Cup Finals.

“This special concert represents so much about what we do here at the Glens Falls Symphony-we bring together classical, jazz, and other genres of music with dance, art, film, and other inspirations. Our goal is to create inspiring, meaningful experiences for audiences of all ages. The SUNY Theatre will be pulsing with rhythm on March 10”, shares the Symphony’s Executive Director Jennifer Brink. “

Program:
Music by George Gershwin
Lullaby for Strings
Three Preludes
Rhapsody in Blue
Tim Ray, piano
-Intermission-
Dance Favorites from the Paul Whiteman Orchestra
to be selected from:”Charleston”, Happy Feet”, “Wonderful One”, “After You’ve Gone”, “Coquette”, “Lonely Melody”, “Nobody’s Sweetheart”, “Sugar”, “Sweet Sue”, and “That’s Why”

Concert Sponsors:
The Post-Star/Amplified
The Queensbury Hotel
Finch Paper
New York State Council on the Arts

About Glens Falls Symphony
Since Maestro Charles Peltz’ arrival in 2000, the fully professional Glens Falls Symphony has performed a dynamic repertoire, regularly including musical premieres and world-renowned guest artists while expanding musical offerings to include children’s concerts in schools, family concerts, summer pops programs and more. Cited as “one of the great orchestras of our country” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantner, the orchestra comprises professional musicians who come from all over the Northeast to perform.

The Glens Falls Symphony Presents
“The Original Paul and George”
Sunday March 10, 2024 4pm
The Theatre at SUNY Adirondack
640 Bay Road
Queensbury, NY 12804
Free Pre-Concert Talk at 3pm (FREE with price of Ticket)

TICKETS
THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT. Please email: Info@gfso.org to be added to the wait list.
All Seats General Admission $39 plus $1 ticketing fee.
Location: Theatre at SUNY Adirondack

For information regarding ticket pricing and seating for season, visit www.theglensfallssymphony.org, call the Symphony office at (518) 793-1348 or stop by the office, upstairs in the LARAC Gallery building: 7 Lapham Place in Glens Falls. Office hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Veterans and Active Military Personnel to be Honored with Free Admission to Magical Evening at Lake George

Written by Staff Report on January 12, 2024. Posted in Columns, Community, Featured, In the Arts.

On January 25, 2024, Winter’s Dream Welcomes Those Who Have Served and Those Who Are Serving Our Country!

LAKE GEORGE, NY — Lake George Winter’s Dream is proud to announce Military Appreciation Evening, a special event to honor veterans and active military service members. On Thursday, January 25, 2024, the Lake George Winter’s Dream experience will be free for all active military and veterans. In addition, their guests will enjoy 20% off ticket prices. Attendees are required to show a valid form of military identification upon entry. Acceptable forms of ID include a Military ID, DD-214 with valid Driver’s License, Veteran’s ID Card or Veteran’s status on Driver’s license or Government-Issued ID Card.

Lake George Winter’s Dream draws on the rich emotions, sensations, and magic of the winter season in a series of multimedia installations that create an immersive, dreamlike experience. Located in the courtyard and on the bastions of the Fort William Henry Historic Fortress, Lake George Winter’s Dream takes place in a location with significant military history. The experience includes original music, lights and multimedia as visitors are immersed in six installations: First Snow, Winter Woods, Frozen Lake, Full Moons, Dreamscapes and Cabin of Dreams. Winter’s Dream is fully accessible to persons of all abilities.

Lake George Winter’s Dream is not just an attraction; it’s an exploration of the winter spirit, creating memories that last a lifetime. By offering free admission to active military and veterans on January 25, 2024, the Warren County Coalition aims to express gratitude for their service and provide an opportunity for these heroes to enjoy the magic of Winter’s Dream with their loved ones.

“We wanted to show our deep appreciation for the many sacrifices made by our military personnel and their loved ones. Lake George Winter’s Dream is a celebration of the beauty and wonder of winter, and we are thrilled to share this experience with those who have served our country,” said Vincent Crocitto II, Chairman of the Warren County Coalition.

Complete details and a link to secure tickets for Military Appreciation Evening can be found at LakeGeorgeWintersDream.com/events. Each ticket to Lake George Winter’s Dream comes with a discount savings passport that unlocks special deals and pricing at attractions, lodging, restaurants, and retailers. Discounts range from 10-20 percent as well as buy one get one offers and more. Early booking is recommended to secure preferred dates and times.

Lake George Winter’s Dream received financial support from Warren County as part of the public-private effort to foster year-round tourism and local employment. This attraction is supported by Warren County Tourism/Lake George Area and the Warren County Coalition.

Lake George Winter’s Dream is created and produced by the award-winning multidisciplinary studio Moment Factory. Headquartered in Montreal, the studio also has other locations in Paris, Tokyo, New York City and Singapore. Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 500 unique projects worldwide, including the Lumina Night Walk and the AURA series. In collaboration with renowned artists, brands, museums, theme parks and cities, its productions span the globe and include such clients as the NBA, Changi Airport, Disney, Sony, Boston Museum of Science, Universal Studios, AT&T, the Reims Cathedral and Billie Eilish.

The Hyde Collection Receives Highest National Recognition From the American Alliance of Museums

Written by Staff Report on January 12, 2024. Posted in Featured, In the Arts.

Glens Falls, NY—The Hyde Collection recently received reaccreditation from the American Alliance of
Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community. Of the
nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1,106 are currently accredited.

Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for fifty years, AAM accreditation
signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, governments and outside
agencies, and the museum-going public. The Accreditation Program helps to ensure the integrity and
accessibility of museum collections, reinforce the educational and public service roles of museums, and
promote good governance practices and ethical behavior.

Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by their peers, accredited museums
demonstrate they meet the museum community’s standards of best practices and are educational entities that are appropriate stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust.
“We are very proud that The Hyde has received reaccreditation from AAM and are honored to be among a peer group of museums that share the Hyde’s commitment to professional excellence in all aspects of
museum operations,” said John Lefner, President and CEO of The Hyde Collection.

AAM accreditation recognizes a museum’s commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional
standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals
for 50 years, the AAM’s museum accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality
assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable to provide the best possible service to the public.
The Hyde Collection is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.

About The Hyde Collection

The Hyde is one of the Northeast’s exceptional small art museums with distinguished European and
American art collections. The core collection, acquired by Museum founders Charlotte and Louis Hyde,
includes works by such artists as Sandro Botticelli, Tintoretto, El Greco, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens,
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, and Pablo Picasso and American artists Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, James McNeill Whistler, and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The Museum’s Modern and Contemporary art collection features works by artists including Josef Albers, Dorothy Dehner, Sam Gilliam, Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Robert Motherwell, Ben Nicholson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Bridget Riley. Today, The
Hyde offers significant national and international exhibitions and a packed schedule of events that help
visitors experience art in new ways. Visit www.hydecollection.org

Step Back in Time: Canal Life – Fun, Facts & Folklore

Written by Staff Report on January 8, 2024. Posted in Columns, Community, Entertainment, In the Arts.

Glens Falls Feeder Canal Alliance Celebrates 35 Years with an Illustrated Talk

GLENS FALLS, NY – The Glens Falls Feeder Canal Alliance is delighted to announce a special event, “Step Back in Time: Canal Life – Fun, Facts & Folklore,” featuring an illustrated talk by Pattie Simone, the Executive Director. The event will take place on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm at the Crandall Public Library, 251 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801.

Join us in commemorating 35 years of the Glens Falls Feeder Canal Alliance as we delve into the rich history of the 200-year-old Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail. This waterway has played a crucial role in shaping Glens Falls and other Adirondack communities. The evening promises to be an engaging experience for history enthusiasts and curious minds alike.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the fascinating past through vintage photos, captivating stories of the individuals who lived and worked along the canal, and the exciting plans for trail and canal improvements. The Glens Falls Feeder Canal Alliance envisions enhancing this 4-season recreational gem for the benefit of the community.

This event is free of charge and will be hosted by the Folklife Center. Seating is limited, so be sure to arrive early. For more information and to stay updated, please visit www.crandalllibrary.org.

The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, supported by the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Holiday Pops! Concert Glens Falls Symphony

The Glens Falls Symphony Joins High School Choruses for Holiday Pops! Concert on December 10

Written by Staff Report on November 27, 2023. Posted in Columns, Community, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts, News.

‘Tis the season to immerse yourself in the festive melodies of the Glens Falls Symphony at their Holiday Pops! Concert. They will be performing their long-time holiday favorites on December 10 at 4pm. Joining the musicians and Music Director Charles Peltz on stage will be NewsChannel 13’s Mark Mulholland, who will be reading “’Twas the night Before Christmas”. Musical magic will unfold with timeless pieces by Johannes Brahms (“Lo, how a rose e’er blooming”), the classic J.S. Bach composition “Wachet Auf,” and crowd-pleasers such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Music Director Charles Peltz has invited his director colleagues who lead the choruses of Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, and Queensbury High Schools to bring their top voices to join in the music-making. Each high school chorus will sing a work with the orchestra alone, and then they will join together for the finale.

The Symphony is also reviving a much-beloved holiday tradition of inviting local celebrities to campaign for the baton to conduct the orchestra. This year, after a 4-year hiatus from the silly fun of this event, the conductor candidates who have put their hat in the ring are: Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, GF Hospital VP and Musician Ray Agnew, and Glens Falls School District Superintendent Dr. Krislynn Dengler. Each one has already begun vying for the baton by posting on social media and attracting “voters” at the fall Symphony concerts. Each vote costs $10, and all proceeds go to the Glens Falls Symphony educational and performance programs.

In celebration of the Symphony’s 40^th anniversary season, the holiday concert will be joining forces with the WAIT House, which serves runaway and homeless youth in upstate NY. Families and any audience members who come to the concert are encouraged to bring items that the center can use, such as: dish soap, laundry detergent, tall and small garbage bags, batteries, light bulbs, cereal, canned soups, rice, tortilla shells & taco seasoning packets, pasta sauce and tomato sauce, peanut butter, jelly, salsa, canned tuna, or canned fruit/vegetables/beans.

Executive Director Jennifer Brink shares, “This holiday concert is a favorite tradition for so many people in our region and beyond. We are especially delighted this year to be joining forces with the choral students from the three high schools to bring musical joy to so many people. This year, tickets are selling sooner than they ever have, so we encourage people to get their preferred seats soon. We invite people in the community to bring new items to donate for the homeless youth in our region, and in this way, we can all celebrate the spirit of giving at this special time of year.”

Concert Sponsor: Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company

Program

Christmas Fantasy
A Holst Christmas – with Glens Falls High School Chorus- Meredith Reed, Director
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming Johannes Brahms
Night Before Christmas – with Narration by News13 Anchor Mark Mulholland
Homeward Bound – with Queensbury High School Chorus-Matt Gaulin, Director
Wachet Auf, ruft uns die stimme

Intermission

Christmas Eve
There’s Christmas in the Air
The First Noel – with Hudson Falls High School Chorus- Diane Havern, Director
All I Want for Christmas is You!
Sleigh Ride – with Conductor’s Contestants: Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, GF Hospital VP and Musician Ray Agnew, Glens Falls School District Superintendent Dr. Krislynn Dengler vying for the chance to conduct Leroy Anderson’s beloved “Sleigh Ride”
O Come, All ye Faithful
Christmas Festival
We Wish you a Merry Christmas

About Glens Falls Symphony

Since Maestro Charles Peltz’ arrival in 2000, the fully professional Glens Falls Symphony has performed a dynamic repertoire, regularly including musical premieres and world-renowned guest artists while expanding musical offerings to include family concerts, summer pops programs and more. Cited as “one of the great orchestras of our country” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantner, the orchestra comprises professional musicians who come from all over the Northeast to perform.

Glens Falls Symphony
2023-24 Season
All concerts on Sunday at 4pm
Glens Falls High School Auditorium
Free Pre-Concert Talk at 3pm (FREE with price of Ticket)

TICKETS

Season and single tickets are priced in three tiers: (Tier 3/2/1)

Season Tickets: $105/$90/$72
Adult: $26/$33/$39
Student: $10
NEW! Family Season Ticket: Two Adults and Two Children: $165 for all Three Remaining Concerts.

Location: Glens Falls High School Auditorium, 10 Quade St, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Glens Falls Symphony Children's Concert 2023

Glens Falls Symphony Presented Lucinda y Las Flores de la Nochebuena to 1500 School Children in the Adirondack Park

Written by Staff Report on November 22, 2023. Posted in Columns, Community, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts, News.

Glens Falls Symphony presented a special performance of Lucinda y Las Flores de la Nochebuena by Evan Mack and Josh McGuire, American composers, librettists, pianists and friends.

The opera stars of Seagle Festival, in Schroon Lake, NY vocalists Laura Santamaria, Tiffanie Trujillo, Daniel Esteban Lugo, and Dante Mireles along with our fully professional symphony musicians presented this coming of age, Christmas opera based on the Mexican folktale of the poinsettia.

Students from Queensbury, Lake George, Warrensburg, Ticonderoga, Indian Lake and the Kings School attended this school-day concert at the Warrensburg Middle School/ High School Auditorium on Friday, November 17 with three 42 min performances starting at 9:00am.

Executive Director Jennifer Brink says “Sharing the tremendous range of the orchestra sounds with young people who may never have heard these instruments before is a wondrous thing. We are delighted that after several years of planning, the children in our region can hear the talented musicians of the Glens Falls Symphony in a concert designed just for them. We hope to continue this program with new concerts each year so that the Glens Falls Symphony forms a critical piece of every local child’s cultural education. We feel we have a duty to share this great art with children, and to contribute to building the arts audiences of tomorrow.”

Music Director Charles Peltz shares, “If we ever wonder whether what we do or what we stand for is “real”, if we ever question whether the human spirit responds naturally, genuinely, to great classical music, this past Friday, November 17 is the answer to the question. Children responded to the production with wonder and amazement – you could hear pins drop throughout the performance. They were riveted. They clapped with great enthusiasm at the ends of arias and laughed at the humorous parts of the story. These were young people in their most natural state, ready to be engaged by something unique and good. We were so proud to produce such meaningful musical experiences.”

Each character in Lucinda was represented in brilliant fusion of the opera with a traditional children’s Mexican story regarding the birth of the poinsettia flowers! This could have been the first and only opera that many Adirondack Park students have ever experienced. This beautiful opera educates children, touches their hearts and illuminates the understanding, and true meaning behind the power of gift giving. One objective of presenting live music by professional musicians in this way is to inspire more young people to take up band and orchestra instruments when the opportunity comes.

The concert is supported by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. The Charles R. Wood Foundation, and the JM MacDonald Foundation.

About Glens Falls Symphony

About Seagle Festival

Seagle Festival is the premiere opera and musical theater producing organization in the Adirondack Region of upstate New York, and the oldest and one of the most distinguished summer vocal training programs in the United States, founded in 1915 by renowned singer and voice teacher Oscar Seagle. Over our 100+ year history, Seagle Festival has transitioned from a successful family-run business to a well-established non-profit organization, run and staffed by leaders in the field of opera and musical theater performances and vocal training, and overseen by a committed and diverse board of directors.

The non-profit corporation Seagle Music Colony, Inc. doing business as Seagle Festival has deep roots in the town of Schroon Lake, New York but serves a much larger community of artists and staff that have participated or worked at Seagle Festival and now live and work across the country and around the world. The mission, vision and values of Seagle Festival include a commitment to the highest quality performances for our devoted audiences and top-notch vocal training for aspiring vocalists of all backgrounds and identities.

About Evan Mack

Believing that opera should be theater grounded in climatic expression that delivers larger-than-life stories and music that harnesses the full athletic thrill of singing, Evan Mack has devoted much of his compositional life to opera and song. His first major operatic composition, where he served as both composer and librettist, was Angel of the Amazon. “Angel” premiered in May of 2011 by Encompass New Opera Theatre at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City and was subsequently released on CD worldwide by Albany Records. Two years later, Fresno State Opera Theater premiered The Secret of Luca. This was the first of several collaborations with librettist Joshua McGuire. In August 2016, their American grand opera Roscoe premiered at Seagle Music Colony to rave reviews. Roscoe received its orchestral world premiere with the Albany Symphony starring Metropolitan Opera star Deborah Voigt. In between the two large scale projects, Mack & McGuire found time to write the first ever opera for Twitter #IsOperaDead – an opera in 5 acts lasting one minute and forty seconds.

Their Christmas opera for children, Lucinda y las Flores de la Nochebuena is quickly becoming a holiday standard with yearly productions by San Francisco Opera, Opera in the Heights and Fresno State Opera, who commissioned the opera. The one-act opera The Ghosts of Gatsby premiered by Samford Opera in Birmingham, AL in 2019 and won the National Opera Association’s Argento Chamber Opera Competition. Mack & McGuire’s latest, Yeltsin in Texas! premiered in 2020 by TCU and Opera in the Heights. It’s now in development to become a musical comedy!

Evan Mack has proven as deft at song writing as he is in opera. His song A Little More Perfect is a setting of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s final paragraph of the Marriage Equality Decision by the Supreme Court in 2015. Premiering at Seagle Music Colony in 2015, it has quickly become a favorite of many baritones including Michael Mayes, Daniel Okulich and Michael Miller to name a few. The song had its professional premiere at the Glimmerglass Festival in 2016 and the orchestral premiere at the Fort Worth Opera Festival in 2017. His new cycle If Only Lenny Were Here, which celebrates the life of Leonard Bernstein had its world premiere with the Schenectady Symphony in October of 2018.

Evan was named “2018 Professional of the Year” by Musical America, was a composing fellow at the John Duffy Composers Institute and a resident artist at Yaddo. He is currently published with Hal Leonard, Alfred, and Amazon. Evan is a Teaching Professor at Skidmore College. He lives in Ticonderoga, NY with his wife, Kristin and two sons, Carter and Henry.

About Joshua McGuire

Joshua has written librettos for The Secret of Luca, (based on the novel by Ignazio Silone) and Roscoe (based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize winner William Kennedy) with music by Evan Mack. In October 2016, Roscoe received a full performance by the Albany Symphony featuring soprano Deborah Voigt in the lead role of Veronica. His collaboration with Mack also produced Lucinda y Las Flores de la Nochebuena, a children’s opera commissioned by the Fresno State Opera Theatre. Since premiering in 2016, the opera has played for over 25,000 children, including annual performances by the San Francisco Opera Guild. Mack & McGuire’s one-act opera The Ghosts of Gatsby, based on the life of Zelda Fitzgerald, won the the National Opera Association’s 2019 Dominick Argento Prize for contemporary opera, with subsequent productions by Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory and Opera Las Vegas, among others.

Yeltsin in Texas! — a comedy about the fall of the U.S.S.R. commissioned and premiered by Opera in the Heights and Texas Christian University in February 2020 — is currently being expanded and developed into a full-length musical theatre piece with The Blueprint Project. McGuire is currently developing A Nearer Mother with Evan Mack (based on the life of AIDS activist Ruth Coker Burks), as well as a multimedia opera entitled Siddhartha (after the novel by Hermann Hesse) with composer Murray Hidary.

In 2015, McGuire was commissioned to write a libretto for Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, and the resulting one-act opera, Alexandra, with music by David Clay Mettens, was premiered at the Kennedy Center. He is also the author of The Secret of Music: a look at the listening life, a book of essays on music and mindfulness. McGuire is the recipient of fellowships from Yaddo, Opera America, and the the American Center for New Works Development.

McGuire currently teaches at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. He studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he pursued Master’s work in both guitar and orchestral conducting, holding assistantships in both areas. As an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, he took the Bachelor of Music summa cum laude as well as High Honors in English Literature for his thesis on musical structures in the work of James Joyce. He currently resides in Nashville with his wife, pianist and conductor Jennifer McGuire, their son Thomas, and a basset hound.

Glens Falls Symphony

2023-24 Season

All concerts on Sunday at 4pm

Glens Falls High School Auditorium

Free Pre-Concert Talk at 3pm (FREE with price of Ticket)

TICKETS
Season and single tickets are priced in three tiers: (Tier 3/2/1)
3-Concert Season Tickets: $105/$90/$72
Adult: $26/$33/$39
Student: $10
NEW! Family Season Ticket: Two Adults and Two Children: $165 for all Three Remaining Concerts.

Location: Glens Falls High School Auditorium, 10 Quade St, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Celebrating a Tapestry of Women’s Stories: Pop-Up Exhibition at Crandall Library by Connie Harris Farrington

Written by Staff Report on November 9, 2023. Posted in Columns, Community, Downtown, Featured, In the Arts, News.

GLENS FALLS, NY — Renowned quilter Connie Harris Farrington, with over five decades of quilting expertise, presents a captivating collection of 18 whimsical quilts. These masterpieces, created over the past 30 years, pay homage to women from all walks of life, spanning various eras. They vividly encapsulate the aspirations, achievements, and grievances of these remarkable women. Using a medley of fabric, thread, and ink, Connie Harris Farrington skillfully weaves a thought-provoking narrative that combines vibrant visuals with colorful language.

Connie’s unique and innovative approach to quilting has garnered her over 100 awards and prizes in both national and international competitions. Her creations have been featured in numerous magazines, attesting to her exceptional talent and creativity.

A distinguished alumna of Green Mountain College, Syracuse University, and Yale Divinity School, Connie’s passion for quilting is only rivaled by her love for genealogy and tending to her bountiful organic vegetable garden in Queensbury, NY.

To showcase this extraordinary collection, the Crandall Public Library presents the “Two-Sided Quilts” Pop-Up Exhibition, which coincides with the Folklife Center’s 30th anniversary. The exhibition will be held from November 16th to 18th, 2023, with a special reception on Thursday, November 16th from 5-8pm. Informal gallery talks will be conducted at 10am and 2pm each day.

Event Details:

Pop-Up Exhibition: November 16-18, 2023
Reception: Thursday, November 16, 5-8pm
Informal Gallery Talks: 10am and 2pm each day
Location: Crandall Public Library, 251 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

“Two-Sided Quilts” is proudly presented by the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library, an institution renowned for its innovative programs, gallery exhibitions, and research special collections. It is committed to showcasing the rich history and cultural heritage of the upper Hudson valley and southern Adirondacks of upstate New York. This event is made possible in part by funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, supported by the Governor’s office and the NYS Legislature.

For more information about the exhibition, please visit www.crandallparklibrary.org or call 518-792-6508.

About Crandall Public Library: Crandall Public Library is a hub for community engagement, offering a wide range of programs, exhibitions, and research collections. It is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of the upper Hudson valley and southern Adirondacks of upstate New York. The library’s mission is supported by funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the generous support of the Governor’s office and the NYS Legislature.

Glens Falls Symphony 40th Anniversary Season continues November 12 with Concert of International Music

Written by Staff Report on November 1, 2023. Posted in Business, Community, Downtown, Entertainment, Featured, In the Arts, News.

The Glens Falls Symphony continues its 40th anniversary season with a concert of music from around the world entitled, “International Colors” on Sunday November 12, 2023 at 4pm. Performing at the Glens Falls High School auditorium, the ensemble of musicians from all over the Northeast will present a concert of pieces from Argentina, France, and Italy. First on the program is a delicate portion of music from renowned Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla. Mr. Piazzolla, whose compositions and performances on the traditional accordion-like instrument associated with tango music, the bandoneon, made him a singularly popular figure in Argentina for how he elevated and expanded tango music, wrote his own version of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” for violin and orchestra. Called “Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas” (known in English as “The Four Season of Buenos Aires”), the Glens Falls Symphony’s Concertmaster (Principal First Violin) Michael Emery will perform as soloist in the “Autumn” movement.

The program also features a work from the French composer Maurice Ravel about the early French composer Couperin. In honor of this performance of music by a French Baroque-era composer, the Symphony will also be presenting a free screening of the award-winning 1991 film “Tous les Matins du Monde” about the French Baroque composer Marin Marais. This free screening takes place on Wednesday, November 8, at 2:30pm at Crandall Library Community Room. Ravel’s work, “Le Tombeau de Couperin” explores the many different sounds and colors of the orchestra. This second concert of the 40th season concludes with cheerful music by Felix Mendelssohn’s with the Symphony No. 4, known as the “Italian.” This vibrant work brings the lively sounds of the Italian countryside to life with rhythmic and cheerful melodies.

About Concertmaster Michael Emery, Violin

Mr. Emery blends performance with teaching to create an active musical career. He has collaborated in chamber music with many international artists, including Ruggiero Ricci, Elizabeth Pitcairn, André-Michel Schub, and Emanuel Ax. Michael is a concertmaster and frequent soloist with orchestras in New York and California and has performed as a soloist and concertmaster in Asia, as well as several major European cities. Mr. Emery has performed in collaboration with many contemporary composers, including Gunther Schuller, Jennifer Higdon, Joan Tower, Ezra Laderman, Lowell Liebermann, Tommie Haglund, Richard Danielpour, and John Corigliano. Mr. Emery earned his MM in Performance from the Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship student with Erick Friedman and Raphael Bronstein and served as concertmaster of the Manhattan Symphony.

Events

Wednesday, November 8 at 2:30pm, Crandall Public Library Community Room
“Sound+Film” series, featuring free screening of “Tous Les Matins du Monde”
Sunday, November 12 at 3pm, Glens Falls High School Auditorium
Pre-Concert Talk, free, with Charles Peltz
Sunday, November 12 at 4pm, Glens Falls High School Auditorium
“International Colors” Concert of Astor Piazzolla “Autumn”, Maurice Ravel “Le Tombeau de Couperin” and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian”

Tickets

4-Concert Season Tickets: Tier 1: $140/ Tier 2: $120/ Tier 3: $96
NEW! Family Season Ticket: Two Adults and Two Children: $220 for all four concerts.
Single Tickets to one concert: Adult: $30/$33/$26
Single Student Ticket: $12
Location: Glens Falls High School Auditorium, 10 Quade St, Glens Falls, NY 12801

For more information, contact Jennifer Brink at (518) 793-1348 or exdir@gfso.org
www.theglensfallssymphony.org
Glens Falls Symphony Office (518) 793-1348
Located upstairs in the LARAC Gallery building: 7 Lapham Place in Glens Falls
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

About Glens Falls Symphony

The Glens Falls Symphony, begun as a community amateur orchestra in 1977 at the then-named Adirondack Community College. Celebrating 40 years this season, the symphony successfully moves into its fourth decade of music-making as a professional orchestra since its incorporation in 1983. Since Maestro Charles Peltz’ arrival in 2000, the fully professional Glens Falls Symphony has performed a dynamic repertoire, regularly including musical premieres and world-renowned guest artists while expanding musical offerings to include family concerts, summer pops programs and more. Cited as “one of the great orchestras of our country” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantner, the orchestra comprises professional musicians who come from all over the Northeast to perform.