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Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 11:00 PM – Fri, Jan 1, 2021, 12:00 AM
Eschaton NYE: The Dissolution
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
11:00 PM
Zoom
$25-$35
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton/455937/#
A special New Year's Eve edition of this immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and (gulp) interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Champagne. And lots of it.
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Thursday, December 31, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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Thursday, December 31, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29 & 31, 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, December 30, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Pandemic Dances
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020
7:00 PM
Composers Concordance
Kostabi World Chelsea & Online
225 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Facebook
$20 live
Free online
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pandemic-dances-tickets-131231726627
https://www.facebook.com/composersconcordance/live
Early in Quarantine, composer/electric guitarist/Composers Concordance honcho Gene Pritsker composed a series of duets for himself and various composer/musician friends, who then reciprocally composed duets for themselves and Pritsker. A good album in the pop/jazz-inflected classical style (unless it's the pop/classical-inflected jazz style) ensued — and now they're playing some of it live.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The 15 live tickets being made available include unlimited free drinks (although you can imagine how dire they're going to be). Before the show (you can't eat out afterward these days), excellent paella at Socarrat. Those watching at home can drink Vieux Carrés: pour 3/4 oz. each of Rye, Cognac, and sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. of Bénédictine, with 1 dash each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into and Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, December 30, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
30-30-30
DANCE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020
7:00 PM
Dixon Place DPTV
$30-$60
http://dixonplace.org/performances/30-30-30-2020/
A few years ago, Dixon Place celebrated its 30th anniversary with a program featuring 30 dance companies, each presenting a short work, on December 30. Now it celebrates its 34th anniversary (with the celebration necessarily reposing online). I guess 30-30-34 didn't sound catchy enough.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: French 75: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, December 29, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29 & 31, 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, December 28, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ricardo Gallo: Transmutable Music
MUSIC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020
8:00 PM
Hypercube
YouTube
Free
https://www.facebook.com/events/1106040136483501/
This is intriguing. Ricardo Gallo is a Colombian jazz pianist with a distinctive, angular compositional style: a sort of South American Andrew Hill, as I never tire of saying when I recommend him (which I do constantly). What Gallo's music will sound like played by the über-precise über-passionate guitar/sax/piano/percussion chamber ensemble Hypercube, for whom this set of pieces was written, is anybody's guess. Only one way to find out.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: French Colombian: pour 1/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Demerara Syrup, 1-3/4 oz. Absinthe, and 2 oz. water into a pint glass. Top with grated cinnamon. Stir with a red hot poker (CAREFUL!) until you can smell that the sugars have caramelized. Pour into a mug to drink. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
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Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 5:00 PM – Wed, Dec 30, 2020, 9:00 PM
600 Highwaymen: A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call
THEATER
MONDAY – WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28 – 30, 2020 (continuing through JANUARY 17, 2021)
5:00, 6:30 & 8:00 PM
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater
Over the phone
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/a-thousands-ways/
Next year's Under the Radar alt-theater festival kicks off early with these further performances of one of the absolute smash hits of the Quarantine era, 600 Highwaymen's A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call. This is the first part of a theatrical triptych of encounters between strangers. In this one, someone you don't know calls you up, and over the course of your phone conversation (following prompts) a portrait of your caller emerges. (The Public's page for this show says "Sold Out", but available spaces pop up: good luck!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I see you sipping a Cognac as your conversation proceeds.
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Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 12:00 PM – Sun, Jan 3, 2021, 5:00 PM
Pete Wyer: For Love and Only for Love
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 – JANUARY 3, 2021 (continuing daily through JANUARY 10)
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Make Music Winter
New York Botanic Garden, Native Plant Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx
$7-$22 (Garden admission price)
https://makemusicny.org/for-love-and-only-for-love
A new entry in the walk-around-the-landscaped-public-space-with-soundtrack derby. In this one, composer Pete Wyer creates one of his iForests in the New York Botanic Garden (reason enough to go), hiding speakers in the woodland surrounding the Native Plant Garden that play choral music, sometimes defiant but more often contemplative, that varies with the time, landscape, and weather. Subscriber CP, at least, was wildly enthusiastic about this piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: See who's serving on Italian (and Albanian)-American paradise Arthur Avenue.
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Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Jan 3, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 – JANUARY 3, 2021 (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, Dec 28, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Jan 3, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 – JANUARY 3, 2021 (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, December 27, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-41/
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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Thursday, December 24, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Ricardo Romaneiro: Thomas Edison's "A Christmas Carol"
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020
5:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble / Kennedy Center Stream
Facebook
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/christmas-carol
Composer/electronic musician Ricardo Romaneiro's new scores for silent German Expressionist movies have been some of the biggest treats of the last couple of years. Now he goes further back in time to Thomas Edison's very early (and very short) screen adaptation of A Christmas Carol — a film that (let's face it) doesn't approach the Expressionist stuff artistically, but whose presentation will surely be dripping with holiday charm.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Merry Christmas: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and cranberry juice, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, into a Collins glass over ice. Stir. Top with club soda. Garnish with a few cocktail cherries.
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Thursday, December 24, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22 & 24, 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, December 22, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Frank Boyd: Live from the Lodge #274: Holiday Raffle
THEATER
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2020
8:00 PM
The TEAM Petri Project Live Stream
YouTube
Free (registration required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-from-lodge-274-holiday-raffle-tickets-132457683497
A piece centered on the items donated by the members of a notional mid-Michigan Elks Club for their annual holiday raffle.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Local: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 1 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with Malbec wine.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cole Stern: Endurance
THEATER
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2020
8:00 PM
The Tank Stream
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/12/22/endurance
This really is a personal recommendation for me, as I'm kind of obsessed with the story of the Shackleton Expedition to Antarctica. So, apparently, is Cole Stern, who as far as I can tell from the advance materials reenacts it in his backyard.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Shackleton: pour 1-1/2 oz. blended Scotch, 1/2 oz. Manzanilla Sherry, 3/4 oz. lime juice, and 1/2 tablespoon each of Crème de Cassis and Simple Syurp into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People
THEATER
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 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. As for tonight's play, is there a better comic play (meaning, that Your Compiler likes more) in the entire corpus of English (OK, Anglo-Irish) theatrical literature than The Importance of Being Earnest? No, there is not.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Oscar's Folly: pour 2 oz. Irish Whiskey and 1/4 oz. each of Absinthe, Maraschino liqueur, and Forthave Red (you can also use Leopold Brothers Aperitivo or even Campari) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Now the hard part (really not that hard): slowly pour in 1 teaspoon of green Crème de Menthe over the back of a spoon; it will sink to form a layer at the bottom of the drink (you will not believe how cool this looks). Garnish with a lime twist.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22 & 24, 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, December 21, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020
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, December 21, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Phill Niblock: 6 Hours of Music and Film
MUSIC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020
6:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/phill-niblock-6-hours-of-music-and-film-10/
Phill Niblock drones on as if we were still in the Theatre of Eternal Music (as does La Monte Young, for that matter). This year his annual Winter Solstice marathon migrates online, with its usual combination of music and film. This would be a totally solid recommendation if Roulette didn't consistently fuck up streamed transmissions of multi-media presentations.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Winter Cocktail: pour 2 oz. Rum, 1/2 oz. lime juice, 1 teaspoon each of Domain de Canton (or other ginger liqueur) and Pimento Dram (a/k/a Allspice Dram), with 1 teaspoon of sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters.
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Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 5:00 PM – Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:00 PM
600 Highwaymen: A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call
THEATER
MONDAY – WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 23, 2020 (continuing through JANUARY 17, 2021)
5:00, 6:30 & 8:00 PM
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater
Over the phone
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/a-thousands-ways/
Next year's Under the Radar alt-theater festival kicks off early with these further performances of one of the absolute smash hits of the Quarantine era, 600 Highwaymen's A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call. This is the first part of a theatrical triptych of encounters between strangers. In this one, someone you don't know calls you up, and over the course of your phone conversation (following prompts) a portrait of your caller emerges. (The Public's page for this show says "Sold Out", but available spaces pop up: good luck!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I see you sipping a Cognac as your conversation proceeds.
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Monday, December 21, 2020, 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Make Music Winter
MUSIC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020
1:00 – 8:00 PM
Make Music New York Live Streams
Free
https://makemusicny.org/
For this Winter Solstice Make Music Winter goes online. The usual staggering/bewildering collection of musical performances of wildly varying types — made less bewildering this time by the fact that you can attend them all from your apartment.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I see us drinking 522 North Pinckneys all day: combine 1/2 cup St-Germain, 1/4 cup Campari, and 2 cups pink grapefruit juice in a pitcher. Cover and chill at least 2 hours (you can do this a day ahead if you want). Pour about 1/8 of that mixture into a glass (the first time you do it, you'll see how much of the glass it fills). Top with Champagne (by the end of the pitcher, you'll have used up a bottle).
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Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 12:00 PM – Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 5:00 PM
Pete Wyer: For Love and Only for Love
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 27, 2020 (continuing daily through JANUARY 10)
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Make Music Winter
New York Botanic Garden, Native Plant Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx
$7-$22 (Garden admission price)
https://makemusicny.org/for-love-and-only-for-love
A new entry in the walk-around-the-landscaped-public-space-with-soundtrack derby. In this one, composer Pete Wyer creates one of his iForests in the New York Botanic Garden (reason enough to go), hiding speakers in the woodland surrounding the Native Plant Garden that play choral music, sometimes defiant but more often contemplative, that varies with the time, landscape, and weather. Subscriber CP, at least, was wildly enthusiastic about this piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: See who's serving on Italian (and Albanian)-American paradise Arthur Avenue.
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Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 27, 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, Dec 21, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21 – 27, 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, December 20, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution: A Very Poké-Spelling Bee
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/oooaaoc-volume-40-presents-a-very-poke-spelling-bee/
As the title says.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bee's Knees: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 3/4 oz. Honey Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Sunday, December 20, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Asian Improv aRts Midwest: Taiko Legacy
MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free ($10 donation suggested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-airmw-taiko-legacy-17
Those thundering Japanese drums make some of my own personal favorite music anywhere.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Baltimore Bang: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Bourbon and Apricot Brandy, and 1 oz. lemon juice, with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange slice and a cocktail cherry.
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Sunday, December 20, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Japan Songs
MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2020
3:00 PM
Kyo-Shin-An Arts/Tenri Cultural Institute Stream
$5-$100
https://www.musae.me/kyoshinanarts/experiences/866/japan-songs
I used to regularly List live shows in this series exploring different ways of comparing, contrasting, and mashing up European and Japanese art musics in the Before Time, so it's kind of bittersweet now to List this remote canned iteration. In this installment, ace mod pianist Kathleen Supové and her crew present two sets of pieces setting Japanese poetry commissioned from local composers — including such regular List faves as James Matheson and Alexandra Vrebalov. There's also Varèse's Density 2.15 of all pieces — except played on the shakuhachi — some Piazzolla cuz why not, and something by Supové herself.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you're listening to a shakuhachi, you might as well be drinking a Bamboo: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Fino Sherry and dry Vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup, 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.
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Saturday, December 19, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 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, December 19, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mary Prescott: Tida
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/mary-prescott-tida/
Mary Prescott investigates her mother's experience as a Thai immigrant in the Midwest, using music (very good, too!), dance, and words.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Thai Basil Daquiri: put 5 Thai basil leaves, 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup, 1 oz. lime juice, and 2 oz. white Rum, with a pinch of salt, into a blender. Blend. Pour into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. A lot. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, December 19, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Juxtapositions: Old and New Music for Baroque Instruments
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020
7:00 PM
5 Boroughs Music Festival Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://5bmf.org/events/juxtapositions/
As you've probably noticed, I'm a nut for New Music on baroque instruments — and composer/harpischordist Elliot Figg is a dab hand at it. That the Old Music includes Early Music legend Monica Hugett playing some Bach violin/harpsichord sonatas seals the deal.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Grog: pour 2 oz. dark Rum, 3/4 oz. lime juice, 1/2 oz. Demerara Syrup, and 1 oz. water into a mug over ice. Stir.
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Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 9:00 PM
The Moving Orchestra: Anniversary Festival
MUSIC / DANCE
THURSDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 19 & 20, 2020
8:00 PM THURSDAY & SUNDAY
6:00 PM SATURDAY
The Moving Orchestra Live Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://themovingorchestra.com/2020-anniversary-festival
The first anniversary of the first performance of this music/dance band (not an auspicious first year — but they didn't know what was coming). They improvise, they do New Music by people we all like, they move around.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Keyes: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Cynar, and 1/2 oz lemon juice and Demerara Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, December 19, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Randall Woolf: Asylum
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020
4:00 PM
Bowers-Fader Duo
YouTube
Free (donations requested)
https://www.bowersfaderduo.com/concerts
Randy Woolf was way ahead of the curve in integrating pop usages (in his case, rock music) into classical in an organic, from-the-inside, non-exploitive way. If that now makes him an elder statesman, well, he's a very youthful one. A new song cylce from him, performed by the voice-and-guitar Bowers-Feder Duo, is exciting by definition.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's go back to the Autumn Leaves, both because Autumn is about to be over and I can't believe this cocktail works (who THOUGHT of this?): pour 1 oz. each of Pisco and Drambuie, and 1/4 oz. each of Campari and lime juice, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange wedge and a lime twist.
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Saturday, December 19, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Riz Ahmed: The Long Goodbye
THEATER / MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020
3:00 PM
BAM Live Stream
Pay what you wish starting at $6.75
https://www.bam.org/music/2020/the-long-goodbye
A lot of people got excited about Riz Ahmed's break-up album with Great Britain, The Long Goodbye. Me, I thought it was just too conventional — he isn't as formally and politically audacious as the U.S.'s own Daveed Diggs in the actor/rapper category. Still, this video realization of the piece has to be worth considering.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: What else but a Long Goodbye? Pour 1 oz. soda water into a Collins glass. Then, pour 1/2 oz. Mezcal, 1-1/2 oz. Cynar, 1 oz. orange juice, and 1/4 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the Collins glass over the soda water. Add ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Saturday, December 19, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Tone Glow Presents
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2020
3:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free ($10 suggested donation)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-toneglow2
An afternoon of pop-leaning experimental music. Daphne X is glitchy. Able Noise is slow and spacey. Derek Baron is sometimes soothing and sometimes jolting. Shots turn, like, anything into music.ecessary Noise: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Aperol, and 1/4 oz. Vermouth Blanc into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 12:00 PM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 4:00 PM
Pete Weyr: For Love and Only for Love
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19 & 20, 2020 (continuing daily through JANUARY 10)
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Make Music Winter
New York Botanic Garden, Native Plant Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx
Free (only this Saturday & Sunday, if you tell them you're coming for "Make Music Winter") (after that, you'll have to pay the $12-$25 Garden admission price)
https://makemusicny.org/for-love-and-only-for-love
A new entry in the walk-around-the-landscaped-public-space-with-soundtrack derby. In this one, composer Pete Wyer creates one of his iForests in the New York Botanic Garden (reason enough to go), hiding speakers in the woodland surrounding the Native Plant Garden that play choral music, sometimes defiant but more often contemplative, that varies with the time, landscape, and weather.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: See who's serving on Arthur Avenue (Thursdays through Sundays it's a traffic-free piazza).
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Fri, Dec 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 9:00 PM
La MaMa's Squirts: Generations of Queer Performance
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18 & 19, 2020
8:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requeested)
http://lamama.org/squirts/
Like the title says.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Lavandou: pour 1-2/3 oz. Cognac and 2/3 oz. each lemon juice and Lavender-Honey Syrup into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lavender sprig.
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Friday, December 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Quince Ensemble: Holiday Solstice Party
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020
8:00 PM
Quince Live Stream
Zoom
Free (donation requested)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/quince-holiday-solstice-party-tickets-127616978819
Quince is not only a beyond-fabulous vocal ensemble — they're great to hang with! Holiday fun and music. I've also heard a rumor that people from Roomful of Teeth might drop by. You know, after the Winter Solstice, the days start getting longer: there's HOPE!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: White Manhattan: pour 2 oz. Corn Whiskey (I'm going through a Mellow Corn phase myself) and 1 oz. Lillet Blanc, with 3 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, December 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Jonathan Finlayson
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/commission-jonathan-finlayson-2/
Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson: tart, stretched out, surprising.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Atty: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon each of Absinthe and Crème de Violette 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, December 18, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Eve Beglarian: The Vicksburg Project — In Process (Part II)
MUSIC / THEATER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020
7:00 PM
Mabou Mines Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.maboumines.org/production/the-vicksburg-project-in-process/
Speaking for myself, I don't much like previews of works-in-process where the artists present excerpts and talk about what they're hoping to do. I like to watch complete works, myself — and care a lot more what I think about a work than what its creators do. But if you feel differently, this two-part preview of a work composer Eve Beglarian is putting together with actor/writer Karen Kandel and director Mallory Catlett — three of this List's favorites, to be sure — is worth your attention. Vicksburg was, of course, the site of a crucial Civil War battle (siege, really); and this piece is going to examine that town through the eyes of women and gender-complex people, starting with the time of the Civil War and then resuming every 50 years thereafter.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mississippi Cocktail: pour 2 oz. Cognac, 1 oz. each of Bourbon and dark Rum, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice, with 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Friday, December 18, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Claire Chase: Density 2036 pt. vii and more
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020
7:00 PM
The Kitchen Live Stream
Free
https://onscreen.thekitchen.org/claire-chase-density-2036-part-vii-and-more
Flautist Claire Chase, certainly one of the best and most significant musicians walking the face of this planet, continues a series of commissions of solo (more or less) flute pieces, set to culminate in 2036 (we should all live so long) in celebration of the centenary of Varése's epochal solo flute piece Density 21.5.* The main thing tonight is a brand-new work by the always-fascinating Liza Lim entitled Sex Magic, celebrating women's power. Chase and some friends will also revisit previous pieces from the series, in recognition of the new release of recordings of them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You lived through it, now you can drink it: Nor'easter. Pour 4 oz. Bourbon and 1 oz. each of lime juice and Maple Syrup into a cocktail shaker or pitcher. Chill in refrigerator. Pour into a rocks glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime slice.
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Friday, December 18, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 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, December 18, 2020, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Brandee Younger & Dezron Douglas: Brunch in the Crib with Brandee & Dezron
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020
11:00 AM
International Anthem Live Stream
$9
https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/merch/brunch-in-the-crib-with-brandee-dezron
Harpist Brandee Younger and bassist Dezron Douglas wanted to create comforting, uplifting music on their new album — and they did! Now, they celebrate its release by getting everybody up and at their screens at 11:00 AM.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Morning Glory: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Cognac, 1 teaspoon each of Curaçao and Simple Syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon twist. Have a nice day.
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Moving Orchestra: Anniversary Festival
MUSIC / DANCE
THURSDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 19 & 20, 2020
8:00 PM THURSDAY & SUNDAY
6:00 PM SATURDAY
The Moving Orchestra Live Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://themovingorchestra.com/2020-anniversary-festival
The first anniversary of the first performance of this music/dance band (not an auspicious first year — but they didn't know what was coming). They improvise, they do New Music by people we all like, they move around.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Keyes: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Cynar, and 1/2 oz lemon juice and Demerara Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: The Jazz Gallery All-Stars
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live Stream
$15
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-tjg-all-stars
All-stars indeed.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: New York Shrub: pour 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cut down the heat and let simmer till it's reduced by half (about 10 minutes). Let cool to room temperature. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1 teaspoon of the Balsamic reduction into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake a lot. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020 (weekly)
7:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Live Stream
$5-$50
https://here.org/shows/only-you-will-recognize-the-signal/
At last we get to see the complete new opera (I think it's still all of something like an hour long in its entirety) that's been serialized over the last couple of months from the creative and performing teams that brought us that great Zoom opera from early in the Pandemic, All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus. They now go into space to colonize a new world (SPOILER ALERT: things do not go smoothly).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Moonwalk: pour 1 oz. each of Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of rosewater, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Bist du Bei Mir: An Intimate German Advent
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/bist-du-bei-mir
If you're a nekulturny like me, the title of this program can only make you think of the Andrews Sisters. But no, this isn't popularized Yiddish sung by Norwegian/Greek-Americans, but rather quite lovely German Baroque Advent vocal music.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I had every intention of telling you to make a Feuerzangenbowle with this — but I'm not going to be responsible for my subscribers' lighting rum-soaked sugar loaves on fire. So let's just stick with plain old Glühwein (as anyone who's been to a Germanic country during the Christmas season will tell you, it's very important that you drink too much of this — so let's make a big batch): pour a bottle of red wine (nothing too grand — but definitely something you're happy to drink) into a saucepan. Add 6 cloves, 4 star anises, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Bring to a low simmer. Cut 1 orange into slices (not wedges) and add them to the wine. Simmer on low for about 10 more minutes. Strain into mugs. You can garnish with those orange slices. Be sure to drink too much.
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Thu, Dec 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 8:00 PM
Infrequent Seams: Streamfest 2020
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / MUSIC
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 20, 2020
7:00 PM
The Brick Stream
Twitch
Facebook
YouTube
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/infrequent-seams-streamfest-2020/2020-12-17/
A four-night streamfest featuring a whole shit-ton of frequent denizens of this List.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rattlesnake: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, with an egg white, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake hard. Strain into the rinsed glass.
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2020 (bi-weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic1217
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, Dec 17, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17 – 19, 2020 (continuing through JANUARY 10, 2021)
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
$40 for one person, $70 for two 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: I think the great new Palestinian restaurant Qanoon is still serving outdoors.
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Thursday, December 17, 2020, 10:00 AM – 10:59 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 & 17, 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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Wed, Dec 16, 2020, 10:00 PM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 11:00 PM
Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars
THEATER
WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 20, 2020
10:00 PM WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Center Theater Group Live Stream
$10
https://www.centertheatregroup.org/digitalstage/digital-stage-plus/elephant-room-dust-from-the-stars/
Elephant Room are painfully funny. I mean like literally. I mean like the time I saw them it literally hurt I was laughing so hard.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: White Elephant: pour 2 oz. white Rum, 1/2 oz. lime juice, 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup, and 2 teaspoons Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a large grapefruit twist.
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Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
John McCowen feat. Leila Bordreuil, Zach Rowden & Lester St. Louis: Low Quartet
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/john-mccowen-low-quartet-leila-bordreuil-zach-rowden-lester-st-louis
Jazz-not-jazz composer John McCowen was supposed to write a big band piece to be performed at ISSUE, but Events intervened. So now he's boiled it down to quartet featuring himself on clarinets and three of the most questing jazz-not-jazz musicians in New York. If you want to have an argument with yourself whether this is Jazz or New Music, just don't do it anywhere where I can hear it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Fall Back: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, and 1/2 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Amaro Nonino, with 2 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Piano Dialogues: Adam Tendler
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
7:00 PM
Kaufman Music Center Live Stream
$15
https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/adam-tendler-piano/
Pianist Adam Tendler is, quite simply, one of the most interesting musicians out there. Here, he plays some Schumann (not your compiler's favorite, to be honest) — and a brand-new piece from the last living member of the New York School of the '50s, Christian Wolff!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: New York Sour: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Float 1/2 oz. red wine (I've always thought of Bordeaux as traditional in this drink) on top. (If you want to make it more of a straight-up sour [and are less lazy than me], add an egg white to the cocktail shaker; in that case, give the shaker a dry shake before adding ice for the final shake.)
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Wed, Dec 16, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 8:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 20, 2020
7:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://thewildproject.com/performances/virtual-impossibilities/
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Carlo: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 1 dash of Angostora bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
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Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
strings&noisc: ZEN
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
2:00 PM
Austrian Cultural Forum New York Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.acfny.org/event/zen/
Strings&noise believe that New Music should be fierce, fun, and, when possible, played by females. Daniel Riegler is a composer who's thrilled to have his work played by such people.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: OK, the famous Hugo cocktail isn't from Austria: it's from the Südtirol in Italy. But OK, a lot of people in both Austria and the Südtirol don't yet fully accept that the Südtirol is in Italy rather than Austria. Also, this cocktail is kind of summery. But at 2 in the afternoon, you don't want a heavy wintry cocktail. SO: pour 3 oz. Prosecco and 2 oz. St-Germain into a Champagne flute. Top with soda water. If you can convince yourself you're in the Südtirol, I envy you.
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Wed, Dec 16, 2020, 11:00 AM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 8:00 PM
Manual Cinema: Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol
THEATER
WEDNESDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 – 20, 2020
11:00 AM WEDNESDAY
8:00 PM THURSDAY – SATURDAY
10:00 PM FRIDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
7:00 PM SUNDAY
Manual Cinema Live Stream
$15-$100
http://manualcinema.com/christmascarol/
Manual Cinema applies their magical handmade steampunk animation style to this familiar holiday ghost story.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Winter Julep: warm a Brandy snifter with hot water and then discard the water. Brew 1 teaspoon of peppermint tea in 5 oz. boiled water for 4 minutes. Remove the infuser. Pour in 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon and 3/4 oz. Brown Sugar Syrup. Stir. Garnish with a mint sprig.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
MV Carbon: Vanishing Incidents
MUSIC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/mv-carbon-vanishing-incidents/
The Cellist Of The Future explores the process of disintegration, preservation, and reconstruction (I'm still stuck in the first one myself). Using magnetic tape, electronics, and amplified objects along with her cello.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cotton: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. each dry and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Café LaMaMa: Christmas in Virtual NickLand 2020
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020
8:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requeested)
http://lamama.org/nickyland-2020/
Holiday Dowtown Cabaret.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Muletide Cocktail: pour 1-1/2 oz. Mezcal, 3/4 oz. each of Amontillado Sherry and Ginger Syrup, and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Allspice (or Pimento) Dram into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a double rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Nicole Mitchell: Inescapable Spiral Remote
MUSIC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020
7:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble
TUES@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/inescapable-spiral-remote
AACM composer/flautist Nicole Mitchell reconceives her piece for flute and orchestra as a combination of live and pre-recorded performances mixed live onlin .
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Harvest Sour: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, with an egg white, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ICE. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake again, hard. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a dash of Angostura bitters.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Simone Dinnerstein
MUSIC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020
7:00 PM
Live from Columbia: Pop Ups in the Lantern
Miller Theater Live Stream
Free
https://www.millertheatre.com/events/simone-dinnerstein-live-from-columbia
The excellent pianist Simone Dinnerstein plays Glass and Schubert. Her Glass playing is as good as can be; there is none better. If her Schubert playing isn't, quite, well, nobody's going to complain.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Deauville: pour 3/4 oz. each of Cognac and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, 1 oz. Cointreau, and 1/2 oz. 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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Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020 (weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/cybertankvariety/dec15
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Negroni di Aquila: pour 1 oz. each of Aperol and Punt e Mes into a goblet over ice. Stir. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2020, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
María Grand
MUSIC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020
3:30 PM
SEEDS Brooklyn Live Stream
Viewcy
$15
https://www.viewcy.com/promote/seedsbrooklyn/maria_grandtrio
Lively and rapt is an interesting combination — and saxophonist María Grand pulls it off, making it the basis of a very distinctive style. What's more, she's backed here by no less than Joel Ross on vibes and Dan Weiss on drums!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Swiss Cocktail: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Dubonnet Rouge and Kirsch 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, December 15, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 & 17, 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, December 14, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 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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Mon, Dec 14, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14 – 20, 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, Dec 14, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14 – 20, 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, December 13, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 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-nine/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's keep sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: 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, December 13, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ben Grinberg & Rhonda Moore: Fun with Dick & Jane: working title
DANCE
WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 11 & 13, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Stream
$10-$30
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/12/9/fun-with-dick-amp-jane
Two (fictional) dancers who don't really know each other get acquainted through a series of improvisations (and chat). And one of them is played by Jones/Zane veteran Rhonda Moore! The other is played by Philadelphia physical theater artist Ben Grinberg.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Frisco: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, December 13, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Paola Prestini & Magos Herrera: Con Alma
MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020
7:00 PM
National Sawdust StreaM
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/con-alma
Composer Paola Prestini in New York and composer/singer Magos Herrera in Mexico City present musicians from around the world playing music Prestini and Herrera jointly composed during Quarantine, seeking communion and examining whether that is even possible. The visual elements are being handled by Ashley Tata, so you know they're going to be good.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Batanga/Charro Negro: rim a tall glass with salt and add ice. Pour 2 oz. Reposado Tequila and the juice of half a lime into the glass over the ice. Top with Coke (Mexican Coke by preference, duh). Stir with (this is absolutely crucial to the drink) the knife you halved the lime with.
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Sunday, December 13, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
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Sunday, December 13, 2020, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
Wagner: Lohengrin
OPERA
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020
4:15 PM
Staatsoper Berlin Under den Liden Live Stream
Staatsoper Berlin
Arte
Free
https://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/en/veranstaltungen/lohengrin.9675/
https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/101199-000-A/roberto-alagna-and-vida-mikneviciute-in-lohengrin/
We're not going to see any of Calixto Bieito's penetrating opera productions live in reactionary New York, so let's be grateful that the Pandemic allows us to eavesdrop on the Berlin premiere of his new production of Lohengrin, the last Wagner music-theater piece that even pretended to be a conventional opera. A certain kind of (brain dead) opera fan will be excited about the assumption of the title role by Roberto Alagna (who's been on a career-reviving roll lately). And New Music New Yorkers will be happy to hear that Matthias Pintscher is conducting. But this isn't just for opera fans or even New Music people; and really it's all about Bieito and Wagner.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Swan: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and Cointreau, and 3/4 teaspoon of lime juice, with 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Sunday, December 13, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Reena Esmail: String Quartet "Ragamala"
MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2020
2:00 PM
Verona Quartet
Scheider Concerts, Mannes School of Music
New School Live Stream
$8
https://event.newschool.edu/Schneider-Concerts-Verona-Quartet
Reena Esmail combines Hindustani (as distinct from Carnatic) usages with the instrumentation and forms of Western classical music. Her work is riveting. You also get to hear Dvorák's American String Quartet, a piece that by all rights I should hate — but what with its endless melodic exuberance and irresistible good feeling (I'm being embarrassingly honest here), I just don't.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bohemian: pour 1 oz. Becherovka, 1/4 oz. St-Germain, 3/4 oz. pineapple juice, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a cucumber slice.
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 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, December 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Zeena Parkins: Lace Box Set Vol. 1
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/zeena-parkins-lace-box-set-vol-1/
Downtown harp goddess Zeena Parkins plays new pieces with different ensembles.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Not very seasonal, but it's hard to resist recommending an Unstrung Harp: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Rum (STILL love that stuff) and 1 oz. Ginger Syrup, with 2 limes halved and crushed, into a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake very vigorously. Pour UNstrained into a wine glass over ice. Top with Prosecco.
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
loadbang: Premieres
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
7:30 PM
loadbang Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYPSscTxS8Q&feature=youtu.be
It's easy to be the best New Music brass/wind/vocal quartet in the world when you're the only one. But loadbang would be hard to beat regardless.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Whizz Bang: pour 1-1/2 oz. blended Scotch, 1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon each of Absinthe and Grenadine, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Omnium: A Bold New Circus: World Premiere
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
5:00 PM
Ominium Live Stream
$25-$500 (tax deductible)
https://omniumcircus.org/tickets/
A new circus based on diversity, inclusivity — and mind-blowing abilities.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Casino: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of Maraschino liqueur and lemon juice, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
5:00 PM
Caramoor Live Stream
$10
https://www.caramoor.org/events/tenet-livestream/
Traditional Christmas music (yay)! Baroque Christmas music (yay)! Early 20th Century British Christmas music (meh)!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brandy Milk Punch: pour 1/4 cup of Brandy, 3/4 cup of milk, and 1/4 tablespoon of Vanilla extract, with 3/4 tablespoon of powdered sugar and a few pinches of grated Nutmeg into a blender with ice. Blend for 20 seconds or so. Strain into a Highball glass over ice.
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Pam Tanowitz Dance
DANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
5:00 PM
Joyce Theater Live Stream
$13
https://www.joyce.org/pam-tanowitz-dance
Pam Tanowitz stops being ballet's new darling for a moment and choreographs some pieces on her company. The music is by (respectively) Caroline Shaw and Ted Hearne: doesn't get any better than that. Doesn't get much better than Tanowitz either. A major event.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Moon Dance: pour 2 oz. Corn Whiskey, 1/2 oz. each of Cocchi Americano and dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. each of green Chartreuse and Maraschino liqueur, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange peel.
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Saturday, December 12, 2020, 2:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Taylor Mac: Holiday Sauce . . . Pandemic!
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
2:00, 7:00 & 10:00 PM
Various Performing Arts Organizations Live Streams
Free-$55 (depending on which organization you buy tickets from and how generous you're feeling)
https://www.taylormacholidaysauce.com/about
Taylor Mac is a mistress of drag. Taylor Mac is a mistress of burlesque. Taylor Mac is a mistress of pop. Taylor Mac is, as far as this List is concerned, God.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Cusp of Capricorn: pour 1-1/2 oz. Scotch, 1/2 oz. each of dry Vermouth and Cherry Heering, and 3/4 oz. cranberry juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, December 11, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Downtown Variety
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020
8:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requeested)
http://lamama.org/downtown-variety-16/
One of the most consistently entertaining series of the Remote Era returns with its usual great line-up of avant-performers of various ages and locations.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northside Special: pour 2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Rum (GOD I love that stuff), 1-1/2 orange juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Friday, December 11, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Nate Wooley: Mutual Aid Music
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/nate-wooley-mutual-aid-music/
Under the leadership of questing trumpeter/composer Nate Wooley, four musicians who play music usually denominated as "Jazz" get together with four musicians who play music usually denominated as "New Music" to see what will happen.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Six Cylinder: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin, Cherry Brandy (you really want Rocher Cherry for this, if you're able to find any), sweet Vermouth, dry Vermouth, Dubonnet Rouge, and Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a suspension of disbelief that such a disparate set of ingredients could blend into something delicious.
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Friday, December 11, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dance Bloc
DANCE
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
YouTube
Free ($10-$15 donation suggested)
http://dixonplace.org/performances/dancebloc3-12-11-20/
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, December 11, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ben Grinberg & Rhonda Moore: Fun with Dick & Jane: working title
DANCE
WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 11 & 13, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Stream
$10-$30
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/12/9/fun-with-dick-amp-jane
Two (fictional) dancers who don't really know each other get acquainted through a series of improvisations (and chat). And one of them is played by Jones/Zane veteran Rhonda Moore! The other is played by Philadelphia physical theater artist Ben Grinberg.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Frisco: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, December 11, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Eve Beglarian: The Vicksburg Project — In Process (Part I)
MUSIC / THEATER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020 (Part II on DECEMBER 18)
7:00 PM
Mabou Mines Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.maboumines.org/production/the-vicksburg-project-in-process/
Speaking for myself, I don't much like previews of works-in-process where the artists present excerpts and talk about what they're hoping to do. I like to watch complete works, myself — and care a lot more what I think about a work than what its creators do. But if you feel differently, this two-part preview of a work composer Eve Beglarian is putting together with actor/writer Karen Kandel and director Mallory Catlett — three of this List's favorites, to be sure — is worth your attention. Vicksburg was, of course, the site of a crucial Civil War battle (siege, really); and this piece is going to examine that town through the eyes of women and gender-complex people, starting with the time of the Civil War and then resuming every 50 years thereafter.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mississippi Cocktail: pour 2 oz. Cognac, 1 oz. each of Bourbon and dark Rum, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice, with 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Friday, December 11, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 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, December 11, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9 & 11, 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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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Parquet Courts: On Time
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
10:00 PM
Pioneer Works Live Stream
$15
https://pioneerworks.org/programs/parquet-courts-on-time-livestream/
History will record Parquet Courts as the last great (or even tolerable) White Male Guitar Rock Band. They celebrate their 10th anniversary with this live stream.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tequila Gumption: pour 1 oz. each of Reposado Tequila and Mezcal, and 1/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and 1 dash of orange bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Lesley Mok: she smashed the enclosure
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/lesley-mok-she-smashed-the-enclosure/
Lesley Mok is a provocative drummer, composer, and tonight filmmaker. This will be a multimedia presentation involving film and circus arts(!!!). I'd be very excited about this if Roulette didn't consistently (and frustratingly) fuck up their streaming of multimedia presentations involving film. So be forewarned.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Suffering Bastard: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, Bourbon, and lime juice, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tafelmusik: A Tafelmusik Christmas
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
8:00 PM
Tafelmusik Live Stream
$25-$32
https://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/tafelmusik-christmas
You can be as cynical as you want. But you have to have a heart (and ears) of stone not to like Baroque Christmas music. (From Canada!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Eggnog for One: pour 2 oz. each of Brandy and dark Rum and 1/4 teaspoon of Simple Syrup, with 1 egg white, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice and shake some more. Strain into a tall glass. Pour in 2/3 cup half-and-half. Stir. Garnish with ground nutmeg.
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eva Davidova: Global Mode>
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/eva-davidova-global-mode
Multidisciplinary artist Eva Davidova comes up with a multimedia piece reimagining myth to deal with present (bad) realities, and also reimaging what multimedia performance can be.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rakia After Supper: pour 1 oz. each of Rakia and Apricot Liqueur, and 2 oz. each of orange juice and lemon juice, into a large tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon slice and, if you feel like it, some mint leaves.
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Harish Raghavan
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 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-harish-raghavan
Harish Raghavan is a great bassist and a really good composer. And his posse includes the current King of Vibes, Joel Ross.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those listening at home can try a Pan American Clipper: pour 2 oz. Calvados, 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Grenadine, and 3/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime twist. Those who snag a seat at the venue can go down the block to The NoMad.
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Thu, Dec 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 8:00 PM
Shayok Misha Chowdhury: VICHITRA: In Order to Become
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10 & 11, 2020
7:00 PM
Bushwick Starr Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.thebushwickstarr.org/vichitra
Shayok Misha Chowdhury continues his theatrical exploration of Indian queerness. This installment focuses on Carnatic music — which, you must have realized by now, falls right into this List's personal obsessions.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's absolutely out of season, but it seems appropriate to acknowledge that artifact of British imperialism in India, the Gin and Tonic: pour 2 oz. Gin into a Highball glass over ice. Top with Tonic Water. Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Joe Jatcko: The High Captain
THEATER
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
7:00 PM
Bechdal Group
The Tank Stream
$10-$25
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/bestof2020/thehighcaptain
It's back! A comedic metaphor for the 2020 election: you all remember how funny that was, right?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gimme a Whisky, Ginger Ale on the side. And don't be stingy, baby!
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Along the River: Gems from the Emergence of the Violin Sonata, from Novara to Venice
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/along-the-river
Middle baroque as developed along the Agogna and the Po.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Milano-Turino: pour 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange wedge.
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Thu, Dec 10, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Dec 12, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 – 12, 2020 (continuing through JANUARY 10, 2021)
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
$40 for one person, $70 for two 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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Thu, Dec 10, 2020, 5:00 PM – Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 6:00 PM
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Thursday, December 10, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 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 next week, at 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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Thu, Dec 10, 2020, 12:00 PM – Sat, Dec 12, 2020, 1:00 PM
Breathing Free: a visual album
OPERA
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 – 12, 2020
8:00 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
Heartbeat Opera Stream
$35; $65 two people on one device; $10 student, artist & unemployed
https://www.heartbeatopera.org/breathing-free
Heartbeat Opera combines video excerpts of its lauded prisoners' production of Beethoven's opera Fidelio with performances of music by African-American composers. For those who like such things, each airing will be followed by a panel discussion of a different sociopolitical issue related to the piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Glasgow: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, with dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Puppet Parlor
THEATER
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020
7:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Stream
$5-$50
https://here.org/shows/the-blind/
Puppets!!!!! From all over!!!!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Marionette: pour 1 oz. each of white Rum, Cherry Heering, Apricot Brandy, and Sake into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir.
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Wed, Dec 9, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sat, Dec 12, 2020, 8:00 PM
Raja Feather Kelly: HYSTERIA
DANCE
WEDNESDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 – 12, 2020
7:00 PM
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Live, New York Live Arts
219 West 19th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
FRIDAY & SATURDAY: New York Live Arts Stream
Live Performances Free
$10 Stream
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/hysteria/
The really quite brilliant dancer/choreographer/theatermaker Raja Feather Kelly, who deploys camp in the service of critique, continues his examination of the fraught relationship between American Pop Culture and queer Blackness. On Wednesday and Thursday, you can watch him perform and film the elements that will be crafted into the streamed work through the front window of the New York Live Arts space. On Friday and Saturday, you can stream the completed video.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Champs-Élysées: pour 1 oz. Cognac and 1/2 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse and lemon juice, with 1/2 teaspoon of Simple Syrup and 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ben Grinberg & Rhonda Moore: Fun with Dick & Jane: working title
DANCE
WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 11 & 13, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Stream
$10-$30
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/12/9/fun-with-dick-amp-jane
Two (fictional) dancers who don't really know each other get acquainted through a series of improvisations (and chat). And one of them is played by Jones/Zane veteran Rhonda Moore! The other is played by Philadelphia physical theater artist Ben Grinberg.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Frisco: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9 & 11, 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, December 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: From Scratch
MUSIC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020
7:00 PM
TUES@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-dec8
A few of the staggeringly accomplished musicians in the International Contemporary Ensemble showcase works written for them by such great composers as Vijay Iyer and Phyllis Chen.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A French twist on the Hanky Panky cocktail that we've been talking about a lot here lately: Suzy's Hanky. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. each of Grand Marnier and Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist and (go on: go crazy!) a thyme sprig.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Chekhov: Three Sisters
THEATER
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 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. As for tonight's play, well, if you don't absolutely love the greatest master of seriocomedy in the Western Theatrical Tradition, we probably don't have much to say to each other.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: (SPOILER ALERT) The sisters never make it to Moscow — but you can! Moscow Mule: pour 2 oz. Vodka and 1 oz. lime juice into a mug over ice. Top with ginger beer. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020 (weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/cybertankvariety/dec8
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Negroni di Aquila: pour 1 oz. each of Aperol and Punt e Mes into a goblet over ice. Stir. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, December 7, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
-
Monday, December 7, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 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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Mon, Dec 7, 2020, 7:30 PM – Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 8:30 PM
Cena Contemporânea 2020
DANCE
MONDAY – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 11, 2020
7:30 PM
Cena Contemporânea Stream
YouTube
Free
https://cenacontemporanea.com.br/2020/
A contemporary dance festival in Brasilia that, for once, you can attend without going to Brasilia (not that there's anything wrong with going to Brasilia). Lots of representatives of Brazil's dazzling dance scene, and stuff from elsewhere as well.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Autumn Caipirinha: pour 2 oz. Cachaça, 1/2 oz. apple cider, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. honey into a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with 2 apple slices and a cinnamon stick.
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Monday, December 7, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Nona Hendryx: "Mothers of Invention" — Afrofuturism and Speculative Fiction
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2020
7:00 PM
Harlem Stage Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.harlemstage.org/digital-events-calendar/2020/12/7/mothersofinvention-part1
Assuming her Cyberoracle persona, onetime Bluebelle Nona Hendryx leads a multimedia exploration of the contribution of Black women to Afrofuturism. And List Goddess Moor Mother is along for the ride!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Modern Cocktail ("modern" as of 1905): pour 1-1/2 oz. each of blended Scotch and Sloe Gin, 1-1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Mon, Dec 7, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Dec 13, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 13, 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, Dec 7, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Dec 13, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7 – 13, 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, December 6, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution: Lucky Star: superstar (episode 3) (superpowerful, supernatural, superhuman)
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2020
8:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution: Lucky Star: superstar (episode 3) (superpowerful, supernatural, superhuman)
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/ooaaoc-and-pioneers-go-east-collective-present-ooaaoc-volume-38/
Queer theater collective Pioneers Go East takes over Out of an Abundance of Caution once again for continuation of their meta-theatrical examination of stardom.
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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Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
M3 Mutual Mentorship for Musicians
MUSIC
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2020 (subsequent show on DECEMBER 12)
7:00 PM
Jazz Museum in Harlem Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mutual-mentorship-for-musicians-m3-world-premieres-pt1-tickets-129934771399
Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa — certainly among the most commanding and provocative musicians drawing on quasi-vernacular forms these days — mastermind a program in which woman-identifying musicians mentor each other and team across genre and age lines to make new work. Among the artists involved in tonight's pieces are Val Jeanty, Caroline Davis, and Shyu herself. Sounds pretty sure-fire.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hanky Panky. Right? Pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Fernet, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Experiments in Opera: "Aqua Net & Funyuns" Virtual Launch Party
OPERA
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2020
7:00 PM
Zoom
Free
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aqua-net-funyuns-virtual-launch-party-tickets-127038083327
Experiments in Opera launches a new podcast series of new operas. Let me just say this: I've been to innumerable Experiments in Opera shows. I can't think of a single one that wasn't (a) musically and theatrically compelling and (b) tremendous fun.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Man About Town: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Cynar into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Saturday, December 5, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 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, December 5, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Muyassar Kurdi: Vast Geographies
DANCE / MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/muyassar-kurdi-vast-geographies/
Interdisciplinary artist Muyassar Kurdi does music, she does dance, she does film, she does performance. Tonight she shows a dance film (with Eryka Dellenbach) and then plays some music (she'll do voice and electronics) with exploratory bassist Luke Stewart.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Triple Ménace: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Lillet blanc, and 1/2 oz. Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist (or an orange twist if you prefer).
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Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Crossing Boundaries
DANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
YouTube
Free ($15 donation suggested)
http://dixonplace.org/performances/crossing-virtual-boundaries-2020-12-05/
Work by choreographers who cross boundaries of various sorts, be they cultural, genre, gender, or geographic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Border Crossing: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila, 2 teaspoons of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and 4-1/4 oz. Coke into a Highball glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Lockdown Sessions: Vanisha Gould / Nerissa Campbell / Theo Bleckmann / Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Louke / Luciana Souza & Chico Pinheiro
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020
7:00 PM
Jazz Gallery Stream
$15 suggested donation
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/lockdown-session-28
This List is quite partial to beyond-category avant-jazz vocalist Theo Bleckmann and Brazilian jazz-pop crooner Luciana Souza. For the rest of the show you're on your own.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Winter Caipirinha: muddle 3 lime wedges, 4 halved kumquats, 10 rosemary needles, and 1 scant tablespoon of sugar at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Pour in 2 oz. Cachaça. Pour UNstrained into a rocks glass. Garnish with additional kumquat slices and rosemary needles.
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Sat, Dec 5, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 8:00 PM
Kenneth Tam: The Crossing
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 & 6, 2020
7:00 PM
The Kitchen Live Stream
Eventbrite
Free (registration required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kenneth-tam-the-crossing-tickets-129350712463
Video artist Kenneth Tam premieres his first-ever live performance piece, tackling the various implications of the rituals of Asian-American fraternal organizations. Except we're in a Pandemic, and the live piece can only be viewed on a screen. My head hurts!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bamboo: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Fino Sherry and dry Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an olive and a lemon twist.
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Saturday, December 5, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Messiaen: La Nativité du Seigneur
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020
3:00 PM
Nicolas Heigh
Saint Thomas Church Stream
$5-$80
https://www.saintthomaschurch.org/events/messiaen-la-nativite-du-seigneur-2020-12-05/
Messiaen turns the nativity story into a phantasmagoria. No matter how good the speakers you listen to your computer through are, they won't come close to doing justice to Saint Thomas's magnificent Miller-Scott Organ.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'm tempted to say Mushrooms. But absent that, let's try a White Negroni: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. Suze, and 1 oz. Lillet Blanc into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice (you can also drink it neat in a chilled Martini glass or coupe). Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, December 5, 2020, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
EdgeCut: SANITY
DANCE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020
1:00 – 4:00 PM
New York Live Arts Stream
$7 for each hour; $15 for entire event
https://contribute.newyorklivearts.org/event/edgecut-sanity/e309756/register/new/select-tickets
An international group of artists selected from an open call — including List God Paul Pinto! — focus, in short works, on reclaiming our corporeal reality. Shit, just when I've been trying hard to shed mine!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Adonis: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Fino or Manzanilla Sherry and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe — or a wine glass. Express an orange peel into the drink, and then discard the peel.
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Saturday, December 5, 2020, 8:15 AM – 9:15 AM
Louis Andriessen: May
MUSIC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020
8:15 AM
Daniel Reuss/Capella Amsterdam/Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century
NPO Radio 4 Live Stream
Free
https://www.nporadio4.nl/evenementen/extra-concert-de-nieuwste-andriessen
I just learned the extremely sad news that Louis Andriessen, certainly one of the best composers now living — sort of Stravinsky meets Reich for acerbic fun in the Netherlands — is suffering from dementia and that his piece receiving its world premiere at the Concertgebouw tomorrow (without an audience), May, will be his last. As if that isn't enough to get you up at 8 AM on a Saturday, the rest of the program consists of Josquin des Prez, the Renaissance giant whom Andriessen just loves (as do I, for that matter), and Mozart's G-Minor Symphony No. 40 (you know, the one with the really nervous opening). And it's all being performed by the Capella Amsterdam, as good as a chorus as there is right now, under the direction of Daniel Reuss, most certainly among the very best choral directors now working — with the instrumental parts being played by no less than the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century! I'm going to be late to the Greenmarket for this!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Koffie. I guess the Dutch would also have pancakes.
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Fri, Dec 4, 2020, 9:00 PM – Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 5:00 PM
Martin Dockery: RIGHT NOW: DECEMBER
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4 – 6, 2020
9:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
4:00 PM SUNDAY
Soho Playhouse Live Stream
Stellar
$25
https://www.stellartickets.com/events/soho-playhouse/right-now-december
Nobody does this self-deprecating self-examining self-involved monologue stuff as well as Spalding Gray did. But Spalding is dead and Martin Dockery isn't.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: That'll Take the Edge Off: rinse a chilled Old Fashioned glass with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. blended Scotch, 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. green Chartreuse, with 3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Express a grapefruit peel into the drink and then discard the peel.
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Friday, December 4, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Stephanie Singer: New Symmetry
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
8:00 PM
The Tank Stream
Free (registration required)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/newsymmetry
An Anglo-Russian pop-electronica choral experience.
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, December 4, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Fri, Dec 4, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 4:00 PM
Breathing Free: a visual album
OPERA
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4 – 6, 2020 (also DECEMBER 10 – 12)
8:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY
Heartbeat Opera Stream
$35; $65 two people on one device; $10 student, artist & unemployed
https://www.heartbeatopera.org/breathing-free
Heartbeat Opera combines video excerpts of its lauded prisoners' production of Beethoven's opera Fidelio with performances of music by African-American composers. For those who like such things, each airing will be followed by a panel discussion of a different sociopolitical issue related to the piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Glasgow: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, with dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, December 4, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Sachal Vasandini
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 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-sachal-vasandani
I am actually not familiar with vocalist Sachal Vasandini. But anyone who has a backup band comprising Dayna Stephens, Taylor Eigsti, Dezron Douglas, and Kendrick Scott has got to be worth a listen.
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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Friday, December 4, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
-
Friday, December 4, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 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, December 4, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
The Blind
THEATER
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Stream
$5-$50
https://here.org/shows/the-blind/
An immersive audio-visual adaptation of a Maeterlinck Symbolist play about a group of blind people on a walk who realize the sighted priest who'd been leading them has died, leaving them to their own resources to get back to the monastery where they reside. Leaderless people facing a situation they cannot fully comprehend: haven't seen anything like that over the last eight and a half months.
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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Thu, Dec 3, 2020, 8:30 PM – Fri, Dec 4, 2020, 9:30 PM
Brackish Music & Art: Video Spectacular
MUSIC / DANCE/ PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 & 4, 2020
8:30 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studios Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-brackish-fest-day-1
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-brackish-fest-day-2
Brooklyn's Brackish Music & Art collective — avant-jazz, movement, poetry, visual arts — presents two nights of works on video and off.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hell, why not a Brooklyn? Pour 2 oz. Rye, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. each of Maraschino liqueur and Golden Moon Amer Dit Picon (or Bigalett China-China) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist or a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, December 3, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Holland Andrews: There You Are: Personalized Micro-Performances
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/there-you-are-personalized-micro-performances-holland-andrews
Vocalist/composer Holland Andrews prepared a work where she emailed people a backing track to play in their homes while she phoned them to sing a vocal part. Now we get to watch videos of her doing her performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Flor Delice: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila, 1 oz. Manzanilla Sherry, and 1/4 oz. each of Maraschino liqueur and St-Germain, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail shaker.
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Thursday, December 3, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Noah Diamond, Amanda Sisk & Sophocles: Quarantigone
THEATER
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
8:00 PM
Noah Diamond Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.noahdiamond.com/quarantigone
Marx Brothers channelers Noah Diamond and Amanda Sisk give us an Antigone for our time — except that, unlike our time, it's funny.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ouzo Sour: pour 1-3/4 oz. Ouzo, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1 egg white (more Carbonara with the yoke!), with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. You can add some more bitters at the end if you want.
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Thursday, December 3, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 (bi-weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic123
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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Thursday, December 3, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
A Twilight Devotional
MUSIC
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/a-twilight-devotional
17th Century sacred music from various European countries.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Speaking of sacred music, did you know that Bob Marley once worked as a janitor in the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware? I doubt he had anything to do with the formulation of the Hotel du Pont Cocktail, though: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Cognac and Fino Sherry, with 1 dash 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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Thu, Dec 3, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Dec 5, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 – 5, 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: Tapas at Tia Pol.
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Thursday, December 3, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 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, December 3, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 & 3, 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, December 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Lester St. Louis: TRANSFER//01
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/lester-st-louis-transfer-01/
Cellist and sonic explorer Lester St. Louis does . . . well, I don't know what it'll be tonight — but whatever it is, it's bound to be interesting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Street Legal: pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. each of Vermouth Blanc and Fino Sherry, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an olive.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dean Moss: Untitled (perfect human)
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
8:00 PM
Dancespace Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/deanmoss-untitled/
If you're me, Jørgen Leth's 1967 Danish film The Perfect Human is a touchstone: a surreally deadpan dissection of conventional straight life, presented in a manner creating extreme alienation: the Scandinavian sensibility take to its outer limits. In this new film, interdisciplinary artist Dean Moss takes The Perfect Human and juices it up, taking the surreal into the psychedelic. I for one can't wait. (Leth chats with Young Jean Lee — one of the most exciting theater artists in New York, as I'm sure I don't have to tell you — afterward.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Vanderbilt: pour 2-1/4 oz. Cognac, 3/4 oz. Cherry Heering, and 1 teaspoon of 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 a lemon twist. I'm usually unable to prevent myself from gilding the lily by also tossing in a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Somi: in the absence of things
MUSIC / THEATER
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
8:00 PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center Stream
Free
https://bacnyc.org/performances/performance/somi_2020
Somi, an eloquent jazz singer born in Illinois to parents from Uganda and Rawanda, has made an experimental film exploring the effect of the Pandemic on creative endeavor. A clue to her experience may be provided by the participation of her mother in the narration.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chicago Fizz: pour 1 oz. each of light Rum and Port, 1/2 oz. lemon juice, and 1 egg white (make a Carbonara later on with the yolk), with 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake some more. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Top with club soda.
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Tue, Dec 1, 2020, 7:30 PM – Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 6:30 PM
Cena Contemporânea 2020
DANCE
TUESDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 6, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 11)
7:30 PM TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY
9:00 AM SATURDAY
5:30 PM SUNDAY
Cena Contemporânea Stream
YouTube
Free
https://cenacontemporanea.com.br/2020/
A contemporary dance festival in Brasilia that, for once, you can attend without going to Brasilia (not that there's anything wrong with going to Brasilia). Lots of representatives of Brazil's dazzling dance scene, and stuff from elsewhere as well — including NYC List fave Big Dance Theater (at 5:30 PM on Sunday)!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Autumn Caipirinha: pour 2 oz. Cachaça, 1/2 oz. apple cider, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. honey into a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with 2 apple slices and a cinnamon stick.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Paul Zaloom & Lynn Jeffries: Santa Controls the World!: The "War on Christmas"
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DP TV Stream
Free (ticket required) ($10-15 donation suggested)
http://dixonplace.org/performances/santa-controls-the-world-12-01-2020/
Santa! Puppets! PAUL ZALOOM AND LYNN JEFFRIES!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Waterloo: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1-1/4 oz. Dubonnet rouge, and 1/2 oz. each of Grand Marnier and orange juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Messiaen: La Nativité du Seigneur/Apparition du l'Eglise Éternelle
MUSIC
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
7:00 PM
Raymond Nagem
Cathedral of St. John the Divine Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/38156/great-music-in-a-great-space-raymond-nagem
You have TWO chances to hear live performances of Messiaen's Nativity organ phantasmagoria this week. (The other one is from St. Thomas on Saturday.) While St. John's organ isn't quite as magnificent as St. Thomas's (get your mind out of the gutter!), this recital has the advantage of adding Apparition du l'Elglise Éternelle to the program. (Please permit me to reiterate my skepticism, though, about listening to organ music through your computer, which can't conceivably do it justice. I myself will be listening to Olivier Latry on my stereo.) (And his organ, the [mostly] Cavaillé-Coll at Notre Dame in Paris, is the most magnificent of all.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'm still tempted to say Mushrooms. But barring that, let's try an Old Love: coat a chilled Old Fashioned glass with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Gin (I'd actually like to try Genever in this) and 1 oz. Suze, with 4 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the chilled glass. Add ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020 (weekly)
4:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/cybertankvariety/dec1
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Negroni di Aquila: pour 1 oz. each of Aperol and Punt e Mes into a goblet over ice. Stir. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Puppet Slam Online
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020
7:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
$5-$25
http://lamama.org/puppet-slam/
Puppets!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Don Lee is not just a cocktail genius — he also makes puppets! So let's accompany this show with Don's Vieux Mot: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. St-Germain, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tue, Dec 1, 2020, 10:30 AM – Fri, Dec 4, 2020, 10:00 PM
Michael Yates Crowley: TEMPING
THEATER
TUESDAY – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 – 4, 2020
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, December 1, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 & 4, 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 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).
