ALCA’s SCR Program supports programs throughout the ADK Quad-County Region of Clinton, Essex, Franklin & Hamilton counties and the Haudenosaunee tribal community of Akwesasne.
With a new year well upon us—and with it the bitter wintry cold of January—few things warm the cockles of our hearts than the arts. It's a great time to get of the house, briefly into the cold and then out of the cold into your nearby arts center, library, or other cultural venue (and for those programs available online, you don't even have to brave the cold!).
This season and all year-round, the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA) Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) Program is proud to do its part in warming our residents' and visitors' hearts by supporting a wide range of artistic activity for viewing, listening and immersing yourself right in here in the Adirondack (ADK) Quad-County region of Clinton, Essex, Franklin and Hamilton counties and the Haudenosaunee tribal community of Akwesasne, including the following events:
On Sunday, January 26th, at 7 pm, the wife-and-husband duo of Martha and Dennis Gallagher will perform a virtual concert of new music celebrating daily life in the Adirondacks, titled “Adirondacks Out & About,” created with the support of a 2024 SCR Individual Artist grant to Martha.
Originally drawn to the Adirondacks for skiing and hiking, the Gallaghers discovered a place to call home—not their “hometown” in the usual sense of the word, but a small Adirondack town that became their “home” town. For 33 years they have lived, worked, played, lamented sorrows and celebrated joys in the little town of Keene and around the Adirondack region. Over the years, they had both created music inspired by their surroundings and decided that now was a wonderful time to create some more. So out and about they went, open to inspirations from people, around town, out in Nature—from this unique place in the world—and transformed them into music.
Dennis and Martha Gallagher (photo provided by Martha Gallagher) The concert is free and open to all. Register at https://adkharper.com to receive the link. [PLEASE NOTE: In the previous edition of “Around the Quad,” the preceding link was incorrectly created as an email link rather than one for a website. “Around the Quad” regrets the error.]
The renowned Québécois band Le Vent du Nord opens the 2025 Hill and Hollow Music Performance Series on Sunday, February 9th, at 3 pm at the historic Strand Theater, 25 Brinkerhoff Street, in Plattsburgh, Clinton County. A leading force in Québec’s progressive francophone folk movement, Le Vent du Nord performs French-Canadian traditional music with a contemporary twist. The “essential” instruments are all there: fiddles, button accordion, guitar, foot percussion and vocals; but the unique, defining sound of this band is the hurdy-gurdy, which adds an earthy flavor and rough-hewn texture to their zesty musical stew.
Le Vent du Nord will perform on Sunday, February 9, at 3 pm at the Strand Theater in Plattsburgh—presented by Hill and Hollow Music and supported by a 2024 SCR Community Arts award (photo provided by Hill and Hollow Music). Le Vent du Nord’s dynamic live performances expand the boundaries of tradition in striking new directions. While the group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions rooted in the Celtic diaspora, they infuse that energetic and soulful music with a broad range of global influences, including Mediterranean and Scandinavian. This is the modern sound of tradition, a music of here and now!
Le Vent du Nord’s dynamic live performances expand the boundaries of tradition in striking new directions....This is the modern sound of tradition, a music of here and now!
Since forming in 2002, Le Vent du Nord has enjoyed meteoric success, performing more than 2,000 concerts on four continents and racking up several prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros; two Junos (Canada’s Grammys); a Félix at ADISQ, a Canadian Folk Music Award; and “Artist of the Year” at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala.
Reserved-seating tickets are available online at strandcenter.org or in person at the Strand Center for the Arts box office during its regular business hours (closed Mondays). For further info, please call 518-293-7613, e-mail ambrown.hillholl@gmail.com or visit hillandhollowmusic.org. Supported by a 2024 SCR Community Arts grant to Hill and Hollow Music’s Performance Series.
On Wednesday, February 12th, at 7 pm, the Jay Entertainment and Music Society (JEMS) will present the latest installment of a monthly series that began in September and continues on the second Wednesday of the month through April 9, 2025, “Contra Dancing with Adirondack 2-Step!,” at the Amos & Julia Ward Theater, 15 Parkside Drive, in Jay, Essex County. The JEMS organizers—all of whom are volunteers—say “Come on down and join in the fun! No experience necessary, and all ages are welcome.” Refreshments will be served, and chairs are provided for those who prefer to watch and listen.
Suggested donation: $10 for adults, $5 for students/children. Info: jemsgroup.org. The Fall 2024 series was supported by a 2024 SCR Community Award grant to JEMS for its 2024 “Community Concert Series” and other programming.
Adirondack 2-Step (photo provided by the Jay Entertainment and Music Society) On Saturday, February 15th, at 7 pm and Sunday, the 16th, at 3 pm at the historic Hand House, 8273 River Street, in Elizabethtown, Essex County, Piano by Nature will present the Ricochet Duo performing their “Greatest Hits,” delivering their particular brand of percussive fire and rhythmic brimstone through a bevy of eclectic and electric pieces. This is the latest in a series of Piano by Nature concerts supported by a 2024 SCR Community Artst award.
Percussionist Jane Boxall, herself a 2024 SCR Individual Artist grant recipient, and pianist and Piano by Nature Artistic Director Rose Chancler, both North Country residents, will keep everyone warm at these two concerts, promising a major romp through works written by a wide and wild variety of contemporary composers—in which the musical possibilities for this boisterous partnership of percussion and piano are practically endless.
In case you are new to the area, the Ricochet Duo made their debut during Piano by Nature’s second season and since then have performed throughout the United States, including at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Vermont’s Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, the Chautauqua Institution, Augsburg College, the Eastman School of Music, the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont.
Doors will open 30 minutes before each performance, and the concert organizers recommend arriving early to avoid check-in lines. Piano by Nature requests a donation of $20 per concert ticket; $5 for each child aged 15 and younger. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are encouraged due to limited availability—via email at pianobynature@gmail.com or by phone at 518-962-8899. For more info, please visit pianobynature.org.
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