Exciting Events Around New York: April 2023
EXCITING EVENTS AROUND NEW YORK: APRIL 2023
By Great Performances
Explore Great Music, Art and More at Our Partner Venues This Month!
BRIAN CULBERTSON – THE TRILOGY TOUR
Thursday, April 6th at 8:00pm
Location: Apollo’s Historic Theater
Tickets: start at $88
Multi Instrumentalist, Brian Culbertson comes to the Apollo in his only area performance. Fusing, Jazz, Funk, Pop, and R&B, Brian burst on the music scene in 1994 and has garnered 40 Billboard No. 1 singles as a musician, songwriter, and producer. His most recent recorded work is titled The Trilogy, thirty songs that populate three albums describing the arc of a long-term relationship. The Trilogy Tour will feature a mix of songs from The Trilogy albums, as well as the greatest hits from Brian Culbertson’s catalog. Whether you’re listening to music from The Trilogy on record or live in concert, you’re hearing an eclectic, entertaining and engaging set from an artist at the peak of his power.
IMAGENATION’S COCKTAILS & SOL CINEMA: TONTON MANU
Saturday, April 15th at 4:00pm
Location: Apollo’s Soundstage
Tickets: $26.50 (Each ticket includes a complimentary drink.)
FEATURED FILM: TONTON MANU
The Apollo continues its collaboration with ImageNation by co-presenting the Cocktails & Sol Cinema Series, a social gathering that includes a film screening, cocktail reception, and a post-show conversation with the filmmakers.
This special Africa Now! edition of Cocktails & Sol Cinema features Thierry Dechilly and Patrick Puzenat’s 2021 documentary, Tonton Manu, which follows the daily life of composer, musician, journalist, and ambassador of the Francophone world, Manu Dibango.
THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN
Saturday, April 1st through Sunday, April 16th
Location: BAM Strong, Harvey Theater
Tickets: start at $35
NEW YORK PREMIERE
BAM IN ASSOCIATION WITH A.R.T.
PRESENTS
THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN
ADAPTED BY ZADIE SMITH FROM CHAUCER’S THE WIFE OF BATH
KILN THEATRE
DIRECTED BY INDHU RUBASINGHAM
In her debut play, bestselling author Zadie Smith—whose books include the Man Booker Prize-nominated novel On Beauty— gives us Alvita, a Jamaican-born British woman in her mid-50s holding court at a North West London pub. After a sold-out, critically acclaimed run, this modern translation of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales comes to the Harvey Theater at BAM Strong. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, with an ensemble cast starring Clare Perkins in a stunning, exhilarating performance, this exuberant and verbally inventive play showcases the pleasures of Smith’s quick wit. Rich with frank sexuality, it celebrates free expression and the human urge both to live stories and share them.
THE CRY OF MY PEOPLE
Saturday, April 8th at 7:30pm
Location: Peter Jay Sharp Building, BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Tickets: start at $35
FEATURING ARCHIE SHEPP, LINDA SHARROCK, AND CLAUDIA RANKINE
Part of Eldorado Ballroom, curated by Solange Knowles for Saint Heron
“Freedom is something that has to be constantly monitored and watched.”—Archie Shepp
We invite sonic commotion for civic disruption through performance, poetry, and revolutionary thought. This show’s lineup features three artists who empower audiences to decipher the sorrow, rage, and angst of an era. The Cry of My People conveys aural imagery of Blackness and Black life in America for audience contemplation. With majestic composer, pianist and organist Amina Claudine Myers accompanying on piano along with a 10-piece band, Archie Shepp presents a selection of his spiritual yet radically charged works including the fiery and intriguing Algiers-inspired “Yasmina, a Black Woman.”
In her first live New York City performance since the 1970s, Linda Sharrock’s powerful vocal projections offer the audience a moment of witness to the voice as an instrument. Honoring Linda’s incomparable virtuosity—which prominently shaped Sonny Sharrock’s 1969 Black Woman album—the performance will activate an emotionally charged atmosphere of self-determination in a searing suite of empowerment.
Claudia Rankine shares select readings from her poetic works The End Of The Alphabet (1998) and Just Us: An American Conversation (2020).
Program Notes from Saint Heron
ART HISTORY HAPPY HOUR: BLOSSOMS
Thursday, April 20th from 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Tickets: $45 and include a specialty cocktail, small bites, and after-hours admission to Arts of Asia and the Islamic World. Additional beverages are available for purchase. Member tickets are $40.
Our season of Art History Happy Hours concludes with a celebration of flowers, just as spring blossoms are reaching full bloom. Learn about the language of flowers in Asian art with Joan Cummins, Lisa and Bernard Selz Senior Curator of Asian Art, and hear insights from Valentine Leung of Park Deli about this neighborhood destination for flowers and creativity. Plus, enjoy a special cocktail from Kenta Goto’s local spot Bar Goto Niban, known for incorporating Japanese ingredients into its unique drinks and bar snacks.
2023 BROOKLYN ARTISTS BALL
Tuesday, April 25th from 6:30pm – midnight
Location: Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion and Lobby, 1st Floor, and Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor
The Brooklyn Artists Ball is one of the art world’s most beloved, fun, and inspiring events of the year. From the cocktail reception to our legendary gala dinner and not-to-be-missed After Party, it’s sure to be a high-energy, celebratory night!
6:30pm – Cocktails
7:30pm – Dinner and program
9:00pm – After Party, hosted by the Young Leadership Council
Cocktail attire
TAKÁCS QUARTET
Sunday, April 23rd at 3:00pm
Tickets: Start at $40
Overview
The world-renowned Takács Quartet, now in their 48th season, return to the Music Room. The acclaimed Quartet brings a program including Haydn, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, whose works have recently begun to move out of her brother Felix’s shadow, and Schubert’s final quartet, in G Major.
Program
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F Major, H. III:82
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: String Quartet in E-flat Major
Franz Schubert: String Quartet in G Major, D. 887
RACHEL PODGER, VIOLIN
An All-Bach Program
Sunday, April 30th at 3:00pm
Tickets: Start at $40
Overview
“Rachel Podger, the unsurpassed British glory of the baroque violin,” (The Times) has established herself as a leading interpreter of Baroque and Classical music. Podger was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Prize in October 2015, Gramophone Artist of the Year 2018, and Ambassador for REMA’s Early Music Day 2020. She performs an all-Bach solo program in the perfect setting for it, Caramoor’s Music Room.
Program
J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 in G major, BWV 1009
J.S. Bach: Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002
JD ALLEN FEAT. CHARLIE HUNTER: AMERICANA VOL. 2
Thursday, April 13th and Friday, April 14th
Tickets: start at $25
ABOUT THE SHOW
Feeding each other’s creative fires, saxophonist-composer JD Allen and guitarist-composer Charlie Hunter explore a broad and integrative legacy of the blues through very personal, often experiential connections to the music, its lineage, and its staggering influence. Together, they deliver a ruminative and exploratory set, primed for new inventions of familiar melodies and original repertoire.
PERFORMANCE LINEUP
JD Allen – Saxophones
Charlie Hunter – Guitars
Greg August – Bass
Rudy Royston – Drums
RENÉ MARIE
Thursday, April 20th through Sunday, April 23rd
Tickets: start at $25
ABOUT THE SHOW
A rare and treasured artist and storyteller, Grammy-nominated vocalist, lyricist, and composer René Marie traverses complex themes and lush harmony with an otherworldly sense of space and time. Her sets leave listeners transformed. The sincerity and warmth she brings to her music has allowed her to collaborate over the years with iconic, stylistically diverse artists, as well as heavy hitting large ensembles, including Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, among countless others.
PERFORMANCE LINEUP
Rene Marie, vocals
John Chin, piano
Elias Bailey, bass
Quentin Baxter, drums
TRES AGUAS & COLORS OF COLOMBIA
FEATURING THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS
Friday, April 14th and Saturday, April 15th
Location: Rose Theater
Tickets: start at $55.50
WHAT TO EXPECT
New works created by global jazz composers and brought to life by the JLCO.
There will be a free pre-concert lecture at 7pm for each performance
ABOUT THE CONCERT
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Special Guest Paquito D’Rivera perform a pair of exclusive JALC commissions by mid-career masters—Tres Aguas by Cuban pianist Elio Villafranca and Colors of Colombia by Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda. Castañeda is a transformative virtuoso of the Llanera harp, a traditional instrument from the Eastern Plains of Colombia and a fixture on the international jazz arena for more than a decade; he’ll mix the diverse rhythms of his homeland with the various dialects of swing, reminding us that Colombia and New York are in the same hemisphere. Villafranca’s Tres Aguas features dancers from Cuba, Peru, and the U.S. moving to music influenced by the rich Afro-Diasporic musical streams from Venezuela, Cuba, and New Orleans jazz. The common thread is long-time Jazz at Lincoln Center extended family member Paquito D’Rivera—himself a distinguished composer and authoritative interpreter of a wide range of Pan-American idioms on clarinet and alto saxophone—whose Panamericana Suite, which debuted at JALC in 2000, helped launch Jazz at Lincoln Center’s long-standing relationship to Pan-American music.
MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL ON TOUR
WITH DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER AND KURT ELLING
Friday, April 21st and Saturday, April 22nd
Location: The Appel Room
Tickets: start at $90.50
WHAT TO EXPECT
The world’s longest-running jazz festival returns to The House of Swing
Enjoy swinging tunes and stunning views in The Appel Room
ABOUT THE CONCERT
Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour: Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling with special guests Lakecia Benjamin, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura and Clarence Penn is the latest iteration of once-in-a-lifetime ensemble performing under the distinguished imprimatur of the Monterey Jazz Festival, one of the world’s longest-running and most iconic jazz events, now celebrating its 65th year. Tony and Grammy Award-winning NEA Jazz Master vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling bring together the traditions they represent; with instrumental commentary from critically acclaimed rising star saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and visionary young pianist Christian Sands, anchored by his longtime rhythm section, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Clarence Penn.
FIRST FRIDAY
Friday, April 7th from 10:00am to 9:00pm
Tickets: Free all Day!
Join Poster House on the First Friday of every month for free admission and extended hours! Explore the museum’s latest exhibitions and get in on the fun by attending a tour, workshop, performance, or activity throughout the day. Every First Friday is different, offering unique opportunities to engage with rotating exhibitions and the permanent collection.
PERSON PLACE THING WITH NICHOLAS LOWRY
Friday, April 28th from 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Tickets: $15
Poster House is thrilled to partner with Randy Cohen of Person Place Thing for a live recording of this popular public radio series. Tonight, he will be joined by Poster House Advisory Board member and tartan legend, Nicholas “Nicho” Lowry. Nicholas wears many poster-related hats: auctioneer, specialist, lecturer, curator, historian, enthusiast, and collector. He is perhaps best known, though, as the President and Principal Auctioneer of Swann Auction Galleries, where he is also the Director of its vintage posters department. As one of the world’s foremost authorities on vintage posters, he has spent nearly 25 years serving regularly as a poster appraiser on the PBS television series Antiques Roadshow.
ARBOR WEEKEND
Friday, April 28th through Sunday, April 30th
Join us to celebrate the trees in our gardens and neighborhoods with walks, art-making, a cooking demo, kid-friendly activities and more! By popular demand, arborists from Almstead Tree, Shrub & Lawn Care return this spring to host a family-favorite activity, the Junior Arborist Station.
COOKING DEMONSTRATION: GOING NUTS FOR NUTS
Saturday, April 29th from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Location: Wave Hill House
Tickets: Free with Admission to the Grounds
Nuts are an energy-rich food used by humans and wildlife alike. Walnuts, pine nuts and almonds are just a few examples of versatile tree nuts that can be used in savory and sweet dishes, and even nutritious drinks. Sample some tree-themed recipes, including bite-sized chicken nut puffs and a mixed-nut appetizer, then learn how to make homemade almond milk in this tasty demo with Chef Nick Acosta from Great Performances.
CITYPICKLE AT WOLLMAN RINK
April 7th through October 9th
As reported in the New York Times:
CityPickle is bringing the country’s fastest growing sport to Wollman Rink in Central Park! The rink will house 14 courts – the largest pickleball offering in the Northeast – with 196 hours of pickleball daily. Come play with us!
Whether you’re a pickleball pro or a newbie looking for a fun way to stay active this season, we’re welcoming all skill levels. Lessons, clinics, open play, leagues, and private events are also available. Grab a friend, grab a paddle, and meet us on the court!
CityPickle is proud to offer a professional playing experience with the court surface provided by Pickleball United USA, the official court partner for MLP and APP professional leagues and the nets provided by CD Pickleball Nets, the official net partner of the PPA and APP.
CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL
April 26th through April 30th
CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL is a team stationary-cycling event and 100% of every dollar raised goes directly to rare cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Teammates take turns riding, cheering, dancing, and hearing powerful speeches from rare cancer patients and survivors, MSK doctors, and MORE.
