Have you been to a Danbury Hat Tricks game? Danbury Arena is a true family destination and on January 30, the team welcomes kids to join them on the ice!

FPHL Hat Tricks after the home game on Sunday, January 30th!

The Hat Tricks are inviting all fans to skate with the FPHL Hat Tricks after their game against Carolina on Sunday, January 30th. 

The puck drops at 7pm and the game is expected to end by 9:30 pm.

Nick Garofalo, Arena General Manager said, "Come share the experience with the team! Fans can feel the excitement of skating on the same ice with the Hat Tricks!"

Delicious food and drinks are available in the newly renovated and newly reopened Rabbit Hole Bar and Grill and, the brand new (and massive) redemption arcade is a destination for kids!

View the roster and team stats here.

Skates will be available to rent for $5 per pair.

Purchase tickets HERE.

Get lost in the beauty of the season! Strolling (or running, skipping, walking) through a corn maze is one of the adventures of fall (and it’s perfect for all ages!) Lucky for us, Connecticut is home to several corn mazes that boast beauty, art, and creativity!

According to Corn Mazes America, the first modern corn maze was created in the early 1990s in the United States. By 1998 there were between 50-100  and a decade later, 2008, it’s estimated that there were over 800 corn mazes in the United States! We did some searching but could not find the exact number of corn mazes that exist in American today, but safe to say, the number exceeds one thousand! 

Below please find the Maze or Mazes within forty miles of Nyack.  

Most corn mazes are open on weekends, but we recommend calling ahead of time or checking the Farm’s website for exact dates and times of operation. In addition to the joys of getting lost in the cornstalks, many of the farms offer fun fall activities including hayrides and pumpkin picking.

Remember in years past when everyone feared missing out on summer - that mythical, shimmering, relaxed yet activity-packed, summery summer? That era is over; summer has lost its FOMO-inducing glow. Fall has taken over.

Now, I love fall. (Except for the part where I turn a year older and the other part where I have to rake my lawn.) But lately, fall - or rather, the hype surrounding it - has gotten out of hand. These days, we can't just appreciate the foliage and buy a new sweater, we have to hoard sickly-sweet orange candles, expertly style a nursery full of mums on our front steps, sprinkle everything with pumpkin spice (which, come on people, is nutmeg and cinnamon, doesn't that sound a thousand times more appetizing anyway?), and go apple-picking in leather boots even though it's still 75 degrees out. And that's before we even get to Halloween, and the whole thing really goes into full faux-spider-web-covered overdrive. (It is interesting that Thanksgiving doesn't factor into the autumnal craziness too much; could it be because the holiday has mostly resisted commercialization?) The Fall Industrial Complex is real, and the pressure is intense.

And in Connecticut, the seasonal mania is especially strong, because while summer weather lasts for three months or more in a good year, fall weather - that perfect, crisp-but-not-cold, sunny, leaf-saturated, booties and scarf weather - lasts about two weeks. (Unless we get one bad storm in September or early October and skip straight from summer to snow.) Fall is limited edition, and limited edition products always come with especially frenzied promotion.

This year, the fall craziness began weeks ago, weather and the calendar date be damned, but now it's picking up the pace as a few signs of actual autumn have appeared. It's getting cooler overnight, pumpkins have started popping up at farm stands, and last week, in Litchfield County, I saw not only some orange-tinged branches but an entire grove of bright red trees.

So I thought I'd write a list. These fall suggestions, all of which I have done recently or hope to do soon, are ways to take advantage of the season without losing your mind over it. In other words, you could put on a $150 flannel shirt and Instagram these activities while jumping in a leaf pile, but you don't have to.

Eat all the apples.

I'm probably not going to be picking apples this year (and I'm definitely not going to be doing it while dressed like a fashion blogger) but I will certainly stop by some farm stores and grab some local apples and cider. (In fact, I already have the apples, from Scott's Yankee Farmer in East Lyme. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has a listing of farm stores and stands by county.

Check a farm winery off the list.

I love visiting Connecticut wineries, both because they tend to be gorgeous and because, well, they have wine. And ever since first I stopped at the adorable farm market at Holmberg Orchards in Gales Ferry, I've wanted to try their wines. Unlike most local wineries, Holmberg produces mostly fruit wines and ciders. I've never gotten into these - I've always been strictly a red wine person - but if I'm ever going to like them, it will be on a pretty Connecticut farm in the fall. They're open for tastings Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. through October.

Hike amongst the leaves.

I have a long list of Connecticut attractions I intend to get to someday, and not a few of them are hikes. Two in particular have been on the list for years and, more to the point, seem like particularly good bets for capturing fall foliage. (Because as much as I hate the whole leaf-peeping thing, I can't stop myself from trying to get some good leaf pics each year.) They are Mount Tom State Park in Litchfield, and Mohawk Mountain State Park in Cornwall and Goshen. Both involve towers. Hopefully I'll get to one; maybe I'll manage to get to both. But even if I have to stick to parks closer to me, I'm sure I'll spend at least a little time this fall in the colorful outdoors.

Go to a country fair or festival.

Growing up in Westport, fall was synonymous with the Apple Festival, which brought decadent food, crafts, student dance recitals, and campaigning politicians together in our local high school. The Apple Fest, as we called it, is no more, but other fall fairs and festivals live on elsewhere throughout the state. If you've never been to a traditional agricultural fair, the kind with animal barns, rides, tractor pulls, and fried dough, this is a must. Most of Connecticut's fairs end in late summer, but three take place in the fall: the Harwinton Fair, October 5, 6 & 7 and the Portland Fair, also October 6, 7, and 8. There are also festivals all over Connecticut, with themes ranging from apples to pumpkins to oysters to foliage to...well, just search for one near you, or by date, on ctvisit.com.

Browse in a garden store.

I plan to go to to one or two of Connecticut's awesome garden stores (garden centers? nurseries? you know, the ones that aren't just a place to buy mulch and bulbs, but an experience) to take in the atmosphere and gaze at all the seasonal plants and gifts. I'm fond of Smith's Acres, but one of my other favorites, Salem Herbfarm, closed two years ago, so maybe this year I'll find a new favorite. (Any suggestions? Comment below!)

Get the beach to yourself.

Though summer is my favorite season, summer's favorite activity is my favorite activity to do in the fall. I avoid beaches as much as possible between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but as soon as they're FREE, nearly deserted, and neither too sticky nor too cold, I'm back. This fall, I'm sure I'll hit some favorites close to home, like Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme, Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Ocean Beach Park in New London, and Waterford Beach Park. But I'd also like to go back to Cove Island Park if I'm in the Stamford area, and maybe discover some new beaches, if there are any I haven't found yet.

Sneak in some day or weekend trips.

I know, I know, this isn't a something to do in Connecticut. But if you live here, this is the season to take advantage of living in a wonderful place that's also very close to many other wonderful places which happen to be crowded in summer and freezing (or nearly shut down) in winter. Among the places I'd like to return to are Long Island's east end, just a ferry ride away from New London; some Hudson Valley towns like Saugerties and Catskill; Providence; and Block Island. Some I haven't been to yet that I hope I can squeeze in are Boston's Harbor Islands; City Island, NY; and perhaps some new-to-me small towns in New Hampshire or Maine.

Stroll around some downtowns.

This is as simple as it gets, but Connecticut is packed with extremely pretty towns and historic cities that really come to life when you take the time to explore them on foot. And there's something special about walking around a town green or along an old-fashioned Main Street when it's cool enough to order a warm drink, but not too cold to consume it outside. I hope I have time to add some more City Walks and Town Center Strolls to the blog this season. I'd like to get back to Pawcatuck, New Milford, and Hartford, among many others.

Wander through a historic cemetery.

For some reason, I usually find myself in old cemeteries in summer, sweating and fighting off mosquitoes, or in winter, unable to read headstones covered in snow. (See: my trips to the Old Norwichtown Cemetery in Norwich and Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford.) But autumn is a far superior time to lose yourself in the details of the dead. It's a way to get that Halloween-y vibe without having to make a costume or go to a party with dry ice in the punch. Plus, weather-wise, fall is a much more comfortable time to go searching for notable graves in venerable little burial grounds or exploring some of the larger, park-like cemeteries built as serene public spaces for the living as well as final resting places for the deceased. Some particularly haunting options (among many) are Griswold's Kinne Cemetery, Bridgeport's Mountain Grove Cemetery, and Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground, but often, in New England especially, the best cemetery is the one you discover unintentionally by the side of the road.

Stretch out your summer.

Labor Day, the start of the school year, and the crickets chirping might make you feel like summer is over and gone. But many seasonal businesses stay open well into October - and sometimes beyond - and lots of stereotypically "summer" activities are just as enjoyable in the fall. Many of Connecticut's ice cream stands, for instance, keep serving frozen treats past whatever date you might imagine is your last chance to indulge. Lobster shacks, too, usually stay open, if with limited hours, into the fall. Captain Scott's Lobster Deck and Fred's Shanty in New London and Abbott's and Ford's in Noank stay open into October. Farmers' Markets get the most attention when their tables are overflowing with summer berries, but in addition to the larger markets that are open (usually indoors) year-round, regular smaller markets often extend their season into the fall. The Department of Agriculture provides a list of markets with dates, and there's almost certainly one open in September or October near wherever you may be going. Recently I got into a conversation about picnics, and realized they're also a summer staple that doesn't have to end in August. For a classy picnic option, grab some food at the Marketplace at Guilford Food Center in Guilford and eat on a bench on the town green. For an old-fashioned, rustic experience, get lunch at Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre and eat at Wethersfield Cove. And for cheesy fun and a huge variety of food choices, shop at Stew Leonard's in Norwalk, Danbury, or Newington. Outdoor eating options for those towns include two spots that have been on my Connecticut to-do list for years, Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk, and Tarrywile Park in Danbury. As for Newington, any excuse to go to the park with America's smallest natural waterfall, right?

Johnna Kaplan is a freelance writer and editor living in New London. You can find her on Twitter @johnnamaurie, on Instagram @johnnakaplan, and on her website, johnnakaplan.com. This post was originally published at The Size of Connecticut.

Photo by Johnna Kaplan

That’s tired Cosme McMoon in a mash up of formal wear, sitting at a grand piano in a grand period room in a grand hotel, feeling sorry for himself, playing a little jazz, drinking a little drink, reminiscing about the grandest gig of his life, one he dearly wished he’d never won, but on the other hand,it was unforgettable. It’s 1964, twenty years since Florence Foster Jenkins died, one month after her grandest triumph: singing at Carnegie Hall. There was only one problem: she couldn’t sing. And she didn’t know it, not until that night. And who accompanied her there? The same accompanist who had been at her side for the previous twelve years, most of them in agony, because he really was a musician, starving until he latched on to Florence Foster Jenkins. Or rather, until she latched on to him, Cosme.

Cosme McMoon. Remembering. Answering that ad. Going up to that swank hotel. Desperate. 1932 wasn’t a year for finding jobs of any kind, let alone playing the piano. And all of a sudden, there she was, a smiling society lady in her sixties, Mrs. Bayfield, although she still called herself Florence Foster Jenkins, being as gracious as she could be to him, to him, Cosme.

Playwright Stephen Temperley’s genteel, even kindly reminiscence of a play about one of the most idiosyncratic characters ever to hit the public eye comes at us through the lacerating lens of her accompanist, her employee who took the job before he ever heard her sing because he needed to pay the rent, because he needed to eat, because his dreams of being a famous pianist and composer were dreams he couldn’t afford. And he stayed, after he heard her sing for all the same reasons. It was 1932, a job was a job. All he had to do was grit his teeth . She was that bad. He never told her. He didn’t dare. She was demanding, she was besotted with singing, but she was kindly and she paid the bills.

Lady Florence, as she liked to be called, energetically built music societies and clubs which she controlled completely. They were her audiences. Only members were allowed to attend her recitals and she and Cosme rehearsed assiduously for each performance, Cosme measuring every one of his words as he tried to keep her in the correct tempo, on the correct pitch. It was useless. “What matters most is the music you hear in your head,” she said. They traveled extensively so that Florence, Lady Florence, could dispense her musical largesse to appreciative audiences she had selected. And somehow, as Cosme constantly feared, the word got out. This kindly, wealthy society lady had a bee in her bonnet. Florence Foster Jenkins was a hoot. And she didn’t know it.

Cosme’s reminiscences turn darker when he recounts her embarking on recordings. He’s terrified she’ll hear at last what she really sounds like and then where would he be. Totally foundless fears. Her bounty is as boundless as the sea, her tin ear likewise. What is most challenging is continuing, even with all her money, even with all her music societies. Somehow she never hears the genteel laughter, ever growing into guffaws, somehow she accepts that Tallulah Bankhead, Cole Porter,, Lily Pons and other glitterati have become fans, never questioning why. Of course, it fuels her ambition. And Cosme takes another drink as he faces the impossible dream: even though this time she will not be in control of the tickets, Florence Foster Jenkins is going to sing in Carnegie Hall. Which means he’ll play Carnegie Hall. At last. Even though he’ll be dying inside.

Director Stephen Nachamie, faithfully following playwright Temperley’s much worked, popular script gains points from the bright, handsome setting designed by David Goldstein and from the costume surprises supplied by designer Heather Carey. He has encouraged his actors to play large, to be generous with their performances, which, under other circumstances could invite disaster but when your leading character IS a disaster it’s seamlessly appropriate. Congratulations to Deborah Jean Templin and Jonas Cohen for not only surviving but thriving.

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Souvenir. At Penguin Rep Theatre, 7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point, NY 10980. Tickets: $46. 845-786-2873. 2hrs. Thru Sept. 2.

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The Penguin Barn continues to charm in its 41^st season with this charming SOUVENIR.

Penguin Rep Theatre, the award-winning professional Equity theatre under the leadership of founding artistic director Joe Brancato and executive director Andrew M. Horn, presents Souvenir by Stephen Temperley from August 10 through September 2 in Stony Point, New York.

Described by Mr. Brancato as “a comedy with big laughs – and an even bigger heart,” Souvenir is the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, wealthy socialite and real-life figure who became famous for her singing, as told affectionately by her longtime accompanist Cosme McMoon.

Souvenir is directed by Stephen Nachamie and stars Jonas Cohen (as Cosme) and Deborah Jean Templin (as Florence). It replaces the previously announced The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged).

Mr. Cohen has performed regionally throughout the country at such theatres as the Walnut Street Theatre, Portland Stage Company, Barrington Stage, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Capital Rep and Arkansas Rep.

Ms. Templin’s acting credits include the National Tours of Mamma Mia!, Titanic, Baby and Annie. Her plays Singing for the Cows and Unsinkable Women have played over 130 venues domestically and abroad.

Mr. Nachamie returns to Penguin Rep where he previously directed Buyer and Cellar, Becoming Dr. Ruth, My Name is Asher Lev and Rounding Third. On Broadway, he was associate director of She Loves Me.

The limited engagement of Souvenirwill be performed at Penguin Rep Theatre located at 7 Crickettown Road in historic Stony Point (Rockland County), New York.

The production has scenic design by David Goldstein, costume design by Heather Carey, lighting design by Todd Wren, sound design by Matt Otto, with casting by Cindi Rush.

Performance days and times are: Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

There is a weekday matinee Friday, August 10 at 2:00 p.m. Official opening is Sunday, August 12 at 2:00 p.m. when the audience is invited to join the cast and crew for cake and coffee after the performance. On Friday, August 17, there will be a discussion among the actors and audience following the show. Before the 4:00 p.m. show on Saturday, August 18, there will be a complimentary tasting catered by Rockland Roots.

Penguin’s intimate, 108-seat theatre is a repurposed 1880’s hay barn, and offers air-conditioning, wheelchair accessible entrance, rest rooms and seating, and plenty of free parking.

Tickets to Souvenirare priced at $46 (including facility fee and service charge). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and young people (30 and under).

“The joint is jumpin’ in August,” says Mr. Brancato, who also announced that Penguin’s popular Play With Your Food series of readings of new plays with a bite to eat will conclude on Monday, August 13 with It’s Not About the Cat by Jacey Powers. A drama with humor and heart, It’s Not About the Cat follows a precocious nine-year-old and a quirky “feline behavior expert” as they deliver humor and compassion to a couple after a family tragedy.

Lynch’s Restaurant of Stony Point will provide food at 6:30 p.m., and the reading will commence at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion among the actors, author and audience.

Mr. Brancato also announced a special “pop-up” presentation: On Sunday, August 19 at 7 p.m., Penguin will present Patti Issues and Bad With Money, two-one act plays written and performed by Ben Rimalower.

It’s Broadway diva Patti Lupone to the rescue of a young boy with a chaotic family life in Patti Issues, which Mr. Brancato describes as a funny and tender coming-of-age story. In Bad With Money, Rimalower charts his oft-times hilarious struggle to overcome his problems with money – or get rich trying.

To order tickets or for further information, visit Penguin Rep’s website at www.penguinrep.org or call 845-786-2873. 

ABOUT PENGUIN REP THEATRE

 Since its founding 40 years ago, Penguin Rep – the theatre artistic director Joe Brancato started with Francine Newman-McCarthy and runs with executive director Andrew M. Horn -- has grown from a summer theatre to become one of the Hudson Valley’s most influential nonprofit cultural institutions, reaching tens of thousands of theatergoers each year at its home, in New York City and beyond – with its work moving to Off Broadway and to stages across the country and around the world.

Penguin has presented more than 150 productions – over 100 directed by Brancato himself - for more than 400,000 people from the lower Hudson Valley and beyond. And Mr. Brancato has brought together accomplished professional actors – David Canary, Michael Cullen, Tim De Kay, Gregg Edelman, Michael Esper, Barbara Feldon, Tovah Feldshuh, Beth Fowler, Deborah Hedwall, Celeste Holm, Richard Kline, Andrew McCarthy, Lizbeth Mackay, Michele Pawk, and Karen Ziemba, among others – to star in new and noteworthy plays by such playwrights as Lee Blessing, Ronald Harwood, Allan Knee, Arthur Laurents, Warren Leight, Jon Marans, William Mastrosimone, Lainie Robertson, James Sherman and Elizabeth Swados.

As The Journal News wrote: “Somebody forgot to tell artistic director Joe Brancato that he’s crazy to use a little barn plunked down in the Rockland County suburbs to experiment with unusual and challenging plays… I hope everybody keeps forgetting to tell him. The region is more the richer for it.”

“Guided by the skilled hand of Penguin’s artistic director, Joe Brancato, the splendid performers get first-rate support, as always at Penguin, by an excellent design team” (The New York Times).

“Penguin Rep is a place where theatergoers can experience magic time after time” (Lohud.com).

Penguin Rep’s 2018 season is sponsored by Orange and Rockland Utilities and Active International. The season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Penguin Rep gratefully acknowledges the additional support of the County of Rockland, the Town of Stony Point, Rockland County Tourism, The Shubert Foundation, Cory and Bob Donnalley Charitable Foundation and generous donations from Joseph Grosso, Barry and Helene Lewis, and Morton Wolkowitz.

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Join Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point, New York on Monday, July 9, 2018 at 6:30 pm for the reading of this wonderful new play accompanied by a treat from a local restaurant!

String Around My Finger by Brenda Withers. A drama with humor about a couple dealing with a miscarriage and what the ordeal reveals to them about their relationships. Well-written, crisp, and with heart.

In this amusing, insightful, and touching play, Emma, in a hospital room recovering from a miscarriage, and her fiancé, Kip, wrestle with the implications of the loss on their wedding plans.   The ever-practical Lisa, Kip’s cell-phone-addicted sister, and Dave, a handsome, level-headed physician assistant, bring differing perspectives as the couple decide what, if anything, the future holds for them.

Tickets at: https://www.penguinrep.org/

Penguin Rep Theatre, the award-winning professional Equity theatre under the leadership of founding artistic director Joe Brancato and executive director Andrew M. Horn, presents Clever Little Lies, a comedy by Joe DiPietro, the Tony Award-winning author of Memphis and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, June 29 through July 22 in Stony Point, New York. Directed by Thomas Caruso, the cast includes Bridget Gabbe (as Jane), Richard Kline (as Bill, Sr.), Jana Robbins (as Alice), and Jordan Sobel (as Billy).

Mr. Kline, who has previously been seen on the Penguin stage in Ten Percent of Molly Snyder, Greetings!, Class and Don’t Talk to the Actors, is well known for his role of Larry Dallas on the long-running sitcom Three's Company. He also starred as the Wizard in the first national tour of Wicked and recently played Kid Twist in the Paper Mill Playhouse world premiere production of The Sting. Ms. Robbins’ Broadway acting credits include: Good News, I Love My Wife, Crimes of the Heart, Gypsy and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.

Mr. Caruso directed the critically acclaimed musical Southern Comfort at The Public Theatre, was associate director of the Broadway shows Groundhog Day, Matilda, Ghost, Mamma Mia!, Bombay Dreams, Follies, Master Class, and also directed the national tour of Matilda. For Penguin he staged Syncopation, 10% of Molly Snyder, Over the Tavern, Around the World in 80 Days, Greetings, Shipwrecked, and Don’t Talk to the Actors. 

Says Mr. Brancato about Clever Little Lies, “a mother always knows when something is wrong, but when Alice tries to get to the bottom of things between her son and his wife, secrets are spilled and she and her husband Bill find out that honesty may not be the best policy after all.”

The limited engagement of Clever Little Lies runs from Friday, June 29 through Sunday, July 22 at Penguin Rep Theatre in historic Stony Point (Rockland County), New York.

For tickets and information, call (845) 786-2873 or visit www.penguinrep.org.

(from left to right): Jordan Sobel (Billy), Bridget Gabbe (Jane), Jana Robbins (Alice), Richard Kline (Bill, Sr.) Photo credit: Chris Yacopino.

If you've walked down South Broadway in Nyack, NY, then you've seen our storefront located at #13. Soul Flyte is a warm, welcoming place for people of all ages, shapes, sizes and levels. We offer AntiGravity aerial yoga, fitness, barre and mat yoga classes. Come restore, breathe, fly, strengthen, stretch and most importantly have fun with us! We offer kids classes as well. We have a kids yoga camp coming up on August 6-10! Check our workshops tab for more info: https://tinyurl.com/yckh2pwn Summer is a great time to get in shape. We do birthday parties, bachelorette parties, team outings, girlfriend outings and more! Come try our new student special: 30 days of unlimited classes for $59 - we know you'll love it! Can't wait to fly with you soon! www.soulflyte.com 

Just in time for summer, four of CGMuse’s award winning animated shorts will be available on the internet for free: Raccoon Trouble, The No Face Doll,Why The Nighthawk Has Such Beautiful Wings and Glooscap and The Baby.  All of them are now being released gratis two weeks apart, starting on Wednesday, April 25.  And anyone with access to an internet connection can enjoy them.

Together, the shorts have won honors at over thirty-one festivals internationally. This recognition led animator C. A. MacFinn and producer Clare Kohavi to consider ways they could give back to communities that had supported them through their art.  So they created CGMuse’s #RaiseMoneyForGood campaign, a project that donates to worthy causes through profits from a line of home goods and apparel tied in to their animated shorts.  “We’re interested in doing business ethically,” C. A. MacFinn said, “As artists and as a business, we want to be a positive force.  The #RaiseMoneyForGood campaign is actually putting our money where our mouth is.  Fifty percent of the profit from the first week of sales after each movie’s product launch will go to the associated cause, and 15% of all the profit after that.”

CGMuse chose the organizations that would benefit from #RaiseMoneyForGood to align with the movies’ themes and audience.  Three of the animated films are part of the Nyack animation shop’s series based on Native American stories; two were chosen in 2016 for a special screening at Mní Wičhóni Nakíčižiŋ Owáyawa (Defenders of the Sacred Water School) at The Water Protector's Camp in Standing Rock, North Dakota. Donations from those associated product lines will benefit the American Indian College Fund and indigenous education (https://collegefund.org/).  “Only 14% of Native Americans have a college degree; the smallest percentage of any American group,” said Ms. Kohavi, “By 2020, 65% of jobs will require post-secondary education.  With 30% of Native Americans under the age of 18, we wanted to help the tribal nations close the gap.”  Donations from Raccoon Troublemerchandise will go to help prevent gun violence through Sandy Hook Promise (https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/).  “We felt that, since a large portion of our audience are kids, we would donate to Sandy Hook Promise, since school shootings affect children and their families so horrifically,” said animator C. A. MacFinn.

Fans can track when each movie will be released by visiting CGMuse’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CGMuse/), CGMuse on Twitter at @cgmuseworks or CGMuse’swebsite http://cgmuse.com/.  Support the #RaiseMoneyForGood campaign by clicking on the Shop button at http://cgmuse.com/shop.html and buying mugs, t-shirts, towels, yoga mats and more with images from the movies.

About CGMuse

CGMuse (http://cgmuse.com/) is an award-winning computer animation company based in Nyack, NY.  CGMuse's work has won honors and screenings in film festivals and conferences internationally, including film showings and honors at Athens Animfest in Greece, Canada Shorts Film Festival, Sydney World Film Festival, Australia and Mní Wičhóni Nakíčižiŋ Owáyawa(Defenders of the Sacred Water School) at Standing Rock; and selection for SIGGRAPH's Showcase for Innovative Mobile Apps ’14 and ’17 and NYC Game Expo at Microsoft.  Animated apps of CGMuse's making are available through iTunes® and are selling on every continent (except Antarctica!).

About The American Indian College Fund

Every year, The American Indian College Fund empowers more than 4,000 Native students to start and stay in school, complete their degrees and launch careers that benefit us all. They have provided almost 126,000 scholarships and $193 million to support Indigenous communities through educational initiatives which include research, early childhood education and native place-based leadership.  https://collegefund.org/

About Sandy Hook Promise

Sandy Hook Promise is a national non-profit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.  The organization honors all victims of gun violence by providing programs and practices that protect children and prevent the senseless, tragic loss of life. https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/

The. Show. Must. Go. On. Especially the triumphant, most glorious revival ever of this American classic of the musical stage in spite of two medical emergencies in the audience that forced the great curtain to come down, the house lights to come up and the performance to stop twice, something hitherto unrecorded in the annals of Broadway, something all forty producing entities and executive producers could not have anticipated. But this extraordinary cast renewed and recaptured their shaken audience into spellbound rapport, as fine a tribute as imaginable to a superb, dedicated company’s layer upon layer of artistic strength throughout the production. Triumphant, indeed.

Carousel, known for its heart, has long been held the jewel in the crown of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals and none of them has been guarded more fiercely by the powerful Rodgers and Hammerstein musical trust as to every breath, every twitch, so that when the creators of this majestic new revival, director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Justin Peck proposed a radical change in the presentation of the show – they certainly weren’t going to be touching the untouchable music and lyrics and book –consent had to be sought from the top. And wisely, ever so wisely, that consent was given: adopt today’s improved casting tolerances, allow Billy Bigelow, the center of the show, to be played by a black man even though the show has been set in whitest nineteenth century Maine, as transported there by Rodgers and Hammerstein when they scooped up Ferenc Molnar’s tragic love story, Liliom for their musical’s story. Of course it woud all make sense if he were handsome, sexy, a superb singing artist and a fine actor. Joshua Henry is the brilliant choice.

Billy Bigelow (Joshua Henry) the barker for Mrs. Mullin’s carousel in an amusement park on the Mine coast, is also the lure for all those giddy girl customers which drives Mrs. Mullin wild with jealousy because Billy also keeps her bed warm, but business is business. Two of those girls, Julie Jordan (Jessie Mueller) and Carrie Pipperidge (Lindsay Mendez) linger, smitten. Billy shines up to Julie and she is lost, but Carrie has plans, sensible plans to marry Mr. Snow. She departs. Julie stays in the gathering dusk, and she and Billy share, achingly, touchingly, one of the most famous songs in the American canon: “If I Loved You”.

In a jealous rage, Mrs.Mullin (Margret Colin) fires Billy. In a backlash, he marries unquestioning, adoring Julie. And feels trapped. He’s still wild, he still needs to feel free, to run with the pack led by evil Jigger Craigin (Amar

Ramasar ). When Julie tells him she’s going to have a baby, the jolt of joy fades before the beginnings of responsibility. He’s got to provide now for his family. He’ll do anything. And when Jigger talks him into a a robbery , he’s ready. But to kill? He cannot. Everything goes wrong. Rather than be captured, Billy kills himself.

And in the second act, we find out more, much more about the mysterious Starkeeper (John Douglas Thompson), when Billy wakes in limbo, in a strange Heereafter, torn with remorse for his wasted life. He is given one chance to go back, to do something, anything to make amends.

Back in the day when musicals were more about the music than anything else, to have at least hit song out of twenty meant the show could run forever. Of Carousel’s eleven songs, woven compellingly into the fabric of Billy’s and Julie’s surroundings as well as their love story, I count an unbelievable nine as long time, enduring hits and am bowled over by the exciting discovery that this magnificent company shows me two more I hadn’t responded to before. But I do now. That is one of the extraordinary aspects of this amazing production.

I’ve always loved and respected the original Agnes De Mille ballets, in this show as well as many others, (in part, I suppose, because her husband and I were war time comrades), but now I have to confess that Justin Peck’s extraordinary dances with his extraordinary dancers brighten, enlighten, exhilarate whole scenes in the show which once were just respectable. He does so with the wholehearted support of his director, Jack O’Brien whose sheer sagacity in digging deeper enriches all his company, in particular his nine leading players, Joshua Henry, Jessie Mueller, Renee Fleming, Margaret Colin, Lindsay Mendez, Alexander Gemignani, Amar Ramasar, John Douglas Thompson and Brittany Pollack.

Without O’Brien’s insights and inspirations, in spite of the magnificent musical score and its handling, less sensitive responses could have turned Carousel into hokum, Santo Lo Quasto’s inventive settings could have been meh, Ann Roth’s costuming so-so, Brian McDevitt’s lighting desperate. Instead, everyone together has fashioned a precious gem. You will be carouseled away.

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Carousel.At the Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45^th Street. Tickets:$59-$209, 212-239-6200. 2hr, 45 Min. Thru Sept 1.

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DO NOT MISS IT.

On Sunday, April 22^nd, the Piermont Farmers Market will open for its 14^th season. The market will be held in the M&T Bank parking lot near the corner of Ash Street and Piermont Avenue every Sunday from 9:30am to 3pm through November 18^th. The farmers market will continue its tradition of highlighting New York area growers and artisan food makers, with the mission of bringing wholesome and delicious foods to Piermont shoppers and supporting local small farms and food businesses.

The Piermont Farmers Market is a grower-producer market, meaning that vendors must be farmers or make food with ingredients purchased from local farms. The few exceptions to this rule are olive oil, chocolate, tea and coffee vendors who are able to document their sourcing. This season, shoppers can look forward to a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and meats from area farms, including organically grown produce from Deep Roots Farm in Copake, NY. Migliorelli Farm of Tivoli, NY will return with orchard fruits, and Sunset View Farm, located in Oneonta, NY, will bring grass fed beef, pasture-raised meats, poultry and eggs. New this year are McGrath Cheese Company, a micro-sized creamery making European style cheese from Hudson Valley milk, and Brooklyn’s Van Brunt Stillhouse, with their range of whiskeys made with New York grown grain. The full schedule of shopper favorites and new vendors attending this year is available at www.downtoearthmarkets.com.

Shoppers will find ample free parking in the lots off Flywheel Park. Piermont shoppers can stay up to date on market events and more by signing up for the email newsletter via the Down to Earth Markets website or by following the Piermont Farmers Market on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/piermontfarmersmarket/).

Since 1991 Down to Earth Farmers Markets has been on a mission to sustain and strengthen New York’s regional food system. We host markets in New York City, Westchester County, and Rockland County to expand economic opportunities for local farmers and food makers and to provide communities with access to fresh, healthy, flavorful food. For a full list of our markets and vendors, visit DowntoEarthMarkets.com.

Experiencing live theater is like nothing else.

We gather in one place for a couple of hours, share in witnessing and contemplating an event that may be beautiful, funny, moving, thought-provoking, or hopefully at least diverting. And in an age when most of our communication happens looking down, with our thumbs on a device we call a smart phone, the gathering function of theatre, in and of itself, is something that matters – a great deal.

Theater at Penguin Rep in Stony Point, in a beautiful old barn on the bucolic property of the Stony Point Center, is a labor of love. In winter, plays are read, reviewed and picked. Equity actors, with great experience in their craft, are chosen and rehearsals take place at a little space in Manhattan week after week until the performance is ready for rehearsal. These rehearsals are held at the theatre, now going on its 41^st year. Only when the show is pure perfection is it ready to premier at Penguin.

The Season

This year, Penguin Rep Equity Theatre will open in May with “Relativity,” by Mark St. Germain, author of “Dancing Lessons” and “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” about Albert Einstein. Brancato will direct the New York premiere. 

“Clever Little Lies,” a comedy by Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro (“Memphis” and “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”), directed by Thomas Caruso, and starring Richard Kline (“Three’s Company”), will follow in June and July.

For the season’s third production, Penguin will present the New York premiere of “The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged)” by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor in August. Ryan Kasprzak will stage this rollicking review of comedy through the ages – from the high-brow to the low, from cavemen telling “Rock Rock” jokes to Chris Rock and everything in between.

“After,” a new play by Michael McKeever, reunites the Carbonell Award-winning playwright with director Brancato who staged McKeever’s “Daniel’s Husband” at Penguin in 2016 and Off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theater in 2017. “After,” which will be seen for the first time in New York, examines parenting, bullying and the fallout from a school incident, and will close the season in October.

Performances and readings are scheduled at Penguin’s intimate, 108-seat theatre, located at 7 Crickettown Road. .

Performance days and times for mainstage productions are: Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

As a pre-season teaser, Penguin presents a special one-night only performance of “Rent Control,” written by and starring Evan Zes, on Saturday, April 28. 30 characters come to life in this “wild-but-true” one-man show about greed, redemption and real estate in the city that never sleeps. 

This season, Penguin’s popular “Play With Your Food” series will feature readings of new plays with a bite to eat on summer Mondays: June 11, July 19, July 23 and August 13.

Brancato also announced two “pop-up” presentations during the summer: “Draw the Circle,” written and performed by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, which tells the hilarious and moving story of Deen’s transition as seen from the point of view of his family and friends; and “Patti Issues” and “Bad With Money,” two one-acts by and starring Ben Rimalower.

Come September 15 and 16, SUNY Rockland Community College’s 500-seat Cultural Arts Theatre in Suffern, New York is the venue for “Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie,” a joyful, touching and tumultuous tale of “America’s greatest folk poet” told using Guthrie’s own words and songs.

David M. Lutken, winner of Helen Hayes and Joseph Jefferson Awards for his performance as Woody Guthrie, and three other actors sing and play two dozen acoustic instruments in this celebration of one of the giants of American music.

The Details

Pre-Season:

April 28 @ 8 p.m. – Rent Control, written and performed by Evan Zes 

A struggling actor lucks out with a rare rent-controlled apartment and turns it into a lucrative Airbnb scheme in this wild-but-true one-man show. A dazzling medley of 30 characters come to life in an exuberantly funny tale of greed and redemption.

Season:

May 18 – June 10 – Relativity, by Mark St. Germain, directed by Joe Brancato 

In 1902 Albert Einstein and his wife had a daughter. Two years later she disappeared and was never mentioned again. Fast forward to 1948 -- when a reporter confronts Einstein with his past, we discover that not everything adds up. The writer of Dancing Lessons and Becoming Dr. Ruth brings heart and humor to this unforgettable story about the bonds of family and the cost of genius. NY premiere.

June 29 - July 22 – Clever Little Lies, by Joe DiPietro, directed by Thomas Caruso

A mother always knows when something is wrong. But when Alice tries to get to the bottom of things between her son and his wife, secrets are spilled and she and her husband Bill find out that honesty may not be the best policy after all. From the writer of Memphis and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change comes a clever new comedy about love and marriage.

August 10 - September 2 – The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged), by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, directed by Ryan Kasprza 

Join us for a rollicking review of comedy through the ages -- from the high-brow to the low, from cavemen telling "Rock Rock" jokes to Chris Rock and everything in between. A trio of comic actors leave no joke untold as they attempt to save the world through laughter. NY premiere.

September 21 – October 14 – After, by Michael McKeever, directed by Joe Brancato

In this timely new play, the playwright who brought us Daniel's Husband examines parenting, bullying and the fallout from a school incident. Provocative and moving, the play follows the journey of two families, before and after, as they pick up the pieces once the news cameras have gone home. Winner of the Carbonell Award for Best Play. New York premiere.

Pop Up Shows

July 15 @ 7 p.m. – Draw the Circle, written and performed by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen

The hilarious and moving story of Deen’s transition, Draw the Circle is told entirely from the point of view of his family and friends, bringing to life the often-ignored struggle that a family goes through when their child transitions from one gender to another 

August 19 @ 7 p.m. – Patti Issues and Bad With Money, written and performed by Ben Rimalower 

It's Broadway diva Patti Lupone to the rescue of a young boy with a chaotic family life in Patti Issues, a tender and funny coming-of-age story. In Bad With Money, Rimalower charts his oft-times hilarious struggle to overcome his problems -- or get rich trying.​

Special Event at SUNY Rockland Community College, Suffern, New York:

September 15 @ 8 p.m. & September 16 @ 2 p.m. – Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie, devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley and Darcie Deaville, Helen J. Russell and Andy Teirstein

The joyful, touching, and tumultuous tale of "America's greatest folk poet" is told using Guthrie's own words and his songs, including This Land is Your Land and This Train is Bound for Glory. Four actors sing and play two dozen acoustic instruments in this celebration of one of the greats of American music.​

Subscriptions and Tickets

Subscriptions to the 2018 season are on sale now. Prices start as low as $123 for the four plays, a savings of 25 to 35% off the cost of individual tickets.

“The very best seats in the house go to subscribers before single tickets go on sale” says Mr. Horn,” who lists other benefits as subscribers receiving $10 off the purchase of additional tickets and ticket insurance for lost or forgotten tickets. 

For no charge, he says, patrons can select a value-added subscription series that includes post-performance discussions among the artists and audience, and pre-show tastings supplied by local restaurants. An additional incentive, says Horn, “is to dine out at a discount, with select restaurants offering special benefits to Penguin subscribers”.

Individual tickets for mainstage productions are priced at $46 (including facility fee and service charge). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and young people (30 and under). 

Tickets are $20 for “Play With Your Food” readings, or available by subscription to all four readings at $60.

Tickets for “Rent Control” are $25 each ($20 for Penguin subscribers). 

Tickets for “Draw the Circle” and “Patti Issues/Bad With Money” are $30 each ($25 for subscribers).

Tickets for “Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie” are $45 each ($40 each for Penguin subscribers).

To order tickets or for further information, visit Penguin Rep’s website at www.penguinrep.org or call 845-786-2873. 

About the Theater

Joe Brancato was a high school English and drama teacher in 1977 when he peered into an abandoned 1880’s hay barn in Stony Point, New York, and envisioned the space repurposed into a theatre. 

More than 40 years later, Penguin Rep – the theatre Brancato started with Francine Newman-McCarthy and runs with executive director Andrew M. Horn -- has grown from a summer theatre to become one of the Hudson Valley’s most influential nonprofit cultural institutions, reaching tens of thousands of theatergoers each year at its home, in New York City and beyond – with its work moving to Off Broadway and to stages across the country and around the world. 

Since its founding in 1977, Penguin has presented more than 150 productions – over 100 directed by Brancato himself -- for more than 400,000 people from the lower Hudson Valley and beyond. And Mr. Brancato has brought together accomplished professional actors – David Canary, Michael Cullen, Tim De Kay, Gregg Edelman, Michael Esper, Barbara Feldon, Tovah Feldshuh, Beth Fowler, Deborah Hedwall, Celeste Holm,, Richard Kline, Andrew McCarthy, Lizbeth Mackay, Michele Pawk, and Karen Ziemba, among others – to star in new and noteworthy plays by such playwrights as Lee Blessing, Ronald Harwood, Allan Knee, Arthur Laurents, Warren Leight, Jon Marans, William Mastrosimone, Lainie Robertson, James Sherman and Elizabeth Swados.

As it launches its forty-first season, Penguin Rep Theatre, dubbed “the gutsiest little theatre” by The New York Times, continues to present a cultural experience that is unique in the region: professional productions of new plays at affordable prices.

Penguin Rep Theatre’s 2018 season is sponsored by Orange and Rockland Utilities and Active International. The season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 

Penguin Rep gratefully acknowledges the additional support of the County of Rockland, the Town of Stony Point, Rockland County Tourism, The Shubert Foundation, Cory and Bob Donnalley Charitable Foundation and generous donations from Joseph Grosso, Barry and Helene Lewis, and Morton Wolkowitz.

Photo: From left to right are Craig De Lorenzo, Jason Liebman and Brendan Titley in the world premiere of "Trayf" 2017 by Lindsay Joelle.

So if I tell you that SpongeBob SquarePants and his Squirrely cohort Sandy Cheeks and his Best Bud starfish Patrick are battling their way up Mount Humongous to save Bikini Bottom from nefarious extinction, their dear home town where Sponge Bob lives in a pineapple on the bottom of the sea with his Pet Snail that meows, you’ll laugh at me. Well just plain go ahead, laugh. It won’t be the only time. This is the funniest, godawfullest, unbelievably looniest, galumphingest show to deck the halls of the heretofore sainted Palace in the memory of the Universe. Who knew that Tina was such a total takeh mishugeneh?

Yes, Tina, that Tina, director Tina Landau, the one who wigged out in Wig Out, gorgeously wacky Wig Out but that was bupkess compared to this. I laughed my kishkess out, off, up, down, whatever. And you…Just be careful. There are children around. You might explode. I did. Still picking up the pieces. Oh, yeah, you think you know this SpongeBob SquarePants because he – it – that thing is on TV and you can’t go near it and the kids love it and something must be wrong with your perfect children, well something must be wrong with you. Get over it. And if you don’t see this show, it will be a black mark on your chart from now until doomsday showing your total lack of good sense - I take that back. Good sense never made this show. Good lack of sensed did. Tina conceived it! So get with the program. And fast. Or you’ll never get a ticket.

There’s a stampede. Because here are some alarming facts for you. Have you a clue as to what that thing has built as its own mountain of moolah? Thirteen BILLION dollars. Not even the Fake President lies that high. Although they do have a certain resemblance. Especially around the butt. Only a genius like Tina, Tina the Terrific could collect a company of Unbelievables who are so wickedly good they keep making you say, ”This is absolutely my favorite scene in the show!” And then you do it again. And again. And again. Every time Tina Terrific says, “Okay gang, this number we’re going to get a little goofier than the last time,” they must groan, “Oh, no, Tina, Tina, Tina, Tina.” And she’ll say, “Aw, c’mon, just this one more time. We’ve got these wicked songs from these wicked songwriters – Yolanda Adams, David Bowie and Brian Eno, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Jonathan Coulton, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips –” ’ “Alll right, all right! Sheesh!” “That’s my sweeties, you know you can do it.” And then they’ll all groan, the whole movvilliss bunch, Ethan Slater, Lilli Cooper, that oy! Gavin Lee, Danny Skinner, Brian Ray Norris, Wesley Taylor, all the rest, too, laugh their goddam heads off and do it again and funnier. By the time they’ve reached, oh, twenty-seven numbers, they’ve made us laugh our asses off. And bookwriter kook Kyle Jarrow led the way. Yes, my dears, it’s that kind of a show. Only better. Only worse. No, better. From the moment you get a load of the very theater itself, what wacko genius designer David Zinn has done to the theater – he did the oogliest costumes, too! -- every kid, every grown up will scream with oogliness. No such word? Adopt it. You’ll need it. Wow, those walls. Such a smarty pants. Instead of going loony with the prosthetics Tina has said no, my gang can BE SpongeBob SquarePants. And BE Patrick Star, and BE Squidward. Q. Tentacles, and Be Sheldon Plankton, BE Eugene Krebs, BE the Sardine Corps, BE the Electric Skates, BE the whole goddam squirtin’ undersea shootin’ match.

I’m happy to tell you that for Tina, Kevin Adams did the fershlugginer lighting, that Charles LaPointe did the UNBELIEVABLE hair design, that Christopher Gatelli did the quite incredible choreography, that Tom Kitt supervised all that sashaying squadron of music, that Joe Dulude did that oh such makeup, but am I going to run down the plot for you? Are you mad? Not the ferociousest lobster claws could drag it out of me, not the way they drug it out of Tina. Oh, the most beautiful sound in all the world, Tina, oh, Tina, Oh, Tina,oh Tina, oh,Tina, oh, Tina, I just met a maven called Tina, and suddenly the world is nuttier than the world should be… Really? This show is nuttier than this world? Only in the nicest way. I can’t hold it in any longer. I absolootely loved one number more than all the rest. I am not going to tell you which one. But you’ll figure it out. If you can count. Up to four. That’s a clue. And Ethan Slater shall forever more be enshrined as the Pineapple Prince of Tides. * SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS. At the Palace, 1564 Broadway at 47th Street. Tickets: $49-$274. 877-250-2929. 2hrs 30 min. Open run. * This is the show you need even though you didn’t know you did.

The Rockland Symphony Orchestra’s Late Winter Concert, which will feature a performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, will be on March 4, 2018 at 4:00 PM at Rose Concert Hall on the grounds of the Green Meadow School – 304 Hungry Hollow Road and Rt. 45 in Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. For this event, the Symphony will be guest –conducted by Rockland’s very own Maestro Jason Tramm, appearing with virtuoso violinist Byung-Kook Kwak.

Mr. Tramm, a graduate of Clarkstown South High School, went on to receive degrees in music from the Crane School of Music, the Hartt School of Music as well as a DMA degree in Conducting from Rutgers University where he was the recipient of their prestigious Presidential Fellowship. Maestro Tramm has been hailed as a “Conductor to Watch” by Symphony Magazine and is currently the Artistic Advisor/Conductor of the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra and the Artistic Director/ Principal Conductor of the MidAtlantic Opera. He conducted the MidAtlantic Opera in 2017 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Metropolitan Opera baritone Mark Delavan. His 2009 performance of “Verdi Requiem: Live from Ocean Grove” broadcast with PBS, garnered an Emmy nomination. He will be performing (for his 12^th season) as Director in Music, in Residence, of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, where he leads choral, orchestral and oratorio performances in the historic 6,500 seat Great Auditorium. He performs in Europe as well, as Music Director of Teatro Lirico D’Europa, a professional opera company. Maestro Tramm delights in giving back to the Rockland organizations that inspired him as a student and has conducted the RCMEA All County, Mixed Choir, Treble Choir and Orchestra and has also conducted the Area All-State Orchestra and Mixed Choir. He resides in Nanuet with his family.

Maestro Tramm’s  program will open with Beethoven’s Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43, which Beethoven composed in 1801 as the opening for a suite of ballet music. It is Beethoven’s only complete set of ballet music and the overture has survived as a frequently performed curtain raiser for orchestral programs. The second piece on the program will be Camille Saint Saen’s Havanaise Op. 83 for violin and orchestra. The composer based this piece on the habanera rhythm, evoking the romantic spirit of 19^th-century Cuba. Mr. Tramm will be joined in this performance by Mr. Byung-Kook Kwak.

Hailed as a child prodigy, Mr. Kwak was born in Seoul, Korea and made his orchestral debut at the age of seven with the Seoul Philharmonic.  He was accepted for study with Jascha Heifetz In the U.S. at age twelve. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from the Julliard School where he studied with Dorothy Delay and Ivan Galamian. Mr. Kwak enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor and educator. His performances with the Baltimore Symphony, Montreal Symphony and American Symphony as well as with many other orchestras, have been received with critical acclaim. He has performed as concert master with many  major metropolitan orchestras and was a featured soloist with the New York Virtuosi on its European tour. He has also appeared with the Oslo and Helsinki Philharmonics as well as with the Gothenburg Symphony. He is an educator and is currently a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division and for the past ten years has been the assistant to Aaron Rosand at the Mannes College of Music. From coast to coast, critics have hailed Mr. Kwak as a premier violinist whose talents show technical wizardry and powerful, yet sensitive musicality.

For the final piece on the program, Maestro Tramm has chosen the well-known and much-loved Dvorak Symphony in e minor Op. 95 “From the New World”. Dvorak’s tuneful symphony has its origins in an extended stay in the U.S., where he was resident for several years in the 1890’s and directed a music conservatory in New York. Dvorak became very interested in American-sourced music, including spirituals and Native American melodies, which one can hear very powerfully in this symphony “From the New World”.

Please come to the opening concert of our 2018 season. You will enjoy a superlative afternoon of live music and will be a patron of the arts, supporting Rockland’s oldest and only orchestra. For ticket information please go to www.rocklandsymphony.org

On Saturday, February 10th at 2:00pm, at The Nyack Center, in Nyack, NY - ArtsRock is hosting their first show specifically to accommodate children with special sensory needs.

The show will be a hilarious variety of circus and physical comedy and while we welcome all kids, this one is specifically “low sensory” geared towards our friends with those challenges.

"Grand Falloons",an ensemble of theater, circus, and design professionals who came together to create educational and thematic theatrics for museums, schools, and theaters across the United States will be performing.

The Falloons started in the early 1990s with a series of works commissioned by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. They asked us to create theatrical events introducing underserved audiences, especially children, to works in the museum. Our work there was based on exhibits as diverse as Cèzanne's Effect on the Academic Nature of American Art in the 1920s to The Artistic Sublime of the Catskill School. 

They continue to produce works in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Academy as well as with the Jewish Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, The Philadelphia Children's Festival and other not-for-profit organizations. They have also produced original curriculum programs for public schools in New York and New Jersey. See our list of past and continuing productions. 

"The program will be presented in a low sensory environment to be sensitive to those children with sensory sensitivity and other special needs,"  said Jeffrey Friedberg, Show Curator and ArtsRock Board Member.

Lights will be kept on during the show and the volume of the microphones and music will be low. The environment will be accepting and understanding if children need to move around or talk during the performance and the performers will moderate the length and pace of the show to be fun and entertaining to their particular audience.

"The focus is inclusiveness, acceptance and understanding of children of all needs and challenges," said Elliott Forrest, ArtsRock Executive Director, "we have never hosted an event such as this, but believe it is so very important."

Purchase tickets here: http://www.artsrock.org/