REAWAKENED 2021
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CONTENTS 9 A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 11 SPAC’S 2021 SEASON: BY THE NUMBERS 12 SPAC RETURNS!
SCENES & FEEDBACK FROM THE 2021 COMEBACK SEASON. photography by FRANCESCO D’AMICO and DAVE BIGLER
14 SPAC’S METAMORPHOSIS
PRESIDENT AND CEO ELIZABETH SOBOL TAKES US ON SPAC’S POST-PANDEMIC JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION.
16 A RIBBON-CUTTING TO REMEMBER
THE PINES@SPAC FINALLY GETS ITS BIG PREMIERE PARTY.
18 SPAC’S AMPHITHEATER
COMES ALIVE!
Erina Yashima conducting 50 local violinists at SPAC's PlayIN, page 22.
JAZZ FEST BROUGHT LIVE MUSIC BACK TO SARATOGA, AND SPAC’S SUMMER RESIDENT COMPANIES ENJOYED A TRIUMPHANT RETURN. photography by FRANCESCO D’AMICO
22 EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
WITH THE NYCB AND PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA BACK FOR THE 2021 SEASON, SPAC REVVED UP ITS COVID-SAFE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. photography by FRANCESCO D’AMICO
24 SPAC’S CULINARY ADVENTURE
THE DISH ON ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S SUPPER,’ PART OF SPAC’S DELICIOUS NEW FOODIE VENTURE, CULINARYARTS@SPAC.
SPAC ELIZABETH SOBOL LESLIE COLLMAN-SMITH KRISTY VENTRE saratoga living
Abby Tegnelia CEO Will Levith EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Kathleen Gates CREATIVE DIRECTOR Natalie Moore DIRECTOR OF CONTENT Francesco D’Amico PHOTOGRAPHER Dave Bigler PHOTOGRAPHER Linda Gates SENIOR DESIGNER Annette Quarrier ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
25 NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES
SPAC OFFERS ‘HEALTHCARE HEROES’ FREE ADMISSION TO TWO SUMMER EVENTS. photography by FRANCESCO D’AMICO
27 ALL TOGETHER NOW
SPAC TEAMS UP WITH THE TANG TEACHING MUSEUM TO TRANSFORM THE PINES@SPAC INTO A CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY.
28 SPAC LAUNCHES BRAND-NEW
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL POET RICHARD BLANCO SERVES AS THE SCHOOL’S FIRST VISITING ARTIST AND MENTOR.
32 SAVE THE DATE
NEXT YEAR’S SEASON WILL BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT.
FRANCESCO D’AMICO
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WORLD’S BEST HOSPITALS 2021
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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
LAWRENCE WHITE
D
DEAR FRIENDS,
espite the enormous challenges presented by the pandemic over the past 15 months, in June of this year, live performance at SPAC began anew. New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival all miraculously returned to their summer home in Saratoga, along with Live Nation, Caffe Lena@SPAC and Opera Saratoga. In place of the elegiac silence that haunted the SPAC grounds in summer 2020, this year saw the euphoria of live music and dance and the joyous communal gathering around great beauty and art. This “reawakening” of SPAC extended beyond our stages with the complete
transformation of our physical campus via the beautiful new Pines@SPAC facilities, and the exponential growth of our education programming with the opening of the new SPAC School of the Arts. Thanks to saratoga living, we are delighted to share this special publication celebrating our 2021 SPAC REAWAKENED season, fueled by the curative power of the arts and the resilient spirit of you, our beloved community. Warmly,
Elizabeth Sobol President & CEO, SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 9
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S PA C R E AWA K E N E D
SPAC’S 2021 SEASON BY THE NUMBERS
1,600
FREE tickets were given to healthcare and frontline workers
1,844
people became SPAC members
Ticket-buyers came to SPAC from
38
states
1
deer attended the Dave Matthews Band’s Saturday night concert
2
people got engaged at the Jonas Brothers concert
Countless
compliments were received about SPAC’s lush green lawn
Hungry gophers chewed through
7
fiber-optic cables
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“ SPAC IS B AC K, AN D B ET TE R TH AN EV ER !”
–M AR SH A DO LI NS KY
S, SPAC “ FR O M LE M O N TH E M O ST D TE H AS CR EA O N AD E.” D EL IC IO U S LE M DI R M AL ES AR –D OR IS FI SC HE
SPAC RETURNS! SCENES & FEEDBACK FROM THE 2021 COMEBACK SEASON. photography by
FRANCESCO D’AMICO and DAVE BIGLER
“ IF I CO U LD SU M U P TH E SE AS O N IN O N E WORD, IT W O U LD B E G R AT EF U L.”
–J UD Y AR ON ST AM M
SPAC 2021
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BUT FIRST, FOYA THE ANNUAL ADIRONDACK TRUST COMPANY FESTIVAL OF YOUNG ARTISTS KICKSTARTED SPAC’S 2021 SEASON.
Last year, the Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists was forced to go completely virtual. This year, an in-person festival kicked off SPAC’s season with a guided “safari” journey throughout the SPAC grounds with modern dance company PILOBOLUS. “After more than a year of human connection being limited to televisions, phones, and computer screens, it was so exhilarating to experience art in 360 degrees,” says Dennis Moench, SPAC’s senior director of education. The festival and its online gallery, located at spacfoya.org, features more than 80 works from young dancers, musicians, singers, poets and visual artists. ( clockwise from top ) Northeast Ballet Company performs at the festival; “Black Lives Matter” by Annika Johnson; “Change: Hope” by Alyssa Gangaram, which won the Schenectady High School student one of three 2021 Outstanding Artist Awards.
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SPAC’S METAMORPHOSIS PRESIDENT AND CEO ELIZABETH SOBOL T A K E S U S O N S PA C ’ S P O S T- PA N D E M I C J O U R N E Y O F T R A N S F O R M AT I O N .
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n June 5, we all stood on the beloved SPAC grounds with tears in our eyes. There was a radiant, blue sky and a shimmering of green as far as the eye could see. After spending so many solitary days there over the course of the pandemic, this day marked the return of the Festival of Young Artists—and live audiences and performances—to the SPAC grounds for the first time in 21 months. In place of the elegiac silence, there was music — and my tears were not tears of sadness, but of relief and of joy. Every inch of our campus was filled with young people—poets, painters, singers, dancers, instrumentalists—all sharing with us through their art their large hearts, their big talents and their high hopes for a better world. From September 2020 to this past March, our number one priority was bringing our residency companies home. We knew that we had the opportunity to provide COVIDsafe performances for audience members, staff and artists. But we did not yet know the parameters. Would we be allowed to use the amphitheater? If so, for 500 people? 1,500? What would the financial SPAC 2021
impact of substantially reduced capacity mean for us? What repertoire could NYCB make ready to perform in Saratoga after 18 months of not dancing? How many socially distanced Philadelphia Orchestra members would fit onto the amphitheater stage—and how might that limit or change their repertoire? These were just a handful of the myriad of questions confronting us day in and day out. Finally, by spring, hope began to lighten our spirits. And the presence of a vaccine began to focus our efforts — allowing us to begin solidifying our plans with our resident companies and to put tickets on sale for performances in the amphitheater. And by June, with the lifting of restrictions on the horizon and the Festival of Young Artists happening in person on our grounds, there was a euphoria that accompanied the prospect of our community returning, in person, to our campus. The theme of the 2021 Festival of Young Artists was Metamorphosis. And there could not have been a more perfect word to evoke the ongoing evolution of SPAC, an evolution heightened and deepened 14
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Young dancers participating in one of NYCB’s education programs on the SPAC stage.
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during the pandemic. Nowhere is this Pitney Meadows Community Farm; thrilled more dramatically evident than in the by the behind-the-scenes look at New York very presence of our new Pines@SPAC City Ballet On and Off Stage; inspired by the facility, a project that began with the seven SPAC premieres featuring women and intent to replace aging concessions and BIPOC composers during the Philadelphia bathroom facilities but quickly expanded Orchestra season. On top of all that, we its scope to align with our new mission. We welcomed back Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz opened up original site lines and restored Festival, many of the beloved artists on a beautiful park aesthetic to our campus, stage performing for live audiences for the in celebration of nature and our unique first time since March 2020. place within. We built our first yearConcerts by Live Nation, Caffe Lena@ round indoor gathering space, the Nancy SPAC, and for the first time ever, a DiCresce Education Room, as a locus for production by Opera Saratoga, filled out our expanding role as arts educators. And an abundant feast that fed our pandemic the beautiful Julie Bonacio Family Pavilion, hunger for live performance. a communal gathering place that has now Second, if the years leading up to 2020 become the beating heart of our beautiful saw SPAC deepening its commitment to Pines campus, rose up in education, diversification the center. of programming and service There was a radiant, blue In 2020, thanks to these to the community, it was sky and a shimmering of new facilities, we were the devastating effects green as far as the eye able to host more than 200 of the year 2020 that could see. After spending events on our campus, 50 strengthened our resolve to so many solitary days people at a time, from July redouble these efforts. there over the course of to December. Now with the And so, in September, a the pandemic, this day return of live performance great dream took flight: the to the amphitheater stage, launch of the SPAC School marked the return of the the Pines truly came alive, of the Arts, with its multiFestival of Young Artists— bursting with activity and disciplinary curriculum and live audiences and stunning our community of theatre, music, dance, performances—to the with its ample spaces, creative writing and SPAC grounds for the first integrative design and visual and media arts. We time in 21 months. breathtaking views. welcomed the School’s first Over the course of the visiting artist, Presidential pandemic, amidst all the un-knowing, Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco, whose there were two things that we held to be mission as an educator is to cultivate themes absolutely true. of memory, belonging, interdependence and First, we knew that another season unity. How better to face the challenges of without our resident companies was our times than to inspire and empower a inconceivable and that, one way or new generation to embrace imagination, another, they had to return. Thanks to creativity and tolerance? the tremendous collaborative spirit of This, then, is our Metamorphosis, our collective teams, despite all of the the future of SPAC to which we dedicate challenges, those companies came back ourselves. A place where great art reminds home to Saratoga this summer. us of our shared spark of humanity, where Each residency had a different look from great beauty calls forth our better angels. previous years. But far from feeling like A beacon, a refuge, a healing place in something less, or lost, we were dazzled by nature where all people feel welcomed— the change of perspective: enchanted by and all cultures are celebrated—and where hearing Chamber Music Society of Lincoln together, we cultivate the unbreakable Center in its spectacular new location at bonds of interconnection and compassion. 15
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S PA C R E AWA K E N E D
A RIBBON CUTTING TO REMEMBER
I
THE PINES@SPAC FINALLY GETS ITS BIG PREMIERE PARTY.
t was well worth the wait. A year after the project was ready to welcome guests (but the season was cancelled due to COVID), SPAC was finally able to unveil its stunning The Pines@SPAC, the product of a $9.5 million renovation project to its grounds and facilities, this past July. “Saratoga Spa State Park draws tourists and visitors from across the globe to experience everything the Park has to offer—from world-class arts and culture venues and performances to outdoor recreation and family fun,” said then–Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul at the July 27 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “With support from New York State and Live Nation, The Pines@ SPAC will continue to bring economic activity and top-tier artists to the Capital Region.” “Nowhere is SPAC’s transformation more dramatically evident than in the presence of our new Pines@SPAC facility. In celebration of nature and our unique place within, the new facilities opened up original site lines, restoring a beautiful Park aesthetic to our campus; to accommodate our growing education program, the Nancy DiCresce Education Room serves as our first year-round indoor gathering space; and as part of our role as a communal gathering place, the beautiful Julie Bonacio Family Pavilion has now become the beating heart of our Pines campus,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President & CEO of SPAC. SPAC at last had the opportunity to unveil its The Pines@SPAC upgrades last July, which included upgrades to its restrooms and concession buildings, as well as the addition of a pavilion, terrace and education room. SPAC 2021
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AFTER
BEFORE
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S PA C R E AWA K E N E D
SPAC’S AMPHITHEATER COMES ALIVE!
JAZZ FEST BROUGHT LIVE MUSIC BACK TO SARATOGA, AND SPAC’S SUMMER RESIDENT COMPANIES ENJOYED A TRIUMPHANT RETURN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANCESCO D’AMICO
SPAC 2021
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Yannick Nézet-Séguin directs the Philadelphia Orchestra in August; (opposite) this year’s classical season featured six performances by NYCB.
his summer saw the joyful return of SPAC’s programming, following a cancelled 2020 season due to the pandemic. This year’s comeback season kicked off in June with a wellreceived venue change for Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) at Pitney Meadows Community Farm, followed by the legendary Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival and full-length performances by resident companies New York City Ballet (NYCB) and The Philadelphia Orchestra. CMS saw the biggest change as its performances were moved to the stunning Pitney Meadows Community Farm for “CMS at the Meadows.” The sold-out residency premiered at the farm’s open-air High Tunnel greenhouse June 13 in front of an eager audience. “This past season was an extraordinary achievement, in so many ways,” says coArtistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han. “While this has been a difficult period in history, music has once again prevailed.” The new performance calendar featured two days of shows a month (with both matinee and evening performances each day) throughout the summer. These
shows were so highly anticipated that all performances (including both a world premiere and Beethoven masterpieces) were completely sold out before the season premiere, and the beautiful backdrop and new schedule were so well received that CMS is already committed to repeating the set-up next year. Live music returned to the SPAC amphitheater June 26 and 27, with Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. Mere days before all mandates were lifted in the State of New York, jazz fans sat in socially distanced pods on the lawn for the first and only time. Performers ranged from Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves and “guitar hero” Al Di Meola, to Saratogian Garland Nelson’s band, A Joyful Noise, in its festival debut. “The 2021 jazz festival certainly was ‘different,’ but it was glorious,” says Danny Melnick, President of Absolutely Live Entertainment, which partners with SPAC for the jazz festival. He pointed out that most of the artists had not performed live since March 2020, adding, “As the 19
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S PA C R E AWA K E N E D
performances, which took place July 14-17. Because of COVID, only a small group of dancers took the stage, and each showing featured dialogue that included an inside look into the pieces and sometimes memories from past SPAC seasons. There were two programs, an all-Balanchine one hosted by Gonzalo Garcia and “Short Stories” hosted by Maria Kowroski; both hosts are beloved principal dancers who will be retiring from the company during its 2021-22 New York Season. The company’s artistic director, Jonathan Stafford, called this year’s unique format “an intimate, inside look at some of NYCB’s wonderful artists and repertory.” The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by charismatic Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, rounded out this special comeback season August 11-14. As part of SPAC’s commitment to presenting works that represent a diverse group of voices, the orchestra’s run featured seven SPAC premieres, including works by Philadelphia Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank, Valerie Coleman, Florence Price and Louise Farrenc. Plus, the finale performance featured violinist Joshua Bell performing the illustrious Beethoven Violin Concerto. “Our time in Saratoga is always treasured,” says Nézet-Séguin. “But last year’s absence makes this cherished summer tradition even more special.”
Live music returned to the SPAC stage June 26 and 27 for Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival.
festival unfolded, the artists performed emotionally charged sets, and the audience enthusiastically responded with a sense of relief, joy and pure bliss.” Both NYCB and the Philadelphia Orchestra were thrilled to be back on the SPAC stage, with a shortened residency for the orchestra and in the case of NYCB, a different kind of program. Both organizations will be back next year for their full summer seasons. The dancers’ joy at returning to SPAC was palpable during the six NYCB SPAC 2021
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OPERA S A R ATOGA
CAFFÈ LENA
Opera Saratoga, which normally performs at the Spa Little Theatre, hit the SPAC stage for the first time for three performances (July 8-10) of the Tony Award-winning musical Man of La Mancha. The production starred Broadway and opera star Zachary James in the title role and was directed and choreographed by Opera Saratoga’s Artistic and General Director, Lawrence Edelson. The beloved musical was inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th century masterpiece, Don Quixote, with its inspirational theme of “love, hope and adventure.” Hit songs include “Dulcinea,” “Little Bird” and, the most famous, “The Impossible Dream.”
SPAC’s popular “Caffè Lena@SPAC” concert series returned for the 2021 season, bringing two days (July 24 and 25) of free performances to SPAC’s Charles R. Wood Stage. The lineup of mostly global and folk artists included The Kruger Brothers; The Sea, The Sea; Jean Rohe’s contemporary folk band; and traditional folk band Lost Radio Rounders. In addition to folk music, genres such as indie rock and world music, as well as influences from blues, rock R&B and jazz, were also represented. The collaboration between SPAC and Caffè Lena launched in 2017, encompassing jointly curated programs at both venues, with the location varying by season.
PARTNER UP:
(Opera Saratoga) GARY GOLD; (Ellen Reid Soundwalk) ERIN BAIANO; (Sarah Maslin Nir) ERIN O’LEARY
WAMC
SPAC’S 2021 SEASON INCLUDED SOME UNIQUE COLLABORATIONS.
A new series of moderated discussions, WAMC@ SPAC, kicked off July 22 with acclaimed writer Christopher Cox, who sat down with WAMC’s Joe Donahue in the new Nancy DiCresce Room at The Pines@SPAC facility to discuss his book The Deadline Effect. The book strategizes how to achieve success while staying on schedule, no matter the project. A month later, WAMC@SPAC continued during the week of the Travers Stakes, when all of Saratoga is “horse crazy,” with Sarah Maslin Nir, author of Horse Crazy. The compelling new book is part memoir, part deep-dive reporting on horse lovers. The New York Times staff reporter was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for her yearlong investigation “Unvarnished.”
ELLEN REID SOUNDWALK
This past May saw the relaunch of Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK, a GPSenabled work of public art that uses music to illuminate the natural environment in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Following the popularity of its initial launch in the park last September, SOUNDWALK returned as a year-round installation that will be available until June 1, 2022. Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Reid and co-commissioned by SPAC, Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK is an immersive audio experience tailor-made for the park’s famous natural springs, wooded areas, geyser, waterfall and now also additional trails featuring the reflecting pool and Avenue of the Pines. The exhibit is free and allows for social distancing.
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EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
WITH THE NYCB AND PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA BACK FOR THE 2021 SEASON, SPAC REVVED UP ITS COVID-SAFE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING.
A
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANCESCO D’AMICO
fter the overwhelming success of SPAC’s “reimagined” virtual programming last year, it was a welcome sight to see members of the New York City Ballet (NYCB) and Philadelphia Orchestra back this year, guiding area students through COVID-safe, in-person educational initiatives. For the first time ever on SPAC’s amphitheater stage, NYCB dancers led two workshops with area students, including a “Children’s Workshop,” which taught more than 30 children, ages 4–8, choreography inspired by George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; “In Motion,” in which more than 30 children 9–12 were taught choreography inspired by Peter SPAC 2021
Martins’ Swan Lake. An “Access Workshop,” specifically tailored to 20 children with disabilities, was also held at the SPAC School of the Arts. Additionally, SPAC continued its partnership with the National Dance Institute and Double H Ranch. The Orchestra returned with its popular PlayIN series, offering 50 local violinists the opportunity of a lifetime to play with its members on SPAC’s amphitheater stage. This time around, young artists were able to perform with Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick NézetSéguin, Concertmaster David Kim, First Associate Concertmaster Juliette Kang and Assistant Conductor Erina Yashima, along with other members of the Orchestra. 22
(from top) Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts local violinists on the SPAC stage; Campers at Double H Ranch participate in a virtual dance workshop with the National Dance Institute; (opposite) an NYCB dancer leads a children’s workshop with choreography inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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SPAC’S CULINARY ADVENTURE THE DISH ON ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S SUPPER,’ PART OF SPAC’S DELICIOUS NEW FOODIE VENTURE, CULINARYARTS@SPAC.
Book, which his wife and muse, Tanaquil Le Clercq, penned in 1966. Between courses, Rosofsky, who is also the creator of the “Breaking Bread with Balanchine” project; Paul Kolnik, renowned NYCB photographer and Saratoga devotee; and Jeanne Fuchs, author and longtime friend of Le Clercq who worked with her on The Ballet Cook Book, shared stories about food, ballet and Saratoga. Present and past New York City Ballet dancers, including the legendary Edward Villella, were special guests at the alanchine fans descended affair, and Rosofsky curated upon SPAC this past the event with Chef Kim July to feast on some Klopstock of The Lily and the of his favorite dishes Rose, food writer Pam Abrams during “A Midsummer and the SPAC Action Council, Night’s Supper,” an extravagant two-day while Albany Distilling Company fundraiser that served as the kick-off to provided beverages. New York City Ballet’s run of shows at “Balanchine is deeply embedded in SPAC July 14 to July 17. SPAC’s DNA for his role in building our “We all know that George Balanchine amphitheater stage and co-founding our was a choreographic genius,” says Meryl beloved New York City Ballet,” says SPAC Rosofsky, who serves as vice-chair of the President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol. “This George Balanchine Foundation and who event gave us a unique opportunity to honor conceived of the event. “But what many many incredible artists and to celebrate the ballet lovers don’t know is that he was also intersection of dance and culinary arts.” a gifted cook. During summers in Saratoga, “A Midsummer Night’s Supper” is part he’d even make his own ice cream and jams.” of the Center’s CulinaryArts@SPAC The suppers, held on July 12 and 13, initiative, which launched last October served as an homage to with the elegant (and open“A Midsummer Night’s Supper,” Balanchine’s famous ballet A air, socially distanced) “Chef’s which served as the kickoff to Midsummer Night’s Dream, Table Harvest Dinner.” The NYCB’s four-day run at SPAC, which New York City Ballet program features educational featured cuisine inspired by performed during its very classes, workshops, gourmet Balanchine’s ballet of the first SPAC residency 55 experiences and more same name; (inset) many of the years ago. The legendary to support local chefs, choreographer’s recipes can be choreographer’s recipes are farmers, and the regional found in The Ballet Cook Book. available via The Ballet Cook culinary community. SPAC 2021
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NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES SPAC OFFERS ‘HEALTHCARE HEROES’ FREE ADMISSION TO TWO SUMMER EVENTS. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANCESCO D’AMICO
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ne of the big positives to come out of the pandemic was the longoverdue, nationwide appreciation for the healthcare workers and first responders who put their lives at risk every day to help others. In order to honor these Healthcare Heroes’ service, SPAC offered them free admission to two special events, it’s way of saying “thank you.” On July 23, the arts venue welcomed more than 1,600 frontline healthcare workers to its grounds for a complimentary screening of the film Secretariat, complete with free ice cream from Stewart’s Shops and a fireworks display to close out the evening. Following that act of kindness, on August 12, healthcare workers and first responders were invited, thanks to donated tickets, to attend a performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra of its Coleman, Bach & Brahms program. The concert included a performance of “Seven O’Clock Shout,” a piece composed as a tribute to frontline workers during the pandemic. “To me, ‘Seven O’Clock Shout’ is a declaration of our survival,” says Valerie Coleman, the work’s composer. “It is
HOW’D WE DO IT?
Scenes from SPAC’s Healthcare Heroes night, which welcomed more than 1,600 frontline healthcare workers and their families for a free screening of the film Secretariat.
something that allows us our agency to take back the kindness that is in our hearts and the emotions that cause us such turmoil... we cheer on the essential workers with a primal and fierce urgency to let them know that we stand with them and each other.”
SPAC’s Healthcare Heroes initiative was made possible by last year’s “SPAC Stars,” those ticketholders who opted to donate their ticket back to SPAC rather than get a refund, following the cancellation of the 2020 season. Thanks to the generosity of CDPHP, NYRA, Gateway Dermatology and Stewart's Shops in addition to these local “stars,” we were able to give area healthcare workers and first responders a well-deserved night out. 25
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The arts have the power to transform, inspire, elevate and connect us all.
WE HAVE A BIG VISION AT SPAC. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
“SPAC is back and better than ever! Our community is so lucky to have SPAC in our backyard.” –MARSHA DOLINSKY, SPAC ACTION COUNCIL MEMBER
AS A 501(C)3 CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION, SPAC RELIES UPON THE SUSTAINING FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF OUR MEMBERS AND PATRONS TO MAKE OUR VISION FOR THE COMMUNITY A REALITY.
BECOME A SPAC MEMBER TODAY! SPAC.ORG/MEMBERSHIP
518.584.9330 ext 117
S PA C R E AWA K E N E D
ALL TOGETHER NOW
SPAC TEAMS UP WITH THE TANG TEACHING MUSEUM TO TRANSFORM THE PINES@SPAC INTO A CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY.
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ou know SPAC as a world-class “Most people don’t think of SPAC as performing arts venue (see page 20), a place to go see an art exhibition,” says a destination for the finest farm-toIan Berry, Dayton Director of the Tang. table dinners (see page 28), and as a “So it was a really exciting moment where center for arts education of all kinds we were able to work with SPAC to create (see page 22). But SPAC as an art gallery? public hours where people could go without That’s a new one. a ticket, for free, and roam around SPAC This summer, SPAC teamed up with and see their new buildings.” Skidmore College’s Frances Young Tang The Tang-SPAC partnership didn’t Teaching Museum and Art Gallery on All end there. The two organizations also Together Now, a firstcollaborated on a of-its-kind collectionsperformance piece sharing project that saw inspired by the samepieces from the Tang’s named Energy in All permanent collection Directions exhibition, on display throughout first commissioning the region at multiple contemporary poets venues across town, to craft new poems in SPAC included. response to the art, Lindsay Kesselman and Sandbox Percussion On view in the Alfred which was on display at performing Energy in All Directions at The Tang; Z. Solomon Lobby of The Tang from October (above) the installation of Chromatic Scales: SPAC’s brand-new The 2020 to June 2021. From Psychedelic Design from the Tang Teaching Pines building from those writings, composer Museum Collection in The Pines@Spac. June to October was Kenneth Frazelle created Chromatic Scales: Psychedelic Design from a piece of music that was performed by the Tang Teaching Museum Collection, soprano Lindsay Kesselman and the New an exhibition co-curated by SPAC’s own York City–based ensemble, Sandbox Christopher Shiley, senior director of Percussion, in the gallery that housed artistic planning. Chromatic Scales featured Energy in All Directions (the exhibition). more than 30 recently acquired 1960s San Francisco psychedelic rock concert posters, featuring bands/artists such as The Doors, SCAN THE QR CODE TO Jefferson Airplane and Van Morrison, and WATCH THE ENERGY legendary venues like The Matrix, Avalon IN ALL DIRECTIONS Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium. PERFORMANCE ONLINE. 27
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SPAC LAUNCHES BRAND-NEW SCHOOL OF THE ARTS SPAC 2021
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SPAC HELD AN OPEN HOUSE ON SEPTEMBER 18, WITH PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL POET RICHARD BLANCO SERVING AS THE SCHOOL’S FIRST VISITING ARTIST AND MENTOR.
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ust in time for the 2021-22 school year, SPAC upped its arts educational programming game infinity-fold. In mid-September, SPAC swung open the doors to its new School of the Arts (SOTA), a multidisciplinary school dedicated to dance, music and theater, with additional offerings planned for instruction in literary arts, visual arts and media arts. All housed under one roof—the National Museum of Dance’s Lewis A. Swyer Studios—the school is now bringing top arts education to the community, prioritizing multicultural, multi-genre education, while furthering its mission to facilitate inclusion, equity in and access to arts education of all kinds. SPAC, which currently serves nearly 50,000 students throughout the Capital Region annually, has expanded that reach with the school’s opening. The school primarily accommodates children ages 3–18, with plans to expand its offerings for adults in January 2022. “The opportunity to open a school dedicated to year-round arts education is a thrilling addition to our rapidly expanding education programs,” says SOTA’s director, Dennis Moench, who also serves as SPAC’s senior director of education. “With this new venture, we look forward to providing something truly unique to the Capital Region—a creative space where children can access and explore multiple art forms; make lasting connections to the world and each other; and discover their own passions for art-making in a learning environment that is joyful, engaging and welcoming to all.” To kick off its inaugural school year, SOTA welcomed in Presidential Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco as its first visiting artist and student mentor. Blanco, who commemorated the school’s opening on September 18 by reading his poems “Declaration of Inter-dependence” and “Looking for the Gulf Motel,” will not only serve as a mentor to SOTA students, but also the three literary finalists chosen as part of next year’s Festival of Young Artists. “I am a champion of arts education and have found a perfect fit with SPAC’s School SPAC 2021
of the Arts,” says Blanco. “They believe—as I do—that the arts should not be a luxury, but rather, a necessary part of learning.” Support for SOTA comes from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family, with additional funding from the Charles R. Wood Foundation going toward tuition assistance, supplies, instruments and transportation. To register for SOTA classes, visit spacschool.org. 30
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I NAUGURAL PO ET RICH ARD B LAN CO
What sets SOTA apart from other arts schools is its multidisciplinary approach. Students don’t have to choose between dance, theater or music—they can explore all three.
will serve as the first visiting artist at the SPAC School of the Arts and a mentor for the 2022 Festival of Young Artists. Known for the reading of his poem “One Today” at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, Blanco is the author of poetry collections Looking for the Gulf Motel, Directions to the Beach of the Dead and City of a Hundred Fires, and the first-ever education ambassador for the Academy of American poets. “Blanco’s contributions to the fields of poetry and the arts have already paved a path forward for future generations of writers…Our Nation was built on the freedom of expression, and poetry has long played an important role in telling the story of our Union and illuminating the experiences that unite all people.” – President Barack Obama
(from left) SOTA Director Dennis Moench, Elizabeth Sobol, Bill Dake, Susan Dake, and Richard Blanco
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2022
E H D T A E TE! V A S NEXT YEAR’S SEASON WILL BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT.
FREIHOFER’S SARATOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL JUNE 25 & 26 •
CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER JUNE 12 & 19 JULY 10 & 17 AUGUST 14 & 21 •
NEW YORK CITY BALLET JULY 12-16 •
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
FRANCESCO D’AMICO
JULY 27-AUGUST 13
Grammy winner Dianne Reeves performing at the 2021 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival. SPAC 2021
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Leading innovation at the intersection of the arts, science, and technology — right here in the Capital Region. The Rensselaer student orchestra has played at Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall.
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