Champagne and classical guitar

A suggestion if you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, from the Emerson Resort & Spa in Mount Tremper:

The Phoenix Restaurant at the Emerson Resort and Spa will present classical guitarist and composer David Temple for a concert and champagne reception in its Great Room on Sunday, June 29. Temple’s performance, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., is open to both overnight guests and local residents. The $20 concert fee includes a champagne reception. Concert-goers who enjoy dinner at the Phoenix after the concert will have the price of their concert ticket deducted from the cost of their entrée. Advance reservations are suggested. 845-688-2828.

And I see in the Hudson Valley Connoisseur Guide to Events that the same artist -- David Temple -- will be performing Brazilian Aire: A Concert for the Classical Guitar at 8 p.m. on Wednesday July 2 at in Rhinebeck Center for Performing Arts. Compositions will include those by Villa-Lobos, Reis, Morel, Bonfa and more. Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for seniors and children. Visit the Web site or call 845-876-3080 for ticket information.

New pastry chef at Gigi

The Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck and Gigi Market in Red Hook has a new pastry chef with local roots. Ashley Kearns joined Gigi a month ago.

Here is her bio:

Ashley grew up in Poughkeepsie where she fell in love with baking at the age of ten; working alongside her grandmother and mother she baked pies, cakes and cookies for the neighborhood. At 16 she approached Barnes and Noble with the idea of making gelato for the cafe and quickly found herself making many flavors such as lemon, wild berry and chocolate hazelnut. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, she did an externship at Terrapin in Rhinebeck where she met Gigi Executive Chef Wilson Costa. Ashley also worked at the CIA's Apple Pie Cafe assisting in teaching adult baking classes, Taste Budds as a customer service supervisor and front of the house manager at Nordstrom Cafe in Pennsylvania.

OK, don't drool on your keyboard -- here is a sample list of Gigi desserts at the market: Brownies, Biscotti, Cookies, Muffins, Scones, Quiche, Tiramisu, Gigi Cupcakes, Seasonal Fruit Pies, Sliced Pound Cakes, Mini Seasonal Fruit Gallettes, Gigi Home Made Ice Creams & Sorbets, Seasonal Individual Cheesecakes, and Seasonal Bars: Lemon, Chocolate Coconut, & Strawberry Mascarpone. A seasonal selection of some of Ashley's new dessert items offered at Gigi Trattoria include Gooseberry Tart, Lemon Semolina Cake, and Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry compote.

Ashley's desserts will be part of the patio barbecues offered at Gigi Market (located on the Greig Farm on Pitcher Lane) from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during these weekends: June 28 & 29; August 30 & 31; and September 14 & 15. Eat indoors, in the air-conditioned café, or outdoors on the pet-friendly patio. (I better not tell my dogs -- if they went along, I'd never get them to come home again!)

The menu includes entrees ($7.50 each plus tax) such as Barbequed Pork Ribs, Barbequed Northwind Farm Chicken, Grilled Northwind Farm Kielbasa, and Local Beef Burgers. Side dishes ($3 each/two for $5/three for $7 plus tax) include Gigi Potato Salad, Confetti Cole Slaw, Mediterranean Pasta Salad and Tomato-Cucumber Salad. To go full circle, there's the BBQ dessert menu ($2.50 each plus tax) which includes Bakery Cookies, Gigi Cupcakes and Gigi Ice Cream.

Did I say "yum" yet?

Bus to Balanchine

The latest issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine spotlights 12 top summer festivals in our region, including the New York City Ballet’s annual appearance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

I just learned that Unison Arts Center in New Paltz is sponsoring a bus trip on Saturday, July 12 to the "All Balanchine" performance of the NYC Ballet at SPAC. The trip costs $118 and includes luxury coach travel, all gratuities, champagne breakfast en route, an hour to explore the charming town of Saratoga, buffet lunch in the grand "Hall of Springs" restaurant, excellent seats for the ballet performance, and a box dinner with wine on the return trip.

The program includes three Balanchine works: Mozartiana, Prodigal Son and Symphony in C. Balanchine, one of the leading ballet choreographers of the 20th century, was co-founder of the New York City Ballet.

The bus leaves at 9:15 a.m. from the Hannaford's parking lot in Kingston Plaza. The bus will return to Kingston at approximately 7 p.m.

Call Linda Gold at 845-255-5256 or email ArtladyLG@aol.com to register and give your box dinner sandwich selection for the return trip. Make your check payable to Unison Arts and mail it to: 68 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, NY 12561. Organizers say that there is always a full bus for this wonderful trip, so reserve early to ensure a spot.

Happy Birthday Maestro!

You have to be pretty darn special to have a podcast about your life aired on your birthday ...

Well, Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director James Levine is 65 years old today and to celebrate, the orchestra is offering a special online program celebrating the Maestro's life in music. To access today's free podcast, visit www.bso.org and click on the RSS podcast link on the left.

According to the BSO:

The podcast will feature historic pictures chronicling James Levine's extensive history within classical music, from his time as a young piano prodigy to his appointment as BSO Music Director, as well as music from his tenure with the BSO, including the Grammy Award winning Album with Lorraine Hunt, Peter Lieberson's "Neruda Songs."

James Levine became 14th Music Director and the first American-born conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2004. In addition to his concerts with the BSO at Symphony Hall, at Tanglewood, and on tour, he appears as a collaborative pianist in recitals and chamber music, and leads classes devoted to orchestral repertoire, Lieder, and opera with the Instrumental, Vocal, and Conducting Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO's summer training program for young musicians.

His wide-ranging programs balance orchestral, operatic, and choral classics with significant music of the 20th and 21st centuries, including newly commissioned works from such leading American composers as Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, John Harbison, Leon Kirchner, Peter Lieberson, Gunther Schuller, and Charles Wuorinen. James Levine is also Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera, where, to date, he has led nearly 2,500 performances- more than any other conductor in the company's history - of 83 different operas, including thirteen company premieres.

The BSO and the maestro begin their 2008 Tanglewood season on July 5th. Highlights of the summer will include Berlioz's Les Troyens in concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in concert with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra; a fully staged Tanglewood Music Center production of Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; a BSO concert of Elliott Carter's music as part of this summer's Festival of Contemporary Music marking the composer's 100th-birthday year, and John Harbison's new Symphony No. 5 with the BSO, as well as BSO performances of works by Bach, Brahms, Haydn, Mahler, Mozart, and Schubert.

Tanglewood has to be one of the most beautiful music venues I've ever visited. It's easily accessible from the Hudson Valley. I highly recommend it for a summer concert experience!

It just popped up!

I have some great memories of camping trips when I was younger, in particular those taken in a pop-up tow camper in Europe. It's an experience I would love to share with my daughter (especially since a camping vacation would mean we could bring along our dogs.)

So I have been thinking about getting a pop-up tow camper for a long time, but never bought one for a number of reasons. Reason #1 being that I have allergies and am worried about buying something that has the potential to get musty in our humid summers. (That was the big issue I'd seen with the used pop-ups I have looked at in the past.)

Then I saw this Sylvan Sport Go camper on display during a recent festival at Hunter Mountain. I love it! Kenco, that great shop for all things outdoors on Route 28 just outside Kingston, had it on display and sells it from their store. It was roomy, and appeared to be light to tow and easy to set up and best of all, it doesn't look like there is a lot there that can get musty!

I'm not saying I have made the decision yet to buy this camper -- but it has popped to the front of my list!

The officially sexy chef

New York City's sexiest chef was the graduation speaker at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park on lucky June 13th. Really, he holds the official title! Johnny Iuzzini, a Hudson Valley native and the executive pastry chef at the swanky Restaurant Jean-Georges in New York City, was selected by readers of the New York Daily News earlier this year as the Sexiest Chef in New York City. He creates incredible desserts. He has 24/7 access to the world's best chocolate. How could he not be attractive?

The 33-year-old grew up near Newburgh and is a 1994 CIA graduate. I've written before about the marshmallow-coated chef (you'll have to read my old blog posts.)

Although he's drawn media attention in the past for his prankster personality, Iuzzini also has been lauded by the foodservice industry for his work. Named as one of Forbes magazine's 10 Most Influential Chefs in 2007, he also won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2006, and was twice named among Pastry Art & Design's Top 10 Pastry Chefs. He's worked with some of today's most famous chefs and pastry chefs, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Francois Payard, and Daniel Boulud. As a teen, he worked at the River Café in Brooklyn, before coming to the CIA.

I wonder if any of the new CIA grads asked him if he likes marshmallows?

Pig roast in the Catskills

Somehow the image of a "pig roast" doesn't quite mesh with my recollection of the elegant Emerson Resort but that's exactly what is going on there Friday evening, in its Catamount banquet center.

I guess they know what works. If any place could make a pig roast upscale, they can. As their Web site says, the Catamount has "sweeping mountain views and exceptional dining. Set along the famed Esopus Creek that runs throughout the Hudson Valley, the Catamount features an open, airy dining space with a panoramic deck and spectacular white-tented pavilion."

The fun starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m., with $25 admission for adults and $12.50 for children under age 12. (Children under 5 eat for free.) The event also includes "hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixin's!" and a cash bar.

The Emerson is located at 5368 Route 28 in Mount Tremper, west of Woodstock. Call 845-688-2828 for reservations.

Beautiful lamps!

A lamp is such a small item in home decor but one that can really set off a room. I just read an e-mail featuring images of lamps that really drew me in.

Sweetheart Gallery, 8 Tannery Brook Road in Woodstock, is now featuring Janna Ugone's line of hand-painted parchment-shaded table lamps. I especially like this one (in photo): the Leaf Portrait in Ivory and Redwood 500 series parchment table lamp on ceramic base. The shade is signed, hallmarked and dated.

Gals' Day Out!

I'm spending a whole day this coming weekend catching up with one of my best friends (and my former college roommate), doing one of the things we like best -- going to Crafts at Rhinebeck -- that wonderful upscale two-day show at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on Route 9 in Rhinebeck.

I know we'll drool over the handcrafted jewelry. (We usually end up buying each other's Christmas presents at these kinds of events -- but we still act surprised when it's gift-giving time!) I also love checking out the home decor items to get ideas for future HVC magazine features. I'll probably get a piece of pottery to add to my collection. She usually ends up buying a piece of fine art. In any case, even if all we do is browse, we'll still have fun. There is also good food to eat on sale at the event, and very good restaurants in nearby Rhinebeck and Red Hook/Tivoli.

TAKE NOTE: There's a coupon, good for Admit 2 for the Price of 1 admission to Crafts at Rhinebeck, in the latest issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine. It's sold at Barnes & Noble and other area stores listed on the HVC Web site.

More HITS news

Former Olympian Todd Minikus and Ultimo Van Ter Moude (his horse) won the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix last week at HITS Saugerties.

Hillary Dobbs, daughter of CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs, finished in fifth place in the jump-off aboard Quincy B. Dobbs. Ms. Dobbs and her horse Marengo -- coming off a second-place finish in the $50,000 Waldorf=Astoria Collection Grand Prix at Saugerties the previous weekend -- navigated the course cleanly and stopped the clocks in 38.840 to set the Great American Time to Beat. The Harvard student finished third in the Ariat feature class.

Still to come this summer:
Sunday, July 27: $50,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix, $5,000 Jr/A-O Jumper Low Classic & $10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic
Sunday, August 3: $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, $5,000 Jr/A-O Jumper Low Classic and $10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic
Monday, August 4– Wednesday, August 6: $50,000 USEF Junior Hunter National Championships East
Thursday, August 7: $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby and $5,000 Pony Commotion Hunter Classic
Sunday, August 10: $50,000 In The Woods Log Homes Grand Prix, $10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper Low Classic, $25,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic & $10,000 M&S Children's/Adult Jumper Classic
Sunday, September 7: $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, $5,000 Jr/A-O Jumper Low Classic & $10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic
Wednesday, September 10–Sunday, September 14: 18th Annual Marshall & Sterling League National Finals

Plus other fun family friendly events on the weekends! More info at the Web site.

Spectator admission from Wednesdays through Fridays is free. On Saturdays & Sundays, admission is $5 for adults and free for children. All proceeds from the gate go directly to Family of Woodstock, Inc., a non-for-profit organization serving Ulster County.

The HITS Saugerties Show Series are held at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, two miles from Exit 20 on the NYS Thruway.

Photo of Todd Minikus and Ultimo Van Ter Moude © 2008 Lili Weik Photography

The living is easy ...

Summer may still be a few days away, according to the calendar, but I feel like it's here. And that means I'm ready to take advantage of all the great summer festivals in our region! In the latest issue of HVC magazine, we have an article listing our picks for 12 top summer festivals in the region.

Many of them are already my favorites -- I almost never miss the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and for the past few summers my daughter and I have enjoyed the entertainment at the Bard Music Festival/Summerscape. Last year's Jazz Fest at Tanglewood was a huge treat for me and I really hope I can get to Bethel Woods this year for at least one concert. There are a whole bunch of concerts at the Belleayre Music Festival that I'd love to attend (including Ronan Tynan with the Belleayre Festival Orchestra on July 5 and Chris Isaak on August 30.) The theatrical productions at Powerhouse and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival are also high on my list and is there any better way to wrap up the summer festival season than the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest?

In case you can't find a copy of the magazine (they go fast!) here is a link to HVC's calendar of events.

Above, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, photo by Darryl Bautista. Copyright 2008 Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc.

HITS with horses and a local Guinness record?

You can meet some of the top Grand Prix riders competing this week at HITS (Horse Shows in the Sun) in Saugerties during an autograph session at Mirabella's Restaurant on Partition Street starting at 6 p.m. Saturday. Among the riders expected to appear are Hillary Dobbs (daughter of CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs) and former Olympians Todd Minikus, Margie Engle and Federico Sztyrle.

The event is part of the HITS Block Party, which is free and open to the public and takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Here's some fun -- the party includes a Guinness Book of World Record's test at 6:30 p.m. for the World's Largest Skateboard in front of Dallas Hot Weiner's on Main Street. The board measures more than 33 feet long and took John Kahn, Ken Benson and members of the Saugerties Skatepark Junior Committee five months to build. A world-class skatepark is coming to Saugerties in the spring of 2009, across from the HITS show grounds. You have to check out the video of the GIANT skateboard.

Other highlights: from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. there will be free pony rides at Stella’s Station on Main Street, courtesy of Sharon Bach and Vertical Limit Stables. The band Powerhouse will perform from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the intersection of Main and Partition Street.

Here is more info from HITS:

Most businesses will bring the party into their stores. Participating businesses include M&T Bank (crafts from the Saugerties Art Lab), Arcadia (light snacks and cocktails), Central Hotel (light snacks and cocktails), DIG (DJ Caviar spinning live in the store), Dutch Ale House (musical performance at 9 pm), Exchange Hotel (free pizza), Michael Nelson Photography (student photography opening), Partition St.Wine Shop (wine tasting), The Pig Bar & Grill (musical performance), Shelley K (art opening and light snacks and jazz piano with John Esposito), Stella's Station (musical performance), Sweet Lili (chocolate fountain), Trillium (wine tasting) Village Pizza (fried dough) and Main Street Restaurant (balloon animals).

Parking is available in all of the municipal lots in the village, including the lot adjacent to M&T Bank and behind Mirabella's. The parking lot at Cahill School may also be used, as well as the parking lot of Sawyer Savings Bank. For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com

Tomato? Not yet, thanks!

I'm thinking about seasonal eating -- fresh Brandywine, grape and purple Cherokee tomatoes will ripen soon in my garden ... other heirloom tomatoes from the New Paltz-based Taliaferro Farms ... fresh white peaches later this summer from Montgomery Place Orchards in Red Hook ... strawberries available NOW from Mead Orchards in Tivoli ... Yum. Do you have any favorite sources for local produce to share? What's ripe in your area?

The current “tomato scare” doesn’t really affect me because I already try not to eat fresh tomatoes unless they come from my garden or from a local farm stand or farmers market. This is because I’ve found that the tomatoes sold at the grocery stores, in general, are tasteless dry red globes and an injustice to what the real veggie (or is that fruit?) should taste like. I think by now most folks know about the life cycle of the stereotypical grocery store tomato: how they are usually a variety that was bred to have the traits that allow it to be picked early (I won’t use the word harvested), ripened artificially and shipped long distance. No wonder they taste bad. I have the same attitude towards peaches and strawberries – unless they’re grown locally and super fresh, they just don’t taste good to me.

Of course, this means that I can only find fresh tomatoes, strawberries and peaches when they are in season and available in my backyard (literally or from a local source.) And that’s OK with me. I’d much rather spend a few summer months stuffing myself silly with fresh tomatoes and fruit than suffer through their cardboard imitators out of season. When their season is done, I’m usually cured of my cravings for them until the next year. And it’s cheaper too.

Eating with the seasons makes sense both to my palate and my pocketbook!

Of course, all rules have an exception and so does mine regarding tomatoes -- I've tried the hydroponic tomatoes grown by Mountain Fresh Farms in Highland and sold at my local Hannaford's and they are pretty good. The fact that they're local will probably keep me buying them on occasion until the tomatoes in my garden take off.

And more winners are ...

Following up on my post yesterday about the prestigious James Beard Awards ...

Four graduates of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park were among the winners. They are, according to a CIA press release:

The Outstanding Chef Award was won by 1994 graduate Grant Achatz, chef and owner of Alinea in Chicago. The award is bestowed upon a chef whose career sets "industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals," according to the Beard Foundation. Chef Achatz is scheduled to return to his alma mater this fall to be the commencement speaker at the CIA's November baccalaureate graduation ceremony.

Chad Robertson '93 and his partner Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco shared the Outstanding Pastry Chef Award. That honor is presented to "a chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a national standard-bearer for excellence."

Craig Stoll '85 of Delfina in San Francisco was honored as Best Chef: Pacific and Eric Ziebold '94 of CityZen in Washington, DC won the award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.

Fifteen CIA alumni were nominated for James Beard Awards this year. In addition, during the awards ceremony, Anthony Bourdain '78 was inducted into Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America. This honor recognizes a prestigious group of culinary professionals who have made a significant and unique contribution to the industry. Bourdain also attended Vassar College, back in the day, and shows up in our area every so often. I've had the chance to sit and chat with Chef Bourdain, who is an intelligent and interesting conversationalist.

And the winner is ...

The James Beard awards (considered the "Oscars" for chefs and food writers) took place last night. Lots of interesting winners, listed here.

I see that Gavin Kaysen of Manhattan's Cafe Boulud was named Rising Star Chef (given to a chef "age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.") Kaysen was one of the competitors on The Next Iron Chef show that ran on the Food Network. Part of that series was filmed last year in Hyde Park on the campus of the Culinary Institute of America -- in fact, unless I am mistaken, it was the show that featured the chefs grilling at the CIA where Kaysen was eliminated from the competition.

A friend of mine recently dined at Cafe Boulud with her teen-age daughter, who loves to cook and is considering a career as a chef. When she mentioned that fact during her visit to Cafe Boulud, the teen was invited to tour the kitchen and to talk with the chef. Now that's hospitality!

Gorka alert!

Late notice but I just saw this on the community calendar at poughkeepsiejournal.com: Unison Arts & Learning Center in New Paltz presents John Gorka in concert tonight. I have seen John Gorka several times in concert and he is simply AMAZING. What a voice! I definitely recommend checking out this show if you can.

Taking food home

I like to cook -- a lot -- but sometimes you just have to get take out. Recently, my daughter and I had a very full day planned and I knew we weren't going to be able to cook for ourselves at home and still keep to our schedule. We were in the Kingston area at the time, and someone recommended we check out Mother Earth's in the Kings Mall on Route 9W (technically in the town of Ulster.)

I'd shopped there many times before but not since it grew into another space in the mall. It's a natural foods (and other products) store and they now have an expanded area where they sell prepared, fresh foods. Well -- YUM! Are we glad we made that discovery! We brought home a fresh kale salad, a roasted beet salad, a sweet potato salad and a sesame noodle salad. It all was delicious. In fact, my nine-year-old keeps asking when we're going back to get more of the kale salad -- it was THAT good.

Mother Earth's also has stores in Poughkeepsie (1955 South Road) and in Saugerties (249 Main Street) and they say they are opening soon in a new location in Hyde Park. This is what they say on their Web site about the take-out food offerings at their "superstores" in Kingston and in Poughkeepsie: self serve salad bars and full service deli counters. We offer vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as fresh, heat them yourself, entrees. You will be able to find wheat free, gluten free, low sodium, and other diet conscience dishes as well. Hot soup is also available for eat-in or take-out.

I have a little trick I've used when I am rushed for time, in that I'll prepare our entree at home in the crockpot but pick up take-out veggies from our favorite Chinese restaurant (my kid adores their sauteed bok choi and spinach). Now that I know about the fantastic salads and veggies at Mother Earth's, I am adding them to my list. We WILL be back! :-)

Dads & history

If your father isn't into baseball, maybe he's interested in local history (like my dad.) Here is another suggestion for an activity for his special day. Mount Gulian Historic Site (overlooking the Hudson River in Beacon) will celebrate Father’s Day (Sunday, June 15) by offering free hour-long tours for fathers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Everyone else must still pay the museum admission fee of $8 adults, $6 seniors, $4 children, with children under six and Mount Gulian members admitted for free.) Admission includes a tour of the historic house, Dutch barn and restored garden. Mount Gulian Historic Site is at 145 Sterling Street in Beacon and can be contacted at 845-831-8172.

Here is more info from the site:

The house tour includes two new exhibits – must sees for history buffs and local residents. “The Mount Gulian Story” tells the 300-year history of the site. It graphically depicts the initial land purchase from the Native American Indians, its use as General von Steuben’s military headquarters during the Revolutionary War, its vibrancy as the Verplanck family estate, the devastating fire set by an arsonist, and its fortunate reconstruction in the 1960s and 70s.

The second exhibit, “The Society of the Cincinnati: One Society of Friends” explains the founding, controversy, and continuation of the Society of the Cincinnati, our country’s first veterans’ organization, which was formed at Mount Gulian in 1783 by the officers of the American Revolution. On display are Revolutionary War artifacts including an officer’s sword and epaulet, and a 1785 Cincinnati membership certificate signed by George Washington.

Prokofiev sneak peek

The music from Peter & the Wolf is running through my head as I type this ...

We spotlight a dozen exceptional summer festivals in the June issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine (available now at regional Barnes & Noble stores and other local places listed here.) One of the exciting events is the Bard Music Festival and Summerscape, taking place between July 4 and August 17 at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on the Bard College campus off Route 9G in Annandale-on-Hudson (town of Red Hook.)

And -- if you are in Manhattan Thursday evening -- you can get a sneak peak at the Bard Music Festival, which this year has the theme Sergey Prokofiev and His World. Here are the details:

BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2008: Prokofiev and His World
Presented by The Morgan Library & Museum

In a lecture with musical illustrations, Leon Botstein (President, Bard College; artistic codirector, Bard Music Festival; and music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra) discusses the upcoming summer music festival at Bard that highlights the music and life of Prokofiev and his contemporaries. The Bard Festival String Quartet will perform musical excerpts.
Thursday, June 5, 6:30 PM

Tickets: $20 for Non-Members; $15 for Morgan Members
Call 212-685-0008, ext 560 or visit www.themorgan.org
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York City

Best remembered for a few popular scores, including Peter and the Wolf and Romeo & Juliet, Prokofiev's various works for the violin, piano, flute, and cello became standard in the repertoire of the 20th century. But much of his music is not well known, and the twists and turns in his career and style demand close inspection and reconsideration. Likewise, his views on art, politics, and the spiritual challenges of modern life require an understanding of the several worlds in which he worked: the St. Petersburg of his youth, Paris in the interwar period, and the United States, where he lived for two years and where he composed his first great operatic success, The Love for Three Oranges. His career taken as a whole allows us to rethink the nature of modernism and the connection of music to 20th-century politics and culture in Russia, Europe, and America.

Tickets and a schedule for events on the Bard campus this summer can be obtained at the Fisher Center Web site or by calling 845-758-7900

Baseball & Father's Day ...

Now this could be a fun Father's Day at the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington, Massachusetts (not very far from Dutchess and Columbia counties) if the special dad in your life is a baseball fan ...

Join Jim Bouton, former Yankee pitcher and author of Ball Four and Foul Ball for a 4 p.m. "ballpark dinner" at the Castle Street Cafe and then enjoy a 6 p.m. screening of the classic film Field of Dreams (1989 - Kevin Costner). Discussion with Bouton to follow.

Takes place Sunday, June 15. $23 dinner and a movie/$8 movie only. Call the Mahaiwe box office for reservations: 413-528-0100.