The Rogovoy Report: Berkshire & Hudson Valley Cultural Preview

Apr 12-17, 2024

Apr 09, 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 …

ART SONGS, ARIAS and DUETS in STOCKBRIDGE

Spring Awakening, a program of German and English art songs, operatic arias and duets, featuring soprano Emily Kate Gentile, tenor Bernard Holcomb, and pianist Hui-Mei Lin, will take place at First Congregational Church in Stockbridge, Mass., on Saturday, April 13, at 4pm, as part of the Music on Main series. The program will include works by H. Leslie Adams, Clara Schumann, and Peter Frost. (Sat, Apr 13)

Leyla McCalla (photo Noé Cugny/courtesy artist)

LEYLA McCALLA BRINGS WORLD-FOLK to THE EGG

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla brings her multicultural mix of musical styles to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday, April 13, at 7:30pm. A founding member of Our Native Daughters (with Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah and Allison Russell) and a former member of the Grammy Award-winning Black string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, McCalla applies her mastery of the cello, tenor banjo and guitar to songs evincing world-music influences including various forms of Afro-diasporic music, drawing from Afrobeat, Ethiopian modalities, Brazilian Tropicalismo, and American folk and blues. (Sat, Apr 13)

CEWM BRINGS ‘RHAPSODY IN BLUE’ to MAHAIWE

“Rhapsody in Blue,” George Gershwin’s groundbreaking classical-jazz fusion, will be the centerpiece of Something Borrowed, Something Blue – Cross-Cultural Synergy, a program also featuring works by Haydn, Ravel, Bruch, Debussy, and Piazzolla, at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., on Sunday, April 14, at 4pm, in a presentation of Close Encounters With Music. Performers include pianist Michael Chertock, violinist Itamar Zorman, and cellist Yehuda Hanani, in a program blending jazz, Argentine tango, Jewish liturgy, waltz, and Cuban Habanera. (Sun, Apr 14)

HABBINA HABBINA BRINGS MEDITERRANEAN SURF SOUNDS to HUDSON

Led by guitarist Amit Peled, Habbina Habbina brings its signature style of Mediterranean surf music to Park Theater in Hudson, N.Y., on Friday, April 12, at 8pm. The trio takes its inspiration from Egyptian pop, Greek tunes as well as all sorts of retro-Mediterranean-hits, Dick Dale surf guitar, James Bond soundtracks, Umm Kulthum, Aris San and many others. (Fri, Apr 12)

LAEL NEALE BRINGS MINIMALIST INDIE-ROCK to AVALON

Indie-rock singer-songwriter Lael Neale brings her minimalist stylings to Avalon in Catskill, N.Y., on Sunday, April 14, at 8pm, on a bill that also includes Camp Saint Helene and Andrew Victor. Lael Neale’s intimate sounds recall the likes of Velvet Underground and Yo La Tengo, with an emphasis on drones, a hint of girl-group harmonies, and a sense of whimsy reminiscent of Sparks. (Sun, Apr 14)

Also of note:

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.

Hudson Valley-based Pocket Merchant brings its blend of jazz fusion and funk grooves to the Foundry in West Stockbridge, Mass., on Friday, April 12, at 7:30pm.

Innovative guitarist Gary Lucas brings his mix of roots, rock, jazz, classical, and avant-garde stylings to the Colony Cafe in Woodstock, N.Y., on Friday, April 12, at 7pm.

Singer-songwriter Jeffrey Gaines brings his soulful, introspective lyrics and catchy, upbeat melodies to the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Friday, April 12, at 7:30pm.

Peter Sykes plays the Roosevelt Organ at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday, April 13, at 4pm, in a program of works by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Buxtehude, presented by Berkshire Bach.

20-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Pat Metheny brings his signature style of contemporary jazz to the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in a solo concert on Saturday, April 13, at 8pm.

The Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie returns to Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, N.Y., for the second weekend of a two-weekend run, Thursday-Saturday, April 11-13.

Old Crow Medicine Show brings its blend of Americana and roots music to UPAC in Kingston, N.Y., on Sunday, April 14, at 7pm.

Hudson Valley-based world music band Rozsa brings its blend of Eastern European-based sounds to Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, N.Y., on Tuesday, April 16, at 8pm.

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