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Swiss-born and NYC based guitarist, singer and songwriter Eliane Amherd has made a career out of touring the world, literally and stylistically: Jazz, Funk grooves, Latin and Brazilian rhythms inform Eliane’s stylish, sophisticated retro - pop sound. In LA DÉGUSTATION, her inspirations remain international, but as a songwriter, she turns her lens to her home soil: the complex and diverse “terroirs” of the canton Valais in Switzerland, where wine is business, culture, science, and (nearly) religion. Each of La Dégustation’s tracks is named for a wine produced in her home region. Intoxicating and socially unifying, wine provides the focus for Eliane’s witty explorations of culture, gender, love, politics, history and art. She now presents her NYC album release concert at CITY VINEYARD, the perfect venue for this musical wine tasting. Eliane has performed in New York’s premiere clubs and tours in North- and South America, Canada, Europe and Asia, where she appeared in international Festivals in China, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal and Mongolia. Brazilian bassist Amanda Ruzza (Amy Lee, Leni Stern) and the Grammy award winning drummer Rosa Avila (Andy Williams, Petula Clark ) from Mexico complete Eliane’s power Trio, whose chemistry and astonishing musical range are on display throughout the album and in any live concert setting. “Amherd's music is fun, funky, sassy and cool and deserving of much wider recognition. A mix of soul and funk, aided and abetted by some Latin and Afro beats. At times both Curtis Mayfield and Gil Scott-Heron spring to mind.” - All About Jazz

Eliane Amherd - vocals and guitar/ Amanda Ruzza - bass / Rosa Avila - drums. LA DÉGUSTATION - A MUSICAL WINE TASTING Swiss-born and New York-based guitarist, singer and songwriter/composer Eliane Amherd has made a career out of touring the world, literally and stylistically: Jazz, Funk grooves, Latin and Brazilian rhythms inform Eliane’s stylish, sophisticated global retro - pop sound. In La Dégustation, her inspirations remain international, but as a songwriter, she turns her lens to her home soil: the complex and diverse “terroirs” of the canton Valais in Switzerland, where wine is business, culture, science, and (nearly) religion. Each of La Dégustation’s tracks is named for a wine produced in her home region. Intoxicating and socially unifying, wine provides the focus for Eliane’s witty explorations of culture, gender, love, politics, history and art. As much a linguistic polyglot as musical, Eliane sings La Dégustation in French, English, and Walliser Titsch, her native dialect. Brazilian bassist Amanda Ruzza (Amy Lee, Leni Stern) and the grammy award winning drummer Rosa Avila (Andy Williams) from Mexico complete Eliane’s power Trio, whose chemistry and astonishing musical range are on display throughout the album and in every live concert setting.

For more information, please visit - https://www.soapboxgallery.org/events/yayoi-ikawa-piano-mondays

Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The musical genius of Jimi Hendrix is recreated on stage by Jimy Bleu, the longest-running - and considered the most authentic - Jimi Hendrix tribute artist since 1968, joined by Moby Medina on bass guitar, Ted Edwards on drums.

“Personalism: the Theology of MLK” with Rev. Dr. David Breeden and "Spoken Word Poetry Capturing the Life and Thoughts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, with Poet and Activist Christopher D. Sims. This social justice team will capture who Dr. King was and still is by diving deep into his theology and his thought process. Listeners and onlookers will be taken on a ride allowing a full scope of the man, the prophet, the icon with words, and jazz music.

In January, Jazz Power Initiative (JPI) welcomes Cocomama in performance, with Jennifer Vincent, bass, Mayra Casales, percussion, Nicki Denner, piano, Ariacne Trujillo, voice, Reut Regev, trombone and Rafael Monteagudo, drums, and hosted by Jazz Power Initiative’s Managing and Artistic Director Eli Yamin. Presented at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, our INTERGENERATIONAL JAZZ POWER JAM series continues live on Sunday, January 16, 2022. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, audience attendance at the museum is very limited; for more information, please contact us at: info@jazzpower.org. Our January Intergenerational Jazz premieres online for virtual audiences on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at 2pm. Sign up to tune in through Facebook and YouTube at: jazzpower.org/powerjam. A virtual United Nations of women, members of Cocomama hail from around the globe gathering their influences from far and wide. Latin jazz, salsa, soul, Afro-Cuban and R&B, Afro-Cuban are among the items on the menu whenever they hit the stage creating a sound that is all at once fierce and beautiful! Celebrating their new album “Woman’s World,” the music strives to uplift and empower as evidenced by the lyrics of their song “Quiero” which states, “Follow your heart; find your passion, open your mind for destiny is in your hands.” “I am super excited to be able to bring Cocomama, a band that I co-lead with pianist Nicki Denner and percussionist Mayra Casales, to the Jazz Museum through Jazz Power Initiative!!! Although Cocomama orients itself around Cuban and other South American & Caribbean influences, Nicki and Mayra and I all have roots firmly planted in jazz. We are honored to be able to present a performance that will heavily emphasize our jazzier side.” Jennifer Vincent, bassist and co-leader, Cocomama. INTERGENERATIONAL JAZZ POWER JAM is presented by The National Jazz Museum in Harlem and produced by Jazz Power Initiative, a Northern Manhattan community arts non-profit organization for jazz music education and performance. We thank all of our supporters: The New York State Council for the Arts; The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; the New York City Council; The Miranda Family Fund, and our individual donors. The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is a museum dedicated to preservation and celebration of the jazz history of Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. Their vision is to make jazz accessible to everyone on the planet. They are a living, evolving museum for the people, center for jazz and a place in Harlem where visitors gather to enjoy history and music, and where artists come to play, rehearse, create or drop-in, even when no one else is there, just to be in the space that so many others have passed through.

For more information, please visit - https://www.soapboxgallery.org/events/glenn-zaleski-piano-mondays

Ambrose Akinmusire Saturday, January 22, 2022, 8 pm Vermont Jazz Center 72 Cotton Mill Hill #222 Brattleboro VT 05301 This concert will have ONLY a limited in-person audience.  There will NO livestream component. Akinmusire is a multiyear winner of Downbeat’s critics’ choice awards for Trumpeter of the Year (including 2021) and Jazz Artist of the Year. A visionary artist with six albums as a leader, he is a first call sideman found on recordings with Joni Mitchell, Brad Mehldau, Kendrick Lamar and many others. Ambrose Akinmusire is a truth-teller whose music is an expression of his personal journey as a Black man. Although he loves playing jazz standards, he has chosen to compose original music that draws attention to the realities of racism. It’s important to me to talk about the injustices that Black people experience, and the fear that I have walking around the United States and really a lot of places in the world. And that is why I called this last album a blues album – it’s trying to express beauty and pain at the same time, trying to express what is to me the most defining part: resilience. And that’s what all my records are trying to express.” Akinmusire’s sound on the trumpet is unlike anyone else’s. He masterfully bends notes up and down to make the air coming out of his horn sound like the melismas of a human voice. Along with the timbre of the voice, Akinmusire explores sonic possibilities such as unique forms, atypical instrumentation, extended techniques and varied textures. Akinmusire’s most recent album, his fifth for Blue Note Records, On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment, has been nominated as Best Jazz Instrumental Album for the 2021 Grammy Awards. The list of his accolades include Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition Winner, Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Solo Competition Winner; Downbeat Critics Poll: Jazz Artist of the Year, Best Trumpet (numerous times); Jazz Times Critic’s Poll: Trumpeter of the Year (3 times), Artist of the Year, Record of the Year; New York Times Best Jazz Album of the year (2011), Jazz Journalist Association Trumpeter of the Year and others too numerous to mention. His discography includes 6 albums as a leader and sideman work with Kendrick Lamar, Joni Mitchell, Joel Ross, Brad Mehldau, the Blue Note All-Stars, Mary Halvorson, Jen Shyu, Somi, Marcus Miller, Dayna Stephens, Trilok Gurtu, Gerald Clayton, the Yellow Jackets, Jack DeJohnette, Archie Shepp, David Binney, Terri Lyne Carrington, Roy Hargrove, Mimi Jones, Esperanza Spalding, Linda May Han Oh, Tom Harrell and many others. Akinmusire is one of the most acclaimed jazz artists of his generation, a trumpeter of deep expressive resources and a composer of kaleidoscopic vision. —NPR Ambrose Akinmusire - trumpet Micah Thomas - piano Linda Oh - bass Tim Angulo - drums Sponsored by a Friend of the Vermont Jazz Center educational programs. $20-40 sliding scale Reservations online & by phone Proof of Covid-19 vaccination and photo ID required. www.vtjazz.org gingervjc@gmail.com 802 258 9088 https://vtjazz.org/upcoming-events/concerts/ https://vtjazz.org/upcoming-events/sliding-scale-ticket-policy/ https://vtjazz.org/2021-safety-protocols-for-in-person-activities/

Opera Saratoga announces a return to large scale performances this summer with a new Festival model that embraces partnerships with multiple venues across the region, including Proctors in Schenectady; The Egg in Albany; The Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs; The Round Lake Auditorium in Round Lake Village; The Barn at French Mountain in Lake George Village; and The Mansion Inn in Rock City Falls. At the heart of the 2022 Summer Festival will be performances of Rossini's bel canto comedy The Barber of Seville on Proctors MainStage, as well as his exquisite Petite Messe Solennelle at The Round Lake Auditorium; the deeply moving Sky on Swings by Lembit Beecher and Hannah Moscovitch at The Egg, which explores the journey of two women living with Alzheimer's disease; and Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, Sweeney Todd, on the Amphitheater Stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  Additional events will include A Broadway Cabaret at The Mansion Inn; A Juneteenth Celebration at Proctors' GE Theater; and a series of master classes featuring members of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program, to be announced. In addition, the 2022 Opera Gala will take place on Sunday June 5th at The Barn at French Mountain, in Lake George Village. Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson explains that, "while our decision to expand our geographic footprint this summer was catalyzed by the need for renovations at The Spa Little Theater, where we have been performing since 1998, it has also been inspired by our increased activity across the region throughout the year. Our education programs now serve over 20,000 children across 7 counties in the Capital and Lower Adirondack region, and our new music therapy program is similarly structured to enhance the lives of those living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by bringing interactive therapeutic programs directly to them. We began asking, with so many remarkable theaters in our region, might we be able to better serve our mission by reconceiving our Summer Festival in a way that doesn't limit us to a single venue? While we remain committed to producing in Saratoga Springs, as the opera company of the Capital Region, our goal is to provide access to our Summer Festival programming in the same way we are able to do with our year-round programs. We are incredibly excited by the opportunities of this expanded Festival model, and grateful for the opportunity to partner with so many like-minded organizations across the region to make it possible." Tickets for the 2022 Summer Festival will be available through Festival Passes and Single Tickets. Festival Passes, which provide a 20% discount on single ticket prices and priority seating for all productions and events, will be available beginning February 1st. Single Tickets will go on sale March 15th. Audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for all performances, and masks will be required based on prevailing conditions at the time of the Festival. All policies may be adjusted in response to changing conditions, and based on the specific requirements of each venue. Additional details about ticketing and safety policies may be found at www.operasaratoga.org  Opera Saratoga's 2022 Summer Festival is made possible in part with support the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.  PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE June 2 and June 3 @ 7:30pm Presented by Opera Saratoga in partnership with The Round Lake Auditorium Music by Gioachino Rossini Rossini is remembered primarily for his extraordinary contribution to the Italian operatic repertoire, but he also wrote important pieces of sacred music that are notable, among other things, for their overtly operatic style. The Petite Messe Solennelle, written near the end of Rossini's life, is scored for four soloists and a chamber chorus, with harmonium and piano accompaniment. It was not heard in public until 1869, the year after his death. The work's title is misleading, since the Petite Messe Solennelle is neither petite nor particularly solemn. The music ranges from hushed intensity to boisterous high spirits, and the memorable tunes and rhythmic vitality for which Rossini became justly famous are abundant throughout the work. Festival Artists from Opera Saratoga's nationally acclaimed Young Artist Program will be featured in these special performances, conducted by Laurie Rogers, at the Round Lake Auditorium. The centerpiece of the Auditorium is the historic, 1,900–pipe Ferris Tracker organ. Built in 1847, what was the second largest organ in New York City is now the oldest, largest and unaltered organ of its kind in the United States. In place of the traditionally used harmonium – a smaller scale pump organ – Opera Saratoga's performances of the Petite Messe Solennelle will feature the extraordinary Ferris Tracker organ, making these concerts a truly unique and not-to-be missed occasion.  Two performances are scheduled at The Round Lake Auditorium in Round Lake Village, on Thursday, June 2nd and Friday, June 3rd at 7:30pm. A BROADWAY CABARET June 12 @ 2pm and 7pm Presented by Opera Saratoga in partnership with The Mansion Inn Opera Saratoga returns to The Mansion Inn for A Broadway Cabaret, featuring musical theater favorites from the 1920s to present day. Under the musical direction of Broadway conductor Laura Bergquist, the program will also include a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, who passed away at the age of 91 in December. The Mansion Inn features cabaret style table seating, with a delicious menu of Broadway inspired bistro food and drink available for purchase from Cordon Bleu trained Executive Chef Rick Bieber.   Two performances are scheduled at The Mansion Inn in Rock City Falls on Sunday, June 12th, at 2pm and 7pm. A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WITH SIDNEY OUTLAW JUNE 19 @ 2:30pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with Proctors  Opera Saratoga's second annual Juneteenth concert features baritone Sidney Outlaw, who makes his opera debut with the company later in the season as Figaro in The Barber of Seville. Sidney was the Grand Prize winner of the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballé in 2010 and continues to delight audiences in the U.S. and abroad with his rich and versatile baritone and engaging stage presence. His recital debut with Opera Saratoga on Juneteenth will celebrate the legacy of Black composers and writers in American song, with a program including works by Langston Hughes, Robert Owens, Claude McKay, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Frederick Douglass, and Harry T. Burleigh. One performance is scheduled in the GE Theater at Proctors in Schenectady, on Sunday, June 19th, at 2:30pm. SWEENEY TODD - THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET A MUSICAL THRILLER JUNE 29 and JUNE 30 @ 7:30pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler From an adaptation by Christopher Bond Originally Directed On Broadway by Harold Prince Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in Association with Dean and Judy Manos Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was first produced in 1979 on Broadway where it won eight Tony awards including Best Musical. Widely acknowledged as Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, Sweeney Todd tells a dark tale of vengeance and murder, leavened with ghoulish humor, in Victorian London. Returning after being wrongly imprisoned, Sweeney vows revenge on the Judge who incarcerated him, and finds an unlikely ally in Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a struggling meat pie shop who finds a good use for Sweeney's victims.  Three-time Tony nominee and Drama Desk Award Winner Carolee Carmello takes the stage as Mrs. Lovett in her debut with Opera Saratoga, alongside internationally acclaimed bass baritone Craig Colclough, who was last seen with the company in the title role of Falstaff, making his role debut as the Sweeney Todd. Laura Bergquist, who made her Opera Saratoga debut leading the company's critically acclaimed production of Man of La Mancha last summer, will conduct the staged concert performances. Two performances are scheduled on the Amphitheater Stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, June 29th and Thursday, June 30th at 7:30pm.  ABOUT THE SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America's most prestigious summer festivals. Its tranquil setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws vacation crowds and arts connoisseurs each year for immersive experiences of performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, Opera Saratoga, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC's Amphitheater main stage has a 25,000 person capacity, with sheltered seats for 5,200 people and a sloping lawn that can accommodate an additional 20,000 people.  SWEENEY TODD is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). All performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com  SKY ON SWINGS JULY 7 @ 7:30pm and JULY 9 @ 2pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with The Egg Music by Lembit Beecher Libretto by Hannah Moscovitch  Sky on Swings, which received its critically acclaimed premiere at Opera Philadelphia in 2018, is a riveting musical and theatrical exploration of what it feels like to live with Alzheimer's Disease, as seen through the eyes of two women at different stages in the progression of dementia: Martha, who is far gone in the disease; and Danny, who knows what is happening to her and is in frantic denial.   Two of the country's most distinguished, internationally acclaimed artists, mezzo sopranos Susanne Mentzer and Marietta Simpson, make their Opera Saratoga debuts in the roles of Danny and Martha in this new production, directed by Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson and conducted by rising star Emily Senturia. The production will feature scenic design by Julia Noulin-Mérat and costume design by Whitney Locher, and has been made possible in part by support from OPERA America's Next Stage program, supported by Gene Kaufman, Terry Eder-Kaufman, and New Vision for Opera, with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  Two performances are scheduled in The Hart Theater at The Egg in Albany on Thursday, July 7th at 7:30pm, and Saturday, June 9th at 2pm. Sung in English with English supertitles. ABOUT THE EGG: The construction of The Egg began in 1966 and was completed twelve years later in 1978. The Egg was designed by Wallace Harrison for the people of New York State, and is without precedent architecturally. From a distance it seems as much a sculpture as a building. Though it appears to sit on the main platform, the stem that holds The Egg actually goes down through six stories deep into the Earth. The Egg houses two theaters – the Lewis A. Swyer Theatre and the Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre, where Opera Saratoga will present Sky on Swings. The building's curved exterior defines the interior statement as well. There are virtually no straight lines or harsh corners inside The Egg. Instead, walls along the edge curve upward to meet gently concave ceiling light for celestial effect. The backs of performing areas are fanned – inviting one inward – providing an intimacy impossible in a conventional theatre. And throughout, walls of Swiss pearwood add warmth and enhance the acoustics in the theaters. THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA JULY 8 @ 7:30pm and JULY 10 @ 2pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with Proctors Music by Gioachino Rossini Libretto by Cesare Sterbini Based on the play by Pierre Beaumarchais The Barber of Seville is the hilarious story of a love triangle involving Dr. Bartolo, Count Almaviva, and the charming Rosina. Figaro — the local barber who, in fact, does much more than cut hair — is the ultimate "wingman" for Count Almaviva, creating elaborate schemes, aliases, and disguises to help him fool Dr. Bartolo and get the girl. Rossini's madcap comedy is one of the most popular operas in the world, and is guaranteed to send you out laughing and humming! Baritone Sidney Outlaw makes his Opera Saratoga debut as the beloved barber Figaro, alongside tenor Brian Yeakley– a distinguished alumnus of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program – as Count Almaviva, and South African mezzo soprano Siphokaze Molteno in her role debut as Rosina. Dean Williamson conducts the production directed by Eve Summer, another remarkable alumna of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program. Two performances are scheduled at Proctors on Friday, July 8th at 7:30pm, and Sunday, July 10th at 2pm. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. ABOUT PROCTORS: Built in 1926 by F. F. Proctor, the "Dean of Vaudeville," Proctors on State Street in Schenectady was a popular theatre that used a method of continuous performance to draw huge crowds and numerous famous vaudevillians of that era. In 1930, Proctors hosted the first public demonstration of television with the help of General Electric. However, the arrival of this exciting invention and the onset of the Great Depression led to the decline of the theatre. After changing hands multiple times and almost being torn down in the 1970s, a group of concerned citizens banded together to save Proctors. With federal and city funds, ACT was able to restore Proctors and re-open in 1979. Since then, Proctors has proven its value to the community and gained momentum, becoming the motivating factor for the revitalization of Schenectady's downtown area. Over the past decade, Proctors has expanded and made numerous renovations, which have made it possible to accommodate large Broadway productions, full scale operas, giant screen films, local performers, and ever-growing audiences from around the country. ABOUT OPERA SARATOGA Opera Saratoga, formerly known as Lake George Opera, began with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962, playing to an audience of 230. The Company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people annually. Opera Saratoga serves the communities of Saratoga Springs, the Lower Adirondack and New York State Capital areas by providing access to world-class opera through the production of an annual Summer Festival, as well as year-round activities including extensive educational programs, therapeutic music programs, mentorship of emerging operatic artists, and unique opportunities for the public to experience opera in both theaters and non-traditional venues that leverage and embrace the unique cultural, historic, and natural resources of the area. To date, the company has performed 106 different fully staged works by 66 different composers, including 42 works by American composers and 14 premiere productions. In 2014, the Board of Directors appointed Lawrence Edelson Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director. Edelson's leadership has marked a new chapter in the company's history, with increased emphasis on community partnerships throughout the year, diversification of the company's repertoire, and a reaffirmed commitment to both the presentation of American opera and the mentorship of emerging artists as core activities in the company's programs each season. For more information, visit www.operasaratoga.org

America’s Got Talent Champion Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti., Live at the Brook Arts Center on Friday, February 18, 2022. Valentinetti is a crooner from Long Island, New York, whose early influence was his Italian American grandmother’s love of the classic crooner sounds of Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra. In 2016, America's Got Talent was taken by storm by Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti. Sal not only received a standing ovation from the audience but was awarded the coveted “Golden Buzzer”, he was a top-five finalist since AGT, he tours the country and sells out venues of all sizes – from intimate jazz clubs to the legendary Madison Square Garden. He continues to win over the hearts of fans through his emotional and comical storytelling-style performances. Sal Valentinetti released his first debut EP - The Voice and an original holiday single, “When Christmas Comes to Town” in 2017. He will be releasing more original music later this year. Join his over 220,000+ fans on social media by following Sal (@salthevoice. Tickets at www.brookarts.org or 732-469-7700. Early Bird discount for the holiday season - tickets $40, offer expires January 2. All seats are reserved socially distanced. Concessions, Bar and Free Parking are available. The Brook Arts Center is in Bound Brook, NJ, one block from the Bound Brook Train station and a few short miles from Rt 22, 287, and 78.