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Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Jessie Cox: The Sound of Listening
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021
8:00 PM
Propositions from the DeadWIP
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/propositions-deadwip-sound-listening-jessie-cox
I believe that last week I described composer/drummer Jessie Cox's music as "exciting as hell". Having just listened to some, I can only say that still stands.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Know what? I'm going to repeat the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, cuz it's just sheer genius: pour 1-1/2 oz. Reposado Tequila, 1/2 oz. Mezcal, and 1 teaspoon of Agave Nectar, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Flame an orange peel into the drink, and garnish with the flamed peel.
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Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
devynn emory: deadbird / can anybody help me hold this body public grief alter
DANCE / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021 (live adjunct on THURSDAY – SATURDAY, APRIL 1 – 3)
7:00 PM
Danspace Project Live Stream & Live Experience
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
$0-$20 (registration required)
https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/devynn-emory-deadbird-premiere/
A combination of remote and live-in-person. First, Wednesday night, devynn emory — hospice and COVID nurse as well as choreographer — presents an online film reflecting their experience of the last year (and their thoughts about the medical-industrial complex), in the form of a filmed conversation in Prospect Park between emory and a surgery mannequin. You will then receive instructions to the location of a grief alter set up in Prospect Park, where you yourself can go and reflect.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: For the remote part, Eeyore's Requiem: pour 1/2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Vermouth Blanc, 1-1/2 oz. Campari, and 1/4 oz. each of Cynar and Fernet, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Before or after your visit to Prospect Park, mod Guatemalan sandwiches and plates at Ix.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mark Morris Dance Group: Dance On! An Evening with the Mark Morris Dance Group
DANCE
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
8:00 PM
Mark Morris Dance Group Stream
Free (registration required) ($20 donation suggested)
https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/event/videodance-part-3-online-event/
Yeah, you really need me to tell you about Mark Morris. Some viewers have niggled, but I've found the remote collaborative dance videos Morris has edited together from his scattered company over the course of the Quarantine quite affecting. Three new pieces, and one new adaptation of an existing piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sugarplum: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. grapefruit juice, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Teeraapat Parnmongkol: Evidence to Say
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/teerapat-parnmongkol-evidence-to-say/
A total, exotic, meditative multimedia experience focussing on the joyous embodiment of suffering.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Billionaire: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, Cointreau, 1 oz. lemon juice, 3/4 oz. each of Grenadine and Simple Syrup, and 1/4 oz. Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Shilpa Anath
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Raga Massive Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required) ($20 donation suggested)
https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/event/videodance-part-3-online-event/
Singer-songwriter Shilpa Ananth winningly fuses South Indian music with American pop.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Royal Smile: pour 1 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each of Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, lime juice, and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: Home
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
7:00 PM
TUES@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-mar30
Members of this crack Ensemble join with composer-performer Brittany J. Green to explore the meaning of "home" through the fractured lens of our experience over the past year. Green's music is visceral and fierce — but also rigorous. It's no surprise she has a deep interest in Julius Eastman (even though she sounds nothing like him).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: African Flower: pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 3/8 oz. each of Amaro Ciociaro and Crème de Cacao, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Moko Fukuyama: American Recordings
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & FRIDAY, MARCH 30 & APRIL 2, 2021
7:00 PM
The Kitchen Stream
Free (registration required)
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35572/production/1042854
Multidisciplinary artist Moko Fukuyama cares about narrative — but (happily) in a very abstract sense. These are two "acts" of an ongoing piece (one on Tuesday and one on Friday) reflecting on the state of public discourse in the United States (now there's a cheery topic!). DJ Yo! Vinyl Richie assists.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mamie Taylor: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch and 6 oz. ginger beer into a Highball glass over ice. Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Trajal Harrell: Friend of a Friend
DANCE
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
12:00 PM
Performa/Fondation Cartier Live Stream
Free
https://www.performa-arts.org/news/performance-event-on-tuesday-march-30-from-12pm-to
Trajal Harrell, in his dance pieces, militantly confronts post-modern dance with Gay Black voguing (and other vernacular forms), questioning why certain forms of expression are privileged over others. Here he puts together a sort of career retrospective (the show lasts 6 hours; you are encouraged to tune in and out whenever you want between 12 and 6) performed amidst a visual arts exhibition by Sarah Sze, a longtime collaborator.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Paris Is Burning: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and Mezcal, 1/2 oz. each of St-Germain and lemon juice, 1 oz. grapefruit juice, and 1/4 oz. Cane Syrup (you can use Simple Syrup if that's easier) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (you'll have some left over — a good thing for a 6-hour show). Garnish with 1 dash of Angostura bitters.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 30 & APRIL 1, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicianassociated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Apr 4, 2021, 4:30 PM
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Monday, March 29, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Julia Mounsey & Peter Mills Weiss: Protec / Attac
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick: A New Year
The Brick Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/julia-mounsey-and-peter-mills-weiss-protec-attac/
Julia Mounsey and Peter Mills Weiss have the reputation of being theatrically confrontational to the point of being scary. That, of course, is a GOOD thing. This piece purports to be about misery, hopelessness, and following directions. Duh.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pin Cushion: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari, and 1/4 oz. Absinthe into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, March 29, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Mar 29, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Apr 4, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Mon, Mar 29, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Apr 4, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2021 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Mon, Mar 29, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Apr 4, 2021, 12:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Mar 29, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Apr 4, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundtrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Mar 29, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Apr 4, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, March 28, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Leonie Bell: Slowtanz
PERFORMANCE
SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick: A New Year
The Brick Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/nadia-pinders-mind-as-well/
Leonie Bell always raises a ruckus on the outward bounds of rationality. Hugely entertainingly so.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Berlin Wall: pour 2 oz. Reposado Tequila and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Velvet Falernum, with 3 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Downtown Variety: SeoulArts Korea Edition
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
9:00 PM
La Mama Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/seoul-korea/
La MaMa takes us on a tour of the Seoul Alt Arts scene.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gold Torch: muddle half an orange peel and half a lemon peel in a cocktail shaker with 1/2 tablespoon (or 1-1/4 teaspoons) of Simply Syrup. Let sit for a half hour or so. Pour in 1-1/2 oz. Añejo Tequila, 1/2 oz. Suze or Salers, and 1/2 tablespoon (or 1-1/4 teaspoons) of St-Germain. Add ice. Stir a lot. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange or a lemon twist.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dan Weiss Trio feat. Jacob Sacks & Thomas Morgan
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
8:00 PM
Soapbox Gallery Live Stream
Pay what you can
https://www.soapboxgallery.org/events/dan-weiss-trio-featuring-jacob-sacks-and-thomas-morgan
Dan Weiss is a drummer/composer who isn't afraid to mix all the different kinds of music he likes together. This acoustic trio will probably forgo the heavy metal/prog but keep some elements of raga and who knows what else.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Margarita Violette: pour 1-1/2 oz. Blanco Tequila, 3/4 oz. Cointreau, 1/4 oz. Crème de Violette, and 1/2 oz. lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Nadia Pinder: Mind as Well
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick: A New Year
The Brick Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/nadia-pinders-mind-as-well/
Nadia Pinder, who is funny as shit, presents a piece about how everything sucks and nothing gets done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Apple's Eye Buck: pour 1 oz. each of aged Rum and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, 3/4 oz. Ginger Syrup, and 1/2 oz. lime juice, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Dry shake (WITHOUT ice). Strain into a Collins or Highball glass over ice. Top with club soda. If you have any candied ginger, use some to garnish.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Immanuel Wilkins: BLUES BLOOD | BLACK FUTURE
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/immanuel-wilkins-blues-blood-black-future/
Immanuel Wilkins is about as big a deal as there is in Mainstream Jazz right now: the real thing, as both a sax player and a composer. As you'll see in tonight's new extended vocal-instrumental piece (the credits also list someone as "cooking" — we'll see how THAT comes across on a stream!). The piece deals with the Harlem Six, a group of boys accused and, you won't be surprised to learn, convicted of murder in the mid-'60s through forced confessions, later overturned.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Left Hand: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon and 3/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari, with 2 dashes of chocolate bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Minecraft Concert: Moor Mother/Suzi Analogue / Du Yun / San Cha
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
7:00 PM
Brown Arts Initiative / B. Dolan Live Stream
Minecraft
YouTube
Free
https://sites.google.com/brown.edu/minecraftconcerts/home
I'm dreaming, right? A concert inside Minecraft by Afrofuturist space poet Moor Mother, beatmaster Suzi Analogue, beatwise and otherwise Alt Classical composer Du Yun, and Art-Rancherist San Cha? It's this List come to life!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cobra Clutch: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila, 1/2 oz. Mezcal, 1 oz. pineapple juice, 1/2 oz. lime juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Pour into a mug or glass over ice (crushed if possible). Garnish with mint leaves.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Rāginī: Women's Raga Massive Festival
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
7:00 PM
Brooklyn Raga Massive Live Stream
Free
https://www.brooklynragamassive.org/events/ragini-womens-raga-massive-festival-2021
Raga! By women!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rees: this is another Scaffa, or room-temperature cocktail, which makes a lot more sense in New York in Winter than at any time in, say, South India. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Old Tom Gin, 1/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Stir. Strain into a Sherry glass.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Valley of the Freaks: Repulse
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
7:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio
Twitch
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2021/3/27/tqc-valley-of-freaks-presents-repulse
Experimental electronic music from Brooklyn!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Aviation: pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1 teaspoon each of Maraschino liqueur and Crème de Violette into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Saturday, March 27, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Timepiece
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021
3:00 PM
Maerz Musik: Festival für Zeitfragen
Maerz Musik Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/berliner-festspiele/programm/bfs-gesamtprogramm/programmdetail_334375.html
Talk about going off the deep end. A 27-hour concert that seeks to fragment time (and space for that matter) in a way we've all become all too accustomed to. Musicians onstage in Berlin are accompanied by taped performances by composer/musicians from around the world (including several of our own local faves) emanating from a revolving stage platform that rotates a full circle every hour.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Absinthe Frappé (appropriate — or maybe I should say equally appropriate — any time of the day or night!): pour 1 oz. Absinthe, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1-2 oz. ice water (depending on how brave you're feeling) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour into a Collins glass over ice (it really ought to be crushed).
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Friday, March 26, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Austin Sley Julian: Observator Ghosting
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/austin-sley-julian-observitor-ghosting
Neo-No Wave noisemaker/visual artist/performance artist Austin Sley Julian looks into the emptiness we now see around us. (I'm horribly alienated and anti-social, apparently, but speaking for myself, I kind of like the emptiness.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The cold-into-not weather is perfect for a Oaxaca Old Fashioned: pour 1-1/2 oz. Reposado Tequila, 1/2 oz. Mezcal, and 1 teaspoon of Agave Nectar, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Flame an orange peel into the drink, and garnish with the flamed peel.
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Friday, March 26, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Chris Ignacio: Dream Machine
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick: A New Year
The Brick Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/chris-ignacios-dream-machine/
This sounds great: the on-screen visuals are meant to be "watched" with your eyes closed, having been calculated to stimulate your optic nerves behind your eyelids in certain pre-planned ways. It somehow presents an account of a person coming out of isolation: who can imagine THAT?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Blind Lemon Jefferson: muddle a lemon wedge at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Pour in 2 oz. Bourbon and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice (scant that, having muddled the wedge) and Simple Syrup, with 4 dashes of Whiskey-Barrel (or absent that, Angostura) bitters. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 4:00 PM
Dominique Salerno: The Box Show
THEATER
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 26 – 28, 2021
8:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY
Soho Playhouse Live Stream
$25
https://www.stellartickets.com/o/soho-playhouse/events/the-box-show
Thirty characters played by one actor inside one box.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Close Call: pour 1 oz. each of Genever and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, 1/4 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse and Maple Syrup, and 1/2 oz. each of orange juice and heavy cream, with 1 dash of Whiskey Barrel bitters, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice (crushed if possible). Top with Port. Garnish with grated cinnamon.
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Friday, March 26, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Arts for Living: Artists Feed the L.E.S.
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021
7:00 PM
Abrons Arts Center Live Stream
Free (registration required) (donation requested)
https://www.abronsartscenter.org/program/arts-for-living/
Penny Arcade hosts a live showing of new videos made by L.E.S. denizens to benefit the food pantry the Henry Street Settlement has been running out of its disused Playhouse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Grand Street: muddle a grapefruit peel at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Pour in 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. Punt e Mes, 1/4 oz. Cynar, and 1 teaspoon of Maraschino liqueur. Add ice. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, March 26, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Friday, March 26, 2021, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
String Noise: Triple Album Release Happy Hour
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 (weekly)
4:00 PM
Infrequent Seams / New Focus / Chaikin Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/string-noise-triple-album-release-happy-hour-tickets-142367650475
Maybe String Noise aren't the world's noisiest string duo — but they're up there. Here, they celebrate the release of three-count-'em-three new albums where they play pieces by many of the very composers who are Listed here like all the time (so this is for US!). There'll also be a music video of one of the albums where String Noise play with the peerless International Contemporary Ensemble and Greg Saunier of Deerhoof(!!!!!!!).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: String Noise makes it easy by recommending some newly concocted cocktails themselves. The pick of that litter is the Area 75: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin or Cognac and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with well-chilled Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thu, Mar 25, 2021, 11:00 PM – Fri, Mar 26, 2021, 12:00 AM
Mary Lattimore
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021
11:00 PM
Liminal States
Bowerbird Live Stream
$0-Pay What You Wish
https://www.bowerbird.org/event/tatsuya-nakatani-liminal-states/
This series dedicated to putting you to sleep — ummmmm ushering you into the sleep state — continues with indie harpist Mary Lattimore. Tuneful — but not cloyingly so.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Open and Shut: pour 1/2 oz. Cognac and 1-1/2 oz. Amaro Lucano in a rocks glass with NO ICE. This is a scaffa (something I personally can only enjoy as a nightcap): a cocktail drunk at room temperature. Garnish with an orange or lemon twist.
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Thursday, March 25, 2021, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
C4: Illumination
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021
8:30
#C4GoesRemote
C4 Live Stream
Free (tips requested)
http://www.c4ensemble.org/remote-concerts.html
They're music nerds! They're tech nerds! They have the lowest latency you'll ever hear! (C4 also sing real good.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Belmont: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. cream, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake hard. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, March 25, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Makaya McCraven / Sistas of the Nitty Gritty
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021
7:00 PM
TH/TV
$10
https://noonchorus.com/makaya-mccraven/
Drummer/producer/beat scientist (as he likes to call himself) Makaya McCraven is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the most exciting musicians now working in jazz — except you can't really call it jazz, it's hip-hop and even alt pop, too. Listen to his Universal Beings and its supplement, E&F Sides, and tell me there's more vital, compelling, good-to-listen-to music being made right now. Also on the bill are the visionary clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid and her Sistas of the Nitty Gritty trio, who are also near the top of my list of current performers (kinda like Alice Coltrane come back to life — but realer). Great night.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sunflower: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Cointreau, St-Germain, and lemon juice into an iced-filled cocktail shaker. Shaker. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, March 25, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Thursday, March 25, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
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Thu, Mar 25, 2021, 1:00 PM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 7:40 PM
the american vicarious: Negative Liberty / Positive Liberty
THEATER
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 25 – 28, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 18)
1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00, 2:20, 2:40, 3:00, 3:20, 3:40, 4:00, 4:20, 4:40, 5:00, 5:20, 5:40, 6:00, 6:20 & 6:40 PM
The Invisible Dog Art Center
51 Bergen Street, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://www.theinvisibledog.org/all/2021/3/18/negativelibertypositiveliberty/americanvicarious
An eight-minute, one-audience-member-at-a-time dramatization of (as if I have to tell you) Isaiah Berlin's "Two Concepts of Liberty".
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: During the day, great sandwiches at Court Street Grocers. Later, American Vernacular food at sibling HiHi Room.
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Thursday, March 25, 2021, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 23 & 25, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicianassociated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wed, Mar 24, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 9:00 PM
Aeschylus trans. Rubenstein: Prometheus Bound
THEATER
WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 24 – 28, 2021
8:00 PM WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY
10:00 PM SATURDAY
5:00 PM SUNDAY
The Tank Stream
$25-$100
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35658/production/1039655
In September 2020, two things happened relevant to this show: The Tank's anticipated production of Howard S. Rubenstein's translation of Prometheus Bound was called on account of COVID, and the eminent physician/playwright/translator died. We can now see this cinematically conceived video, even if sadly Rubenstein can't. Aeschylus is the most "primitive", otherworldly of the Big Three Athenian Tragedians, and for that reason for some of us he's the most fascinating. For us, it's less that his works speak to us across the millennia than that they give us access to a whole other mental universe. (Of course, we now know that this play arguably isn't really by Aeschylus — but later for that.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Greek Doctor: pour 1 oz. each of Ouzo, Vodka, and orange juice, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Anna Clyne & Jyll Bradley
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021
6:30 PM
Orchestra of St. Lukes
Sounds & Stories
Orchestra of St. Lukes Stream
$1-$100
https://oslmusic.org/event/sounds-stories-anna-clyne-and-jyll-bradley/
A big night for fans of Anna Clyne, one of the more eloquent and affecting composers out there, writing in a style that grows out of the mainstream. There's a premiere of a new piece and also of a short film (by Jyll Bradley) for which Clyne wrote the soundtract. Clyne selected accompanying contrapuntal pieces by Bach and Steve Reich.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: White Lady: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each Cointreau and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake Strain into a chilled Martinit glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Williams: Zodiac Suite
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021
8:00 PM
Aaron Dhiel
Da Camera Live Stream
Facebook
Free (registration required)
https://www.dacamera.com/?event=aaron-diehl&event_date=2021-03-23
It is not hyperbole to say that Mary Lou Williams is one of the major jazz composers, in the Morton/Ellington/Monk/Mingus league (which makes her one of the major American composers, period). There is only one reason she is not as famous as they are, and it has to do with her lack of Y chromosomes. Out of all the current reclamation projects of insufficiently performed female composers, the Williams project seems to me the most crucial. Her music demands to be heard and appreciated. The Zodiac Suite is probably her magnum opus: it's usually heard as a mix of piano solos and piano-bass-drums trios; there are also versions for chamber and full orchestra that tonight's performer, Aaron Dhiel, is shopping around. Tonight Dhiel will play it solo — and there are few current pianists better suited to the task than this suave incisive stylist, rooted in classical as well as jazz but fully in the jazz tradition. I promise you that the Williams will make the Copland blues derivation also on the program seem weak.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pendergast: 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass neat — WITHOUT ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: MATA's Radical Pairings
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021
7:00 PM
TUES@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-mar23
The MATA Festival programs a couple of weeks of solo World Premieres and recent pieces by paired composers. Tonight, Evan Williams, now resident in Memphis (which seems appropriate), writes eclectic but individual music that is great listening (try to hear his Dead White Man Music, not on the program tonight as it requires an ensemble). Saxophonist Ryan Muncy's past performances of Rock Steady — on tonight's program — have been astonishing, which only whets your appetite for the new solo sax piece Williams is having Muncy premiere along with it. The other composer is perennial List fave Bethany Younge, creator of raw, percussive, yet somehow dreamy, sonic experiences. And she's performed tonight by an über List fave, vocalist Charlotte Mundy!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gin and Bènèdictine: now there's a radical pairing. Poet's Dream: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and dry Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 23 & 25, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicianassociated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tue, Mar 23, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 4:30 PM
-
Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 22 – 28, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, March 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, March 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Matt Evans & Ensemble: New Topographics
MUSIC
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/calendar/
Percussionist Matt Evans calls his New Topographics soundscapes "aqueous", and listeners can only agree. We would also add "compelling", "enveloping", and "highly enjoyable". Tonight he reworks these electronic ambient pieces for ensemble.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Water Lily: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Cointreau, Crème de Violette, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 22 – 28, 2021 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, March 22, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Monday, March 22, 2021, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 22 – 28, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 22 – 28, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundtrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Mar 22, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Mar 28, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 22 – 28, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, March 21, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Maerz Musik: Festival for Time Issues
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021
3:00 PM
Bang on a Can Marathon
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free
https://live.bangonacan.org/maerzmusik/
Instead of running a Marathon in Berlin this year, Bang on a Can is running its Berlin Marathon virtually. Notional Berlin location or not, it's the usual Bang on a Can stuff (mainly from around here) — meaning it's all so promising that I can't in good conscience single any performers out. If you read this List, you need to be watching this.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Without Fear: pour 2 oz. Irish Whiskey, 3/4 oz. each of Apricot liqueur and lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. honey, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Top with a float of club soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
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Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Dashon Burton & David Fung
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021
3:00 PM
Caramoor Live Stream
$15-$45
https://caramoor.org/event/dashon-burton-spring-livestream/
This is at the inner edge of what we List here: it's really pretty mainstream. BUT: (a) Dashon Burton is a terrific singer, just terrific; (b) a program interspersing all of Schumann's Dichterliebe — one of the greatest and most absorbing of warhorses — with more obscure material is appealing (even if that obscure material is mostly pretty mainstream in affect); and (c) not only is Dichterliebe great and absorbing, but it includes the single greatest passive-aggressive "fuck you" song in all of Western music.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dark Side: pour 2-1/2 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. Barolo Chinato, with 3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Janey Choi: Pickup Chamber Music
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021 (biweekly)
3:00 PM
the cell theater
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Free ($25 suggested donation)
https://www.thecelltheatre.org/box-office
Violinist Janey Choi does sight-readings of chamber music with whichever of her musical friends and acquaintances stop by. I have no idea what they're going to be doing. I don't think she has any idea yet what they're going to be doing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Detroit pizza at Lions & Tigers & Squares (not sure if there's anywhere onsite for you to eat it — you might have to find a spot for yourself).
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Sunday, March 21, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Viano Quartet
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2021
2:00 PM
Schneider Concerts
Mannes/New School Live Stream
$8
https://event.newschool.edu/Schneider-Concert-Viano-Quartet/ws
A Caroline Shaw quartet for the List. Bartok's quartets aren't resztelt máj either — and the tense, terse Third, played this afternoon, is pretty shattering. Dvorak's chamber music is pleasant (I mean that in the nicest way possible).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In the Pines: pour 1-1/2 oz. Mezcal, 3/4 oz. Zirbenz, and 1/2 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Cardamaro, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Saturday, March 20, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Charmaine Lee: Papillae
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/charmaine-lee-papillae/
Charmaine Lee doesn't just upend expectations regarding vocal technique: she tears them to pieces, throws them on the floor, jumps up and down on them, and then kicks them around the room until you can't find them any more.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A cocktail that does to expectations of what base liquors you can mix what Charmaine Lee's style to expectations of what the voice should do, the Man of Leisure: pour 1-1/2 oz. Whiskey (I'd use Rye), 1 oz. silver Tequila, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Saturday, March 20, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Pamela Z: Other Rooms
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021
8:00 PM
Edward T. Cone Concert Series
Institute of Advanced Studies Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.ias.edu/events/pamela-z-other-rooms
As you've heard me say several times, Pamela Z is one of the performer/composers I always push on people who claim they don't like "this kind of music". Her vocal/electronic soundscapes are fascinating, compelling, immediately accessible and, indeed, enjoyable. Her performances are riveting: the movements she must make to control the several sound sources she employs aren't just part of the show, they are the show. And she's just dripping with charisma (this is getting embarrassing). So obviously watch this if you like the kind of music this List focuses on. But be sure to try it if you think you don't.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Deep Blue Sea: pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. Lilet Blanc (or Cocci Americano or Kino l'Aréo d'Or), and 1/4 oz. Crème de Violette, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, March 20, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Rāginī: Women's Raga Massive Festival
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021 (also on MARCH 27)
7:00 PM
Brooklyn Raga Massive Live Stream
Free
https://www.brooklynragamassive.org/events/ragini-womens-raga-massive-festival-2021
Raga! By women!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rees: this is another Scaffa, or room-temperature cocktail, which makes a lot more sense in New York in Winter than at any time in, say, South India. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Old Tom Gin, 1/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Stir. Strain into a Sherry glass.
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Friday, March 19, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2021 (biweekly)
7:30 PM
Contemporaneous
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-community-salon-tickets-109687016820
A virtual salon. Artists and performers can share pieces in whatever stage of completion. Everyone else can comment and converse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northern Harvest Buck: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Shake in 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a mint sprig.
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Friday, March 19, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Hess Collective: SPOILED: The Film Project
THEATER
FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2021
7:00 PM
La Mama Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/spoiled/
The male perspective on gender-based violence dramatized by women.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Trinidad Sour: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, Orgeat, and Angostura bitters (yes, you read that right: 1 oz.), and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, March 19, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Thursday, March 18, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Lisa Birkenmeier: Honestly Sincere
THEATER
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
9:00 PM
The in Quarantine: Closet Works
Theater in Quarantine Live Stream
Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llJVSqwql9I
Can you make theater in a closet in the East Village? Actually, yes.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Herald Punch: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 1-3/4 oz. orange juice, and 1/4 oz. Demerara Syrup, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with a float dark Rum. Garnish with seasonal fruit (if there is any).
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Thu, Mar 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 4:00 PM
Charlotte Ahlin: Plague Doctor
THEATER
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 18 – 21, 2021
8:00 PM THURSDAY – SATURDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY
Soho Playhouse Live Stream
$25
https://www.stellartickets.com/o/soho-playhouse/events/plague-doctor
A bunch of Youngs Quarantined in their apartment decide to pass the time telling stories. (Where have I heard THAT before?) But their apartment is haunted by a medieval plague doctor — and he wants to tell stories, too. (OK: THAT'S new.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Plague Water: pour 1 oz. green Chartreuse, 1/2 oz. each Becherovka (vile stuff) and pineapple juice, and 1/4 oz. each of lemon juice and honey sage syrup (which you make, as you might assume, by simmering equal parts honey and water with a couple of tablespoons of sage), into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Thursday, March 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Loser's Lounge: Battle of the One-Hit Wonders
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
8:00 PM
Joe's Pub Stream
Free
https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2020/j/losers-lounge---joes-pub-live/
The final bracket! Skewed snark-popsters Loser's Lounge play two One-Hit Wonder hits and then the audience votes on which one-hit wins. Like a battle of the bands, but for songs rather than bands!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cosmopolitan (a real cocktail invented by a real mixologist, no matter what people say): pour 2 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. each of Cointreau and cranberry juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syurp into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime slice and an indulgent smile.
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Thursday, March 18, 2021, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Nir Felder Trio
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-nir-felder
Nir Felder is a good jazz guitarist. You wish he'd go a little farther out — but then he'd be somebody else (albeit somebody whose work you might like a little better).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Zona Amarillo: pour 1 oz. each of Mezcal and Reposado Tequila, 3/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist and a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, March 18, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Delune: Is this love, or is it fantasy?
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
6:00 PM
Live@NationalSawdust
National Sawdust Stream
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/is-this-love-or-is-it-fantasy-delune
Dreamy electro-popsters Delune collaborate with animator Alexandra Hohner to tell the story of a clown who falls in love with a figment of his own imagination. Oh, THAT'S never been done before!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chrysanthemum: pour 2 oz. dry Vermouth, 1 oz. Bénédictine, and 3/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thu, Mar 18, 2021, 1:00 PM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 7:00 PM
the american vicarious: Negative Liberty / Positive Liberty
THEATER
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 18 – 21, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 18)
1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00, 2:20, 2:40, 3:00, 3:20, 3:40, 4:00, 4:20, 4:40, 5:00, 5:20, 5:40, 6:00, 6:20 & 6:40 PM
The Invisible Dog Art Center
51 Bergen Street, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://www.theinvisibledog.org/all/2021/3/18/negativelibertypositiveliberty/americanvicarious
An eight-minute, one-audience-member-at-a-time dramatization of (as if I have to tell you) Isaiah Berlin's "Two Concepts of Liberty".
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: During the day, great sandwiches at Court Street Grocers. Later, American Vernacular food at sibling HiHi Room.
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Thursday, March 18, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 16 & 18, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
JJJJJerome Ellis: Fountain #2
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/jjjjjerome-ellis-fountain-2
What JJJJJerome Ellis (he OWNS his speech impediment) does in his music-theatrical work is connect. Even when, as in this extended drone piece, the work is totally abstract (at least seemingly). This has been on permanent loop for a month, now culminating in a "performance" of the piece as a piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bronco Buster: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and 1/2 oz. each of Curaçao and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Wed, Mar 17, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 9:00 PM
Swell
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 17 – 21, 2021
8:00 PM
#stillHERE: ONLINE
HERE Stream
$5-$50; students and educators free
https://here.org/shows/swell-online/
A multi-composer song cycle, by composers from around the world, expressing the various widespread composers' diverse life experiences. With visuals. The first two nights — Wednesday and Thursday — will each respectively feature the first and second halves of the piece. The final three nights — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — will each feature the piece in full.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ampersand: pour 1 oz. each of Cognac, Old Tom Gin, and sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Grand Marnier, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Week of Musical Action
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021
6:00 PM
Kaufman Music Center Live Stream
Facebook
Free
https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/wma/
Tonight's installment of Kaufman Music Center's sweeping multi-day marathon features, sometime between 6 and 7 PM, the marvelous hyper-communicative singer/composer Lisa Bielawa with such sterling players as flautist Alex Sopp (as well as students at the Kaufman music school). Among the multitudes playing between 7 and 8 PM are two sting players who are each beyond fabulous, cellist Seth Parker Woods and violinist Jennifer Koh.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cliquet: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 1/4 oz. dark Rum, and 2 oz. orange juice, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass. Stir. Add ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: MATA's Radical Pairings
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
7:00 PM
TUES@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-mar16
The MATA Festival programs a couple of weeks of solo World Premieres and recent pieces by paired composers. I don't know Maurizio Azzan's music — but I'm eager to remedy that. As for Yvette Janine Jackson, if any of my more um racially and gender privileged readers are tempted to view the recent efflorescence of programming of new work by Black and Latinx Women as tokenism, you only have to listen to a piece by a composer like Jackson to realize that, no, the problem is that such magnificent work was being held back wrongfully.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gin and Mezcal: now there's a radical pairing. Ruby Diamond: pour 1.5 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Mezcal, 3/4 oz. each of Campari and lemon juice, and 1/4 oz. grapefruit juice, in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Week of Musical Action
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
7:00 PM
Kaufman Music Center Live Stream
Facebook
Free
https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/wma/
The Kaufman Music Center's sweeping multi-day marathon is too all-over-the-place for me to give it any kind of blanket recommendation. But I can't help noting that tonight, sometime between 7 and 8 PM, onetime Mozart Of Brooklyn Missy Mazzoli and her longtime collaborator/bandmate, ace violinist Olivia De Prato, will play something together.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Victory No. 9: pour 1-1/2 oz. Mezcal, 1 oz. Aperol, 3/4 oz. lime juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1-1/2 oz. medium-bodied beer (Victoria by preference), with 40 dashes of Peychaud's bitters (hope you have some time), into a rocks glass. Stir. Add ice. Garnish with a lime twist.
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Tue, Mar 16, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 4:30 PM
-
Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 16 & 18, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Mon, Mar 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 15 – 21, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, March 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Shelley Hirsch feat. Michael J. Schumacher & Joanna Mattrey: The Body Remembers
MUSIC
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/shelley-hirsch-3/
Shelley Hirsch has been destroying genre distinctions and expectations regarding vocal technique since the halcyon Downtown '70s. And she shows no sign of stopping.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Scofflaw: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. each of dry Vermouth and lemon or lime juice, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, March 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Mar 15, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 15 – 21, 2021 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, March 15, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sean Patrick Higgins: Three Ring Circus
THEATER
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021
7:00 PM
Experiments
La Mama Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/three-ring-circus/
An exploration of interracial relationships in the form of a farce. Oy: fifty years later we're STILL "exploring" interracial relationships.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Optimist Old Fashioned: pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 2 dashes each of chocolate and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, March 15, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The Lockdown Sessions: Nicola Caminiti / Russell Hall / David Gilmore / Dayna Stephens
MUSIC
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021
6:00 PM
The Jazz Gallery Stream
$15
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/lockdown-session-36
A bunch of accomplished, respectable, maybe a little boring? jazz musicians — and sax player Dayna Stephens, whose refreshment of tradition is, well, refreshing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Waldorf: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Monday, March 15, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Holland Andrews: Museum of Calm
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021 (available through MARCH 29)
5:00 PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center Stream
Free
https://bacnyc.org/performances/performance/holland-andrews
The eclectic vocalist/performance artist Holland Andrews creates affecting soundscapes that are turned into full-fledged performance pieces. This video purports to suggest strategies for navigating through chaos and change.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Burnt Martini: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/4 oz. Islay Scotch, and 1/2 oz. dry Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Mon, Mar 15, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 12:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 15 – 21, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Mar 15, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 15 – 21, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Mar 15, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 15 – 21, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, March 14, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Sunday, March 14, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-52/
After a year, the final installment (unless they decide to do another one) of this iteration of this fantastic variety series, stalking the frontiers of Brooklyn/Queens theater, performance, music, and dance. It will soon morph into a show by and for students: good luck to them!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: One last glass (or so) of the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a big tea cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, March 13, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Alicia Svigals: Overtures from Home
MUSIC
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021
7:00 PM
Rockland Conservatory of Music Live Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJNxYF2CsAA
https://www.facebook.com/events/730145854308097/
How can you be deeply traditional and fully avant-garde at the same time? Ask Alicia Svigals, who is deeply disserved by being called the world's greatest living Klezmer fiddler: she's one of the world's greatest living musicians, period.
MAKE A NOTE OF IT: Susina Sour: pour 1/2 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each of Slivovitz, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and Honey Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. If you want to be fancy-schmancy, spear it on a rosemary sprig.
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Saturday, March 13, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Darlinda Just Darlinda & Mimi Silk: Life Is Silk
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021
5:00 PM
the cell
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Free
https://www.thecelltheatre.org/exhibitions
In conjunction with Rachel Rampelman's ongoing exhibition of video portraits of drag and Alt Burlesque performers, some live drag in the cell's windows on West 23rd Street!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Paella at Soccorat.
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Saturday, March 13, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021 (also on MARCH 26)
5:00 PM
Zoom
$13-$18
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Filthy Rich: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and dry Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. each of Cynar and Bénédictine, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, March 13, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Every House Has a Door
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021
2:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Stream
Twitch
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2021/3/13/every-house-has-a-door-2-short-films-from-carnival-of-the-animals
This was originally supposed to be a full-length live performance piece based on Saint-Saëns's ever-delightful Carnival of the Animals. But something happened last March. So now we're getting videos of "Personages with Long Ears" and "Aquarium". I'll take them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: French 75: pour 1 oz. Cognac (you can also use Gin, but it's still March for God's sake) and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, March 13, 2021, 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ioana B. Jucan: Left and Right, or Being who / where you are
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021
1:00 & 7:00 PM
Re-Fest 2021
CultureHub Live Stream
$10-$30
https://www.culturehub.org/re-fest-2021-events/left-and-right-or-being-who/where-you-are
A multimedia performance piece attempting to disentangle politics from identity. Good luck.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Abbey: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, and 3/4 oz. each of Kina l'Aero d'Or and orange juice, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Friday, March 12, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Center for Psychic Technology: Live from the Night Depository
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021
9:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Twitch
Free ($5 suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2021/3/12/center-for-psychic-technology-live-from-the-night-depository
It's all good, but we're noting this for Brooklyn avant-sax explorer Kate Mohanty.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Metropolitan: pour 2 oz. Brandy, 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, with 2 oz. Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Fri, Mar 12, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 9:00 PM
the coldhearts: Edgar Allan
THEATER
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 12 – 14, 2021
8:00 PM
Soho Playhouse Live Stream
$25
https://www.stellartickets.com/o/soho-playhouse/events/edgar-allan
A musical about Edgar Allan Poe's boyhood in an English boarding school. Wait, the whole point of Edgar Allan Poe is that he was American. In any event, horror musical specialists the coldhearts are very entertaining.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Should be Poe's favorite Brandy Egg Nog, but that's too much work to make. Instead, let's have a few Amontillados and Tonics (no one ever has just one of these): pour 3 oz. Amontillado Sherry and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into a goblet over ice. Top with tonic water. Express a lemon peel into the drink and then discard the rind. Garnish with an orange wheel and some mint sprigs.
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Friday, March 12, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Friday, March 12, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Nuum Collective: Walking Mass
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021
12:00 PM
Re-Fest 2021
CultureHub Live Stream
Free
https://www.culturehub.org/re-fest-2021-events/walking-mass
In place of what was a participatory experience in happier days, you watch a live stream of members and associates of the Nuum Collective taking a socially distanced walk in LA (I think) while making sounds. Frankly, it seems a little depressing to me. At least here in New York we don't have to watch it at 9 in the morning.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Wild Heart: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Aperol and Vermouth Blanc, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with bitter lemon soda. Garnish with 1/2 of an orange wheel.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Joanna Mattrey: Thrum With No Land
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/joanna-mattrey-thrum-no-land
Violist Joanna Mattrey's work is both musically and culturally wide-ranging, reflecting her interests in yoga, martial arts, and ritual as well as extended technique. This piece uses imagery and poetry as well as sound to invoke myth.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Too Soon?: put 2 orange slices at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Pour in 1 oz. each of Gin and Cynar, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup. Shake hard. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dark Matter Series presents
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Twitch
Free ($5+ suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2021/3/11/tqc-dark-matter-series-presents
Any show that includes Angel Bat Dawid, that paragon of righteous jazzpostjazz, gets a recommendation here.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Angel Face (from the Savoy book): pour 1 oz. each of Gin, Apricot Brandy, and Calvados into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake (anyone would stir this — but if Harry Craddock says to shake, you shake). Strain into a Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Marie Davidson & l'Œil Nu: Renegade Breakdown Live
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
8:00 PM
NoonChorus Live Stream
$15.16
https://noonchorus.com/marie-davidson/?utm_source=SB
Montrealer Marie Davidson's Working Class Woman was one of the sleeper albums of the last few years: icy electronic music that nevertheless engaged with lived life and even politics. Now, however, she's gone and formed (or rather re-formed) a band and gone all French Pop on us. Delightfully, I must say.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Montreal: pour 3/4 oz. each of Rye (it really ought to be Canadian Rye), Gin, Aperol, and Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Thu, Mar 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 9:00 PM
MUTEK / HELLERAU: Hybrid — Cutting Edge Canada
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 11 – 14, 2021
Starting 8:00 PM Thursday
MUTEK/HELLERAU Stream
Free
https://mutek.org/en/news/mutek-joins-forces-with-hellerau
Four days of electronic music and accompanying arts from Montreal and Dresden (which technically speaking isn't in Canada).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Saxon: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rum, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Gold: Antonio Sanchez Trio
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-antonio-sanchez
Antonio Sanchez is one distinctive drummer. And speaking of distinctive, he's joined by Chris Potter on sax. Scott Colley on the bass.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Zona Amarillo: pour 1 oz. each of Mezcal and Reposado Tequila, 3/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist and a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Hildegard Commission Concert
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
6:00 PM
National Sawdust Stream
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/hildegard-commission-concert
National Sawdust's annual commission program for early-stage female-identifying, trans, and non-binary composers always turns up some winners. So it doesn't bother me that I'm unfamiliar with any of tonight's composers (who for the record are Flannery Cunningham, Jimena Maldonado, Sonya Mutić, Amanda Feery, Lauren Siess, Alicia Jane Turner, and Tan Yuting (wait no actually I think I know Lauren Siess). As a special treat, for this year's installment the National Sawdust Ensemble will be joined as performers by vocal/movement/electronics ensemble Constellation Chor.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Special prize (to be determined) to anyone who can figure out why I'm recommending a Painkiller with this show: pour 2 oz. each of Navy Rum and pineapple juice, and 1 oz. each of orange juice and coconut cream, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins or Highball glass over ice. Garnish with some grated nutmeg.
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Thursday, March 11, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 9 & 11, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wed, Mar 10, 2021, 11:00 PM – Thu, Mar 11, 2021, 12:00 AM
Tatsuya Nakatani
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
11:00 PM
Liminal States
Bowerbird Live Stream
$0-Pay What You Wish
https://www.bowerbird.org/event/tatsuya-nakatani-liminal-states/
This series dedicated to putting you to sleep — ummmmm ushering you into the sleep state — finds a perfect protagonist in Tatsuya Nakatani. The multi-percussionist's almost ambient (but smarter) pieces evoke a bit of the music of his native Japan, but they're even more evocative of the New Mexican desert in which he now resides.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Open and Shut: pour 1/2 oz. Cognac and 1-1/2 oz. Amaro Lucano in a rocks glass with NO ICE. This is a scaffa (something I personally can only enjoy as a nightcap): a cocktail drunk at room temperature. Garnish with an orange or lemon twist.
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Wed, Mar 10, 2021, 8:00 PM – Fri, Mar 12, 2021, 9:00 PM
Elena Demyaneko: welter
DANCE
WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY, MARCH 10 – 12, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/welter-by-elena-demyanenko/
In this saturated production, Elena Demyaneko and her fellows dance with color. Thanks to sound artist PussyVision, they also dance with noise.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dobbs: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Fernet (use a lot: don't be shy). Pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
loadbang: Adapt / Adjust
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
7:30 PM
loadbang Stream
YouTube
$20 suggested donation
https://www.loadbang.com/adaptadjust.html
Loadbang, the incredibly exciting brass/reed/voice quartet, plays an uncharacteristic program that does not include a single commission: they managed to find a whole show's worth of preexisting pieces for their unique configuration. What's more, among the composers are Eve Beglarian — quite probably the single composer who, in her immersion in both pop and classical and her refusal to differentiate, let alone prioritize, between them, most clearly exemplifies what this List is about — and such Oldies But Goodies as Anthony Braxton (who refuses to differentiate between jazz and classical) and Joseph Byrd (who was refusing to differentiate between pop and classical when Eve and I were children), as well as Wandelweisserer Eva-Marie Houben and fresh-as-paint Alex Temple.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brass Rail: pour 1-2/3 oz. amber Rum, 1/2 oz. each of Bénédictine and lemon juice, and 1/3 oz. rich (2:1 sugar: water) Simple Syrup, with an egg white, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Add shake. Shake some more. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
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Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Aizuri Quartet
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2021
2:00 PM
Tuesday Matinees
Kaufman Music Center Stream
$15
https://lincolnsquarebid.org/event-detail/5362
The exciting Aizuri Quartet used to be rising, but now I guess they've risen. This afternoon they give us contemporary pieces by Eleanor Alberga (tonal, rhythmic, wonderful to listen to — and you can sort of tell she grew up in Jamaica) and Rhiannon Giddens (classically trained blues/folk musician who doesn't prettify her blues/folk but rather demoticizes her classical). And the first (and easiest-going) of Beethoven's astonishing string of Late Quartets, in the aggregate the greatest Dead White Men music there is.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Passport: pour 1 oz. each of Campari, Vermouth Blanc, and grapefruit juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup, with 1 dash of rhubarb bitters, into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange wedge and some cucumber slices.
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Tue, Mar 9, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 4:30 PM
-
Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 9 & 11, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Monday, March 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Mar 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 8 – 14, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, March 8, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Arpita Mukherjee & Aya Aziz: A Portal
THEATER
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021
7:00 PM
Winterworks 2021
Clubbed Thumb Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portal-a-gathering-tickets-144103325927
A reflection on a city trying to remake itself, to get to the other side. Featuring transcribed interviews with frontline workers and artists, students, and other affected by the Quarantine. With music!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Finding Peggy: pour 1-1/2 oz. Dubonnet Rouge, 3/4 oz. each of Gin and dry Vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of Patis, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini or coupe.
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Mon, Mar 8, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 8 – 14, 2021 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, March 8, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The Lockdown Sessions: Biophilia Records
MUSIC
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021
6:00 PM
The Jazz Gallery Stream
$15
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/lockdown-session-35
This List certainly supports Biophilia Records and its roster of fluent and imaginative jazz, post-jazz, and chamber pop artists. So this multi-artist sampler is certainly worth a viewing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cafe de Paris: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. each of cream and Simple Syrup, 1/4 oz. Absinthe, and 1 egg white into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake some more. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.
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Monday, March 8, 2021, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ethan Iverson Trio: Live at Smalls
MUSIC
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021
5:00 & 7:00 PM
SmallsLIVE Live Stream
Free-$50
https://www.smallslive.com/events/21919-ethan-iverson-trio/#
Ethan Iverson plays jazz piano like someone who listens to a lot of contemporary classical and pop music: not a fusion, but the inflections are there. His rhythm section tonight is fascinating: the understated Americana-ist Thomas Morgan on bass, and the incendiary avant-gardeist Andrew Cyrille on drums.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: American Trilogy: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, with 2 dashes of orange bitters and 1 brown sugar cube, into an Old Fashioned glass. Add ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Mar 8, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 12:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 8 – 14, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Mar 8, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 4:00 AM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 8 – 14, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Mar 8, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Mar 14, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 8 – 14, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, March 7, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-51/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's keep sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter (at least one subscriber has confirmed that this is really good): rinse a big tea cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, March 7, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Huang Ruo: A Dust in Time
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021
7:30 PM
Jennifer Koh
Works & Process at the Guggenheim Stream
Facebook
Free (donation requested)
https://www.facebook.com/worksandprocess/posts/10157624694786671
Composer Huang Ruo's music combines elements of Western avant-garde, Chinese traditional, jazz, and rock (not so much contemporary pop — but you can't have everything). Is it any wonder this List loves him? Jennifer Koh is, of course, one of the best violinists on the planet, one of the very few, not just who can, but who would, play the most exploratory new pieces with enormous sensitivity and then rip out a rousing (but still sensitive) rendition of (if she must) the Tchaikovsky concerto. This is the world premiere of a solo violin piece, dealing with the Pandemic (cuz how could it not?), that Ruo wrote for Koh.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A New Hope: pour 3/4 oz. each of aged Rum and Old Tom Gin, 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, 3/4 oz. lime juice, and 1/4 oz. Maple Syrup, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with some grated nutmeg.
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Sunday, March 7, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Michael Gordon: Sonatra
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021
3:00 PM
Vicky Chow
Bang on a Can Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://live.bangonacan.org/sonatra/
Michael Gordon's Sonatra has to be one of the best solo piano pieces — if not the best — to have been generated in this century. I suspect the only reason you don't hear it played all over is that it's So Fucking Difficult. Fortunately, Vicky Chow doesn't appear to know that. This is the premiere of a music video Chow has had made involving her playing the piece. Chow will also be playing excerpts from the piece from her apartment to demonstrate and discuss their devilish difficulty (I guess she does know). But unless you're a pianist, the point isn't how hard this work is: it's how good.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bentley: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Calvados and Dubonnet Rouge, with 3 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.
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Sunday, March 7, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
A Far Cry: Feeling New Strength
MUSIC
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021
2:00 PM
A Far Cry Live Stream
$8-$40
https://afarcry.org/all/feeling-new-strength
The Boston contemporary classical ensemble A Far Cry constructs a program around Beethoven's 15th Sting Quartet, written in a spirit of thanksgiving after the composer had recovered from an intestinal illness (I'll point out for younger readers that that's no small deal). It's being the year after 2020, the theme A Far Cry draws from this is strength through struggle (although the more conventional "healing" theme is becoming more and more on-point every day, I say hopefully). Other composers include Josquin, Caroline Shaw, Jesse Montgomery (exploring Black music of the civil rights era), and Revueltas: excellent stuff. As a hide-bound Boston-disliking Brooklyn chauvinist, I do have to point out that Brooklyn Rider did a Heiliger Dankgesang-derived program a few years ago, though.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Another good thing from Boston, the Ward Eight: pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and orange, and 1 teaspoon of Grenadine, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, March 6, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Sasha Waltz & Guests: "In C" by Terry Riley
DANCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021
2:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free
https://www.sashawaltz.de/en/in-c-by-terry-riley-livestream-from-radialsystem-on-6-march/
https://live.bangonacan.org/
Sasha Waltz is one of those Postmodern German choregraphers whose work is gut-punchingly visceral while still attending to the formal niceties. I for one can't wait to see what she'll do (streaming live from Berlin) with the joyously repetitive, extremely high-energy In C.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Berlin Sour: pour 2 oz. Kümmel, 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1/4 oz. rich Simple Syrup (2:1 sugar:water) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist and a cocktail cherry.
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Friday, March 5, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tomas Fujiwara feat. Meshell Ndageocello: You Don't Have to Try
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/tomas-fujiwara/
Maybe if you're musicians as totally awesome as drummaster Tomas Fujiwara and star bassist Meshell Ndageocello, you really don't have to try: music just comes out of your fingers. This is their premiere collaboration; Fujiwara did the composing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Act of Faith: pour 1-1/2 oz. Jamaican rum (I'm still crushing on The Funk), 1/2 oz. each of black Rum (I still think Gosling's Black Seal is an almost amazing value) and Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and 1/4 oz. of Angostura bitters into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, March 5, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Meadow Perry: Bubble Magic
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021
7:00 PM
Meadow Perry Live Stream
$20
https://www.meadowperry.com/event-details/meadow-perrys-bubble-magic-03-05-2021
If you don't like bubble magic (which is just what it sounds like), I'm not sure I can like you.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Fortune: pour 1 oz. Lairds Bonded Apple Brandy and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, with a handfull of mint leaves, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne (natch).
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Fri, Mar 5, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 3:30 PM
Ukranian Contemporary Music Festival
MUSIC
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 5 – 7, 2021
7:00 PM FRIDAY
7:30 PM SATURDAY
2:30 PM SUNDAY
Ukranian Contemporary Music Festival Live Stream
$5-$25 per show; $50-$100 all-access
https://www.ucmfnyc.com/overview
Ukraine celebrates 30 years of independence with this contemporary music festival emanating from various venues in New York. The first night focuses on new pieces by young Ukrainian composers. Saturday night's show focuses on the avant-garde music of the '60s (and the '60s extension in the early '70s), part of an efflorescence of such material that encompassed pretty much the entire West (including parts behind what was then the Iron Curtain) in that halcyon period. Sunday afternoon, electro-acoustic works. Performers include the Mivos Quartet, the Talea Ensemble, and Lucie Vitkóvá: we're in good hands
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Great Gatsby: pour 1 oz. each of Vodka and Lillet Blanc and 2-1/2 oz. grapefruit juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a glass big enough to hold it all, over ice. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Friday, March 5, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Friday, March 5, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
First Friday with Robert Black
MUSIC
FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021
12:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://live.bangonacan.org/black/
There isn't that big a repertoire for the double bass (Patrick Susskind wrote a play about that). But ace bassist Robert Black is doing his best to fix it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Abbey: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, and 3/4 oz. each of Kina l'Aero d'Or and orange juice, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, March 4, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Loser's Lounge: Battle of the One-Hit Wonders
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 (further installments on MARCH 18)
8:00 PM
Joe's Pub Stream
Free
https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2020/j/losers-lounge---joes-pub-live/
Skewed snark-popsters Loser's Lounge play two One-Hit Wonder hits and then the audience votes on which one-hit wins. Like a battle of the bands, but for songs rather than bands!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cosmopolitan (a real cocktail invented by a real mixologist, no matter what people say): pour 2 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. each of Cointreau and cranberry juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syurp into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime slice and an indulgent smile.
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Thursday, March 4, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Thursday, March 4, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Elliott Sharp: E#@70 — Concert Nr. 1 — SysOrk: New Works
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/elliott-sharp-at-70/
OMG if guitarist/composer/improviser/theorist/Downtown leading light Elliott Sharp is 70, then I must be . . . . Tell you what: let's talk about something else.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Backward's Point: pour 2 oz. Scotch, 1/2 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 3/4 oz. Cynar into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, March 4, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Now Vs Now
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-jason-lindner
Is it really 25 years since pianist Jason Lindner was the mainstay of the Smalls jazz scene, leading a renaissance of small-group jazz in New York? Good musician that he is, he hasn't stopped listening and evolving, and his current ensemble is more R&B-tinged than his early stuff was — and he's playing some electronics now. Nothing wrong with that.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Battle of New Orleans: pour 2-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, with 2 dashes of Peychaud's bitters and 1 dash of orange bitters, to an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, March 4, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Sonya Tayeh, Rhye & American Ballet Theater: What Becomes of Love?
MUSIC
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
6:00 PM
Body / Space
National Sawdust Stream
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/what-becomes-of-love-sonya-tayeh-rhye-american-ballet-theater
I'm sorry, I find Rhye's Canadian R&B timid and derivative. And choreographer Sonya Tayeh's principal credits are on Broadway and in music videos. And ABT exemplifies the flashy, technique-oriented approach to dance (or any of the performing arts) that I personally abhor. But on the shit-plus-shit-plus-shit can equal fertilizer theory, I'll be tuning in. (And people who are scared of the avant can rest assured they'll be comfortable here.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sidecar: pour 2 oz. Cognac, 1 oz. Cointreau, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. Debate with yourself whether to rim the glass with sugar.
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Thursday, March 4, 2021, 10:00 AM – 10:59 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 2 & 4, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Sounds & Stories: Teju Cole
MUSIC / DANCE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021
6:30 PM
Orchestra of St. Luke's Stream
$1-$100
https://oslmusic.org/event/sounds-stories-teju-cole/
Teju Cole chooses music for the sterling OSL to play between readings from his story "Radia". And he has GREAT taste! Caroline Shaw, Hildegard von Bingen, Kaija Saariaho, Unsuk Chin, Górecki, Yvette Janine Jackson, late Beethoven string quartet music! Maybe he'd like to guest-write a List.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: An ideal cocktail, the Last Word: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Matthew Ostrowski: Monograph
MUSIC
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/matthew-ostrowski-monograph/
Robocomposer Matthew Ostrowski presents an extended, and incredibly eclectic (ranging from Icelandic sagas to New Orleans), piece for electronics and voice.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Zacapattan: pour 2 oz. dark Rum (Ron Zacapa by preference) and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strai into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, MARCH 2 & 4, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tue, Mar 2, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 4:30 PM
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Monday, March 1, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Mar 1, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 1 – 7, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts / LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, March 1, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
MUSIC
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021
7:30 PM
Music Mondays Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://www.musicmondays.org/february-2021
This seems like another one of those concerts where some pieces by young female composers of color are laminated onto some Boring Old Stuff. But, maybe because string orchestra music is such an appealing genre in general, the Boring Old Stuff is nice: no one's gonna complain about hearing Barber's Adagio, and even we Tchaikovsky-haters have to admit that his Serenade for Strings is quite attractive. Hell, Osvaldo Golijov's high-energy Last Round (memorializing Piazzolla — not that you'd necessarily know it if Golijov didn't tell you) isn't even Old or Boring. The new stuff, though, is interesting. Jesse Montgomery of the Lower East Side is a star in the NYC Alt Classical firmament. But Hanna Benn, from the Pacific Northwest, presents a poser. Like the BK Alt Classical crew, she does "classical" and she does "pop". But with our guys and gals, the two melt into each other, without clear borders between them. Benn, on the other hand, turns out "classical" pieces like the one on this program, Where Springs Not Fail, that sound like updated Herbert Howells or something. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cafe de Paris: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. each of cream and Simple Syrup, 1/4 oz. Absinthe, and 1 egg white into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake some more. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.
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Mon, Mar 1, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 1 – 7, 2021 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory/Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, March 1, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Mariana Valencia: brownout
DANCE
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 (available through MARCH 15)
5:00 PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center Stream
Free
https://bacnyc.org/performances/performance/mariana-valencia
Choreographer/dancer Mariana Valencia kicks off what might as well be Mariana Valencia Week here in Virtual New York with a visual essay that promises to be both narrative and abstract.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In honor of the Chicago-raised New York-resident Valencia, a drink that was probably invented in New York but that honors Chicago. Chicago Fizz: pour 1 oz. each of Rum and Ruby Port, 1/2 oz. lemon juice, and 1 egg white, with 1/2 teaspoon of superfine sugar, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake some more. Strain into a chilled Collins glass. Top with club soda.
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Mon, Mar 1, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 12:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 1 – 7, 2021 (continuing through APRIL 30)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Mar 1, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 1 – 7, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Mar 1, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Mar 7, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, MARCH 1 – 7, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
