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BEACON’S OWN MUSIC BOOSTER AND SONGWRITER KICKS OFF A NEW SONGWRITER SERIES AT THE CENTER WITH TWO REGIONAL POWERHOUSES KATE MCDONNELL (Albany, NY) has captivated audiences all over the world with her award-winning songwriting, her unusual deft guitar style, and her jaw-dropping voice. Says one recent audience member: “A consummate professional, excellent musician, singer and songwriter and a very slick performer, Kate’s sense of fun and 'joy of being here' shines through and really engages the audience.” FRANK CRITELLI (Meriden, CT) is New England’s Resident Professor of Life, Love, Purpose, Poetry, and Folk Music. A true Johnny Appleseed of the music community, Frank has a gift for turning any space where he opens his guitar case into fertile ground for love, connection, and song. When he's not traveling the country with guitar in hand, Critelli tends to gardens at a quiet nunnery. In a previous life, he spent over a decade as a literature and philosophy professor. His songs draw from these deep wells—stories gathered on the road, wisdom earned from loss and joy alike. He is the velveteen rabbit of folk singer-songwriters—worn soft by experience, and all the more beloved for it. A Relix Magazine "artist to watch,” and your host for the night, STEPHEN CLAIR is known for his wry humor and guitar stylings. He makes honesty sound catchy. Clair is an instinctive and open-hearted writer who doesn't stop touring, releasing albums, or winning fans. Rightly, Performing Songwriter says he’s "the kind of citified troubadour the roots songwriting world needs.”   Premiere jazz quartet that includes Charley Krachy, sax, Dave Frank, piano, Joe Solomon, bass, and T-kash Inuoe, drums. Two of the members were closely associated with the Legendary jazz pianist/educator Lennie Tristano. The mission of the Westchester Jazz Alliance and the WAJQ is, through education, performances, and jazz parties, to increase awareness, participation, and enjoyment of jazz in the New York area and beyond.
Written and Performed by THE CREATOR OF Always... Patsy Cline TED SWINDLEY Produced and Directed by GERALD vanHEERDEN  EASY LAUGHS FOR TOUGH TIMES After five albums and three comedy specials, Christian Finnegan has a new hour of standup, and he's here to answer all of your burning questions. Namely: • Is it a bad sign if your surgeon is covered in tattoos? • What does it mean to "go hard," and can we make people stop saying it? • And most importantly, is it time we all consider joining a cult? An evening of personal revelation, curdled whimsy and, yes, a lot of heart. christianfinnegan.net  One-Man Circus-in-a-Suitcase allowed everyone to participate in an enthralling, whimsical celebration of the imagination. From Kevin O’Keefe’s suitcase an entire circus emerges: tent, band, lights, the boisterous ringmaster Steve Fitzpatrick, the officious Mervin Merkle, the incredible Bumbilini Family, the Magician to the Stars Clyde Zerbini, and Keefer–an innocent trying to run away and join the circus. However, the most important performers emerge from the audience. (This program was produced in part with the support of the State of New York Office of Children and Family Services upon the legislative initiative of Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson. ) Click here for the Photo Gallery  Jacob and David Bernz and Guest! Local heroes are coming together to honor two giants of the folk music genre through their songs and related melodies. An early Bob Dylan arrives in New York, eager to sing a song for his hero, Woody Guthrie. Join us for an evening of stories and music that draws inspiration from the past and remains relevant today.  Laurie Gwen Shapiro is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York, The Daily Beast, Lapham’s Quarterly, Slate, Aeon, The Forward, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Her documentary film awards include an Independent Spirit Award for directing IFC’s Keep the River on Your Right, and an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Finishing Heaven. Shapiro is the 2021 winner of Best NYC Essay or Article from the GANYC Apple Awards, the 2021 winner of the Damn History Award for “The Improbable Journey of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes” for The New Yorker and gold medallion winner in the People Profiles category for the Silurian Press Club’s 77th annual Excellence in Journalism Awards. The Stowaway (Simon & Schuster) was her best selling first full-length work of nonfiction, and was an Indie next selection. Her next nonfiction book will be The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam and the Marriage that Made an American Icon, for Viking Books. She is an adjunct professor of journalism at The NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute in the graduate program.  Adam McKible is Associate Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is the author of Circulating Jim Crow (2024) and The Space and Place of Modernism: The Russian Revolution, Little Magazines, and New York (2002). He edited and introduced Edward Christopher Williams’s When Washington Was in Vogue (2004), a previously lost novel of the Harlem Renaissance, and he co-edited the collection, Little Magazines and Modernism: New Approaches (2005).
stanzabooks.com This fest included a DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH! Launching not one, but TWO big, huge, amazing middle grade books this year! Dan Poblocki's all new book MY BROTHER'S BUTT IS HAUNTED, and horror icon Paul Tremblay's first middle grade book, ANOTHER.           With opening act Nora Brown with Stephanie Coleman “Critics love to call things unclassifiable, which can sometimes feel like a subtle admission of defeat. But Jake Xerxes Fussell’s music, which draws heavily from nineteenth- and twentieth century vernacular folk songs and archival field recordings, is idiomatic, and entirely his own.” — The New Yorker, #13 in The Best Albums of 2024“Fussell has never been as patient—or, for that matter, as graceful or compelling, curious or inclusive—as he is on When I’m Called, his fifth and best album.” — Pitchfork Last summer, singer, guitarist, and folk music interpreter Jake Xerxes Fussell released his fifth album, When I’m Called, via Fat Possum to widespread acclaim, with The Wall Street Journal praising it as a “terrific argument for the power of the folk tradition, and a convincing demonstration of how much a thoughtful singer and musician can communicate through the words of others.” Recognized for his compelling transliterations of traditional music, Fussell took an atypical approach to the material on When I’m Called, often constructing the music from the ground up before considering what existing source material could be applied to the song. It’s Fussell’s richest work to date, and sees him returning to a well of music that holds lifelong sentimental meaning, contemplating the passage of time and the procession of life’s unexpected offerings. First brought together by Brooklyn’s tight-knit old-time music community in 2017, Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman share a rich musical partnership. Nora is a banjo player, and has released 3 albums on Brooklyn based Jalopy Records. She has performed across the US, Europe, and Japan including on NPR’s Tiny Desk and TED EDU. Stephanie is a master old-time fiddler, having recorded and toured internationally with celebrated artists such as trailblazing all-women string band Uncle Earl, Rhiannon Giddens, Watchhouse’s Andrew Marlin, and Aoife O’Donovan. In July 2023, Nora and Stephanie released their debut EP Lady of the Lake on Jalopy Records. jakexerxesfussell.com | norabrownmusic.com | stephaniecoleman.net A Summer Celebration of Poetry - Celebrating 3 Poet Laureates and 3 friends for an evening of poetry from the Hudson Valley and beyond. Funding from Poets & Writers and New York Council on the Art (No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. All are welcome)  The Patrick Prosser 1982 Collection A Beacon Historical Society and Howland Cultural Center collaboration. Experience the gritty city through Prosser's lens and uncover the significant transformations captured by today’s contemporaries: Michael S. Goldfarb | William A. Loeb | Pierce Johnston | Tony Cenicola This exhibit is partially funded by a generous grant from the Joseph Robert Foundation   Songwriter / Performer / Poet / Visual Artist / Activist "Sage has created an eclectic body of work that's witty, graceful, and powerfully intimate" – NPR Music "One of the most compelling and creative singers and songwriters of the modern era…. Suffice it to say Sage has made her masterpiece." – American Songwriter “Angelic...epically romantic. (Sage's) breathy vocals float alongside swooning strings and piano notes, creating a big setting for her rootsy, narrative lyrics.” – No Depression RACHAEL SAGE  Inside the FBI, On the Spectrum & All Around Rubik’s Cubes! Three fun-yet-informative visual presentations about the fascinating world of the FBI, Rubik's Cubes & Math, and Spaces on the Spectrum. We hear from former FBI Agent James Gagliano, Author & Vassar Sociology Professor Dr. Catherine Tan, and Math extraordinaire Dr. Joe Kazemi. With fun music, prizes, libations, and guaranteed good company. NERD NITE HUDSON VALLEY Be there and be square!   Click Here for for LYRA website.
Lyra Music Festival This summer, music director, Akiko Sasaki, will once again be running the Lyra Music Festival, which is both an educational experience for students and a live concert festival. Their performances feature Lyra faculty, Lyra guests artists, as well as student performers, and are entirely open to the public. The Lyra Music Young Artist Performance Program is a 2-week, residential, conservatory-style classical music program. This pre-professional summer festival is designed specifically for string players and pianists seeking an opportunity to hone performance and related skills. Dedicated young musicians will be inspired through their intensive study of solo and chamber music repertoire with Lyra Music Faculty Artists and Lyra Music Guest Artists-in-Residence. LYRA Benefit Concert July 2, 2025 Lyra Benefit Event featuring pianist, Michael Stephen Brown, and the outstanding young musicians of the Lyra Music Young Artist Performance Program. Mix and mingle at a post-concert reception with Mr. Brown, Lyra Music young artists, faculty artists, and friends! PROGRAM: Beethoven: Sonata in F-sharp Major, Op. 78 Michael Stephen Brown (b. 1987): Four Lakes for Children (2024) Fauré: Nocturne no. 6 in D-flat Major, Op. 63 Rachmaninoff: “Scherzo” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, after Mendelssohn Liszt: “Wedding March and Dance of the Fairies” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, after Mendelssohn Lyra Faculty Artists in Concert July 7, 2025 An evening of chamber music featuring the faculty artists of the Lyra Music Young Artist Performance Program: Avery Morris, Violin | Amadi Azikiwe, Viola Mafalda Santos, Cello | Diyi Tang, Piano Jarod Yap, Staff Collaborative Piano PROGRAM: Beethoven: Serenade for String Trio in D, Op. 8 Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op.31 Faure: Dolly Suite (Selected Movements) Dvorak: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat Major, Op.87 Lyra Guest Artists in Concert July 9, 2025 An evening of chamber music with Lyra Music Festival Guest Artists followed by a reception and opportunity to meet the artists. Amy Schroeder, Violin - Julia Yang, Cello - Michael Stephen Brown, Piano PROGRAM: Kodaly: Duo for violin and cello, Op. 7 Beethoven: Seven Variations on “Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen“ WoO46 Haydn: Piano Trio No. 43 in C major, Hob XV:27 Smetana: Trio in G minor, Op. 15 Lyra Young Artists Final Concert July 12, 2025 Aan afternoon of chamber music performed by the young artists of the Lyra Music Young Artist Performance Program. Lyra young artists are pre-professional string players and pianists: classical music’s next generation! Please join us for a reception following the concert. The Rhythm Rising Quartet is a talented group of Hudson Valley musicians led by Grammy-nominated percussionist Tomas Martin Lopez. They blend Afro-Caribbean rhythms with Latin jazz, Bossa Nova, and Samba, featuring Victor Catanzaro on vibraphone, Doug Correllus on piano, Ron Figueroa on bass, and Tomas Martin Lopez on percussion. Honoring traditional Latin jazz legends such as Cal Tjader and Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria, showcasing original compositions and popular standards.  Beacon Litfest & HIT HOUSE CREATIVE welcomes: TEA Transcending Bias Through Insight Artistry6/28/2025
DANKE! Proceeds from ticket sales help support the Beacon High School PTSO/GAPP German Exchange Program. I'm a Stranger Here Myself by MADERA VOX (Kelly Ellenwood, vocals) recorded at the Howland Cultural Center, 2009 Composer: Kurt Weill Lyrics: Ogden Nash Listen on Spotify: I'm a Stranger Here Myself “Saint Rita: Lost and Found” Brings Passionate Music of Kurt Weil and Edith Piaf Featuring the talents of Kelly Ellenwood (vocals), Kathleen Bosman (violin/viola), and Stephen Clair (guitar), the evening will be a heartfelt exploration of the music of Kurt Weill and Edith Piaf. They will be joined by Nate Allen (double bass) and Brad Hubbard (woodwinds). Saint Rita offers a unique blend of artistry that captures the raw emotion and gritty authenticity of Weill and Piaf’s compositions. The trio’s performance will transport audiences from Weimar-era Brecht to the Rue Pigalle and across time and space to 1940’s Hollywood and Broadway. The concert is a benefit performance for Beacon High School’s short term foreign exchange program to Munich, Germany, under the auspices of the Goethe Institut's German American Partnership Program (GAPP). About the Artists: Kelly Ellenwood is an acclaimed soprano and award-winning actor known for her dynamic roles on Broadway, in film and television, and the concert stages. With accolades such as the Gold Medal and First Prize at the Savannah Music Festival’s "American Traditions Competition," Ellenwood brings a powerful voice and rich interpretive skills to her performances. A founding member of the indie-classical quintet Madera Vox, she also is a dedicated community organizer, and one of the team responsible for the Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival. bonfireworksfoundation.org @beaconbonfire Kathleen Bosman is a versatile violinist and violist with a rich performance history across Boston and New York City. Her extensive work with prestigious orchestras, opera companies, and chamber ensembles, along with collaborations with world-class musicians, underscores her exceptional talent. Bosman also teaches at Beacon Music Factory and continues to inspire and educate through her music. beaconmusicfactory.com Stephen Clair is a renowned songwriter and guitarist with a distinguished career in music. His critically acclaimed albums - (his 11th came out last October) - and performances nationwide have earned him a respected place in the industry. Clair is also the founder of Beacon Music Factory, an innovative music education center featured on CBS Sunday Morning and beloved for its impact on the community. stephenclair.com Nate Allen Nate Allen is a versatile musician who has toured the U.S. and Europe and recorded with artists such as Bees in the Barn, Stephen Clair, Peter Karp, Sue Foley, and the Kristijan Krajčan Contemporary Jazz Ensemble. He plays a wide range of styles including blues, jazz, rock, bluegrass, and more, on instruments like bass (upright and electric), banjo, guitar, keyboard bass, and percussion. Nate has performed at notable venues such as the Highline Ballroom, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Yoshi’s Jazz Club. He is also an experienced music teacher, offering private lessons and group classes in bass, banjo, guitar, music theory, and composition at Beacon Music Factory and online. @nathanbradleyallen Brad Hubbard is a composer and multi-instrumentalist, playing Baritone Saxophone, Flute, and Bass Clarinet. He has performed worldwide in diverse settings, including as a soloist and with groups like the Hot Wrk Ensemble, The David Sanford Big Band, Neil Alexander’s X Ensemble, and the Analog Jazz Orchestra. In May 2024, he premiered his "Concerto for Baritone Saxophone and Concert Band." Brad is also the Woodwind Instructor at The Beacon Music Factory in Beacon, NY, where he resides with his family. @bigasssax  For kids of all ages! This show is teeming with hijinks, harmonies, nostalgic beauty, and physical comedy. Something for everyone and family friendly! Happenstance Theater brings old Vaudeville back! Happenstance Theater This program is produced in part with the support of the State of New York Office of Children and Family Services, upon the legislative initiative of Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson.  An immersive multimedia experience with readings by acclaimed bestselling crime and thriller fiction writers MargotDouaihy, Jode Millman, and Julia Dahl in conversation with author Cynthia Weiner of NYC Writers Studio and Town Square Media's Jackie Corley. The winner of our BLF Crime Writing Workshop opened the event! Learn more about Beacon Litfest  An eclectic concert series, ensemble, record label, and presenting organization for music with a 39-year history of premiering good music that is pushing the boundaries of sound and composition. COMPOSERS CONCORDANCE  Imagine a graphic novel coming to life with music. That’s the idea behind Songs, Stories, & Art – Lessons from Strangers, a visually stunning and emotionally rich live show from award-winning songwriter John John Brown. With only a guitar, a projector, and a storyteller’s heart, Brown guided the audience through 14 compelling character portraits—each one brought to life with original hand-drawn comics and narrative-driven songs. It’s part concert, part illustrated story hour, and unlike anything else on stage today. “So well written that every song could be a short story.” – Americana UK A show for music lovers, story lovers, and anyone who’s ever wondered what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. John John Brown   A collaboration VIDEO ART BY ROOSTER, IMPROV BY DON ROMANIELLO - Feedback turns a four-dimensional mirror on a cast of improvisers. Live footage of the ensemble is delayed, altered, and expanded by video artist Rooster into new characters. Every player is launched out of their comfort zone to land in a hilarious world built by the other players. Featuring Lily Labe, Jennifer Lavenhar, Don Romaniello, David Schwartz, and Alec Vanacore.  |
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