Archive: Arts & Entertainment

The Dorothy Cotton Institute (DCI) and the Tompkins Center for History & Culture (TCHC) are hosting an opening reception on Thursday, January 23 (5-7 pm) for the new, 'Sisters of Change: Dorothy Cotton and Unsung Sheroes for Racial Justice, Human Rights and the Vote' exhibit at the Tompkins Center for History & Culture, 110 N. Tioga St. (on the Commons) in Ithaca.

A short program, including a preview of 'Move When the Spirit Says Move', a new documentary film about Dorothy Cotton, will be offered from 5:30 – 6pm. The exhibit – in the lobby of the Tompkins Center for History & Culture -- is available for viewing through the end of April.

CU Jazz Photo by Rachel Philipson
The Cornell Department of Music announces its spring semester lineup of concerts and events. Throughout the term, numerous festivals and symposia provide opportunities to delve into a variety of musical topics through the interaction of performance and scholarship, including a commemoration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday February 13-16 ; a celebration of Robert Moog and electronic music March 5-7; the return of A. D. White Professor-at-Large Wynton Marsalis for the premiere of his new work for Wind Symphony March 20; The Whale Listening Project marking the 50th anniversary of the multi-platinum recording Songs of the Humpback Whale April 16-18; plus a multitude of performances by guest artists, faculty, and students, ranging from music of the Renaissance to the sounds of tomorrow.

The semester begins with another such festival; Ithaca Sounding 2020 is a multi-day, multi-venue festival and symposium celebrating, exploring, and questioning the traditions of modernist and experimental concert music by Ithacans past and present. It features keyboard works by composers Julius Eastman, Sarah Hennies, Robert Palmer, Ann Silsbee, and David Borden. Connecting and mediating the themes of music in the academy, marginalized art, improvisational performance practice, and queer experimentalism, this interdisciplinary series of events probes the creative and personal histories of some of Ithaca’s most renowned musical personae with concerts, workshops, talks, presentations, and readings.

Photo by Rachel PhilipsonHangar Theatre Company Managing Director MaryBeth Bunge will be retiring in Spring 2020. The search for the next Managing Director is underway. Under the joint leadership of Bunge and Artistic Director Michael Barakiva, the Hangar has grown its audience, secured new sponsors, attracted new and returning donors, and created a positive presence locally, regionally, and nationally.

"MaryBeth was an incredible force, and truly made the Hangar Theatre Company staff a family," said Barakiva. "We are truly fortunate to have had her knowledge and experience, and to have her represent us in the Ithaca community."

This January 18-19 and 23-25, the Cherry will host Apple:Tree, a mixed media 'rolling cabaret' of song, art, and shifts in perspective. Acclaimed opera singer-turned-cabaret chanteuse Caitlin Mathes will sing a palette of music from Baudelaire to Brecht, from Piaf to Björk, paired with an immersive environment of her father (Al Mathes)’s visual art.

The entire show surrounds an audience seated in rolling chairs, with performers and audience travelling around the space, encountering the art as the evening progresses. Apple:Tree grew out of Mathes’ admiration for her father's work and the hope that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The 2019-2020 season continues at Kitchen Theatre Company with Cry It Out, the groundbreaking comedy by Molly Smith-Metzler that dives deep into the good, the bad and the ugly of parenthood, relationships and unexpected friendship. Performances of Cry It Out begin at the Kitchen Theatre Company in the Percy Browning Performance Space on Sunday, February 2 and will run through Saturday, February 22.

When two women, Jessie, a lawyer, and Lina, a nurse, find commonality in their new babies and adjacent backyards, they form an unlikely bond over a series of naptime coffee breaks and parental anecdotes. But with the addition of their career-oriented neighbor Adrienne, another new mom, and her husband Mitchell, the duo's friendship and their individual conceptions are put to the test. A candid portrayal that explores parenthood through the lens of both male-and female-centered narratives, Cry It Out is the perfect blend of comedy, strength and truth in the modern era of child care.

The paintings, drawings, and photographs in 'Moving Pictures' are primarily based on Terry Plater's travels in Europe in 2019 and, to emphasize the act of travel as passing through, many paintings are based on photographs taken from train windows.

In a celebration of music from past, present and future Running to Places (R2P) shows, the R2P company -- and alumni – present "The R2P Family Reunion Show," a musical revue to brighten the winter season. The show, appropriate for the whole family, runs one performance only, Dec. 21 at 3 pm, in the 3rd floor auditorium at the Community School of Music and Arts, 330 E. State St, Ithaca.

"The show features skillful performances from fabulously talented people who are thrilled to be performing together," says Joey Steinhagen, R2P artistic director. "It's a taste of some of your favorite R2P shows, plus some new surprises, all rolled up into one."

Photo by Jason Koski: Chris Hoff, left, and Sam Harnett install a listening booth on the Cornell Arts Quad

After four sold out performances at Cornell, The World According to Sound brings their hour-long surround sound live experiences to the Cherry Artspace. Listeners sit in darkness, surrounded by a ring of eight powerful loudspeakers, awash in sounds. The first night features the duo's iconic assemblage of sounds from all over the world, and the second night presents their brand-new piece: a sonic exploration of the Cornell campus. After a decade of working in public radio, creators Sam Harnett and Chris Hoff set out to do something that should not have been radical — to create radio focused on sound, not stories or information. So they launched The World According to Sound, a 90-second radio show that has played on NPR and been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and on HowSound. The pair went on to turn their podcast into a touring, communal listening event, and this fall, created a second piece as artists-in-residence at Cornell University.

Left to right: Curzon Dobell (Ebenezer Scrooge), Sally Ramírez (Christmas Present), Joshua Sedelmeyer (Cratchit). Photo by Rachel Philipson
The Hangar Theatre's celebrated production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, runs December 8-22, 2019.

Join Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future in a timeless tale of hope and redemption. This retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, adapted for the Hangar stage by Ithaca’s own Aoise Stratford and directed by Artistic Director Michael Barakiva, brings a contemporary perspective to the story while remaining true to the time-honored tale of generosity that resonates during the holiday season. Adults and children alike will enjoy this wonderful world of music, costumes, and magic!

Chris Hoff '02 and Sam Harnett have spent the semester on campus just listening – listening to fish, frogs, Latin speakers, particle accelerators, organs and synthesizers, ice skates and even dirt.

The duo, creators of "The World According to Sound" radio show and podcast and Cornell artists-in-residence, shared what they've found during four live audio shows Nov. 20-21 at the Flex Theater in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

The Slocan Ramblers are returning to present a house concert at The Canaan Institute on Saturday, December 7th 2019 beginning at 7:00 pm followed by a jam session. The Slocan Ramblers are one of Canada’s hottest rising bluegrass bands.

The Slocan Ramblers (2019 Juno Award Nominees) are Canada’s bluegrass band to watch. Rooted in tradition, fearlessly creative and possessing a bold, dynamic sound, The Slocans have become a leading light of today’s acoustic music scene. With a reputation for energetic live shows, impeccable musicianship and an uncanny ability to convert anyone within earshot into a lifelong fan, The Slocans have been winning over audiences from Merlefest to RockyGrass and everywhere in between.

Finger Lakes ReUse, a not-for-profit organization committed to transforming waste into resources, in partnership with Tompkins County Public Library are opening their 'CELEBRATE ReUse 2!' exhibit on First Friday Gallery Night on Friday, December 6th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.

CELEBRATE ReUse 2! will inspire visual artists and community members to continue shifting the paradigm and to take reuse to a new level. Creative reuse enlightens and sparks imagination, demonstrating that artistic creativity and learning can take place anywhere and everywhere—and with all manner of materials—and that “junk” has value for those who can see meaning and aesthetics beyond the discarding of things. Work in this exhibit incorporates materials that would otherwise be thrown away.