This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. We’re delighted to share a book written by Julie Cerny’s, former Education Director and Manager of The Sylvia Center’s Learning garden. Although we strive to honor our planet every day, Earth Day is a great time to refocus and realign and perhaps even pick up new habits that will yield results and honor Mother Earth all year!
Staying home may make it a little more challenging to celebrate Earth Day this year. Remember though, that one of the best ways to engage with nature is to eat it! Food GROWS. Food is nature and we can be a part of growing it (even if all we have is a sunny windowsill). I wrote The Little Gardener: Helping Children Connect with the Natural World as an engaging illustrated guide for parents, educators, and others who want to help children explore the natural world through gardening. When we grow food, it’s easier to see ourselves as a part of natural systems and to experience first-hand how our choices affect the Earth, for better or for worse.
And remember, too, that a garden can live in a bucket, in a backyard, or in that small strip of earth between the road and the sidewalk. Grow wherever you can. It will be worthwhile.
Q&A With Julie Cerny
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Jon Ronsani, our farmer at Katchkie Farm, has provided his tips for celebrating Earth Day with an activity that will yield results and honor Mother Earth all year!
Starting Your Own CITY Garden
A great way for city folks to celebrate Earth Day is to get a garden going, either in raised beds or in containers. We must not forget how strong an ever-present nature is. A few seeds, some soil and water and something is growing!
EASY PLANTS FOR STARTER GARDENS
The most container friendly plants are herbs. Basil, cilantro, and dill are very easy to start from seed and will get growing in no time. If you have access to raised beds, radish, spinach, beets, and lettuce can be directly sown in the garden this week.
GET YOUR KIDS INVOLVED IN GARDENING
Get the kids to help! In the days of an agrarian based economy, kids were viewed as an economic asset to the family. Make it so again, if only for an hour. Gardening is such a wonderful experience for them. Digging in the dirt, planting seeds, watering, and tending plants is a very wonder filled experience for them. Then when they get to harvest, eat and share what they have worked on, it is a lesson they will never forget.
GARDENING RESOURCES
As for resources. Fruition Seeds is wonderful resource for gardening know how as well as seeds. During my days in Copake, I was able to meet master gardener Margaret Roach, who also hosts a gardening pod cast “A Way to Garden.” She is wealth of gardening knowledge. Don’t be shy, mistakes will be made and fun will be had!
The Columbia Land Conservancy
Katchkie Farm is in Columbia County in a community that is passionate about protecting the land. We are proud to support the work of the Columbia Land Conservancy.
Check out the video below for a special message from the Columbia Land Conservancy and visit their website for some great digital resources they have created to celebrate Earth Week. Don’t forget to show your support.
Each year in April, we put our mind to what we can share with you for Earth Day. Not because it’s the only day we should think about it, but because it’s an annual reminder to realign and refocus our efforts. As with all things that become habitual, an annual marker to really stop and reflect can be incredibly helpful.
So this year, as we mark our annual celebration of Earth Day, take a moment to reflect on what you’re already doing and perhaps find a new, tangible and actionable way to to improve your relationship with Mother Nature and honor and respect the planet.
Check out what our amazing and creative team members at Great Performances are doing!
Mike Deuel, Executive Chef of Catering Operations & Anastassia Batsoula-Deuel, Party Chef
Image credit: Anastassia Batsoula-Deuel
We’ve been busy processing some of the leftovers from the GP kitchen that didn’t have an outlet elsewhere for various reasons. Anastassia and Natalia, Anastassia’s mother and fellow party chef with Great Performances, have been busy turning the leftovers into creative meals. When we come up with something delicious, we’ve been sharing with our neighbors.
This weekend we organized seeds, planted garlic and beans, watered our tomato plants. We are planting everything! Different sorts and varieties of herbs; flowers for bees, insects and birds; and so many different vegetables: beans, beets, peas, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, hot & sweet peppers, variety of leafy greens, celery, onions, garlic, artichokes, horseradish, rhubarb, ginger, turmeric and scallions to name a few.
We’re eagerly hoping our fruit trees and shrubs will produce this year. We have five varieties of plums, three varieties of apples, two varieties of peaches, and two different cherry trees, as well as a fig bush that is starting to show mini figs.
Anastassia and Natalia have also been busy making sourdough EVERYTHING, including delicious sourdough English muffins, and sharing with the neighbors as well. The only thing Mike will not let them share is the wine I’ve made; I need that to enjoy while reflecting on the day’s work.
Kaitlin Walsh, Director of Design
While I’ve been staying at home, I’ve had some extra time for projects. Here are some of the things I have been doing.
1. Vegetable scraps. I’m saving all scraps from my veggies and use them to make stock. I’ve already made two homemade stocks which I then make into soup or freeze in ice cube trays.
2. Herbs that may spoil. I’ll either put them in ice cube trays and top with olive oil or cook at a low heat in the oven and make into dried herbs (if you don’t have a dehydrator).
3. Saving the ends of green onions, chives, leeks. I’ll keep the root ends in water until they roots, then replant them. It’s a practice I learned from my mom and one that’s “trending” right now. I have them in a bunch of shot glasses in the kitchen window.
4. Craft packages. I’ve been finding odds and ends around the house and putting them in little kits which I then send to my nephew. It can be as easy as pipe cleaners, pop sickle sticks, clothes pins, pom poms, cotton balls, and labels.
5. Pressing flowers. It’s a craft I’ve been practicing for years as I’m fortunate to have access to flowers. These can then be used on various crafts including cards, jewelry, etc.
I’ve been very conscious about saving scraps and “thoughtfully” cooking to get the most out of every vegetable and cut of meat. It’s interesting because it’s the way my grandparents were raised through the Great Depression. Everything was recycled or repurposed. If food scraps weren’t used for a stock, they were used to feed the worms, that were used to catch fish. It was endless.
Justin Schwartz, Executive Chef, Production
Because we are stuck at home we have spent a lot of time rethinking our space. We live in carrol gardens, and our apartment building had a front garden that was just sitting there waiting to be claimed. I called my landlord and asked to take over the front garden and they were thrilled to give over its care to us.
I dug up all the plants (which we of course composted) with my son (who had a cute little red shovel) and turned it into a lesson about ecosystems, plant roots, soil you name it! Hes really enjoyed being a part of the process and seeing the grass seed we planted together germinate and grow has really put a silver lining on social distancing.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Since we can’t gather outdoors to celebrate Mother Earth, let’s turn to our indoor gardens.
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👉Log into Instagram and show us your selfies with your indoor plants and we’ll select a winner who will receive seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library and a day at Wave Hill with lunch or afternoon tea for two at the Café at Wave Hill once it reopens (valued at $150).
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1. Take a selfie with your indoor garden / house plants
2. Post it to your Instagram account and tag @gpfood @wavehill and use the hashtag #earthdaycontest by noon EST on 4/21/2020
3. Tag a friend
4. Follow @GPFood and @wavehill
5. Check back on 4/22/2020 to see who’s won! Good luck! 🍀
At Great Performances, we embrace creativity and continue to look outside our walls to find inspiration from our friends and partners. We regularly invite innovators, creatives, business leaders, chefs and others to contribute their expertise to us and to our blog.
We’ve invited Kathryn P. Haydon, an expert in creativity, founder of Sparkitivity, and author of several books including The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative, No Matter Where You Work, to guest author a blog post for us. Ms. Haydon shares how we can take steps to continue moving forward even in these challenging times.
CREATING POSSIBILITY IN TIMES OF CHANGE
In the midst of daily shifting information, it can feel as if you’re treading water in the middle of a deep lake. It might seem like you’ll never get to shore.
In The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative, No Matter Where You Work, I defined creativity as: “breaking through the inertia of no by seeking new possibilities and finding valuable solutions.”
When you find yourself in the churning and uncertain waters of change, you can use the science of creativity as you would use water skis—to lift you atop the current, master the changing conditions, and keep moving forward. Here’s a cheat sheet on how to do it.
Set A Vision
The first step is to establish a vision. A vision gives you a horizon point toward which to move. It sparks feelings of hope and possibility.
Let’s go back to that churning lake. You are scared, you are cold, and you are tired of treading water. Ask yourself, What would be great?
It would be great if . . . I were standing on the shore outside of this lake.
Right now, in your current circumstances, what would be great?
What do you wish?
What is your ideal present condition?
Paint a vision with words:
It would be great if . . .
Turn Problems Into Possibilities
You have a vision; you see yourself standing on the shore of the lake rather than treading water within it. But presently, you are still stuck in the lake.
Turn that problem into a question that invites the new thinking necessary to create possibilities. Start your question with these six magic words: What might be all the ways . . . ?
I am stuck in the lake. => What might be all the ways to get out of this lake?
Even better, form your question to reach for your vision:
What might be all the ways to reach the shore of this lake?
See how merely asking the question in this way loosens the problem’s foothold? It opens the door to possibility!
Try it yourself. What problem are you facing that is keeping you from the vision you stated above? Turn it into a possibility question. Begin with:
What might be all the ways . . . ?
Suspend Judgment
Once you have posed your possibility question, it’s essential to be open to any and all possibilities that arise as you answer it. Silence criticism and allow bad ideas, good ideas, and crazy ideas all to surface.
As Alex Osborn, the inventor of brainstorming, said, “It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one.” The toning down and refining will be done in the next step, but for now, keep dreaming up new possibilities.
How many ideas are enough? Sometimes you’ll want to set a timer and think up as many as possible in 5 or 10 minutes. Other times, you’ll aim for 15 ideas or for 100. It depends upon the nature of the challenge and how original you need to be to solve it.
Choose Your Idea And Make It Better
Once your bucket is filled with possibilities, it is time to look through it and consider which have the most potential. Take a clear look at your constraints and your criteria for success.
Don’t be afraid to consider working with an idea that appears impossible at first blush. Don’t be afraid to consider the crazy.
Don’t be afraid to try something that scares you just a little.
The process described above is tried and true. It is universally applicable to sticky problems at work or at home. Try it, and see what’s possible.
New York is an incredible center for music, art and culture. Typically, we have easy access to museums, musical venues, parks, zoos, and stages and other cultural centers. However, lately we’ve practice social distancing, self isolation and quarantines, which can make us feel separate, alone and disconnected. To help us all stay connected — and perhaps experience new cultural experiences — we’ve rounded up some of our favorite digital resources from across New York City.
We’ll update this list regularly, and if you have a resource to share, please email it to us.
Apollo Theater
Asia Society
Friday, 3/27: [WEBCAST] Lessons Learned: ‘Flattening the Curve’ in Korea
Thursday, 5/14: [WEBCAST ONLY] Asian in America: Questions of Identity
Tuesday, 5/19: [WEBCAST ONLY] 2020 Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia
BAM
Brooklyn Museum
Caramoor
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Full Concerts
Who Is Chick Corea? (A Jazz for Young People performance)
South African Songbook – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
The Music of Miles Davis – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Signature Theatre
Wave Hill
By Great Performances
Last month, Great Performances participated in two incredible events that celebrated women’s achievements in the arts and brought attention to women’s health. March is officially Women’s History Month, and as the month begins, we proudly take a look back at two events that paid tribute to extraordinary women.
The 17th Annual Red Dress Awards hosted by Woman’s Day honored those who have made great efforts in women’s heart health, and the 2020 Dining with the Divas Luncheon raised funds for various arts, education, and community programs there.
17TH ANNUAL RED DRESS AWARDS
February 4, 2020 At Jazz At Lincoln Center
For the 11th consecutive year, Great Performances had the privilege of working with Woman’s Day for their 17th Annual Red Dress Awards, held in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. This year’s event honored four prominent women in the wellness and medical fields for their efforts to help women take charge of their heart health: Mindy Grossman, President and Chief Executive Officer, WW International; Dr. Marilyn Gaston & Dr. Gayle Porter, co-founders & co-directors, The Gaston and Porter Health Improvement Center; and Annabelle Volgman M.D., F.A.C.C., senior attending physician at Rush Medical College and Rush University Medical Center.
Guests enjoyed breathtaking views of Columbus Circle and Central Park South while indulging in a variety of dishes served by Great Performances’ all-female staff for the occasion. The menu featured such mouthwatering items as Spicy Mango Maki Rolls, Short Rib Tostadas, Truffle Duxelle Stuffed Chicken Roulade, and Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake Lollipops.
Hosted by comedienne Michelle Collins and Woman’s Day Editor-in-Chief Susan Spencer, this year’s “red-dressed” event also included performances by Broadway star Sutton Foster and iconic band The B-52’s. Celebrities in attendance included Betsey Johnson, Joy Bauer, Star Jones, Gloria Reuben, and Dorinda Medley.
2020 DINING WITH THE DIVAS LUNCHEON
February 13, 2020 At The Apollo Theater
For the 10th year, Great Performances is proud to have catered the annual Dining with the Divas Luncheon at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. The event, themed Advancing Women’s Leadership Through Arts Education, raised almost $400,000 for the Apollo’s various arts, education, and community programs.
GP’s design team impressed again with beautiful floral arrangements and table dressings, and the culinary team delivered a delectable menu that included Spicy Thai Chicken, BBQ Short Ribs, Fall Cayuga Grains Stuffed Petite Peppers and Hudson Valley Succotash Tarts.
The empowering event was chaired by Terri Borden, Joan Haffenreffer, and Carolyn Minnick Mason, and hosted by Tony Award-winning actress Condola Rashad. Amber Imam provided a special musical performance. Opening remarks to the captive audience were made by Apollo Theater President and CEO Jonelle Procope.
Speaking at the luncheon were Nadja Bellan-White, Executive Partner and WPP Team Leader, Ogilvy; Nikole Hannah-Jones, award-winning journalist, The New York Times Magazine; and Bethann Hardison, model, agent and activist, who all spoke passionately about using their own platforms to inspire and achieve. The Apollo’s Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes thanked donors and sponsors such as Capital Markets, RBC, and Great Performances for their support.
By Great Performances
On the evening of Monday, February 24th, ten high school and college students from The Bronx presented their innovative recommendations for enhancements of the Great Performances website and for a Bronx inspired catering menu to Great Performances Founder and Chair Liz Neumark and Culinary Director Rob Valencia at The Bronx Campus of the Metropolitan College of New York.
The presentation was the culmination of the students’ 22-week participation in the groundbreaking Thinkubator program powered by The Bronx Private Industry Council (The Bronx PIC). Imported From Germany’s DO School, and only realized by The Bronx PIC so far in the U.S., Thinkubator is a consultancy-style, work-based learning program wherein students are challenged by local employers to create solutions to real-world business problems.
During this time, and under the tutelage of teacher Rishauna Zumberg, the students were able to visit Great Performances’ offices and kitchen, where they met with various teams and learned how a business with the scope and reach of Great Performances is run.
They also had the opportunity to visit Katchkie Farm, Great Performances’ organic farm in Kinderhook, New York, where they met Farmer Jon and learned about the farm and where some of our food comes from.
Back in The Bronx, the challenge presented by Great Performances to the Thinkubator innovators was how can the company integrate Bronx culture to boost competitive edge. After the site-visits and discussions with Neumark, Valencia and other members of the Great Performances team, the students offered three options, out of which two would be fully developed for presentation: a short film about GP; a website renovation, and a GP operated restaurant in The Bronx. Neumark asked them to focus on the latter two.
The students were divided into two teams to tackle the assignments and spent over a month flushing out their initial suggestions into viable thoughtfully curated recommendations.
For the GP website, they concentrated on adding new energy and points of engagement with such mechanisms as: incorporating video into different sections; including a live feed of GP’s Instagram on the home page; integrating a playlist of the music the staff listens to in GP’s commissary kitchen; and creating a signature cursor in the guise of a broccoli crown as a nod to GP’s plant-forward food philosophy.
For the restaurant, the student innovators looked to the diversity of the borough’s population which was represented on their team, and devised a pan-Latin menu they dubbed “Bronx Eats” drawing primarily on the culinary traditions of the team members’ Dominican, Honduran, Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage. In fact, each student contributed a dish with which he or she have a personal relationship. Witness the horchata that Ryan Laing once used to bribe his brothers – who had been denied any due to misbehavior – into cleaning his room. However, their mother’s homemade rendition of the Honduran beverage favorite was so delicious, Laing drank it all himself, leaving nothing for his room cleaning siblings.
After the student presentations, Neumark and Valencia each provided feedback. They were both captivated by the students’ presentations and recommendations, and pledged right-then-and-there to adopt some of them, and they envisioned the Bronx Eats menu as a new food station choice for catering clients, as that would be the most effective way to showcase this cuisine. Indeed, Neumark declared for each station sold, a donation will be made to The Bronx PIC’S parent HERE to HERE, The Bronx based nonprofit that unites employers, educators and community-based organizations to connect young people with family sustaining careers and create a thriving inclusive economy.
Her announcement met with enthusiastic applause from an audience comprised of Here to Here stakeholders, Thinkubator director Dr. Edward Summers, Bronx community advocate and President of Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC) Marlene Cintron, and the principals of Dream Yard, which collaborates with HERE to HERE to build pathways to opportunity for Bronx youth, as well as the Thinkubator students’ parents and friends.
Great Performances is proud to have worked with these creative young men and women on their projects, and Liz was thrilled to provide inspiration to such a captive, young audience. It was a two-way street, as well; she was equally as inspired by the curiosity and enthusiasm shown by the students throughout all of this.
Liz cannot stress enough how important this overall experience was as part of her vision and commitment to nurturing these crucial community relationships in Great Performances’ new home borough of The Bronx. With her new neighbors and friends here, she is wholly committed to connecting, building, and prospering together.
By Great Performances
Explore Great Music, Art and More at Our Partner Venues This Month!
Apollo Comedy Club
Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 pm
Featuring: Natasha Face, Lamarr Todd, Mickey Housley
Hosted by: Fig
Music by: DJ Qool Marv
The Apollo Comedy Club celebrates the Theater’s rich comedic roots. Presented in partnership with the legendary Bob Sumner (producer of Def Comedy Jam, creator of LaffMobb on Aspire), the Apollo Comedy Club features the best up and coming talent in comedy today. The comedy shows precedes the Theater’s weekend music series, Apollo Music Café, extending the Theater’s late night offerings. Purchase tickets.
Fabolous Cold Summer Tour
Friday, March 6 at 8:00 pm
Fabolous brings his Cold Summer Tour stop to Harlem at the Apollo Theater. He will be performing songs off the extremely well received album, Summer Shoot Out 3, as well as many other hits. The F to the A.B. Kid from Brooklyn is going to light up the stage on 125th street.
Many surprises are expected, so get your tickets while you can.
Apollo Music Cafe:
Broadway Uptown – Jason Michael Webb & Lelund Durond Thompson
Friday, March 6 at 10:00 pm
Tonight, Broadway is taking the A-train and coming uptown! Composers Jason Michael Webb and Lelund Derond Thompson (First Noel, Wildflower and Choir Boy) deliver an evening of songs and stories with friends from Broadway. Purchase tickets.
Apollo Music Cafe: Storm Marrero
Saturday, March 7 at 10:00 pm
Tonight’s forecast is warm, steamy and unpredictable as Storm Marrero takes the stage for an unforgettable night of songs. This sought-after diva plans to unleash a flood-gate of music that includes a night of Latin, pop and soul.
Storm Marrero is a proud Brooklyn native who studied voice under the tutelage of veteran opera singers at the University of Puerto Rico’s prestigious musical theater department. Storm recently completed a three-year run with New York’s premier dance company Company XIV and recognized as the first Afro-Latina Ringmaster of the Big Apple Circus. Marrero’s EP entitled Black Gypsy is available on iTunes and Amazon. Purchase tickets.
Amateur Night At The Apollo: Quarter Final
Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 pm
The winners of recent Amateur Night shows come together to show off their talent in this Quarter-Final and compete for the chance to move on to the Semi-Finals on May 13th. Contestants who make it this far can compete for the title of Grand Finale Winner and a cash prize ($5,000 in the Child Star category and $20,000 in the Adult category) on November 25th!
Aspiring musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, rappers and spoken word artists try their best to please the audiences that can make them an Apollo legend. Then get ready to cheer or jeer as you decide who stays and who gets booted off stage. At Amateur Night, you tell the performers to be good or be gone!
Amateur Night at the Apollo is hosted by the comedian Capone. Each show begins with a festive pre-party featuring video and music by DJ Jess. And keep a lookout for C.P. Lacey, the resident Executioner who sweeps bad talent off the stage. Purchase tickets.
Apollo Live Wire: Aretha!
Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm
Live Wire takes a deep dive into the artistry of Franklin with a conversation led by writer and cultural critic Emily J. Lordi and three scholars and culture workers — Fredara Hadley, DJ Lynnée Denise, and Portia Maultsby– offering an opportunity to learn more about the still understudied subject of Franklin’s musicianship. RSVP here.
First Friday Leo Bar
Friday, March 6, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Join us for the return of our First Friday Leo Bars and check out Asia Society Museum’s new exhibition The Art of Impermanence: Japanese Works from the John C. Weber Collection and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection for free. The museum stays open late from 6–9 p.m., offering free admission, exhibition tours, drink specials, and late night shopping at AsiaStore.
FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION
GUIDED EXHIBITION TOURS
DRINK SPECIALS by Great Performances
(Happy hour prices from 6–7 p.m.)JAPANESE GREEN TEA TASTING & MATCHA DEMONSTRATION by Masha Tea
ACTIVITIES INSPIRED BY THE ART OF IMPERMANENCE
ASIASTORE DISCOUNTS
Exhibition Lecture Series
My Thoughts Dyed With You: Perspectives On Impermanence In Japanese Art – Sinead Vilbar
Wednesday, March 11, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
In historical Japan, commentaries on Buddhist scripture and the production of poetry provided two means of communicating about the ephemeral nature of human existence. As our own eyes are dyed with the features of calligraphies, objects, and paintings presented in this exhibition, we reanimate the past performances of words imbued with deep spiritual and emotional significance captured in this art. Learn more.
In conjunction with Asia Week New York, March 12–19+, 2020.
Exhibition Lecture Series
Monuments To Impermanence: New Inspirations From Ancient Japanese Stone Circles And Burial Mounds – Simon Kaner
Tuesday, March 31, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
The ancient preliterate inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago marked the passing of time through the creation of monuments, including Jōmon stone circles and massive burial mounds (kofun), some inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage. New meanings are being sought among these monuments in modern Japan. This lecture addresses how the preservation of these ruins speaks to an aesthetic of impermanence. Learn more.
Theater: Medea
With Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale
Written and Directed by Simon Stone
Extended through Sunday, March 8
Euripides’ controversial icon is reborn in visionary director Simon Stone’s (Yerma) stunning contemporary rewrite. Rose Byrne (Damages, Bridesmaids, You Can’t Take It with You) and Bobby Cannavale (The Lifespan of a Fact, The Hairy Ape, The Motherf**ker with the Hat) face off as a husband and wife in the tumultuous throes of an unraveling marriage. Transposing the devastation of Greek tragedy to a modern American home, Stone’s stripped-bare staging throws the couple’s every raw emotion into stark relief, from jealousy to passion, humor to despair. Who will pay the price? Purchase tickets.
Artist Circle: Breaking The Waves
Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 pm
An evening with
Missy Mazzoli
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
in conversation with
Anthony Roth Costanzo
Artist Circle members and above are invited to an intimate evening of enlightening discussion moderated by Anthony Roth Costanzo with composer Missy Mazzoli and maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who share their insights into BAM’s upcoming production of Breaking the Waves (Jun 26—30). Learn more.
Film: Bacurau
Part of Film series Rise Up!: Portraits of Resistance
Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelles
With Sônia Braga, Bárbara Colen, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira
In the tranquil, tightly knit backcountry village of Bacurau, in a not-too-distant future Brazil, something strange is stirring. The town has disappeared from the virtual map, all cellular reception has been lost, and a mysterious UFO-like object hovers ominously overhead. Something sinister is encroaching on Bacurau and even if they don’t know what it is, the residents are ready. Both a hypnotically intense, no-holds-barred sci-fi survival thriller and a stunningly subversive howl of anti-colonialist fury, this genre-bending parable of exploitation and resistance explodes with the force of a Molotov cocktail hurled straight into the eye of racial and political oppression. Learn more.
Studio 54: Night Magic
March 13 – July 5, 2020 (Member Preview March 12)
Studio 54: Night Magic traces the radiant history, social politics, and trailblazing aesthetics of the most iconic nightclub of all time. Behind the velvet rope, partygoers of all backgrounds and lifestyles could come together for nights of music, dazzling lights, and the popular song and dance “The Hustle.”
Following the Vietnam War, and amid the nationwide Civil Rights Movement and fights for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, a nearly bankrupted New York City hungered for social and creative transformation as well as a sense of joyous celebration after years of protest and upheaval. Low rents attracted a diversity of artists, fashion designers, writers, and musicians, catalyzing the invention of new art forms, including musical genres such as punk, hip-hop, and disco. In a rare societal shift, people from different sexual, sociopolitical, and financial strata intermingled freely in the after-hours nightclubs of New York City. No place exemplified this more than Studio 54.
Organized chronologically, Studio 54: Night Magic uses photography, fashion, drawing, and film, as well as never-before-exhibited costume illustrations, set proposals, and designs, to place the nightclub within the wider history of New York, from Prohibition through the 1970s. Blueprints and architecture models illustrate the club’s innovative development and creation, while documentation of extravagant theme parties traces its thirty-three month run. The exhibition continues through the years after the nightclub’s closure, showing the ongoing influence of Studio 54 aesthetics. Purchase tickets.
Pop-Up Performance: Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, March 15, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Drop by Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra’s series of intimate pop-up performances, highlighting members and featured musicians as the Orchestra in Residence fills our galleries with a family-friendly range of classical music from across the globe.
Free with Museum admission. Learn more.
Hustle Party
Thursday, March 19, 6:00 – 9:30 pm
Celebrate the art of the hustle in honor of our special exhibition Studio 54: Night Magic! Join us at 6 pm to learn the dance, popularized at the world-famous nightclub, in a class led by Marlene Veras, resident instructor for our monthly Salsa Party with Balmir Latin Dance Studio. Then, get into the Studio 54 spirit with live music, social dancing, and performances by Brooklyn’s best hustle dancers.
This event is free, but RSVP is required before 6 am on Thursday, March 19.
Rosen House Tours
Select Wednesdays through Mid-June at 2:00 pm
Enter a Mediterranean-style house inspired by Old World Europe, cultivated and curated by Caramoor’s founders Walter and Lucie Rosen. Renaissance artifacts from a gilded bed that belonged to Pope Urban VIII to entire rooms shipped from Europe, and a stunning Asian collection are some of the many incredible discoveries waiting here. Learn more.
Schwab Vocal Rising Stars: The Art Of Pleasure
Sunday, March 15th at 3:00 pm
With music by Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, Tom Lehrer, John Musto, and many others, this program will feature four young singers and a pianist selected by Artistic Director Steven Blier for a weeklong residency at Caramoor. Assisted by Michael Barrett, Associate Director of the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), and developed in conjunction with NYFOS, the week will include daily coaching, rehearsals and workshops, and culminate in this Music Room performance exploring the wealth and breadth of song repertoire. Learn more.
Camille Thurman And The Darrell Green Trio
March 13-15
The multitalented Camille Thurman is a formidable saxophonist and has performed extensively with artists ranging from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Billy Taylor, George Coleman, Lew Tabackin, and George Benson to Chaka Khan, Alicia Keys, and Missy Elliot. The best way to experience the full scope of Thurman’s artistry is to catch one of her performances as bandleader, such as tonight’s showcase with her regular working band, the outstanding Darrell Green Trio. Purchase tickets.
DIVA Jazz Orchestra Swings Broadway
March 19 – 22, 7:30 & 9:30 pm
The all-female DIVA Jazz Orchestra exudes the excitement and force found in the historic big band tradition. With Dizzy’s Club as its “New York City home,” DIVA performs all over the world, playing contemporary, mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged to fit the individual personalities and styles of the musicians. Tonight’s program features a reimagining of classic tunes from My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Westside Story, Oklahoma, Damn Yankees, The Sound of Music, and more.
Audiences can expect super-charged and swinging takes on these favorite Broadway standards packed with stunning improvisation, spontaneity, and an emphasis on fun. Purchase tickets.
Duduka Da Fonseca And Helio Alves Featuring Maucha Adnet: Samba Jazz & Jobim
March 26 – 29, 7:30 & 9:30 pm
With drummer Duduka da Fonseca, pianist Helio Alves, vocalist Maucha Adnet, flutist Billy Drewes, guitarist Chico Pinheiro, bassist Hans Glawisching, & bassist Martin Wind (3/26 only).
Tonight’s samba jazz showcase features three of Brazil’s most in-demand musicians, two of whom worked closely with the iconic Antonio Carlos Jobim. Drummer Duduka da Fonseca (of Trio da Paz), pianist Helio Alves, and vocalist Maucha Adnet are all experts in this music, each of them recognized internationally for expanding the worlds of jazz and Latin music. The music is truly infectious, featuring dazzling rhythms, daring improvisations, and soul-stirring harmonies. Come enjoy samba jazz performed by those who know it best. Purchase tickets.
Juilliard Jazz Ensambles: The Music Of Charles Mingus
Tuesday, March 31, 7:30 & 9:30 pm
The Juilliard School has been a destination for world-class music education since it was founded, and these incredible young musicians will exemplify that legacy in this performance. The Juilliard School Jazz Ensemble features some of the world’s most talented emerging jazz artists, many of whom are already professional musicians. No stranger to Dizzy’s Club, the ensemble has also performed at noted venues such as the Blue Note and Alice Tully Hall.
These gifted young musicians are proof of jazz’s bright future, and tonight they celebrate the essential, almost mythical New Orleans icon Buddy Bolden, the great cornetist and bandleader who helped develop jazz during its earliest stages. Purchase tickets.
Exhibition: Rita Ackermann. Mama ‘19
Through April 11
Hauser & Wirth presents the latest body of work by Hungarian born, New York-based artist Rita Ackermann: a suite of new paintings in which figures and motifs rise to the surface of canvases, only to dissolve and reappear elsewhere again.
In such works as ‘Mama Painting for Mars’ (2019), repeated figurative imagery and expanses of intense color combine in complex visual currents. In other works, Ackermann’s distinctive approach to layering of drawings, yields a framework for a maelstrom of vibrant pigments and textures that seem to advance toward the viewer with velocity.
Like Ackermann’s Chalkboard Paintings (2015), the works on view in ‘Mama ‘19’ are built through an additive and subtractive process. Here, her palette and gestural vocabulary has expanded to evoke a vibrant interior realm through the application of paint. Thick layers of impasto and oil stick are vigorously and repeatedly applied and scraped in such works as ‘Mama, Morty Smoking’ (2019), with both the paintbrush and the artist’s bare hands working to shape a site of ancestry and conception.
As an extension of the exhibition, ‘Rita Ackermann, Mama ‘19’ is accompanied by a publication featuring essays by Scott Griffin and Harmony Korine. Learn more.
Exhibition: Larry Bell. Still Standing
Through April 11
Hauser & Wirth’s exhibition ‘Larry Bell. Still Standing,’ presents a range of the artist’s sculptural works from the 1970s to the present day. A pioneer in his approach to the surface treatment of glass, and a master of unprecedented explorations of light, reflection, and shadow, Bell has documented perceptual phenomena through a tirelessly inventive sculptural practice. This exhibition charts a less explored, but seminal moment in Bell’s practice when he began to radically deconstruct his signature glass cubes into the more architecturally-scaled, fragmented, crystalline forms or what he referred to as ‘standing walls.’ ‘Still Standing’ also presents a number of the artist’s small-scale studies, illuminating Bell’s process as he meditated on scale and translated his ideas into larger sculptural works.
Rather than being contained, Bell’s standing walls were site-specific to every space in which they were presented, wholly permeable to their setting. The immersive environments created by his standing walls were capable of challenging perception in new ways, their expansiveness opening viewers up to other ways of seeing. In examining this body of work, the exhibition highlights the artist’s critical contribution to the history of Minimalism and installation art. The exhibition traces Bell’s evolution after a move to Taos, New Mexico in 1973. Finding conventional gallery spaces of the time could not physically accommodate what he aspired to produce, Bell set out to make work on his own terms. Learn more.
The Artistry Of Jazzmeia Horn: Love And Liberation
March 6 & 7, 7:00 & 9:30 pm
Jazzmeia Horn thinks everyone deserves to “express themselves fully, without fear or reservation”—and she’s here to lead by example. Horn has confidently taken the jazz world by storm since winning the 2015 International Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, and the Love and Liberation tour is Horn truly coming into her own. An ode to unapologetic self-love and honest expression, this is Horn’s first collection of almost-entirely original material.
This Appel Room feature debut will include the same band from the album: Josh Evans on trumpet, Irwin Hall on saxophone, Keith Brown on piano, Ben Williams on bass, Anwar Marshall on drums, and dancer Alexandria Johnson. Every musician in this young group is a prominent bandleader and first-call sideman, and ’s vivacious leadership brings them together with an unmistakable and infectious chemistry. Purchase tickets.
Ambrose Akinmusire’s Large Ensemble Presents BANYAN
March 27 & 28, 7:00 & 9:30 pm
Trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire has been one of the most exciting musicians to emerge in the 21st century. As a composer and bandleader, Akinmusire brings truth to the notion that music alone can be as immersive and transportive as any form of art. Though he’s one of the hottest trumpeters around, it’s the full musical worlds he creates as a composer that make each new project so eagerly anticipated.
For his Jazz at Lincoln Center debut as a headliner, Akinmusire will perform his extended banyan suite, featuring his ensemble with extremely special guests. The powerful, original suite of music explores the role of mentorship in the oral and aural traditions of society and jazz. With living legends Jack DeJohnette and Tom Harrell on board, the performance exemplifies jazz as a living continuum, bringing together generations of distinctive voices through new music. Purchase tickets.
Cambodian Rock Band By Lauren Yee
Through March 15
Guitars tuned. Mic checked. Get ready to rock! This darkly funny, electric new play with music tells the story of a Khmer Rouge survivor returning to Cambodia for the first time in thirty years, as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of Cambodia’s most infamous war criminals. Backed by a live band playing contemporary Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies, this thrilling story toggles back and forth in time as father and daughter face the music of the past. Directed by Chay Yew, the New York premiere of this intimate rock epic about family secrets is set against a dark chapter of Cambodian history. Purchase tickets here.
The Hot Wing King By Katori Hall
Through March 22
Ready, set, fry! It’s time for the annual “Hot Wang Festival” in Memphis, Tennessee, and Cordell Crutchfield knows he has the wings that’ll make him king. Supported by his beau Dwayne and their culinary clique, The New Wing Order, Cordell is marinating and firing up his frying pan in a bid to reclaim the crispy crown. When Dwayne takes in his troubled nephew however, it becomes a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, a first place trophy isn’t the only thing Cordell risks losing. Steve H. Broadnax III will direct this sizzling world premiere comedy from Residency 5 playwright Katori Hall (Hurt Village, Our Lady of Kibeho). Purchase tickets here.
In celebration of The Hot Wing King, you can enjoy Memphis Style Wings made by Great Performances on Fridays and Saturdays through the run of the production.
Win your place on The Hot Wing Royalty Portrait if you eat 20 Memphis Style Wings before the performance! We’ll take your Polaroid picture and proudly add it to the display in the Lobby! #HotWingKingNYC
Pre-Concert Tea
Sunday, March 15, 12:00 – 2:00 pm
Enjoy Afternoon Tea in the Mark Twain Room prior to today’s concert in Armor Hall. The Café at Wave Hill pairs a classic menu with an assortment of green, black and herbal teas. This traditional tea service includes the four classic elements of savory, scones, sweets and tea. The menu, presented by Great Performances, includes an array of tea sandwiches, scones and bite-sized desserts. Afternoon Tea also includes a glass of sparkling wine. Learn more.
Concert: PUBLIQuartet
Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 pm
Mind The Gap is an original project developed in 2011 by PUBLIQuartet. The concept bridges the gap between diverse musical genres through group improvisation. Their brand of rock meets jazz meets stylistically crazed group composition touches on deeper connections between traditional, modern and contemporary music. Concerts begin at 2PM and last approximately one hour with no intermission. Learn more.
Garden And Conservatory Highlights Walk
Sunday, February 23 at 2:00 pm
After being shown a glimpse of the horticultural world, Uziel Crescenzi dove right in. He changed his major from architecture to plant science and transferred to the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. Since graduation he has interned at the Arnold Arboretum, Wave Hill and The American Gardener, experiences that prompted him to complete the Master of Landscape Architecture program at The City College of New York, Bernard Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, this past June.
Crescenzi’s talk will focus on the insights he has gained—so far—concerning public and private horticulture and environmental assessment. Learn more.
By Chef Rob Valencia
The team at Great Performances is at the forefront of what’s new and exciting in catering and events. We identify trends before most people know about them and we have even launched a few trends of our own.
In February we celebrate love and our own culinary director Chef Rob Valencia offers his tips on the hottest wedding food trends this year and how to create an unforgettable experience for the lucky couple and their guests.
TOP WEDDING FOOD TRENDS OF 2020
1. Food as a Prominent Guest Next to the lucky couple, food is the “other” center of attention at every wedding. It’s the most photographed subject on Instagram, making it a prominent (and much loved) guest at any celebration. Great Performances believes that “Life Happens Around Food”, and it’s important to make the right food selections for momentous celebrations like these!
2. Vegetable Forward Menus Although this has been trending for well over the past decade, this year, we’re seeing plant-based options move from the “Silent Vegetarian” option to become a primary choice on menus. Vegetarian doesn’t mean boring and bland anymore; our forward-thinking chefs create vegetarian dishes that are vibrant, visually appealing, and incredibly delicious!
3. Food Stations Instead of seating your guests at one table throughout the reception, themed food stations like savory items, artisanal cheese selections and desserts create a flow that encourages people to move around and experience a variety of different foods all while mingling with other guests in a fun, conversational way!
4. Zero Proof Cocktails Forget mocktails! “Zero proof” is the new buzzword for exciting non-alcoholic cocktails that taste sophisticated and capture the spirit of their alcoholic cousins, but without the side effects.
5. Family Style Service Family style dishes allow people to interact with each other in a fun and lively manner. Passing food around the table or serving your fellow guests really enhances the meal and creates contagious communal energy and a sense of sharing!
6. Tradition Weddings celebrate the union of two people lives, including their heritage and culture. Including cuisine from each person’s background brings it all together is a great way to honor their families! More and more people are sharing their family recipes with the chef or otherwise requesting traditional dishes from their childhoods.
7. Sustainability Couples are putting more thought into how their menu selections impact the environment. They care about the story behind their food, and knowing where it comes from provides a tangible connection to the earth. Locally-sourced food tastes better (it’s fresher because it has traveled less), produces less environmental impact and supports local farmers. Great Performances is proud of its proactive approach to sustainability.
Image Credits: ©Great Performances, ©Clay Williams