Joe Donahue

The Hall of Springs offers a seasonal restaurant during the classical performance series here at SPAC in the summer. The Saratoga Wine and Food and Fall Ferrari Festival is SPAC’s largest fundraiser and the fastest growing food and wine festival in the northeast. This year’s festival is just over a month from now - September 7, 8 & 9th. We are joined by Capital Region restaurateur, caterer, and hospitality expert extraordinaire - Angelo Mazzone of Mazzone Hospitality and Shelia Burke, the Wine Director for Mazzone Hospitality.

The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College opened in October of 2000. There is always a lot going on at The Tang – for instance - in July they opened Dance/Draw – an exhibition that explores how developments in visual art and dance began, and how they have shaped the art of today. It will be on display through December 30th. Ian Berry is out guest - he is the Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator at The Tang.

Johannes Moser is a German-Canadian cellist who has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras and will be making his SPAC debut this weekend with two performances.

We welcome Jim Rossi, co-owner of Saratoga Polo Club - and he gives us a lesson on the sport of kings.

Next Wednesday marks the SPAC conducting debut of Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director designate. Nezet-Seguin also conducts an Italian Opera Night Aug. 9, and a program titled “Masterpieces Past and Present" on Aug. 10.

Cirque de la Symphonie brings the art and athleticism of cirque to the concert music hall. Tonight, Cirque le la Symphonie performs with The Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC as part of the CDPHP Family Night Series. We are joined now by Executive Director and Producer Bill Allen, and performers Christine Van Loo and Dariusz Wronski.

Recognized internationally as a conductor of the highest calibre, Stéphane Denève has won praise from audiences and critics alike for his performances and programming. Tonight, he will conduct The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Cirque de la Symphonie Family Night concert in the SPAC Amphitheatre.

We are joined at SPAC by Lesley Leduc, Public Affairs Coordinator for Yaddo and Richard McCann, author of Mother of Sorrows. He teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at American University and also serves on the Board of Directors of the PEN Faulkner Foundation and is a Member of the Corporation of Yaddo. 

Our SPAC tour guide and host for the morning is SPAC President and Executive Director, Marcia White. She shares with us the excitement that has been going on this season and talk about this week’s arrival of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Comedian Bill Engvall’s ability to share the humor of everyday situations has made him one of the top comedians of today. He began his comedy career performing at open-mic nights in Dallas while a student at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles where he made appearances performing on shows such as “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Engvall is best known, however, for his participation in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with fellow comedians and friends Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy.