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Sunday, January 31, 2021, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Jeff Zeigler
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021
10:00 PM
Liminal States
Bowerbird Stream
Pay what you wish
https://www.bowerbird.org/event/jeff-zeigler-liminal-states/
Another in Bowerbird's enormously appealing series of recitals designed to put you to sleep — in a good way! This one's by Jeff Zeigler — the synth player, not the cellist.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hot Toddy: pour 4 oz. hot water, 1-1/2 oz. Whiskey (try something Irish), and 1 oz. honey syrup into a mug. Garnish with a clove-studded half lemon wheel (I'll admit it: I find sticking the cloves into the rind of the lemon wheel kind of enjoyable). Don't just stick it onto the side of the mug: toss it into the drink.
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Sunday, January 31, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021
9:00 PM
Hannah Kallenbach: Purell Piece
José Rivera Jr.: LQQK
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/purellpiece
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/lqqk2021
Hannah Kallenbach presents a performance piece about many people's deepest current relationship: that with their Purell dispenser. Jose Rivera Jr. presents a set of music videos concerning being non-binary.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Haitian Divorce: pour 1-1/2 oz. aged Rum, 3/4 oz. Mezcal, and 1/2 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime twist and an orange twist.
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Sunday, January 31, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Dior Quartet
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021
2:00 PM
Schneider Concerts
Mannes School of Music / New School Live Stream
$8
https://event.newschool.edu/schneider-concerts-dior-quartet
I don't know how many of these Standard Rep-plus-Caroline Shaw recitals I can keep in good conscience recommending. But Blueprint is such a good piece. And really, Haydn (the "Emperor": hum along to "Deutschland Über Alles"!) and Shostakovich aren't so bad.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ill Sorpasso: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon and Aperol, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon of honey, with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass or tumbler over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Saturday, January 30, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Joel Ross: She walks in the Spirit
MUSIC
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/joel-ross-she-walks-in-the-spirit/
Joel Ross is such a great vibes player he's well nigh undeniable. Tonight he premieres a new extended chamber jazz composition.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Lauder's Daisy (this is really nice): pour 2 oz. Scotch, 3/4 oz. each of lemon/lime juice (combined) and Simple Syrup, and 2 teaspoons of club soda into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, January 30, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
THEATER
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021
8:00 PM
underlords: BLOODSHOT: The Call
Wi-Moto Nyoka: And Then I Wake Up
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/copy-of-copy
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/andtheniwakeup
Underlords' Bloodshot — a noir about a plague — was just great when performed live in Before Times. One can only quake at the resonance this excerpt is likely to have now. And Then I Wake Up horrifically explores nightmares.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Professional: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 1/2 oz. overproof Jamaican Rum, and 1 oz. Campari into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Saturday, January 30, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
-
Saturday, January 30, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Timothy White Eagle feat. Lori Goldston: Death and Mourning After
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021 (then on demand through FEBRUARY 5)
7:00 PM
Reflections of Native Voices
La Mama Live Stream
$10; $15 festival pass
http://lamama.org/reflections-of-native-voices/
The current situation has us all thinking about the meaning of death, and its rituals. Timothy White Eagle does something creative about it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Doc's Dram: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 1/2 oz. each of Old Tom Gin, Oloroso Sherry (sweetened, like Lustau East India, if possible), lemon juice, and Maple Syrup, with 1 teaspoon of Apple Butter and 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a double rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an apple slice.
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Saturday, January 30, 2021, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
3:00 & 8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Carlo: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 1 dash of Angostora bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
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Saturday, January 30, 2021, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Swados: WEATHER#
MUSIC / THEATER
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021
9:00 AM
La MaMa Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/weather/
I didn't have much use for Elizabeth Swados's earnest obvious heart-on-sleeve folkpop music theater myself. But if you feel differently, here her last work — concerning, as you might guess, climate change — gets the immersive digital treatment.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can't make a night of it at 9 in the Saturday morning unless you're still up from Friday. Coffee.
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Friday, January 29, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Vagabon
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021
9:00 PM
Noonchorus Live Stream
$12
https://noonchorus.com/vagabon/
Another of those throwback artists who make singer-songwriter rock/pop sound like it still has a pulse, Vagabon has been picking up a lot friends lately.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Vamp: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch, 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier (or even better Gran Gala if you have any), 2 oz. orange juice, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass over ice. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.
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Friday, January 29, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Friday, January 29, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Kaha:wi Dance Theater: Blood, Water, Earth
DANCE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021 (then on demand through FEBRUARY 5)
7:00 PM
Reflections of Native Voices
La Mama Live Stream
$10; $15 festival pass
http://lamama.org/reflections-of-native-voices/
Ritual strips away colonial impacts on Indiginous women.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: La Lechedora: pour 1-1/2 oz. Sotol, 1/2 oz. Curaçao, 2 oz. milk, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, January 29, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Fri, Jan 29, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 5:30 PM
-
Thursday, January 28, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Panoply Performance Laboratory: Heidegger's Indiana
OPERA
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
9:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/heideggersindiana
This list is a huge fan of Panoply Performance Laboratory's fun, edgy operas. As for tonight's piece, Heidegger certainly presents his problems. But the philosopher who equated being with time, and who argued that the self can only achieve realization through the confrontation with the fact of death, has something to say to us at this exact moment in time.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Archbishop: pour 1/2 oz. Smith & Cross Rum, 1 oz. Campari, and 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Peter Evans Ensemble
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/peter-evans-ensemble/
Peter Evans is about as exploratory trumpet player as you can imagine — and here he heads an equally exploratory quartet.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Keyes: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Cynar, and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Demerara Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tafelmusik: Divertimenti
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
8:00 PM
Close Encounters
Tafelmusik Stream
$20
https://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/close-encounters-divertimento-0
The splendid Toronto period-instruments band Tafelmusik presents a program of light music by more or less obscure composers from the early Classical period. Some of the most cheerful, tuneful music you can hear: I love this stuff to pieces myself.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Toronto: pour 2 oz. Canadian Whisky and 1/4 oz. each of Fernet and Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Elysia Crampton Chuqimia / Embaci & Dasychira
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room / Abrons Arts Center Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/elysia-crampton-chuquimia-embaci-dasychira
Andean resistance and culture in an extended music video from Elysia Crampton Chuquimia. Magical realism in an extended music video from formidible vocalist Embaci and visual artist Dasychira.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: El Capitán: pour 1 oz. Pisco and 1/2 oz. each of sweet and dry Vermouth, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with 2 olives.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Kaki King & Yasmin Williams
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
7:00 PM
New Sounds Live
Brookfield Place Stream
Free (registration required)
https://bfplny.com/newsoundslive/
The altogether astonishing guitarist Kaki King is joined by up-and-coming flatpicker Yasmin Williams. Strings will vibrate. And stylistic barriers will be ignored.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Downtown: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse and pineapple juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
-
Thursday, January 28, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Princess Nokia
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
7:00 PM
Elsewhere Sound Space
Elsewhere Live Stream
Twitch
Free
https://www.twitch.tv/elsewhere
How much does this List love Alt hip-hop/emo firebrand Princess Nokia? A fuckton is how much.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Southern Slope: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/2 oz. apricot liqueur, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, January 28, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 & 28, 2020 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
THEATER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021
8:00 PM
Sanaz Ghajar: Enter Porter
Ben Holbrook: Theater Immaterial
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/enterporter
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/theatreimmaterial
Enter Porter is about being drunk and in love. Since its title references a speech in Macbeth that essentially tells the story of this List's life, I am going to take this opportunity to quote that speech in full:
Macduff: What three things does drink especially provoke?
Porter: Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance; therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.
Theater Immaterial is an audioplay masquerading as a guided meditation. It does not appear to tell the story of this List's life.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sō Percussion
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021
7:00 PM
New Sounds Live
Brookfield Place Stream
Free (registration required)
https://bfplny.com/newsoundslive/
The progenitors of the current boom of percussion bands, Sō Percussion, in a recital recorded at the Brookfield Place Winter Garden. Guesting: Darian Thomas and List fave Angélica Negrón!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rhythm and Booze: pour 2 oz. each of Brandy and Pinot Noir, 1/2 oz. lemon juice, 1/4 oz. cherry juice (from a bottle of cocktail cherries), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a double rocks glass over ice. Garnish with 2 cocktail cherries.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Isheeta Ganguly: Shakuntala Awaits
THEATER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021
7:00 PM
HERE Stream
$5-$50
https://here.org/event/shakuntala-awaits/
What would the love story of Shankuntala and King Dushyanta from the Mahabharata look like now? Let's find out.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Masala Martini: pour 2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup, with 1/8 teaspoon each of ground cumin and kosher salt, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon slice.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Trio Triumphatrix: Astronautica
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021
7:00 PM
Voices of the New
Voices of Ascension Stream
$15
https://www.voicesofascension.org/astronautica
Voices, music, and images — including NASA footage! — combine in a multimedia experience based on the words of female astronauts about their almost unimaginable experiences looking at the earth from far up in space. Nary a Y chromosome among the singers and composers (including the consistently wonderful Kamala Sankaram!).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rocket Booster: pour 1-1/2 oz Vodka, 1/2 oz. each of Campari and Simple Syrup, and 4 oz. Tang (yes you can still get Tang) into an ice-filled blender. Blend. Pour into a rocks glass. Drink with a straw.
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Tue, Jan 26, 2021, 7:00 PM – Wed, Jan 27, 2021, 8:00 PM
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
DANCE
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26 & 27, 2021
7:00 PM
La MaMa Stream
$5-$25
http://lamama.org/moves/
La MaMa's annual dance festival unsurprisingly goes online. This week's artists are the fab Tamar Rogoff (someday I'll tell you about the time I performed in one of her pieces), Kevin Augustine (featuring PUPPETS!!!!!), and Kari Hoas.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Wild Eyed Rose: pour 2 oz. Irish Whiskey and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Mary Kouyoumdjian & Atom Egoyan: They Will Take My Island
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021
7:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art Stream
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/fy21-they-will-take-my-island
The excellent Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian teams with the great Armenian-Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan to explore the life and work of the seminal (if illusive) Armenian-American abstract painter Arshile Gorky. And what if I told you the music is played by the JACK and Silvana Quartets?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Royal Smile: pour 1 Gin, and 3/4 oz. each of Lair's Bonded Apple Brandy, lime juice and Grenadine, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Or a 3 Floyds Brewing Co./Surly Urine Trouble Imperial Brett India Pale Ale.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 & 28, 2020 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 10:00 PM – Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 6:00 PM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 – 31, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 (weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
I've really missed this weekly show during its turn-of-the-year hiatus: Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 – 31, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Annie Saunders & Emma O'Halloran: "Rest" Concept Film (with EMPAC)
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021
8:00 PM
Darkness Sounding
Wild Up! Stream
$5-$25/month for entire festival
https://darknesssounding.wildup.org/#festival-opening2020
Multidisciplinary artist Annie Saunders and ace composer Emma O'Halloran were working on an in-person piece exploring the nature of rest. Then, you know what happened. So they decided to see what could be made of it digitally. Here's what they've come up — so far.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Repose' 1912: pour 1-1/3 oz. Cognac, 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup, and 4/5 teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegar, with 2 dashes each of chocolate and grapefruit bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Top with Champagne). Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Burney: The Woman Hater
THEATER
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021
7:30 PM
Red Bull Theater Live Stream
Pay what you can
https://www.redbulltheater.com/the-woman-hater
You'd think that now that we've communally resolved to stop ignoring women playwrights, the works of Fanny Burney — one of the wittiest and most perceptive people ever to put pen to paper in English — would be all over the place. But no. Expect gobs of 18th Century proto-feminist drollery. That it's directed by the invaluable — and hilarious — Everett Quinton is icing on the scone.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Belmont: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. cream, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake (hard). Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 7:00 PM – Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 8:00 PM
Sibyl Kempson / 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr & Perf. Co.: The Securely Conferred, Vouchsafed Keepsakes of Maery S.
THEATER
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 – 31, 2020 (continuing through MAY 15)
7:00 PM
Chocolate Factory / Abrons Arts Center Stream
$5-$20
https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/sibyl-kempson-2020/
The wickedly inventive theatermaker Sibyl Kempson reinvents Mary Shelley. So far we have a four-part episodic radio play, all of which is now available for streaming. A digital "theatrical miniseries" will follow in the Spring (if we live that long).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dr. Frankenstein: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Grenadine, and 1 teaspoon of Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021
8:00 PM
Anabella Lenzu: The Night that You Stopped Acting
Camilo Quiroz-Vazquez & Ellpetha Tsivikos: Night Descends on Svalbard
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/thenightthatyoustoppedacting
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/nightdescendsonsvalbard
Annabella Lenzu confronts, through dance, womanhood, motherhood, immigranthood, being a Latinx/European artist living in New York, being both artist and spectator in odd (to say the least) times blahblahblah. Night Descends on Svalbard was what resulted when an actor/singer/dancer who thought she was entirely West Asian/North African/Hellenic discovered she had some Viking DNA as well, and co-created a play about researchers being stranded at the Global Seed Vault in way northern Norway as the season of all-day light turns into the season of all-day dark.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Witches: pour 1-1/4 oz. Linie Aquavit, 1 oz. Manzanilla Sherry, and 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist and a dill sprig.
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Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 – 31, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 – 31, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 12:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Murielle Borst-Tarrant: Tipi Tales from the Stoop
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 (on demand through FEBRUARY 7)
12:00 AM
Reflections of Native Voices
New York Theater Workshop Stream
$10; $15 festival pass
https://www.nytw.org/stream/dont-feed-the-indians/
More from Murielle Borst-Tarrant, this time telling of growing up, during the 1970s Native American Indian Movement, as part of the only Native American family on the block in a Mafia-dominated Brooklyn neighborhood.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Carroll Gardens: pour 3 oz. Rye, 1/2 oz. each of Punt e Mes and Amaro Nardini, and 1 tablespoon of Maraschino liqueur, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 12:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Nicholson Billey: Este Cate
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 (on demand through FEBRUARY 7)
12:00 AM
Reflections of Native Voices
New York Theater Workshop Stream
$10; $15 festival pass
https://www.nytw.org/stream/este-cate/
Six Mvskoke stories are interwovern in an attempt to disrupt the notion of Native American "stasis".
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Without a Doubt: pour 2 oz. Corn Whiskey and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Monday, January 25, 2021, 12:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Murielle Borst-Tarrant: Don't Feed the Indians
THEATER
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 (on demand through FEBRUARY 7)
12:00 AM
Reflections of Native Voices
New York Theater Workshop Stream
$10; $15 festival pass
https://www.nytw.org/stream/dont-feed-the-indians/
What does the Divine Comedy have to do with American Indian showbiz? Only those who've seen Murielle Borst-Tarrant's raucous piece know.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tomahawk: pour 1 oz. each of dark Rum and Seagram's 7 (you can tell how long it's been since anyone would dare name a cocktail this) (substitute Rye if necessary), 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, and 1/4 tablespoon of Cointreau, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
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Sunday, January 24, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-45/
During the run of Exponential Festival, OOAAOC is serving as a sort of festival adjunct. This week co-hosted by the hilarious Eliza Bent!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Still sticking with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a coffee cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, January 24, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tessa Barlow-Ochshorn: How to Wake Up!
PERFORMANCE
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021
7:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/howtowakeup
Especially recommended to readers who like scrambled eggs.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The great thing about Flips is that they use whole eggs, so you don't have to go through the tedious process of separating them (or worry about what to do with whichever part of the egg you're not using in the cocktail). Derby Flip: pour 1-1/2 oz. Whiskey, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon of Curaçao, with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 whole egg, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake again. Strain into a Highball glass over ice and top with club soda.
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Saturday, January 23, 2021, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Yeujia Low & Justin Halle: Animal Empire
THEATER
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021
8:30 PM
Yackez: Yackez Love for the New World Paradigm
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/animalempire
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/loveforthenewworld
Music night at Exponential! Yeujia Low and Justin Halle present a musical about animals finally taking up arms against humans following millennia of oppression. As for Yackez, well, I hope it won't sound patronizing when I say I find their Latinx marital neo-disco adorable. I proudly wear their tee shirt.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Jean Harlow: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of light Rum and sweet Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Express a lemon twist into the drink, and toss in the rind as a garnish.
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Saturday, January 23, 2021, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
3:00 & 8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Carlo: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 1 dash of Angostora bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
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Friday, January 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Downtown Variety: Brazil Edition
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021
8:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/downtown-variety-brazil/
A virtual visit by denizons of the Brazilian underground scene. I'm a sucker for practically anything (artistic) coming out of Brazil (forget their current politics!), so you know I'm all over this.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Por do Sol: pour 1 oz. each of Cachaça, Vermouth Blanc, and Campari, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Fri, Jan 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 9:00 PM
Eric Harland
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JANUARY 22 & 23, 2021
8:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/
Eric Harland is a killer drummer. But even better, now he's leading a REALLY killer band: vibesist of the moment Joel Ross, the excellent and highly distinctive Chris Potter on sax, and Austin White kicking in with bass and electronics.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Filthy Rich: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and dry Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. each of Cynar and Bénédictine, in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, January 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Chris Ignacio: How to Sing: A Survival Guide
THEATER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021
8:00 PM
Darian Dauchan: Lift Off (A Sci Fi Romantic Comedy)
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/howtosing
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/liftoff
Theater artist, musician, puppeteer, and educator Chris Ignacio presents a guide to life in the guise of lessons he put together to teach music to kids. Darian Dauchan describes Lift Off as "When Harry Met Sally meets The Blue Lagoon. Need you know more?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Winterbird: pour 1-1/2 oz. dark Rum, 1/2 oz. each of Fernet and Apricot liqueur, 1 oz. lime juice, 1/2 oz. each of orange juice and pineapple juice, and 1 oz. Simple Syrup, with 4 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with a quarter orange wheel and a cocktail cherry.
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Friday, January 22, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 (biweekly)
7:30 PM
Contemporaneous
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-community-salon-tickets-132998264389
A virtual salon. Artists and performers can share pieces in whatever stage of completion. Everyone else can comment and converse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northern Harvest Buck: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Shake in 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a mint sprig.
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Friday, January 22, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Fri, Jan 22, 2021, 9:29 AM – Sun, Jan 24, 2021, 8:43 PM
Andrew McIntosh: A moonbeam is just a filtered sunbeam
MUSIC
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 – 24, 2021
9:29 AM & 7:41 PM FRIDAY
9:28 AM & 7:42 PM SATURDAY
9:27 AM & 7:43 PM SUNDAY
Darkness Sounding
Wild Up! Stream
$5-$25/month for entire festival
https://darknesssounding.wildup.org/#festival-opening2020
Years ago in his youth, violinst/violist/composer Andrew McIntosh did a series of improvisations on a detuned violin. He wasn't sure back then that such was acceptible practice. Now that he's gotten older and ballsier — and spent several years playing with Wadada Leo Smith — he revisits those improvisations and melds them into a series of pieces. He says they sound something like drone pioneer Tony Conrad, which is great with me. These are played at dawn and sunset in LA, where McIntosh is located.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Morning Glory: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Cognac, with 1/2 teaspoon each of sugar and Grand Marnier, 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, and 2 dashes of Boker's bitters (or, absent that, Angostura bitters), into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Highball glass. Top with club soda (but go easy). Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, January 21, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Pioneers Go East Collective: Lucky Star: Superstar
OPERA
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021
8:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/luckystar
Queer theater collective Pioneers Go East meta-explores stardom, taking off from the 1970s/80s Downtown Club 57/Pyramid Club performance scene and presenting more fabulous versions of each of themselves.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Believe it or not, a Harvey Wallbanger is quite decent when made with good ingredients: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and Galliano, and 2 oz. orange juice, with 2 dashes of lemon bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice.
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Thursday, January 21, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Loser's Lounge: Battle of the One-Hit Wonders
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 (further installments on FEBRUARY 4 & 18 and MARCH 4 & 18)
8:00 PM
Joe's Pub Stream
Free
https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2020/j/losers-lounge---joes-pub-live/
Skewed sarc-popsters Loser's Lounge play two One-Hit Wonder hits and then the audience votes on which one-hit wins. Like a battle of the bands, but for songs rather than bands!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cosmopolitan (a real cocktail invented by a real mixologist, no matter what people say): pour 2 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. each of Cointreau and cranberry juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syurp into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime slice and a smile.
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Thursday, January 21, 2021, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Aaron Parks Quartet
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-aaron-parks
Aaron Parks is a pianist/composer who integrates guitar-band rock usages into idiomatic jazz in a way that isn't anything like fusion. But the secret ingredient here (well, not so secret) is mainstream jazz's Man Of The Hour, saxperson Immanuel Wilkins.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: American Trilogy: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, with 2 dashes of orange bitters and a brown sugar cube, to an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, January 21, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Kathleen Supové & The Rhythm Method: Desolation Pops
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021
6:00 PM
Brave New World
Tribeca New Music Live Stream
$2-$20
https://www.tribecanewmusic.org/calendar/2021/1/21/xmu1wrjd6o8zr3vrp2bd1ilir5evse
Kathleen Supové, the queen of New Music piano, plays a piece by Richard Belcastro for herself alone and a new "concerto" by James Moore for her and the fierce fourth-wave string quartet The Rhythm Method.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Maravilla: pour 2 oz. Mezcal, 1/4 oz. Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro, 1/2 oz. Crème de Cocao, and 2 dashes each of orange bitters and chocolate bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chlled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Thu, Jan 21, 2021, 4:00 PM – Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 4:00 PM
Rachel Gita Karp: Temporary Occupant
THEATER
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 – 23, 2021
4:00, 5:00, 7:00 & 8:00 PM THURSDAY
1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 5:30 & 6:30 PM FRIDAY
11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 2:00 & 3:00 PM SATURDAY
Winterworks
Clubbed Thumb
Connelly Theater
220 East Fourth Street, East Village, Manhattan
Free I think (reservation required)
https://www.clubbedthumb.org/winterworks2021/
Rachel Gita Karp writes theater pieces that tangle with politics and public policy. This one has something to do with the Inauguration. Since each performance has an audience of excatly one, you can guess the spots are all taken. But things can happen — you can get murdered on the street by neo-Fascist thugs protected by the police, for example — so watch for spots to open up.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Really satisfying goopy stewy tacos at Los Tacos NYC.
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Thursday, January 21, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 & 21, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wed, Jan 20, 2021, 11:00 PM – Thu, Jan 21, 2021, 12:00 AM
Marilyn Nonken Performs Feldman
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021
11:00 PM
Liminal States
Bowerbird Live Stream
Free ($25 donation suggested)
https://www.bowerbird.org/event/marilyn-nonken-performs-feldman-liminal-states/
This is good. A new series of bedtime streams (mostly live) of music designed to usher you into sleep. They couldn't have come up with a better starting point than pianist Marilyn Nonken playing Feldman's Triadic Memories, possibly the most extreme example of Feldman's magic in making something arresting and transporting out of what appears to be almost nothing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A snifter of Cognac. Good night!
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Wed, Jan 20, 2021, 8:00 PM – Fri, Jan 22, 2021, 9:00 PM
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
THEATER / DANCE / PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
7:30 PM
IV Castellanos & Amanda Hunt: conduit
Salomé Egas: Zuriciendo Retazos
Psychic Wormhole: RECKONING
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/conduit
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/zurciendoretazos
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/reckoning
Take a shot: it won't be Theater As Usual. (There's one that won't be Dance As Usual.) And a couple look rather um psychedelic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: All Jacked Up: pour 1 oz. each of Mezcal and sweet Vermouth, 3/4 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Jack, and 1/4 oz. each of Fernet and Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an apple slice.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Sandbox Percussion: No Strings Attached
MUSIC
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
7:30 PM
String Theory at the Hunter Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
http://stringtheorymusic.org/concerts/2020-2021/january-19-2021
The newly ubiquitous Sandbox Percussion performs another live-streamed show. This one is different, they say, cuz it's on Zoom! They're always great, so their new ubiquity is a good thing.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Switchblade: pour 2 oz. Tequila, 1/2 oz. white Crème de Cacao, 3/4 oz. lime juice, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with cayenne pepper.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Brandee Younger & Dezron Douglas
MUSIC
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021
7:00 PM
Live from Columbia: Pop-Ups in the Lantern
Miller Theater Live Stream
Free
https://www.millertheatre.com/about/news/live-from-columbia-pop-ups-in-the-lantern
Force Majeur, he impromptu album of soulful standards and familiar tunes that harpist Brandee Younger and bassist Dezron Douglas put together at house parties in their apartment during Quarantine, was such a total delight that it's hard to imagine forgoing any chance to hear them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Midnight Stinger: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon and Fernet, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Strain into a mug or rocks glass about 2/3 full of cracked ice. Stick in a straw and put in more cracked cie. Garnish with mint.
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Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 7:00 PM – Wed, Jan 20, 2021, 8:00 PM
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
DANCE
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 & 20, 2021 (festival continues of JANUARY 26 & 27)
7:00 PM
La MaMa Stream
$5-$25
http://lamama.org/moves/
La MaMa's annual dance festival unsurprisingly goes online. This week's artists are Kevin Augustine (featuring PUPPETS!!!!!), Anabella Lenzu, and Kari Hoas.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Wild Eyed Rose: pour 2 oz. Irish Whiskey and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 & 21, 2021 (semi-weekly)
10:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble Stream
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me that no musicians were woken early for these shows; they are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Mon, Jan 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Jan 24, 2021, 8:59 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 – 24, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts / LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Monday, January 18, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Jochen Rueckert: Wolff Parkinson White
MUSIC
MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021
7:00 PM
Underexposed Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://www.underexposed.live/events/underexposed-no-17
The bassist/composer Desmond White runs a weekly series of live streams out of Brooklyn. This week features the drummer Jochen Reuckert in his Wolff Parkinson White electronic music guise.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Prosecutor: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. each of yellow Chartreuse, St-Germain, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled rocks glass (no ice).
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Mon, Jan 18, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Jan 24, 2021, 11:00 AM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 – 24, 2021 (continuing through FEBRUARY 28)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Jan 18, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Jan 24, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 – 24, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Jan 18, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Jan 24, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 – 24, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free (registration required)
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, January 17, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-43/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's stick with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a coffee cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, January 17, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Deepali Gupta: perverse reverie forever
MUSIC / THEATER
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021
5:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/perversereverieforever
Performance artist/theatermaker Deepali Gupta puts her music to the fore in this "filmed album", in collaboration with an array of Brooklyn Alt faves.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Angel Face: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, and Apricot liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, January 17, 2021, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Warmth From Other Suns
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021
3:00 PM
MET Orchestra Spotlight Series
MET Orchestra Live Stream
$15
https://spotlight.metorchestramusicians.org/#/item/63824
Having been virtually abandoned by its employer, the MET Orchestra takes to the internet to raise money for its members. Most of this chamber recital is the same old same old (and the same old opera same old to boot) — but put Caroline Shaw on your program, and I'll recommend you. Carlos Simon is kind of great as well. So thanks, guys — and good luck!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bitter Sunday Afternoon: pour 3/4 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Cocchi Americano, and 1/2 oz. each of Gran Classico Bitter and Salers into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Express a lemon peel into the drink and toss in the rind as a garnish.
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Sunday, January 17, 2021, 9:58 AM – 8:08 PM
Richard Valitutto: simple lines / quiet music / silent songs
MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2021
9:58 AM – 8:08 PM
Darkness Sounding
Wild Up! Live Stream
$5-$25/month for entire festival
https://darknesssounding.wildup.org/#festival-opening2020
Pianist Valitutto gives an all-day house concert (in LA, where his house is, it lasts from dawn till sunset). Among the composers to be played are Southam, Mompou, Valentin Silvestrov, and Alvin Curran — so you KNOW it'll be good!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Morning Glory: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Cognac, with 1/2 teaspoon each of sugar and Grand Marnier, 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, and 2 dashes of Boker's bitters (or, absent that, Angostura bitters), into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Highball glass. Top with club soda (but go easy). Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ekmeles: Guide
MUSIC / DANCE / OPERA
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2021
8:00 PM
Ekmeles Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://ekmeles.com/wp/2021/01/guide/
Not only is Ekmeles a great, questing vocal ensemble, but they've also shown a real understanding of how to use remote digital media as a thing in themselves rather than a pale imitation of live performance. The highlight of this program looks to be Phong Tran's Away Message, an ambient visual mixtape about a breakup via AOL Instant Messenger. But let's not forget Kayleigh Butcher and Bethany Younge's Her Disappearance, which is sung through PVC pipes (you've got to see and hear it!). Lots more.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Attention: pour 2 oz. Gin and 1/4 oz. each of dry Vermouth, Créme de Violette, and Absinthe, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Jiji, Gulli Bjornson & Drew Busmire: Aleph, Desert Gaze
MUSIC
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2021
8:00 PM
Darkness Sounding
Wild Up! Stream
$5-$25/month for entire festival
https://darknesssounding.wildup.org/#festival-opening2020
A fantastic guitarist, guitarist/electronics guy, and architect/sound designer take you (remotely) out to the desert for . . . an experience.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Naked in the Desert: pour 3/4 oz. each of Sotol (you've GOT to get into this cactus liquor — you've just GOT to), Aperol, yellow Chartreuse, and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Add 6 drops of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
THEATER
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2021
7:30 PM
Nathan Repasz: The Unquestioned Interiority of Humankind: a Comprehensive Corporate Compendium of the Corporeal and A-Corporeal Realities of the Antrosphere, compiled by the Bureau of Conceptual Designation in accordance with the Source Code
Accent Wall Productions: The Puzzlers/The Puzzlers 2: Black Box
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/copy-of-copy-1
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/thepuzzlersreturntentatively
When he's not drumming, Nathan Repasz does deadpan but unhinged PowerPoint presentations. Accent Wall Productions are four friends and a dog (wait, isn't the dog their friend?) who got together during Quarantine to make a "visual poem" grappling with Beckett's hyper-concentrated Texts for Nothing. So far, in their first two short films, they've gotten to page 2-1/2.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Massey: pour 1 oz. each of Irish Whiskey and Gin, 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, 1/4 oz. green Chartreuse, and 1/8 oz. Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
3:00 & 8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Carlo: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 1 dash of Angostora bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
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Fri, Jan 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 9:00 PM
Thumbscrew
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JANUARY 15 & 16, 2021
8:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/
Mary Halvorson (guitar)! Michael Formanek (bass)! Tomas Fujiwara (drums)! The music is as surprising and intricate as you'd expect.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sforzando: pour 1 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. Mezcal, and 1/2 oz. each of dry Vermouth and Bénédictine, with 2 dashes of Molé bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, January 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Fringe and Fur: Madge Love
THEATER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021
8:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/madgelove
A multi-media interactive piece about two teenagers in a small town.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Country Girl: pour 1 oz. each of Cognac, Cherry Heering, and Calvados into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, January 15, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Mottel_Mottel: The Image Is a Seed
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021
8:00 PM
Roulette Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://roulette.org/event/matt-mottel-presents-mottel_mottel-the-image-is-a-seed-with-photography-by-syeus-mottel/
Multi-disciplinary artist Matt Mottel is the son of a noted photographer, who focused on documenting social issues and the Downtown theatrical avant-garde. Here, Mottel fils provides a musical and visual setting for photos by his father. "The live performance of the musical composition and visual presentation of the archive act as equal elements in the final outcome," says Roulette's promotional materials. Let's hope Roulette deviates from prior practice and gives a worthy remote presentation of the visual elements.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Why not a Manhattan? Pour 2 oz. Rye (you can use Bourbon if you want — but it won't be as good) and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Friday, January 15, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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Thursday, January 14, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
an_outskirt: Mga Stayson
OPERA
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
9:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/mgastasyon
The excerpt I saw last year of this extrapolation from the Christian Passions that Spanish conquerors forced the Filipino population to enact, whose text then inspired Filipinos to revolt against foreign rule, makes me eager to experience the full work. It was atmospheric and suggestive in the extreme.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: This is an unbelievable fact, but the Philippines are responsible for over 40% of the world's Gin consumption (you read that right). So, Mango Gin & Tonic: pour 2 oz. Gin into a Collins glass over ice. Top with tonic. Garnish with a thick mango slice and a tarragon sprig. Sprinkle on some black pepper.
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Thu, Jan 14, 2021, 7:30 PM – Sun, Jan 17, 2021, 8:00 PM
Piehole: Disclaimer
THEATER
MONDAY & THURSDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 & 14 – 17, 2021
7:00 PM MONDAY
7:30 PM THURSDAY
5:00 PM FRIDAY
2:30 & 7:30 PM SATURDAY
6:00 PM SUNDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Live Stream
Zoom
Free (donation requested) (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/disclaimer/
Political and cultural critique — and a whodunnit — in the guise of a Zoomed Persian cooking class.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Persian Joon: pour 1-1/2 oz. Pistachio liqueur, 1 oz. Amaretto, and 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Add 1/2 oz. cream. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, January 14, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Love in Exile
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live Stream
YouTube
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-love-in-exile
An intriguing group comprising musically brilliant first or second-generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent: Brooklyn Pakistani ambient vocalist/electronicist Arooj Aftab, all-around Genius Of Modern Music Vijay Iyer on piano, and idiosyncratic-with-a-bullet guitarist/bassist Shahzad Ismaily. This will be good.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Masala Martini: pour 2 oz. gin and 1/2 oz. each lime juice and Simple Syrup, with 1/8 teaspoon each of ground Cumin and kosher salt, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon slice.
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Thursday, January 14, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
ETHEL
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
7:00 PM
New Sounds Live Stream
Free (registration required)
https://thegreenespace.org/event/new-sounds-presents-ethel/
The wildly unpredictable string quartet ETHEL will do things that can't be predicted.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mexican "Firing Squad" Special: pour 2 oz. Tequila and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Grenadine, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass and top with club soda. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thu, Jan 14, 2021, 5:00 PM – Sun, Jan 17, 2021, 3:30 PM
Javaad Alipoor: Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran
THEATER
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 – 17, 2021
5:00 PM THURSDAY & SATURDAY
7:00 PM FRIDAY
2:30 PM SUNDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Stream
Free (donation requested) (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/rich-kids-a-history-of-shopping-malls-in-tehran/
An award-winner at the Edinburgh Fringe in its physical manifestation, this online version combines digital theater and a live Instagram feed to explore the expanding global gap between rich and poor.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Jack Rose: pour 2 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
THEATER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021
9:00 PM
Lee Rayment & Nic Adams: "Stiff Drink" with Dr. Eustace Sissy (Psy.D.) Presents: "Corona Cam Show"
Leonie Bell/LOCAL GRANDMA: Eisnt träumte ich von dir: A Maybe-Myth of Runny Nuns OR Once, I Dreamed of You: A Maybe-Myth of Runny Nuns
YouTube
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/coronacamshow
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/einsttr%C3%A4umteichvondir
Take a shot: it won't be Theater As Usual. It isn't even titles as usual.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Winter Paloma: pour 2 oz. Reposado Tequila, 4 oz. cranberry juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Maple Syrup into a rocks glass. Stir. Add ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with a lime twist or cocktail cherry.
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Wed, Jan 13, 2021, 5:00 PM – Sun, Jan 17, 2021, 1:00 AM
600 Highwaymen: A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call
THEATER
MONDAY & WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 & 13 – 17, 2021
2:00, 3:30, 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 PM MONDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY
5:00, 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 PM WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater
Over the phone
Free (donation requested) (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/a-thousands-ways/
The Under the Radar alt-theater festival kicks gifts us with further performances of one of the absolute smash hits of the Quarantine era, 600 Highwaymen's A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call. This is the first part of a theatrical triptych of encounters between strangers. In this one, someone you don't know calls you up, and over the course of your phone conversation (following prompts) a portrait of your caller emerges. (The Public's page for this show says "Sold Out", but available spaces pop up: good luck!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I see you sipping a Cognac as your conversation proceeds.
-
Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 9:00 PM
Modulations
OPERA
MONDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 – 16, 2021
8:00 PM (or on demand)
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon! This is how online presentations should be done.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
-
Monday, January 11, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Piehole: Disclaimer
THEATER
MONDAY & THURSDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 & 14 – 17, 2021
7:00 PM MONDAY
7:30 PM THURSDAY
5:00 PM FRIDAY
2:30 & 7:30 PM SATURDAY
6:00 PM SUNDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Live Stream
Zoom
Free (donation requested) (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/disclaimer/
Political and cultural critique — and a whodunnit — in the guise of a Zoomed Persian cooking class.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Persian Joon: pour 1-1/2 oz. Pistachio liqueur, 1 oz. Amaretto, and 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Add 1/2 oz. cream. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
-
Monday, January 11, 2021, 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM
600 Highwaymen: A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call
THEATER
MONDAY & WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 & 13 – 17, 2021
2:00, 3:30, 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 PM MONDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY
5:00, 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 PM WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater
Over the phone
Free (donation requested) (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/a-thousands-ways/
The Under the Radar alt-theater festival kicks gifts us with further performances of one of the absolute smash hits of the Quarantine era, 600 Highwaymen's A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call. This is the first part of a theatrical triptych of encounters between strangers. In this one, someone you don't know calls you up, and over the course of your phone conversation (following prompts) a portrait of your caller emerges. (The Public's page for this show says "Sold Out", but available spaces pop up: good luck!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I see you sipping a Cognac as your conversation proceeds.
-
Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 12:00 PM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 1:00 PM
Valgeir Siggurðsson: Wide Slumber for Lepidopterists
OPERA
MONDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 – 16, 2021
12:00 PM (or on demand) (live viewing with chat at 11:00 AM on SATURDAY, JANUARY 16)
VaVaVoom Theatre/Bedroom Community
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
Free (registration required)
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/wide-slumber/
Valgeir Siggurðsson — who like everybody else in Iceland has never been told there's a categorical difference between classical music and pop — pairs sleep stages with the life cycle of moths and butterflies.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A shot of Brennivín (as if anyone in the history of Iceland ever stopped at one).
-
Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 12:00 PM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 1:00 PM
Septina Rosalina Layan: The Planet — A Lament
OPERA
MONDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 – 16, 2021
12:00 PM (or on demand)
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
Free (registration required)
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/the-planet-a-lament/
Indonesian director Garin Nugroho spearheads a pan-Melanesian lament, music by Papuan composer Septina Rosalina Layan, for a world that's lost (with the hope of a good new one) (fat chance).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Biloxi Deluxe #2: rinse a wine glass with Absinthe. Pour in 1-3/4 oz. Cognac and 1/2 oz. each of Swedish Punsch and water, with 2 dashes of orange bitters. Express an orange peel into the drink and discard the rind.
-
Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 12:00 PM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 9:20 PM
Helga Davis & Shara Nova: Ocean Body
OPERA
MONDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 – 16, 2021
12:00, 12:20, 12:40, 1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00, 2:20, 2:40, 3:00, 3:20, 3:40, 4:00, 5:00, 5:20, 5:40, 6:00, 6:20, 6:40, 7:00, 7:20, 7:40, 8:00 & 8:20 PM
PROTOTYPE Festival
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
Free (ticket required)
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/ocean-body/
In a short film by Mark DeChiazza, Helga Davis and Shara Nova stand and sing, alone and together (in a single connected dress!), on the shore of the Gulf Coast.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I like Shaun Hergatt's Modern Australian food a lot. His new restaurant, Vestry, is right around the block.
-
Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 12:00 PM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 1:00 PM
Ben Frost: The Murder of Halit Yozgat
OPERA
MONDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 – 16, 2021
12:00 PM (or on demand) (live viewing with chat at 1:00 PM on SATURDAY, JANUARY 16)
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
Free (registration required)
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/the-murder-of-hallit-yozgat/
A Turkish immigrant assassinated in broad daylight in Germany by neo-Nazis. (At least in Germany, the Fascists are fringe rather than, as here, constituting one of the two parties in a two-party system.) Expect dark metal, electronics, and unconventional sonics and visuals.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Requiring a bit of advance prep, the Sidewalker: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and lemon juice, 3/4 oz. Maple Syrup, and 1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar into a glass or pitcher over ice. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Then, pour into a Highball glass over ice. Top with 4 oz. chilled Hefeweizen beer and 3/4 oz. club soda; stir gently. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
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Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 11:00 AM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA
MONDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 – 16, 2021
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
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Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Jan 17, 2021, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 – 17, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Jan 17, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 – 17, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops aboard the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, January 10, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-43/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's stick with the manifestly appropriate Mad Hatter: rinse a coffee cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed cup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, January 10, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Object Collection: Look Out Shithead
THEATER
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021
5:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/lookoutshithead
Methodical madmen Object Collection, taking off from hinged moralist Éric Rohmer, and calling it Look Out Shithead? FUCK am I looking forward to this.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: This deserves no less than the supernal Yellow Cocktail: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, yellow Chartreuse, Suze, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
-
Sunday, January 10, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Septina Rosalina Layan: The Planet — A Lament
OPERA
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 16)
12:00 PM (live viewing SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 at 8:00 PM)
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/the-planet-a-lament/
Indonesian director Garin Nugroho spearheads a pan-Melanesian lament, music by Papuan composer Septina Rosalina Layan, for a world that's lost (with the hope of a good new one) (fat chance).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Biloxi Deluxe #2: rinse a wine glass with Absinthe. Pour in 1-3/4 oz. Cognac and 1/2 oz. each of Swedish Punsch and water, with 2 dashes of orange bitters. Express an orange peel into the drink and discard the rind.
-
Sunday, January 10, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Valgeir Siggurðsson: Wide Slumber for Lepidopterists
OPERA
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 16)
12:00 PM
VaVaVoom Theatre / Bedroom Community
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/wide-slumber/
Valgeir Siggurðsson — who like everybody else in Iceland has never been told there's a categorical difference between classical music and pop — pairs sleep stages with the life cycle of moths and butterflies.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A shot of Brennivín (as if anyone in the history of Iceland ever stopped at one).
-
Sunday, January 10, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Ben Frost: The Murder of Halit Yozgat
OPERA
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 16)
12:00 PM
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/the-murder-of-hallit-yozgat/
A Turkish immigrant assassinated in broad daylight in Germany by neo-Nazis. (At least in Germany, the Fascists are fringe rather than, as here, constituting one of the two parties in a two-party system.) Expect dark metal, electronics, and unconventional sonics and visuals.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Again requiring a bit of advance prep, the Sidewalker: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and lemon juice, 3/4 oz. Maple Syrup, and 1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar into a glass or pitcher over ice. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Then, pour into a Highball glass over ice. Top with 4 oz. chilled Hefeweizen beer and 3/4 oz. club soda; stir gently. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
-
Saturday, January 9, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
-
Saturday, January 9, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Kyle Abraham / A.I.M & Jlin
DANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2021
6:00 PM
Ferrus Festival
National Sawdust Stream
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/ferus-festival-kyle-abraham-a-i-m-and-jlin
Kyle Abraham, who's sitting on top of the dance world these days, was commissioned to create a piece taking off from Mozart's Requiem with the riveting meta-Footwork musician Jlin for last year's Mostly Mozart Festival. We all know what happened to last year's Mostly Mozart Festival. At least we get to see the piece (in some form).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Eeyore's Requiem: pour 1-1/2 oz. Red Bitter Aperitif (you probably have Campari lying around, but I'ma recommend Forthave Red), 1 oz. Vermouth blanc, 1/2 oz. Gin, and 1/4 oz. each of Cynar and Fernet, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Express 2 orange twists into the drink, and garnish with a third.
-
Saturday, January 9, 2021, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
3:00 & 8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Carlo: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 1 dash of Angostora bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
-
Sat, Jan 9, 2021, 12:00 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 9:00 PM
Helga Davis & Shara Nova: Ocean Body
OPERA
SATURDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 9 – 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 16)
12:00, 12:20, 12:40, 1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00, 2:20, 2:40, 3:00, 3:20, 3:40, 4:00, 5:00, 5:20, 5:40, 6:00, 6:20, 6:40, 7:00, 7:20, 7:40, 8:00 & 8:20 PM
PROTOTYPE Festival
HERE
145 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street), Hudson Square, Manhattan
Free (ticket required)
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/ocean-body/
In a short film by Mark DeChiazza, Helga Davis and Shara Nova stand and sing, alone and together (in a single connected dress!), on the shore of the Gulf Coast.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I like Shaun Hergatt's Modern Australian food a lot. His new restaurant, Vestry, is right around the block.
-
Sat, Jan 9, 2021, 10:00 AM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 11:00 AM
Pamela Z & Geoff Sobelle: Times3 (Times x Times x Times)
OPERA
SATURDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 9 – 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 16)
Starting 10:00 AM
PROTOTYPE Out of Bounds
PROTOTYPE Festival Onsite & Stream
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
Free
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/times-3/
A sonic journey through Times Square and its history that you can undertake live in Times Square or virtually at your computer. Created by two of this List's very favorites: magic soundscaper Pamela Z and physical theater magician Geoff Sobelle!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, I think the wonderful Los Tacos No. 1 still has an outdoor seating set-up (bizarrely closed Saturdays, though). At home, this will take some advance preparation, but: Times Square. Combine 1-1/4 oz. Southern Comfort (yeah, you heard right), 1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. Grenadine in a glass or pitcher. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.
-
Friday, January 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Alicia Hall Moran: the motown project
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
8:00 PM
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Stream
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/motown/
I'm not certain you can bridge existing divides by fusing Motown with Mozart and Purcell. But the formidable Alicia Hall Moran is gonna try.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: From Detroit, Michigan, the La Joya: pour 1-1/2 oz. Mezcal and 3/4 oz. each of green Chartreuse and Pedro Ximénez Sherry, with 6 dashes of grapefruit bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Express a grapefruit peel into the drink and discard the rind.
-
Fri, Jan 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 8:59 PM
Modulations
OPERA
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 – 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 16)
8:00 PM
California Performing Arts/LA Opera
PROTOTYPE Festival Stream
$25
http://prototypefestival.org/shows/modulation/
A major event. A self-guided exploration of the efforts of 13 composers to deal with the various strands that wove together the past year. The composers include such List regulars as Mollly Joyce, Angélica Negrón, Paul Pinto, Raven Chacon, and Bora Yoon!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: TGV: pour 2-1/4 oz. Blanco or Reposado Tequila, 1-1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon of Grenadine into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
-
Friday, January 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sunny Hitt: ON VIEW: WFH
DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021
8:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/onviewwfh
Both a durational view of a choreographer creating dance under stress and a lament for the total failure of our government to protect our most valuable (or any) citizens from in a public health crisis.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Existential Hero: pour 1/2 oz. each of Blanco Tequila, light Rum, Grand Marnier, Beckerovka, and lime juice, and 1 scant teaspoon of Amaretto, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
-
Fri, Jan 8, 2021, 8:00 PM – Sat, Jan 9, 2021, 9:00 PM
Kris Davis feat. The Borderlands Trio
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JANUARY 8 & 9, 2021
8:00 PM
Village Vanguard Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/
I've sung pianist Kris Davis's praises enough that I don't need to repeat it. A distinctive, angular style; great bands (this an excellent trio); compositions as fascinating as her improvisations. Listen up.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Vancouver: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. sweet Vermouth, 1 teaspoon Benedictine, and 2 dashes of orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
-
Friday, January 8, 2021, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021 (weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Amber Negroni: pour 1/2 oz. each of Gin and Braulio Amaro, and 1 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (with the usual preferred substitutions, especially Tempus Fugit Kino l'Áero d'Or) and lemon juice, with 3 dashes of Bitterman's Burlesque Bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
-
Thursday, January 7, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Sunflower Bean
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
9:00 PM
LPR.tv
(Le) Poisson Rouge Live Stream
$14
https://lpr.tv/sunflower-bean/
While you're watching this show, you can reflect on why guitar-band rock still seems somewhat relevant when (at least) sung by women, but seems retrograde and unappealing when (at least) sung by men. In Sunflower Bean's case, their excellent songwriting helps.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brooklyn: pour 2 oz. Rye, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. each of Maraschino liqueur and Golden Moon Amer dit Picon (or Bigalett China-China) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
-
Thursday, January 7, 2021, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Josh Gelb & KatieRose McLaughlin: Theater in Quarantine
THEATER
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
9:00 PM
The Exponential Festival Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.theexponentialfestival.org/theaterinquarantine
Can you turn an 2'x4'x8' foot closet in an East Village apartment into a theater? We'll find out.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: East Village Athletic Club: pour 3/4 oz. each of Blanco Tequila, yellow Chartreuse, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
-
Thu, Jan 7, 2021, 8:30 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 8:00 PM
Piehole: Disclaimer
THEATER
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 7 – 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 17)
8:30 PM THURSDAY
5:00 PM FRIDAY
7:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/disclaimer/
Political and cultural critique — and a whodunnit — in the guise of a Zoomed Persian cooking class.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Persian Joon: pour 1-1/2 oz. Pistachio liqueur, 1 oz. Amaretto, and 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Add 1/2 oz. cream. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thu, Jan 7, 2021, 6:30 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 5:00 PM
Javaad Alipoor: Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran
THEATER
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 7 – 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 17)
6:30 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Stream
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/rich-kids-a-history-of-shopping-malls-in-tehran/
An award-winner at the Edinburgh Fringe in its physical manifestation, this online version combines digital theater and a live Instagram feed to explore the expanding global gap between rich and poor.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Jack Rose: pour 2 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
-
Thursday, January 7, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Ash Koosha feat. YONA
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
6:00 PM
Ferrus Festival
National Sawdust Stream
Free
https://live.nationalsawdust.org/event/ferus-festival-ash-koosha-with-yona
Tehran-to-London punk-to-electronics guy Ash Koosha has created a virtual pop singer called YONA, who tonight will perform love songs.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: This is awful of me, but a Persian Mojito (the sweetness dialed down for Western tastebuds): pour 2 oz. dark Rum, 1 oz. white Rum, 1 oz. Grenadine, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a bunch of mint leaves.
-
Thursday, January 7, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Sirius Quartet: More than We Are
MUSIC
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021
6:00 PM
Brave New World
Tribeca New Music Festival Stream
$2-$20
https://www.tribecanewmusic.org/calendar
New and recent music for string quartet, and arrangements of pop songs (although if the Tribeca New Music Festival thinks "Eleanor Rigby" is "infamous" rather than "famous" they can bite me).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: There are a lot of Last Word variations Listed this week. So we might as well List a Last Word itself: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
-
Thu, Jan 7, 2021, 5:00 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 3:00 PM
-
Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Teatro Anónimo: Espíritu
THEATER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021
7:00 PM
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Stream
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/espiritu/
A multivalent attack on consumerism and neoliberalism.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Piscola: pour 1 oz. Chilean (NOT NOT NOT Peruvian) Pisco and 3 oz. Coke into a Highball glass over no more and no fewer than 3 ice cubes. You can garnish with a lemon slice (or, if you want to go off the reservation, a lime slice) if you're in the mood.
-
Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Whitney White & Peter Mark Kendall: Capsule
THEATER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2021
7:00 PM
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater Stream
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/capsule/
A kaleidoscopic reflection on the last year, reflecting both on the film/video media that many theatermakers have been constrained to adopt and on such substantive issues as race (hard to avoid last year) (finally).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Aquavit Manhattan: pour 2 oz. Aquavit, 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Cherry Heering, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a cocktail cherry (or, if you prefer, an orange twist).
-
Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
-
Wed, Jan 6, 2021, 6:00 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 10:00 PM
the cell / Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 6 – 10, 2021
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$40 for one person, $70 for two just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, an immersive experience where audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have specialty cocktails and food at Saturday performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Paella at Socorrat.
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Mon, Jan 4, 2021, 5:00 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 10:00 PM
600 Highwaymen: A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call
THEATER
TUESDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 – 10, 2021 (continuing through JANUARY 17)
5:00, 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 PM TUESDAY – FRIDAY
2:00, 3:30, 6:30, 8:00 & 9:30 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Under the Radar Festival
Public Theater
Over the phone
Free (registration required)
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2021/utr-2021/a-thousands-ways/
Next year's Under the Radar alt-theater festival kicks off early with these further performances of one of the absolute smash hits of the Quarantine era, 600 Highwaymen's A Thousand Ways (Part One): A Phone Call. This is the first part of a theatrical triptych of encounters between strangers. In this one, someone you don't know calls you up, and over the course of your phone conversation (following prompts) a portrait of your caller emerges. (The Public's page for this show says "Sold Out", but available spaces pop up: good luck!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I see you sipping a Cognac as your conversation proceeds.
-
Mon, Jan 4, 2021, 12:00 PM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 4:00 PM
Pete Wyer: For Love and Only for Love
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 – 10, 2021
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Make Music Winter
New York Botanic Garden, Native Plant Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx
$7-$22 (Garden admission price)
https://makemusicny.org/for-love-and-only-for-love
A new entry in the walk-around-the-landscaped-public-space-with-soundtrack derby. In this one, composer Pete Wyer creates one of his iForests in the New York Botanic Garden (reason enough to go), hiding speakers in the woodland surrounding the Native Plant Garden that play choral music, sometimes defiant but more often contemplative, that varies with the time, landscape, and weather. Subscriber CP, at least, was wildly enthusiastic about this piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: See who's serving on Italian (and Albanian)-American paradise Arthur Avenue.
-
Mon, Jan 4, 2021, 9:00 AM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 – 10, 2021 (ongoing)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
-
Mon, Jan 4, 2021, 6:00 AM – Sun, Jan 10, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 – 10, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
-
Sunday, January 3, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 202
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-42/
OOAC previews the Exponential Festival starting in remote form next week, Brooklyn alt theater at its most unpredictable (which is pretty fucking unpredictable).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mad Hatter: rinse a coffee cup with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/8 oz. each of lemon and lime juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed coffee cup over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
-
Sunday, January 3, 2021, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The Illustrious Blacks: SONIC BOOM
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 2021
7:30 PM
C'mon Everybody Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.cmoneverybody.com/cmontv/
The beloved Bed-Stuy club C'Mon Everybody returns in virtual form with a show by the dynamite duo The Illustrious Blacks: Afro-futurism with sprinkles on top. They are a trip.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Sonic Boom (THAT was easy): pour 1-3/4 oz. Scotch (Speyside by preference) into a Highball glass over ice. Top with equal parts tonic water and club soda. Garnish with a lemon slice.
-
Saturday, January 2, 2021, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eric Walton: Virtual Impossibilities
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2021 (continuing weekly through FEBRUARY 27)
3:00 & 8:00 PM
Wild Project Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://www.ericwalton.com/virtual-impossibilities
Mind-reading and mentalism. Interactive, of course (as it would have to be).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Carlo: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Bénédictine, with 1 dash of Angostora bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
-
Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 11:00 PM – Fri, Jan 1, 2021, 12:00 AM
Eschaton NYE: The Dissolution
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
11:00 PM
Zoom
$25-$35
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton/455937/#
A special New Year's Eve edition of this immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and (gulp) interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Champagne. And lots of it.
-
Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 12:00 PM – Sun, Jan 3, 2021, 5:00 PM
Pete Wyer: For Love and Only for Love
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 – JANUARY 3, 2021 (continuing daily through JANUARY 10)
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Make Music Winter
New York Botanic Garden, Native Plant Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx
$7-$22 (Garden admission price)
https://makemusicny.org/for-love-and-only-for-love
A new entry in the walk-around-the-landscaped-public-space-with-soundtrack derby. In this one, composer Pete Wyer creates one of his iForests in the New York Botanic Garden (reason enough to go), hiding speakers in the woodland surrounding the Native Plant Garden that play choral music, sometimes defiant but more often contemplative, that varies with the time, landscape, and weather. Subscriber CP, at least, was wildly enthusiastic about this piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: See who's serving on Italian (and Albanian)-American paradise Arthur Avenue.
-
Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 8:00 AM – Sun, Jan 3, 2021, 5:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 – JANUARY 3, 2021 (ongoing)
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
$7 or more for soundrack
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
-
Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Jan 3, 2021, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 – JANUARY 3, 2021 (ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
