Artpark and Modern Disposal Services present Power of Niagara: A celebration of arts, nature and a sustainable future on August 21, 2021. The evening will be a celebration of the environment by some of the best talent, including a performance of Branché by Cirque Barcode & Acting for Climate Montréal, the world premiere of The Power of Niagara by Jon Lehrer Dance Company, performances by Buffalo String Works, and a performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), conducted by JoAnn Falletta. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children, and are available at the Artpark Box Office (Mon-Fri, 10AM-4PM) and ticketmaster.com. A VIP package is also available for $150, including reserved seating for BPO and Buffalo String Works and an after-party reception with JoAnn Falletta. This program is supported by Regional Economic Development Council. Also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Admissions proceeds will support Buffalo String Works and Artpark's Sustainability Program. For details, visit https://www.artpark.net/events/power-of-niagara.
On this special day, Artpark & Company and Modern Corporation are announcing a joint commitment toward making Artpark a more sustainable place for nature, art and performance. Join us in celebrating the energy savings achieved through sustainable lighting replacements. With an understanding of the impacts of our decisions on the environment, we endeavor to transform our practices to be the best partners along with artists and park visitors to pass on a thriving and sustainable Artpark to the next generation.
BRANCHÉ by Cirque Barcode & Acting for Climate Montréal
5:30pm-6:30pm, Emerald Grove Stage
Performed in the natural setting of Artpark's Emerald Grove Branché is a collaboration between the companies Cirque Barcode & Acting for Climate Montréal. It is a show to address the climate crisis, created in a way as to have minimal impact during creation and while touring. Designed to be played in parks or forests and centered on group acrobatics, Branché is a celebration of the strength of community and our relationships to each other and to nature. It is a show to get people outside and inspire them as to what is possible if we work together.
THE POWER OF NIAGARA by JON LEHRER DANCE COMPANY
7:00pm-8:00pm, "Niagara 1979" Painted Lot
World premiere of The Power of Niagara, a piece inspired by the Niagara region with music that evokes the strength and beauty of water. The internationally renowned Jon Lehrer Dance Company (JLDC) will bring edge-of-your seat excitement to Artpark. This breathtaking performance will inspire and entertain, speaking to audiences of all backgrounds and dance experience. The company toured Europe in 2018 and will return in 2022. Galerie Ortenau in Offenburg, Germany declares, "Dynamic, Powerful, Elegant – brings an absolute passion for the dance."
BUFFALO STRING WORKS
8:00pm-8:15pm, Artpark Amphitheater
Buffalo String Works' mission is to deliver world class music education to diverse youth that inspires personal and community transformation. We provide rigorous music instruction and a creative home for 96 refugee, immigrant, and historically marginalized youth. They recognize the significance of music as a universal language, and by lifting up the voices of their students and parents, they cultivate youth to be agents of social change.
BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA conducted by JOANN FALLETTA
8:20pm-9:20pm, Artpark Amphitheater
JoAnn Falletta's only live performance in the area this season with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate the nurturing power of connection with the environment we are born into and are responsible for sustaining: Chris Rogerson's Among Mountains, Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral."
Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test are not required for this event. Patrons will just be required to maintain social distance and wear a mask if they are not fully vaccinated. The Artpark summer season runs through September 15, 2021. Visit https://www.artpark.net/ for a current schedule. Supported by Modern Corporation, now leading Artpark's commitment to lowering environmental impact in the park and beyond. Artpark's 2021 season is supported by M&T Bank and Cullen Foundation.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. provides a resident, professional, major symphony orchestra of artistic excellence and integrity to enrich the quality of life in Western New York through the presentation of live symphonic music and other musical events which educate and entertain the broadest possible audiences within and beyond the Western New York region.
About Buffalo String Works
For their students especially, many of whom hail from all over the world, the universal language of music can be a lifeline. They aim to cultivate a positive space that supports our students' development into curious, confident, committed individuals who make a difference in their new home: exemplary musicians who are also exemplary citizens. Through their intensive and thoughtful programming both in the classroom and on stage, they seek to transform our audiences, neighborhoods, and the Western New York community. They strive to foster greater compassion and understanding across the city, offering a sense of belonging to new Americans and those who have long called Buffalo home.
Barcode started working together in 2011 when Tristan, Alexandra and Eric met at the National Circus School of Montreal. They toured together for three years with The 7 Fingers as original cast members on the show Sequence 8, thrilling audiences around the world. Soon after they were joined by Eve Bigel, a talented hand to hand flyer from France. Together their careers have produced a string of highlights including a gold medal at SolyCirco festival for Alexandra's hoop act, a bronze medal at the Cirque de Demain festival for both Eric's cigar box juggling and Tristan and Eve's hand to hand acts, and a silver medal for the trio's Russian Bar act, as well as the Audience Choice award. They have performed on France's Got Talent, It's Showtime, and multiple times on Le Plus Grande Cabaret du Monde. In 2019, the team's passion and creative spirit pushed them to co-found, with Sophie Picard, Cirque Barcode. The four artists are at once co-founders, co-artistic directors and artists onstage, with Sophie as co-founder and General Manager of the company. Barcode's first original theatrical show, Sweat & Ink premiered in 2019. Their second show, Branché, a collaboration with the group Acting for Climate, works to realize their goal of more sustainable touring and use their circus to draw attention to the climate crisis.
ARTPARK is a park and a cultural institution located in Lewiston, NY along the Niagara Gorge, USA. Established in 1974, Artpark is a collaboration between the New York State Parks and the cultural nonprofit institution Artpark & Company. The picturesque 150 acre performing and visual arts park is located along the historic Niagara River Gorge on land rich in Native American, pioneer and early American history. Approximately 12,000 years ago the majestic Niagara Falls began to work its way upriver from this site to its current location. Artpark's Mainstage theater opened in July of 1974 on land that was once the Lower Landing of the nine mile Niagara Portage that skirted the unnavigable Gorge and Falls. Designated as a National Historic Landmark (in 1998), Artpark includes several archeological sites, including a Hopewell Mound from one of the earliest Native American mound building cultures and the remnants of the much more recent Oak Hill Mansion. Artpark is a National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat, & National Audubon Society birding site (along the Niagara River Corridor), Artpark is also a popular destination for hiking, picnics, and fishing. As a cultural institution, Artpark attracts over 150,000 audiences over the course of its' summer season (June-August) and serves a population of approximately 1.2 million Western New Yorkers and over 1 million Canadian residents. Over the course of it 40-year history, over 2.5 million persons have attended musical and theater performances at Artpark. In addition to being widely regarded as one of the top rock music Amphitheater stages, under the artistic leadership of President Sonia Kozlova Clark, Artpark has presented a increasingly diverse program including major North American premiers by companies like the Plasticiens Volants (France) with their unique giant inflatable puppetry; the Brazilian modern dance sensation Bale de Rua mixing the traditions of capoeira and B-boy; music acts varying from Boy George to George Clinton and Thievery Corporation; the Native-American DJ duo A Tribe Called Red and Ukranian folk-punk band DakhaBrakha. A new Strawberry Moon Festival has been established in 2019 to celebrate the global influence of the indigenous arts. In 2016 Artpark has developed a unique Artpark Percussion Garden, a new place for sound and nature explorations with interactive installations created by collaboration of visual artists and musicians. Same year we launched a long-term initiative Artpark Laboratory under curatorship of Mary Miss and her City as Living Laboratory, focusing on the exploration of intersections of art, nature, science and technologies and creating awareness on the global climate change crisis. For more information, visit artpark.net.
