The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview

Apr 4-11, 2024

Apr 03, 2024

With so much going on culturally speaking in our greater Berkshires/Hudson Valley region, this is my highly selective, curated snapshot of some of the most promising upcoming events …

SIMI STONE BRINGS ‘MOUNTAIN MOTOWN’ to THE LOCAL in SAUGERTIES

Woodstock, N.Y.-native Simi Stone will be joined by guitarist Jack Petruzelli and Friends at the Local in Saugerties, N.Y., on Friday, April 5, at 7pm, to perform her patented style of original music she calls “Mountain Motown” -- an infectious, soulful blend of rootsy singer-songwriter music with a heavy dose of R&B. Stone is a multitalented artist with a background in classical violin, ballet, and various musical genres, including Afro-punk and dance music. Stone is also an accomplished visual artist. Simi frequently collaborates with Natalie Merchant and tours with the New Pornographers. In addition to Petruzzelli, Stone’s band will include pianist Will Bryant and superstar rock drummer Zack Alford (Bowie, Springsteen, B-52s). (Fri, Apr 5)

ANTONIO SANCHEZ PERFORMS LIVE SCORE to BIRDMAN at MASS MoCA

Grammy Award-winning composer and percussionist Antonio Sanchez will accompany a screening of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film Birdman performing his his Grammy Award-winning score in the Hunter Center at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass., on Saturday, April 6, at 8pm. Since moving to New York City in 1999, Sanchez has become one of the most sought-after drummers in the international jazz scene. Following 18 years and nine albums as one of the most revered collaborators with guitarist/composer Pat Metheny, Sanchez also has recorded and performed with the likes of Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden, and Toots Thielemans. (Sat, Apr 6)

SHANGHAI QUARTET to PERFORM HAYDN, GRIEG at HUDSON HALL

The Shanghai Quartet will perform works by Haydn, Grieg, and Zhou Long at Hudson Hall in Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday, April 6, at 7pm, in a presentation of Clarion Concerts. The Shanghai’s elegant style, impressive technique, and emotional breadth allows the quartet to move seamlessly between masterpieces of Western music, traditional Chinese folk music, and cutting-edge contemporary works. The event will honor Eugenia Zukerman, flutist and outgoing artistic director of Clarion Concerts. (Sat, Apr 6)

GUITARIST RICHARD LLOYD BRINGS SOUNDS of NYC ROCK to HUDSON

Guitarist Richard Lloyd, one of the two founding guitarists of the immeasurably influential downtown New York City rock band Television (the other being the late Tom Verlaine), brings his incendiary style incorporating threads of psychedelia, jazz exotica, power pop, hard rock, Middle Eastern modalities, and more to Park Theater in Hudson, N.Y., on Friday, April 5, at 7pm. You can also catch Lloyd at the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30pm. (Thu, Apr 4; Fri, Apr 5)

Horn player Tori Boell (photo Matt Dine/courtesy TON)

ORCHESTRA NOW PERFORMS SPRING-THEMED CONCERT at BARD FISHER CENTER

The Orchestra Now performs a spring-themed concert, featuring Egon Wellesz’s expressionistic Dawn of Spring, Stravinsky’s revolutionary Rite of Spring, and Beethoven’s lush and inviting Pastoral Sixth Symphony, at the Bard Fisher Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday, April 6, at 7pm, and on Sunday, April 7, at 2pm. Among the featured soloists is Tori Boell on horn. (Sat, Apr 6; Sun, Apr 7)

Also of note:

The Ébène Quartet performs works by Mozart, Bartók, and Grieg at Albany’s Massry Center on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30pm, in a concert presented by Capital Region Classical.

Tennessee William’s classic The Glass Menagerie returns to Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, N.Y., for a two-weekend run April 4-13.

Berkshire cellist Ivan Trabka performs works by Zoltán Kodály and J.S. Bach at the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., on Friday, April 5, at 7:30pm.

Michael Benedict Jazz Vibes brings its blend of original compositions, jazz standards, and bossa nova to the Hudson Area Library in Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday, April 6, at noon.

Hudson Valley-based What? brings its fusion of funk, R&B, and improvisational jams to Park Theater in Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday, April 6, at 7pm.

Violist Anthony Bracewell, pianist Gili Melamed-Lev, and cellist Julian Muller will play works by Piazzolla, Saint Saëns, Bach, Arvo Pärt, and Mendelssohn at the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, N.Y., in a concert to benefit Operation Unite on Saturday, April 6 at 3pm.

Pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Jonathan Biss taking the stage together in a program of four-hand piano masterworks by Schubert at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., on Sunday, April 7, at 3pm, in a concert presented by Capitol Region Classical.

Colin Hay returns to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, N.Y., on Wednesday, April 10, at 7:30pm. Hay is widely known for being the frontman of Men At Work with multi-platinum hits that include “Down Under,” “Who Can It Be Now,” and “Overkill.”

Comedian Tom Papa holds forth at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Thursday, April 11, at 8pm.

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