Week of July 19th, 2021

Wednesday, July 21st: La Belle Epoque de Warhol

A small group of Art lovers received a private tour of 2 fantastic exhibits at the Nassau Museum of Art. The museum's Director, Prof. Charles Riley, greeting us with a top hat and a brief piano interlude before launching into a dynamic tour of the main exhibit, which brought the Belle Époque to life in painting, sculpture and textiles. Then it was on to the second floor to take in pieces by Andy Warhol on social loan to the museum.

Friday, July 23rd: The Knights perform in Bryant Park

We celebrated fine music and sophisticated "dining" at Bryant Park. The Knights played at Bryant Park as part of the Carnegie Hall Citywide Series. The Knights is a wonderful modern day classical orchestra. They perform classical pieces as well as original pieces reminiscent of the greats. They also perform fun modern pieces such as Simple Gifts or The Harlem Shake. The orchestra has toured and recorded with renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, and Gil Shaham, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and the Vienna Musikverein. They perform in traditional concert halls as well as parks, plazas, and bars, all in an effort to reach listeners of all backgrounds and invite them into their music-making. Since incorporating in 2007, the orchestra has toured consistently across the United States and Europe.

Their original music is lovely and elegant. Here is a link to them playing Beethoven: https://youtu.be/a9HWo4THnHA

Week of June 7th, 2021

 Saturday, June 12th, 2021: Michael Arenella's Jazz Age Lawn Party

The Jazz Age Lawn Party was back on and in full swing on the oasis-like Governor's Island. Revelers in 1920s attire boarded ferries and went back in time to attend the annual JALP. Michael Arenella's band was top-notch as usual and guest singer Queen Esther delighted young and old spectators alike. The next JALP will take place on Saturday, August 14th. Get your tickets here now.
To see more photos from the JALP click here.

photo credit: Vlad Kfrg

photo credit: Vlad Kfrg

photo credit: Vlad Kfrg

Week of November 26th, 2018

Saturday, December 1st, 2018: Anything Box Concert

The 80s were alive and well in Newark, NJ at Club XTC for the Anything Box concert. The electro/synthpop group hails from New Jersey, and frontman Claude Strilio was thrilled to be back in his old stomping grounds. The band's name comes from the title of a book of short stories by Zenna Henderson, The Anything Box. In the title story, a young girl imagines the world as she would have it, apparently by staring at an empty space between her hands. Her school teacher discovers that the box is invisible, but real.
The setlist was fantastic, and they played all of our favorites, most notably Jubilation, When We Lie, Soul on Fire, Kiss of Love, and the worldwide hit, Living in Oblivion.
The opening band, Korine, (the members of which looked very, very young) deserve a shout out as well.

Week of November 27th, 2017

Fashion Speak Fridays: Menswear, A Formal Event

The National Arts Club played host to its regular Fashion lecture series, Fashion Speak Fridays. On this occurrence,  renowned menswear expert, Alan Flusser, carefully us on the last word in formal attire for men with slides that illustrated the proper proportions and accessories for each garment. The club had also arranged for Michael Arenella to play, and a few guests got up and danced after the presentation.
Then it was off to nearby Roman eatery, Bocca, for delicious bowls of pasta.

Week of April 3rd, 2017

Friday, April 7th: Springtime in Paris

The Princeton Club's 4th floor was transformed into a Parisian cabaret for our event celebrating the song and wine of the City of Lights. Eddie and Sui taught a basic Swing Lindy lesson and invited us to join them on the dance floor. 

Music was artfully provided by Fleur Seule, featuring Allyson Briggs. Guests were surprised to learn that many of the songs we treasure in the American songbook actually saw the light as French songs first! Some of the most famous examples are: My Way (Comme d'Habitude,) Beyond The Sea (La Mer,) What Now, My Love (Et Maintenant.)

Week of September 26th, 2016

Monday, September 26th: PREformances series at the JCC
For eight seasons, "PREformances with Allison Charney" has accomplished the wonderful mission of giving top level performers an opportunity to debut new material, and providing lucky audience members with a chance to catch a sneak peek of new talent and repertoire.

This PREformance was no exception. We were treated to the first public performance of mezzo-soprano Karolina Pilou singing the aria "Il Vecchiotto Cerca Moglie" from The Barber of Seville. Ms Pilou will "officially" debut in role of Berta at the Met this Spring.

In addition, pianist Joel Fan delighted us with an inspired interpretation of Chopin's  piano piece, Polonaise-Fantaisie Op.61 in preparation for his recording session for his latest CD release.

It is opportunities like these that are at the heart of the Performance series, founded by soprano Allison Charney, an accomplished soprano in her own right and a charming hostess for this remarkable series.

For photos from the event, click here. For More about the series and for upcoming dates, click here.

Monday, September 26th: All French Program at Carnegie Hall
Pianist Katya Grineva and cellist Byron Duckwall collaborated on an all French program, inspired by the Age of the Impressionists. The duo covered works by Saint-Saens, Debussy, Satie and Ravel, among others.
Duckwall provided very insightful and colorful commentary about the composers and the works performed. The historical context and the artistic notes enhanced the audience's understanding of and appreciation for the selected pieces.


Tuesday, September 27th: Puccini in Love
Together with the NY Arts & Sciences Salon, we were delighted to share an evening in Bryant Park for opera al fresco. NY City opera treated us to arias from 3 of Puccini's most beloved works, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, and Tosca.

In addition to the music, we enjoyed a tasty dîner en plein air and even snuck in some prosecco for a friendly toast.

photo credit: Jennifer Thomas

photo credit: Jennifer Thomas

photo credit: Jennifer Thomas

Saturday, October 1st: Board Game Night

Many thanks to our hosts, Suzy & Mark Chronowitz for holding Board Game Fest at their home. In addition to old favorites, we played a new game, Hoax, and the general consensus was favorable. Players need to impersonate various pretenders to a large fortune in order to see who will be left as the sole heir. A bit like Clue meets Bull$hit, it provides opportunities to put on funny accents. It is a great option for large, boisterous groups. Our Forbidden Island score was 1 Loss and 1 Win. Damn you, Waters Rising card...

Week of October 12th, 2015

October 14 - 16: Trip to Greenport Long Island. Many thanks to Marguerite for organizing such a lovely get-away.

Friday, October 16th: Maurizio Pollini plays Chopin at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall.

Saturday, October 17th: Prayer for Peace Concert at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Jason Tramm. Months of work paid off as Maestro Tramm put together a fantastic musical program for all to enjoy, featuring pieces by composers of 3 different faiths. For more details, see press coverage and photos in Broadway World here.

Alex & the Maestro (photo credit John Gladitsch)

(photo credit: John Gladitsch)

Sunday, October 18th: Balanchine Black & White. NY City Ballet

Week of September 28th, 2015

Friday, October 2nd: Playboy Swings at the Player's Club. Patrick Soluri's Playboy themed event brought revelers together at NYC's swanky Player's Club to experience a number of bands and dancers.

Saturday, October 3rd: The Met at the movies. Terry & I enjoyed the Met's live simultaneous broadcast at the movies of Verdi's Il Trovatore. Following Dmitri Hvorotovsky and Anna Netrebko's outstanding performances, we enjoyed a delicious early dinner at Barbetta Restaurant.  What a way to celebrate our combined birthdays!

Week of July 6th, 2015

• Wednesday, July 8th: Midsummer Night Swing with Gordon Webster. The fabulous orchestra was joined by vocalist Brianna Thomas. (Swing) Info here.

• Saturday, July 11th: Midsummer Night Swing with The Harlem Renaissance Orchestra. Once again, HRO closed out the Midsummer Night Swing Festival to a sold-out crowd at Lincoln Center. This is the most popular night every year. (Swing) Info here.

• Sunday, July 12th: Ocean Grove Choir Concert - Prince of Peace. Over 800 choral voices were raised in peace for the 61st Annual Choir Festival, led by Jason Tramm. Ocean Grove, NJ is one of the most historic towns on the shore.It was the perfect place to host this first event in a Trilogy for Peace organized by Maestro Tramm.  Info here.

Week of May 18th, 2015

May 21st: Gala Benefit Concert for the Knights Orchestra.

A re-converted factory in Tribeca was the beautiful backdrop of this very successful event benefiting The Knights orchestra. The views were stunning and the musical was equally delightful (except for the curious folk songs that were allegedly in four different languages, though indistinguishable from each other and quite indecipherable...)

Link: More info about The Knights here.

Week of March 2nd, 2015

Friday, March 6th:  "Big Band First Friday"

Big Band First Friday resumed at a new home, The Ball room at 43rd. George Gee Orchestra played the inaugural event. I joined Terry, David and Eddie, as well as a cast of regulars there. The crowd was very mixed between regular and new dancers and some of us came away with minor injuries...  I'm sure it will flow more smoothly next month :-)

Link: Event page

Week of November 10th, 2014

Thursday, November 13th: "Albertine Retrouvée"

We explored the gorgeous new French bookstore, Albertine, located in the French Cultural Institute and rubbed elbows with Proustian scholars. We regaled ourselves with dinner at Orsay following the event.

Links: Albertine website

By co-incidence, I returned to Orsay the following evening with my family visiting from out-of town, so I will sneak in this second photo as well.