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Monday, November 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020 (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, November 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bill Ware: The Adventures of Prince Achmed
MUSIC
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/bill-wares-live-score-for-the-adventures-of-prince-achmed/
Composer/vibes player Bill Ware and an ace combo play (live!) his score for Lotte Reiniger's pioneering 1926 feature-length animated film (the oldest one still extant), the Thousand and One Nights pastiche The Adventures of Prince Achmed, as the great movie is streamed. This is going to be FANTASTIC!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Alladin: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. St-Germain, 1/4 oz. Campari, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of lemon (or, if you have any, yuzu) bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Throw in a basil leaf and shake some more. Strain into an ice-filled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Monday, November 30, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Orchestra of St. Luke's: The Cello in Motion
MUSIC
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020
6:30 PM
Temple Emanu-El Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://streicker.nyc/current-season/fall-2020/orchestra-of-st-lukes-the-cello-in-motion
Continuing their joint tradition of good programs with horrible names, the Orchestra of St. Lukes and NYC's richest synagogue present a solo cello piece by Jamaican-in-London composer Eleanor Alberga, another of those composers who's all of a sudden seeing herself programed all the time — but good for her (and us!). Here music is Mainstream Modern — but none the worse for that — occasionally laced with Jamaican vernacular — and all the better for that. Rounding out the program is one of the very greatest pieces in the White European Male chamber tradition, Schubert's Cello Quintet: endless melodic invention and formal surprises, music that stays in your mind like forever, popping up at stray moments to tantalize and inspire you. No shit: it's really THAT good.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Italian Job: pour 3/4 oz. each of Jamaican Rum, Cocchi Americano, Aperol, and Byrrh, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. The recipe tells you to express an orange peel into the drink, discard the orange peel, and garnish with a (get this) dehydrated orange wheel. Those of us who don't happen to have any dehydrated orange wheels lying around might consider garnishing with the orange peel instead.
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Mon, Nov 30, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2020 (ongoing)
8:00 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, Nov 30, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2020 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on 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, November 29, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Great Outdoors: A Livestream Variety Show
MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2020
8:00 PM
FiveOHM Productions Live Stream
$5-$50
https://www.fiveohm.tv/thegreatoutdoors
A variety show! Comedy! Music! Racoons! Two of them!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Paloma: rim a Highball glass with salt, having wet it with a lime wedge. Pour 2 oz. grapefruit juice and 1 tablespoon of lime juice, with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in 2 oz. tequila. Add ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
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Sunday, November 29, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER/ DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/ooaaoc-and-your-uncle-richard-present-ooaaov-volume-thirty-seven/
Your Uncle Richard, a bunch of strangers from various artistic disciplines, do an Exquisite Corpse type thing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Debaser: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Amontillado sherry, and 1 scant teaspoon each of Curaçao, Licor 43, and Orgeat, with 4 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an olive (preferably on a skewer — this cocktail is a Bunuel tribute) and a lemon twist.
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Sat, Nov 28, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Nov 29, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 (weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-7plz4-lx7pj
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and 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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Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sat, Nov 28, 2020, 8:59 PM
Jason Moran & The Bandwagon
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27 & 28, 2020
8:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/
Pianist/composer Jason Moran is about as good as mainstream contemporary jazz gets: forward-thinking but historically aware, keyed into current music outside his particular genre, a distinctive stylist both as a composer and as an improviser, a great conceptualist and also a great bandleader.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brown Derby: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz. grapefruit juice, and 1/2 oz. Honey Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Fri, Nov 27, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Nov 28, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27 & 28, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 19)
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 PM SATURDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$10 per person just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, an immersive experience where audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have specialty cocktails and food at Saturday performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tapas at Tia Pol.
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Thursday, November 26, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Matmos: Thanksgiving Leftovers
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020
9:00 PM
Matmos Stream
$2
https://matmos.bandcamp.com/merch/matmos-thanksgiving-leftovers?from=fanpub_fb_merch
As electronics/percussion/found sound madmen Matmos ask, "why curse the darkness when you can stare into the glowing box and experience 100% Genuine Matmos Family Entertainment in the convenience of your own home?"
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Air Mail: pour 2 oz. golden Rum, 1-1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of honey into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour UNstrained into a Collins glass over ice. Top with Champagne.
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Thursday, November 26, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tafelmusik: Passions of the Soul
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020
8:00 PM
Tafelmusik Live Stream
$30
https://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/passions-soul-0
Pair this with Tenet and you can have a fully Baroque Thanksgiving (although in Canada, where this is being broadcast from, they somehow think Thanksgiving was on October 12). Baroque composers often tried to directly depict emotional states in music; this concert focuses on such pieces. Tafelmusik is a splendid band.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Toronto: pour 2 oz. Canadian Whisky and 1/4 oz. each of Fernet and Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, November 26, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Bacchus: Cantatas for the God of Wine
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/bacchus
Tenet celebrates Thanksgiving by performing French Baroque cantates (they're not pedantic enough to spell it that way — but I am) honoring the God of Wine. Cuz I guess there isn't a God of Turkey.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: French Secret: pour 1 oz. Golden Moon Amer Dit Picon, 1/2 oz. Cointreau, and 2 oz. sparkling water into a tumbler over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, November 26, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23 & 26, 2020 (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. (Are they REALLY doing this on Thursday this week? They don't SAY they're not.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus
THEATER
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020
6:30 PM
Bedlam Theater "Do More" Virtual Benefit Reading
Zoom
Facebook
Free (registration required for Zoom) (donation requested)
https://bedlam.org/benefit-reading/
Bedlam does these Zoomed readings right. That's almost certainly because the stripped-down, unadorned style of presentation the company employs in live performance lends itself to remote performances from the actors' separate apartments, viewed on each audience member's monitor in their own apartments. Tonight they're doing Titus Andronicus. It may be no coincidence that Shakespeare's least-performed play is his most scabrous.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Don Lee's The Sawyer: pour 2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup, with 14 dashes of Angostura bitters and 7 dashes each of Peychaud's bitters and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, November 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 (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, November 23, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Lyndsey Bourne: Experiments: The Second Body (A Play with Taxidermy)
THEATER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020
7:00 PM
La Mama Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/second-body/
Cuz taxidermy is almost as good as puppetry.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Canton: pour 2 oz. Jamaican Rum (I'm very high on The Funk Unaged Heavy Pot Still these days, but beware: it's intense), 1/2 oz. each of Curaçao and Maraschino liqueur, and 1/4 teaspoon of Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange twist.
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Monday, November 23, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23 & 26, 2020 (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. (Are they REALLY doing this on Thursday this week? They don't SAY they're not.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Mon, Nov 23, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Nov 29, 2020, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 – 29, 2020 (ongoing)*
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
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, Nov 23, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Nov 29, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 – 29, 2020 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on 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, November 22, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution: Lucky Star: superstar (episodes 1 & 2) (superpowerful, supernatural, superhuman)
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/ooaaoc-and-pioneers-go-east-collective-present-ooaaoc-volume-thirty-six/
Queer theater collective Pioneers Go East take over Out of an Abundance of Caution for a meta-theatrical examination of celebrity.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Le Piqueur: pour 1-3/4 oz. Cognac, 3/4 oz. white Crème de Menthe, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Squeeze in a lemon peel and discard it. Garnish with a mint leaf.
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Sat, Nov 21, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Nov 22, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 (weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-7plz4-bjfjb
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and 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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Saturday, November 21, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 (weekly)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$13
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: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Saturday, November 21, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Bathsheva Dance Company: YAG — The Movie
DANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020
9:00 PM
Bathsheva Dance Company Live Stream
$14.97 (more or less)
https://www.eventer.co.il/hywj3?historyParent=https:%2F%2Fwww.eventer.co.il%2Fuser%2Fbatsheva
I don't know about you, but I'm Gaga for Ohad Naharin's choreography. So I'm excited as hell about this video adaptation of one of his great pieces for the company he used to lead.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Agavoni: pour 1/4 oz. each of silver Tequila, sweet Vermouth, and Campari, with 2 dashes orange bitters, into a Delmonico glass (come on, you don't have a Delmonico glass: use a rocks glass!) over ice. Stir. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Saturday, November 21, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Saturday, November 21, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ragas Live Festival
MUSIC
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020
7:00 PM
Pioneer Works Live Stream
Free (with registration) (donation requested)
https://live.pioneerworks.org/ragas/#livestream
The Brooklyn Raga Renaissance goes global (and online!) for a 24-hour festival featuring music by players beaming in from around the world (and from different musical traditions) giving their various takes on good ol' Carnatic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Curry Scotch Smash: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Curry Simple Syrup (Simple Syrup that you blended some curry powder into when cooking, duh), with a handful of mint leaves, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball or Collins glass over ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.
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Saturday, November 21, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Open 'Tho Shut
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 (weekly)
2:00 PM
Theater for the New City Live & Live Stream
TNC ChopShop Theater
10th Street btw 1st & 2nd Avenues, East Village, Manhattan
Free
https://theaterforthenewcity.net/shows/open-tho-shut/
A bunch of performances by Downtown luminaries headed by the beyond-fabulous Ridiculous Theater mainstay Everett Quinton.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, before the show grab an unbelievably fantastic sandwich at Foxface; afterward, Sichuan dry pot at Mala Project. At home, have a Whole Lotta Rosa: pour 1/1-2 oz. Cocchi Rosa, 1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1 egg white, with 2 orange slices into a cocktail shaker. First, dry shake (WITHOUT ice). Then, add ice and shake again. Strain into a Highball or a Collins glass. Top with club soda
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Friday, November 20, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Jordan Demetrius Lloyd: The Last Moon in Mellowland
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free ($25 donation requested)
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/nomadic-signals-crucial-language-dirar-kalash-jamal-r-moore
Another good choreographer experimenting with work created work especially for the video medium. This piece looks particularly interesting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Perhaps my single favorite cocktail find over the period I've been Listing cocktail recipes (all my fellow Last Word fans must love it, too), The Yellow Cocktail: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, yellow Chartreuse, Suze, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, November 20, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dance Bloc
DANCE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
YouTube
Free ($10-$15 donation suggested)
https://dixonplace.org/performances/dancebloc2-11-20-20/
Short new dance pieces shot outdoors.
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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Friday, November 20, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Split Britches: Last Gasp WFH
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
7:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
$5-$25
http://lamama.org/last-gasp/
Turning what was supposed to be a live piece into a remote piece, Split Britches perspicaciously sets out to address impermanence. (This is what happens when the avant garde enters its sunset years.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Glasgow: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, with 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. (See what I'm still doing here?) Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. You can garnish with a lemon twist if you feel like it.
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Friday, November 20, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Black Queen Screen Tests
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Stream
$15-$80
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/blackqueenscreentests
Black Queer Drag Lip-sync. Featuring the heaven-on-earth music of Dinah Washington!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: French Manhattan: pour 1-1/2 oz. each Cognac and sweet Vermouth and 1/4 oz. Grand Marnier, with 1 dash of orange 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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Friday, November 20, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 (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: Autumn Leaves: pour 1 oz. each of Pisco and Drambuie (yeah I never thought of the combination, either), and 1/4 oz. each of Campari and lime juice, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange wedge and a lime twist.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Tyshawn Sorey: For Roscoe Mitchell
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
10:30 PM
Seth Parker Woods//David Robertson/Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony Live Stream
Free
https://seattlesymphony.org/concerttickets/calendar/2020-2021/symphony/sub7
Coming off the absolute triumph of his recent violin concerto honoring fellow composer Marcos Balter, Tyshawn Sorey presents a new cello concerto honoring AACM mainstay and American Music Giant Roscoe Mitchell. The soloist is Seth Parker Woods, who is, to put it bluntly, phenomenal. Along with a piece by COVID survivor Brett Dean, the remainder of the program features Beethoven's hugely enjoyable Fourth Symphony, which in happier times I'd have been pleased to come over to your house and whistle for you, start to finish.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Is there a better nightcap than a Vieux Carré? While we're wondering, let's make one: pour 3/4 oz. each of Rye, Cognac, and sweet Vermouth and 1 teaspoon of Bénédictine, with two dashes each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sat, Nov 21, 2020, 9:00 PM
Jessica Cook: Seed
DANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 – 21, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/jessica-cook-seed/
Three nights of improvisational dance and sound.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Downtown: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse, pineapple juice, and lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Continuous Replay: Arnie Zane: Come Together
DANCE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
8:00 PM
New York Live Arts Live Stream
Free (with RSVP) (donation requested)
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/continuous-replay-digital-installment/
Arnie Zane originally created Come Together as a solo leading to a duet with his artistic and life partner Bill T. Jones. After Zane died of AIDs, Jones recast it as a piece for their full dance company. Now, in a fund-raiser for three Black social justice organizations, Jones has arranged a remote performance featuring company members (some real legends) spanning four decades.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In honor of Arnie's native borough, a Bronx: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. each of dry and sweet Vermouth, and 1 oz. orange 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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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Eric Harland
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live & Live Stream
1160 Broadway, NoMad, Manhattan
$15 live stream
$50 live (limited to 8 seats per set)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-eric-harland
Eric Harland is of course an excellent drummer. But one can't help noting that he'll be playing here with Vibist Of The Moment Joel Ross. Austin White intriguingly adds electronics and bass.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those listening at home can blot out their consciousness with a Professional: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 1/2 oz. overproof Rum (Jamaican by preference), and 1 oz. Campari into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist. Those who snag a seat at the venue can go down the block to The NoMad.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Stile Moderno
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/stile-moderno
A violinist and a theorbist take us back to that fascinating time when musicians in the Veneto were inventing Italian Baroque.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: From Brescia, a city that figures heavily in this program, the Pirlo: pour 2 oz. sparking Italian white wine (Pignoletto Frizzante by preference — but never, for this drink, Prosecco) and then 1 oz. Campari into a wine glass. Garnish with half an orange wheel.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 (bi-weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic1119
In New York in the 1960s there was this wildly popular children's show called Wonderama. Along with stories and games and contests and stuff, it featured variety acts, including magicians. It was taped before an audience of kids. My parents got me a ticket for maybe my eighth birthday. A magician came on. He was making handkerchiefs fly around him. What you could see in person, which you couldn't on the low-res TV screens of the time, was that the flying handkerchiefs were all on strings. This ruined magic on TV for me. I'm sorry I told you. I'm sure this show will be lots of fun.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A Third Degree will help you suspend your disbelief: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Nov 21, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell / Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 – 21, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 19)
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 PM SATURDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$10 per person just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, an immersive experience where audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have specialty cocktails and food at Saturday performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tacos at Tia Pol.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 (weekly)
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Live Stream
$5-$50 for whole series
https://here.org/shows/only-you-will-recognize-the-signal/
The creative and performing teams that brought us that great Zoom opera from early in the Pandemic, All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus, now goes into space to colonize a new world (SPOILER ALERT: things do not go smoothly). You can watch weekly at the ungodly hour of 1:00 PM on Thursdays for 10-minute increments, or you can see the thing whole at a more cossetting 7:00 PM on December 17.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brandy Crusta: wet the rim of a chilled small wine glass by rubbing it with a lemon slice, and rim the glass with sugar. Pour 2 oz. Cognac, 1/2 oz. each of Curaçao and lemon juice, and 1/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rimmed glass. Garnish with the longest lemon twist you can manage (if you make it properly long, it's called a horse's neck).
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Thursday, November 19, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 & 19, 2020 (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, November 18, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Pamela Z: A Secret Code — A Concert of Music for Voice and Electronics
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020
7:30 PM
Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://www.rutgers.edu/event/pamela-z-secret-code-concert-music-voice-and-electronics
List über-fave Pamela Z Zooms in for a recital. Her voice-and-electronics music is endlessly inventive — and also, for all you New Music scaredy-cats out there, endlessly listenable and enjoyable. And her vivid stage presence — in this case, studio presence — will draw you right in.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Le Piqueur: pour 1-3/4 oz. Cognac, 3/4 oz. white Crème de Menthe, and 1/4 teaspoon Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Express a lemon twist into the drink and discard it (the twist, not the drink). Garnish with a mint leaf.
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Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Jörg Ulrich Krah & Bernhard Parz: Beethoven — Katzer — Contrasts
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020
2:00 PM
Austrian Cultural Form New York Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.acfny.org/event/beethoven-katzer-contrasts/
If there's one composer this List can get behind, it's Hanns Eisler. He's got everything we like around here: demotic usages employed for "high" ends, Commie politics, the works. Georg Katzer — a composer with whose work I am otherwise completely unfamiliar — was Eisler's last student. So this would be worth a listen even if they weren't also playing Beethoven Cello Sonatas. (If I may fulminate for a moment, I'm in for canon-busting as much as if not more than anyone else in the world — but all this stuff you read now about how Beethoven wasn't actually that great is just bullshit.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Make yourself some Glühwein: boil 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar, until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat, and add 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, and an orange peel. Reduce heat again, to a simmer, and add a bottle of red wine (Zweigelt is good; St. Laurent is REALLY good if you're feeling extravagent). Simmer for at least 30 minutes (but the more the better). Strain into mugs. Garnish each with another cinnamon stick and an orange wheel.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Max Johnson: Transformations
MUSIC
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/max-johnson-transformati–ons/
Max Johnson plays jazz and writes classical. Here are a bunch of new pieces played by an impressive mixed ensemble.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Second Marriage: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon and Calvados and 1/2 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into a rocks glass. Add ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sarah Rothenberg: The Departing Landscape
MUSIC
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
8:00 PM
DA CAMERA Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.dacamera.com/?event=music-time-feldman-ancient-galleries&event_date=2020-11-17
In this filmed recital, sterling pianist Sarah Rothenberg performs late Feldman surrounded by ancient art at the Menil. Cuz depending on how you look at it, Feldman either suspended time or extended it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Longhorn Lope: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz. Golden Moon Amar dit Picon (or, absent that, Bigalett China-China), and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, with a dash of whiskey bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Café LaMama Live
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE / THEATER
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
7:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/cafe-la-mama-8/
The usual blend of music, performance, and theater.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Waldorf: pour 2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. (See what I'm doing here?) Strain the contents of the shaker into the chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Nov 22, 2020, 4:00 PM
Bill Irwin: On Beckett
THEATER
TUESDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 22, 2020
7:00 PM TUESDAY & THURSDAY
3:00 & 8:00 PM WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY
8:00 PM FRIDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY
Irish Repertory Theater Stream
Free (registration required) ($25 suggested donation)
https://irishrep.org/show/irish-rep-online-2020/on-beckett-in-screen/
It figures that the great clown Bill Irwin would also be — the same thing — a great Beckettian. This is a new video adaptation of his evening-length exploration of the work of Samuel Beckett, possibly the most mordantly funny person in the history of humanity — and also one of the most poetic, and, as a writer, surgically precise.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Massey: pour 1 each of Irish Whiskey and Gin, 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, 1/4 oz. green Chartreuse, and 1/8 oz. Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Mariel Roberts
MUSIC
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
7:00 PM
Pop-Ups in the Lantern
Miller Theater, Columbia University Stream
Free
https://www.millertheatre.com/events/mariel-roberts-live-from-columbia
Miller Theater resumes its highly enjoyable free Pop-Ups series in remote form, now from a new performance space in the new arts center in Columbia University's new Manhattanville campus. This first show is by Mariel Roberts, a questing, expressive cellist, playing pieces by herself and George Lewis and standbys by Saint-Saëns (yeah, that) and Bach.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ménage à Quatre: pour 1/4 oz. each of Gin, Lillet Blanc (or Cap Corse blanc if you're feeling exotic), Grand Marnier, and lemon juice to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Alexey Sysoev: SOS (Song of Songs)
OPERA
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
5:00 PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center Stream
Free
https://bacnyc.org/performances/performance/sos-song-of-songs
The stage version of this staged cantata was supposed to tour to the Baryshnikov Arts Center this year, but, you know. So the director/librettist/driving force of the work, the Russian visual/performancer artist Vera Martynov, reconceived it as a video production (as one does these days). Alexey Sysoev's music is, as a general rule, piquant.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Russian Cocktail (although David Wondrich says it comes from New Orleans): pour 1-1/2 oz. Vodka (you thought it would use Gin???), 3/4 oz. Cherry Heering, and 1/4 oz. Kirschwasser into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/cybertankvariety/nov17
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: La Découverte: pour 1-1/2 oz each of Rye and Byrrh, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a tumbler over ice. Garnish with half an orange wheel.
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Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 10:30 AM – Sun, Nov 22, 2020, 10:30 PM
Michael Yates Crowley: TEMPING
THEATER
TUESDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 22, 2020 (also DECEMBER 1 – 4)
10:30 AM & 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30 & 9:00 PM
Dutch Kills Theater Company
The Wild Project
195 East 3rd Street, East Village, Manhattan
$25-$45
https://dutchkillstheater.com/temping
A surreal office comedy in which you're a temp filling in at an actuarial company that calculates every single person's lifespan. Sitting at your cubicle, you interact remotely with a bunch of virtual bosses and colleagues on this, your first day on the job. The audience/protagonist in each performance is limited to one.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In the afternoon and evening, Thai street food at Terra Thai. In the morning, great coffee and baked goods at Abraço.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 & 19, 2020 (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, November 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 (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, November 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Anjna Swaminathan: Rivers Above, Floods Below
MUSIC
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/anjna-swaminathan-rivers-above-floods-below/
Two world premieres from Anjna Swaminathan, who starts from Carnatic music and goes to interesting places in the New Music universe.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mumbai Martini: muddle 10 curry leaves and 2 slices of ginger in a cocktail shaker. Pour in 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1/3 oz. Simple Syrup. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with another curry leaf.
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Monday, November 16, 2020, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Madeleine George: Mute Swan
THEATER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
7:00 & 9:00 PM
La Mama / CultureHub / Theater in Quarantine Live Stream
Watch
YouTube
Facebook
$0-$50
https://www.culturehub.org/events/mute-swan
A "Future Myth" about identity, distraction, courage, and love.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brain-Duster: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, sweet Vermouth, and Absinthe, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Mon, Nov 16, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Nov 22, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 – 22, 2020 (ongoing)
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
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, Nov 16, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Nov 22, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 – 22, 2020 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on 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, November 15, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.twitch.tv/outofcaution
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's stick with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a Martini glass or coupe 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 glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, November 15, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Sandbox Percussion
MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
5:00 PM
Concordia Chamber Players Live Stream
Free
https://concordiaplayers.org/
Sandbox Percussion is no longer an up-and-coming percussion quartet. It's up-and-has come.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cynarita: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of Campari and Cynar into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, November 15, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Philidor: The Blacksmith
OPERA
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
2:00 PM
Opera Lafayette Stream
$20
https://operalafayette.org/the-blacksmith
French opera specialists Opera Lafayette perform Philodor's rarely heard Baroque-into-Classical opera Le Maréchal Ferrant. In English! On a ranch in Mancos, Colorado! (Warning: this looks to be a canned recording of a recent Quarantine-era live performance.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Cuban: pour 1-1/2 oz. aged Rum, 3/4 oz. lime juice, and 1 oz. Simple Syrup, with 6-8 mint leaves and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Sunday, November 15, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
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Sunday, November 15, 2020, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Bang on a Can Found Sound Nation: One Beat
MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
12:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://live.bangonacan.org/
Bang on a Can's Global Music Auxiliary presents four hours of music from different traditions around the world.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Wild Heart: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Aperol and dry Vermouth 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 an orange wheel.
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Sat, Nov 14, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Nov 15, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020 (weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-7plz4-plzl5
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and 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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Saturday, November 14, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020 (weekly)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$13
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: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Saturday, November 14, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
San Francisco Symphony: Throughline
MUSIC
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
10:00 PM
San Francisco Symphony "From Hall to Home" Live Stream
Free
https://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-and-listen/Events/Throughline
It's no surprise that Esa-Pekka Salonen is the orchestra music director out of all those in the world who is best adopting to online performance. This show, kicking off his stewardship of the San Francisco Symphony, seems spectacular. The ensemble includes (among others) Julia Bullock, Pekka Kuusisto, Claire Chase, Esperanza Spalding, and Bryce Dessner. The centerpiece is a new piece by Nico Muhly expressly written for remote digital performance. There are also pieces by John Adams, Ellen Reid, and hip-hop fuser Kev Choice. And, just to remind us that this is a presentation by a mainstream orchestra, Beethoven.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Lonkero (Long Drink): pour 2 oz. Gin, 5 oz. grapefruit juice, and 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and lime juice into a Highball glass over ice. Top with club soda.
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Saturday, November 14, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: The Anonymous Lover
OPERA
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
8:00 PM
LA Opera Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.laopera.org/performances/updated-2021-season/the-anonymous-lover/
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was one of the greatest violinists, swordsmen, composers, and conductors in late 18th Century Europe. He's the guy who, for example, commissioned and conducted the premieres of Haydn's Paris Symphonies. He was deprived of eminence — forced out of positions he was excelling at, eventually being forgotten by history — because he was Black. This comic opera is generally considered his masterpiece — not that anyone ever gets a chance to hear it. Until tonight.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Air Mail: pour 2 oz. golden Rum (Puerto Rican by preference), 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1 teaspoon honey into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour (UNstrained) into a Collins glass over ice. Top with Champagne.
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Saturday, November 14, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Composers Concordance: We, the Whole People
MUSIC
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
7:00 PM
Michiko Rehearsal Studios
149 West 45th Street, Midtown, Manhattan
Facebook
Free live stream
$30 live in person (limited to 10 attendees)
http://www.composersconcordance.com/
A set of new pieces inspired by a speech by Susan B. Anthony. The intriguing ensemble features mezzo soprano, trumpet, electric guitar, piano/synthesizer, electric bass, viola da gamba, and drums/percussion.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you're there for the live performance, the best I can think of in the Arctic Waste That Is Now Midtown is Gabriel Kreuther for fancy Alsatian. Those at home can make Suffragettes: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, dry Vermouth and sweet Vermouth, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a pair of lemon twists.
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Saturday, November 14, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Open 'Tho Shut
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020 (weekly)
2:00 PM
Theater for the New City Live & Live Stream
TNC ChopShop Theater
10th Street btw 1st & 2nd Avenues, East Village, Manhattan
Free
https://theaterforthenewcity.net/shows/open-tho-shut/
A bunch of performances by Downtown luminaries headed by the legendary Penny Arcade.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, before the show grab an unbelievably fantastic sandwich at Foxface; afterward, Sichuan dry pot at Mala Project. At home, have a Whole Lotta Rosa: pour 1/1-2 oz. Cocchi Rosa, 1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1 egg white, with 2 orange slices into a cocktail shaker. First, dry shake (WITHOUT ice). Then, add ice and shake again. Strain into a Highball or a Collins glass. Top with club soda.
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Saturday, November 14, 2020, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Daria Faïn: patch the sky with 5 colored stones
DANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2020
12:00 PM
Chocolate Factory Live Stream
Zoom
$5-$25
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/daria-fain-patch-the-sky/
This was supposed to be a live look back at the formal and thematic bases of Daria Faïn's choreographic career in celebration of her 60th birthday. Circumstances dictated its morphing to a 24-hour-long online gathering conducted by Faïn and her artistic collaborators, featuring their creation of work in real time.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: This Aperol-Kambucha Cocktail recipe should see you through at least a good portion of this marathon presentation: pour 2 cups Gin, 1-1/2 cup Aperol, and 1 16 oz. bottle of Kambucha (chilled) (ginger or lemon flavored by preference) into a pitcher. Stir. For each cocktail, pour that mixture into a tumbler over ice until it's filled half way. Top with club soda, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a tangerine wedge.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Thomas Kotcheff: "Songs of Insurrection" Album Release Concert
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
8:00 PM
Thomas Kotcheff Live Stream
Free
http://thomaskotcheff.com/livestream
The advance notices of pianist Thomas Kotcheff's premiere recording of Frederic Rzweski's complete Songs of Insurrection have been rapturous. Kotcheff celebrate's the recording's release with a recital of Rzewski pieces and something brand new by Jordan Nelson. If you don't know, Rzewski is a signal composer, someone whose music is visceral, populist, propulsive, gripping — and relentlessly political. You NEED to listen.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pay Cut: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Amargo Vallet (this is good stuff you probably should have around), and 1/4 oz. Honey Syrup into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kioto Aoki & The Reduction Trio
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
8:00 PM
Experimental Sound Studio: The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free ($10 donation suggested)
https://ess.org/the-quarantine-concerts
Can there really be only one professional Taiko player in Chicago? In any event, multi-media artist Kioto Aoki is said to be that player, and here she is thundering away with an avant-Japanese trio. Great stuff.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A favorite in Japanese izakayas, the Red Eye: pour 6 oz. beer and 2 oz. tomato juice into a tall glass. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dance Bloc
DANCE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
YouTube
Free ($10-$15 donation suggested)
http://dixonplace.org/performances/dancebloc1-11-13-20/
Short new dance pieces on various progressive political themes.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mix '06 (why didn't I know about this one before????): pour 1 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, and 1/4 oz. Campari, with 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with a lime twist.
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Fri, Nov 13, 2020, 7:30 PM – Sat, Nov 14, 2020, 8:30 PM
Iceland Airwaves: Live from Rekyavík
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13 & 14, 2020
7:30 PM
DICE Live Stream
$50 two-day pass
https://icelandairwaves.is/live/
You're all sick of reading me going on about Icelandic pop, so here's your chance to dive in deep yourselves — with an online Pandemic iteration of what's usually a live music festival that's too far away to go to. Listen to this two-night festival (nights are LONG in Rekyavík in November) and wonder why we make such a big deal about the difference between pop and classical when the Icelanders don't.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Serial shots of Brennivín.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020 (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, November 13, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Moor Mother & Rasheeda Phillips: Black Quantum Futurism
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
7:00 PM
Indexical Live Stream
Free
https://www.indexical.org/events/2020-11-13-moor-mother-rasheedah-phillips-black-quantum-futurism
This List makes no secret of its adoration of Philadelphia poet/multimedia artist/activist/visionary Moor Mother, and the multimedia Afrofuturist Black Quantum Futurism is one of its favorites of her projects. Let's all melt into a better future.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Perfect Storm (a Dark and Story with Angostura bitters added — and boy they make a difference): pour 2 oz. dark Rum (Gosling's Black Seal by preference) and 1/2 oz. lime juice, with 2 dashes of ginger beer, into a rocks glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Vivier: Kopernikus
OPERA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
5:00 PM
Americas Society Stream
Free
https://www.as-coa.org/events/kopernikus-online
Spring of last year, the sovereign International Contemporary Ensemble and the Meridionalis vocal ensemble gave the U.S. premiere of Claude Vivier's mind-blowing opera Kopernicus at ISSUE Project Room, with projected psychedelic visuals by the Argentine artist Sergio Policicchio. It was a pretty amazing experience. Now, Policicchio has reworked his visuals for online video transmission, and they will accompany an audiotape of last year's musical performance. THAT'S the way to do this (not a video of a roomful of other people watching indistinctly transmitted visuals). Expect to have your mind blown.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Montreal: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Rye (preferably Canadian), Aperol, and Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020 (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: Autumn Leaves: pour 1 oz. each of Pisco and Drambuie (yeah I never thought of the combination, either), and 1/4 oz. each of Campari and lime juice, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange wedge and a lime twist.
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Friday, November 13, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh: Amplified Traces
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
1:00 PM
Quince Ensemble
Omaha Under the Radar/KANEKO Live Stream
Free ($10 suggested donation)
https://thekaneko.org/programs/amplified-traces/
The Quince Ensemble sounds as luscious as their eponymous fruit tastes. Here they sing a digitally realized premiere of a piece by Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh, with dance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Pinkest Gin: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice, 1/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1 oz. Quince Syrup (not as easy to make as Simple Syrup — but you have a delicious poached quince left over when you're done), with 2 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cassie Wieland: HYMN
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/cassie-wieland-hymn/
Cassie Wieland is a compulsively listenable composer, perhaps more interested in texture than structure — but none the worse for that. Tonight is the Pandemic-delayed premiere of a new solo piece Wieland wrote for no less a pianist than Vicky Chow. It will be supplemented by a bunch of solo pieces for a gaggle of other instruments.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Leap Year: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Grand Marnier, and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mark Morris Dance Group: Dance On!
DANCE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 PM
Mark Morris Dance Group Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/event/2020-12-11-videodances/
Mark Morris celebrates the 40th anniversary of his Dance Group's debut with a program of new pieces conceived, and old pieces reconceived, for video.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing less than a Grande Royale for THIS occasion: pour 3 oz. Grand Marnier into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dirar Kalash / Jamal R. Moore: Crucial Language
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 PM
NOMADIC SIGNALS
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free ($25 donation requested)
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/nomadic-signals-crucial-language-dirar-kalash-jamal-r-moore
Dirar Kalash, a multimedia artist (emphasis on sound) in Palestine, and Jamal R. Moore, a free jazz explorer in Baltimore, share a bill.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mother-in-Law: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1 teaspoon each of Cointreau, Maraschino liqueur, and Simple Syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon of Golden Moon Amer dit Picon or Bigalett China-China, with 2 dashes each of Peychaud's and Angostura 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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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tafelmusik: Close Encounters: Re-Tuned
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 PM
Tafelmusik Live Stream
$20
https://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/close-encounters-re-tuned-0
Toronto's terrific Baroque ensemble Tafelmusik presents a tribute to scordatura, a variant violin tuning that was one of the many variant instrument tunings in use during that period — another way the Baroque was a direct precursor of the present.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: New Orleans French 75: pour 1 oz. Cognac and 1/2 oz. each lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Pedro Guirado Tango Quartet
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live & Live Stream
1160 Broadway, NoMad, Manhattan
$15 live stream
$50 live (limited to 8 seats per set)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-joel-ross-2
The new album by current boss vibes player Joel Ross really is all that. So this show — another treat for people who like to listen to vibraphones — is something of a victory lap.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those listening at home can relax with a La Louisiane: pour 3/4 oz. each of Rye, sweet Vermouth, and Bénédictine, and 3/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, with 3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Those who snag a seat at the venue can go down the block to The NoMad.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Handel: Lucrezia
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/lucrezia
Handel's too-infrequently-performed Rape-of-Lucretia cantata.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Caput Mundi: pour 1 oz. Absinthe, 1/3 oz. Maraschino liqueur, 1/2 oz. Anisette, 1 oz. lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Top with lemon soda. Garnish with a lemon twist and a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 (bi-weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic115
In New York in the 1960s there was this wildly popular children's show called Wonderama. Along with stories and games and contests and stuff, it featured variety acts, including magicians. It was taped before an audience of kids. My parents got me a ticket for maybe my eighth birthday. A magician came on. He was making handkerchiefs fly around him. What you could see in person, which you couldn't on the low-res TV screens of the time, was that the flying handkerchiefs were all on strings. This ruined magic on TV for me. I'm sorry I told you. I'm sure this show will be lots of fun.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Thu, Nov 12, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Nov 14, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 – 14, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 19)
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 PM SATURDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$10 per person just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, an immersive experience where audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have specialty cocktails and food at Saturday performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tacos at Tia Pol.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Psappha: 3x3: New Traditions
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
2:00 PM
Psappha Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.psappha.com/event/3x3-new-traditions/
The English New Music ensemble Psappha comes to you from Manchester England England with Berio's great Sicilian folk adaptation Naturale; a Helmut Lachenmann piece, Serynade, that like all Lachenmann's pieces doesn't sound anything like the instruments used (in this case, a solo piano) usually sound; and new pieces by two composers I'll bet we'd have heard of if we lived in England (OK kidding kidding: we've heard of Betsy Jolas).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Lady Stoneheart : pour 2 oz. Punt e Mes and 1 oz. Simple Syrup, with 12 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Top with Champagne. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 (weekly)
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Live Stream
$5-$50 for whole series
https://here.org/shows/only-you-will-recognize-the-signal/
The creative and performing teams that brought us that great Zoom opera from early in the Pandemic, All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus, now goes into space to colonize a new world (SPOILER ALERT: things do not go smoothly). You can watch weekly at the ungodly hour of 1:00 PM on Thursdays for 10-minute increments, or you can see the thing whole at a more cossetting 7:00 PM on December 17.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brandy Crusta: wet the rim of a chilled small wine glass by rubbing it with a lemon slice, and rim the glass with sugar. Pour 2 oz. Cognac, 1/2 oz. each of Curaçao and lemon juice, and 1/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rimmed glass. Garnish with the longest lemon twist you can manage (if you make it properly long, it's called a horse's neck).
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Thursday, November 12, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 & 12, 2020 (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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Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Anna Wray Espinoza: Past/Present / Future Vibes
MUSIC
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/anna-wray-espinosa-past-present-future-vibes/
There are two kinds of people: people who like listening to the vibraphone, and people who don't.* This show, featuring old and new music for (or transcribed for) vibes is for those (like me) who do. Those who enjoy listening to the bassoon will want to know that one will join in for one piece. Those, like me, who enjoy concert visuals will want to know that there will be some — even if Roulette has been variable (to be nice about it) in its transmission of concert visuals in live streams.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Crux: pour 3/4 oz. each of Brandy, Dubonnet rouge, Curaçao, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: Reactor
MUSIC
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2020
7:00 PM
Tues@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-nov10
The International Contemporary Ensemble's ace hornist David Byrd-Marrow plays pieces by himself and such other composers as Paul Wiancko, whose energetic music is getting better and better.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I think we'll have yet another Pan American Clipper: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Lairds Bonded Apple Brandy and 3/4 oz. each of Grenadine and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. You can toss in an apple slice if you like.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Forster (adapt. David Keohane): The Machine Stops
THEATER
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2020
6:30 PM
Bedlam Theater "Do More" Virtual Benefit Reading
Zoom
Facebook
Free (registration required for Zoom) (donation requested)
https://bedlam.org/benefit-reading/
Bedlam does these Zoomed readings right. That's almost certainly because the stripped-down, unadorned style of presentation the company employs in live performance lends itself to remote performances from the actors' separate apartments, viewed on each audience member's monitor in their own apartments. Tonight they do a theatrical adaptation of E.M. Forster's prophetic dystopian sci-fi story (yeah, Forster wrote those, too) that predicted globalization, social media, and other current excrescences.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Believe it or not, the Missouri Mule is an English cocktail (and isn't a mule-type cocktail but rather is named after Missouri's state animal): pour 3/4 oz. each of Bourbon, Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, and lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. each of Campari and Cointreau (or other Triple Sec) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 & 12, 2020 (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, Nov 9, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sun, Nov 15, 2020, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – 15, 2020 (ongoing)
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
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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Monday, November 9, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020 (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, November 9, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Orchestra of St. Luke's: Musical Revolutionaries
MUSIC
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020
6:30 PM
Temple Emanu-El Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://oslmusic.org/event/musical-revolutionaries/
Yeah, I hate the name of this program, too. But, we get to hear new pieces by the hypnotic, quietly searing Matthew Evan Taylor (whose recent Unheard Mixtape EPs I've been spending a lot of time with) and the compelling violinist/multidisciplinary artist/composer Anja Swaminathan (who takes off from Carnatic music and goes places that are very interesting). Beethoven may be more revolutionary than either of them — so why he's represented by one of his more conventional pieces, the C-Major String Quintet, is something of a mystery.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Liberal (drink enough of them and you'll become incapable of systemic critique, instead insisting on the correctability of an insupportable existing structure and willfully disregarding the true nature of the forces that you fool yourself into believing you're effectively opposing): pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 1/2 oz. sweet Vermouth, 1/4 oz. Golden Moon Amer dit Picon or Bigalett China-China, and 1 dash of orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Nov 9, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Nov 15, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – 15, 2020 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on 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, November 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Andrei Kureichik: Insulted. Belarus(sia)
THEATER
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
8:00 PM
Arlekin Players Theater
Cherry Orchard Festival
Zoom
Free
https://cherryorchardfestival.org/insulted-belarus/
Another reading of Belarusian playwright Andrei Kureichik's reflective yet incendiary play Insulted. Belarus(sia), in solidarity with Belarusian dissident protestors. I fear that by Sunday it will become apparent how crucial it is for us Americans to get up to speed on how to attempt to oust a Russian-backed dictator after a spoofed election, as we'll no doubt be called upon to do.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 oz. dry Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. Out of solidarity with our Belarusian brothers and sisters, you can make it a Vodka Martini (really called a Kangaroo, but there are more important things to care about now).
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Sunday, November 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-thirty-four/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's stick with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a Martini glass or coupe 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 glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, November 8, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Galactic Zoo Dossier, the Singleman Affair & ESS: Million Tongues Festival: Hazy Autumn Rituals
MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
3:00 PM
Experimental Sound Studio: The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free ($10 donation suggested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/2020/11/8/tqc-million-tongues-festival-part-4-hazy-autumn-rituals
This year's online iteration of this legendary Chicago psych festival continues with another installment. The previous ones have been great!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Reluctant Tabby Cat: pour 1/4 oz. peaty Islay Scotch, 1-1/4 oz. Dubonnet rouge, and 1/2 oz. Limoncello into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled wine goblet. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sat, Nov 7, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Nov 8, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 (weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-8p3gw-4l84h
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Saturday, November 7, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
A. Qadim Haqq feat. Dopplereffekt: The Drexciyan Empire
MUSIC
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free ($25 donation requested)
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/drexciyan-empire-qadim-haqq-dopplereffekt
Musician/theorist DeForrest Brown, Jr. — a huge List favorite if ever there was one — curates a collaboration wherein Detroit Techno-associated futurist visual artist A. Qadim Haqq joins with electronic explorers Dopplereffekt, featuring the surviving member of the great Techno duo Drexciya, to further the Drexciyan myth of slaves thrown overboard from slave ships giving rise to a cadre of invincible amphibian warriors. In other words, the kind of unique, rewarding, bound-to-surprise show we almost take for granted from ISSUE Project Room.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Saturday, November 7, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Crossing Boundaries
DANCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
http://dixonplace.org/performances/crossing-virtual-boundaries-2020-11-07-copy/
Dances by choreographers who cross cultural and genre boundaries.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Friday, November 6, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Mivos Quartet
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020
10:00 PM
Festival of New American Music
Sacramento State University School of Music Live Stream
Facebook
Free
https://www.csus.edu/college/arts-letters/music/spotlight/fenam-festival.html
The Mivos Quartet's program includes pieces by such solid List faves as Linda Caitlin Smith, who sounds like Wandelweiser listening to Ravel on the prairie (even if Smith in fact grew up in New York) — just the kind of thing we all need to calm us down right now — and the commanding George Lewis, who for all his eminence retains the ability to surprise. There are also rumors of music by the wonderful Kate Soper — but we'll have to wait and see.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG (I'd recommend Everclear, but we try to be classy around here). Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Friday, November 6, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Tyshawn Sorey: For Marcos Balter
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020
7:30 PM
Jennifer Koh/Detroit Symphony
$12
https://www.dso.org/events-and-tickets/events/2021-digital/jennifer-koh-plays-tyshawn-sorey
I like to make fun of classical music's sudden scramble to program the Black composers it's been willfully disregarding for centuries. But if the result is a concert by a major orchestra featuring a new violin concerto by Tyshawn Sorey, surely one of the best musicians on the planet — played by the magnificent Jennifer Koh, no less — and a marvelous chamber piece by the once-neglected-then-forgotten Florence Price, well, I'm not complaining. (Did you know that Detroit is in the Eastern time zone? Neither did I.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Friday, November 6, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020 (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: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Thursday, November 5, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: La Vanité du Monde: Octonaires by Claude le Jeune and Pascal de l'Estocart
MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/la-vanite-du-monde
OK, I'll admit it: usually I write this stuff and then factcheck, but this one I had to look up at the start. What's an octonaire? Who are Claude le Jeune and Pascal de l'Estocart? Even such a devotee of French Early Music as myself had absolutely no idea. Well, it turns out that octonaires are Calvanist chansons sprituelles from the late 16th Century (as they'd have to be), and le Jeune and de l'Estocart are masters of the genre. You KNOW that I, for one, will be logging on to learn more about this.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Thursday, November 5, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 (bi-weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic115
In New York in the 1960s there was this wildly popular children's show called Wonderama. Along with stories and games and contests and stuff, it featured variety acts, including magicians. It was taped before an audience of kids. My parents got me a ticket for maybe my eighth birthday. A magician came on. He was making handkerchiefs fly around him. What you could see in person, which you couldn't on the low-res TV screens of the time, was that the flying handkerchiefs were all on strings. This ruined magic on TV for me. I'm sorry I told you. I'm sure this show will be lots of fun.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Thursday, November 5, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 (weekly)
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Live Stream
$5-$50 for whole series
https://here.org/shows/only-you-will-recognize-the-signal/
The creative and performing teams that brought us that great Zoom opera from early in the Pandemic, All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus, now goes into space to colonize a new world (SPOILER ALERT: things do not go smoothly). You can watch weekly at the ungodly hour of 1:00 PM on Thursdays for 10-minute increments, or you can see the thing whole at a more cossetting 7:00 PM on December 17.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Thursday, November 5, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3 & 5, 2020 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
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: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG (I'd recommend Everclear, but we try to be classy around here). Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3 & 5, 2020 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
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: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG (I'd recommend Everclear, but we try to be classy around here). Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Alarm Will Sound: Begin With the Ballot
THEATER
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020
8:00 AM
Alarm Will Sound Stream
Free
https://www.alarmwillsound.com/beginwiththeballot/
Get Out The Vote videos inspired by Ortega's sadly rather overoptimistic anthem "¡El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido!" Enjoy hope while you can.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG (even at 8 in the morning). Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Monday, November 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Darius Jones: We Can Change the Country
MUSIC
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/darius-jones-we-can-change-the-country/
The terrific avant-gutbucket altoist/composer Darius Jones convenes a bunch of singers and players who are almost all frequent denizens of this List for a chaotic piece whose hopeful title I wish were warranted.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Monday, November 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Yvonne Rainer: Dance Rant
DANCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
The Kitchen Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://thekitchen.org/event/yvonne-rainer-dance-rant-and-revisions-book-launch
Modern icon Yvonne Rainer — who is everything her colleagues at Judson Dance Theater are, but funnier (well, maybe not funnier than David Gordon) — dances a rant against . . . well, you know.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG (I'd recommend Everclear, but we try to be classy around here). Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Monday, November 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020 (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: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Monday, November 2, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The High Captain
THEATER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$10-$25
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/11/2/the-high-captain
Shipwrecked barge workers try to set up a government on their new island home (but they're all high on the ship's petroleum cargo). In other words, a non-metaphorical presentation of the 2020 election.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Monday, November 2, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Eliza Bent: Karen, I Said
THEATER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
6:00 PM
bentertainment/New Georges/All for One Theater
Zoom
$5-$30
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/newgeorges/441357
Eliza Bent's best work yet (and that's saying something). I love the way she saves the most surgical skewering for Our Side. Funny and deceptively deep.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG. Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Monday, November 2, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
DETEXT: Propaganda
THEATER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
4:00 PM
The Tank Stream
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/propaganda
Trump and Biden fundraising emails played for laughs. Cuz where's the fun in weeping?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nothing but Martinis this week: we need something STRONG (I'd recommend Everclear, but we try to be classy around here). Pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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, Nov 2, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Nov 8, 2020, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 – 8, 2020 (ongoing)
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
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, Nov 2, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Nov 8, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 – 8, 2020 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on 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, November 1, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-thirty-three/
This week OOAAOC concentrates on breathing and relaxation. Seems a little New Agey to me. But maybe necessary. I only hope that next week it isn't necessary to concentrate on violent resistance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: When I want to relax, I have a Martini: pour 2 oz. Gin and 1 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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Sunday, November 1, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The High Captain
THEATER
FRIDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 & NOVEMBER 1, 2020 (also on NOVEMBER 2)
7:00 PM
Bechdal Group
The Tank Live Stream
$10-$25
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/30/the-high-captain
Shipwrecked barge workers try to set up a government on their new island home (but they're all high on the ship's petroleum cargo). In other words, a non-metaphorical presentation of the 2020 election.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Jungle Bird: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Jamaican (or Puerto Rican) Rum and pineapple juice, 3/4 oz. Campari, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass (NO ice). Garnish with an orange slice.
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Sunday, November 1, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Composers Concordance: Conga Mania
MUSIC
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020
5:00 PM
Kostabi World
225 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
LIVE: $20 (15-person audience limit)
LIVE STREAM: Free
https://www.facebook.com/events/2531718413798898
Two ace congueros and a tap dancer join a bunch of New Musicians to bend some genres and make a racket.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Cuban: put 8 mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Pour in 1-1/2 oz. aged Rum, 3/4 oz. lime juice, and 1 oz. Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, and fill with ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a mint leaf.
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Sunday, November 1, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
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Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 (weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-7plz4
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and 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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Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 5:00 PM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 9:00 PM
Molissa Fenley: State of Darkness
DANCE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1, 2020
5:00 & 8:00 PM SATURDAY
8:00 PM SUNDAY
Joyce Theater Live Stream
$13
https://www.joyce.org/stateofdarkness
God did I love seeing Molissa Fenley do her solo Rite of Spring setting State of Darkness in 1988. Fenley's high-energy Minimalism at its most emotional and intense (Fenley was one of that school of artists in '80s who showed that Minimalism could be rough). Now the Joyce has put together a bill of seven fantastic dancers to each do a (separately ticketed) solo performance. And this weekend those dancers include Sara Mearns (Sunday) and Cassandra Trenary (Saturday night)!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mance Ryder: pour 1-1/2 oz. Reposado Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of Mezcal, sweet Vermouth, and Cointreau, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and orange bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Mon, Oct 26, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 – NOVEMBER 1, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
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/
-
Mon, Oct 26, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 – NOVEMBER 1, 2020 (Ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street / Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on 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).
