The highlights of the cultural weekend in our region include lots of piano music, several Hudson River-themed performances, folk-pop, Japanese art, and a whole lot more.
World-acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein will play solo works by Fran?ois Couperin, Robert Schumann, Erik Satie, and Philip Glass on Saturday, at 4 p.m. in South Egremont, Mass., in the final concert of the Berkshire Bach Society’s season. Dinnerstein is best-known for her 2007 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales. In 2018, Dinnerstein premiered Philip Glass's Concerto No. 3 for Piano and Strings.
When you’re done with Dinnerstein in South Egremont, you can drive over to PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., where four pianists will do double-duty celebrating Chatham’s 150th anniversary while inaugurating PS21’s newly acquired Steinway D Piano. The concert, which starts at 7 p.m., features an all-star lineup of Chatham’s piano talent, including Lincoln Mayorga, Gili Melamed-Lev, David Smith, and Uel Wade. Expect to hear everything from Chopin to Brahms to Arvo Pärt.
Multiple Grammy Award-winner Rosanne Cash - a scion of America's first family of country and roots music - will perform a gala concert to benefit the Hudson River Historic Boat and Sailing Society's efforts to restore the historic, century-old Hudson River sloop Eleanor at Club Helsinki Hudson on Saturday night. In addition to Rosanne Cash's performance with her husband, guitarist-producer John Leventhal, the evening will feature a presentation by Hudson River Historic Restoration Boat and Sailing Society about the Eleanor and her history on the Hudson River, door prizes, a raffle, tales from the river, and more.
Speaking of the Hudson River, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic presents a tribute to the river that runs through our region in The Mighty Hudson, at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, on Saturday at 8 p.m. Conducted by Randall Craig Fleischer, the program includes river-themed works by Corigliano, Mendelssohn, Britten, Bernstein, and Francis Thorne’s Symphony No. 7, “Along the Hudson,” featuring projections by Jon Bowermaster.
The Chapin Sisters, the folk-pop duo comprised of two of Tom Chapin's daughters -- which makes them Harry Chapin's nieces -- will entertain on Saturday at 8 p.m at Spencertown Academy's Roots & Shoots Concerts Series. Siblings Abigail and Lily combine original songs with some well-chosen versions of classics by The Everly Brothers.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the acclaimed Flying Cat Music series will kick off a new season at the 19th century United Methodist Church in Phoenicia, featuring a special “Friends and Family” concert. A kind of Hudson Valley all-stars, performers include singer-songwriters Robert Burke Warren, Jude Roberts, and Julie Parisi Kirby; vocalist and guitarist Marji Zintz; and Jeff Entin, of the group the Acquaintances.
Tonight at 6 o’clock at the Chapel + Cultural Center in Troy, Japanese arts and culture will come alive with the opening reception for 'MUJO - An Exploration of Japanese Culture Across Time.' The exhibition will be an exploration focused on two classical disciplines: Japanese Ikebana and Calligraphy.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of Berkishire Daily and the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.com