Culture Picks: September 23

Let’s celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the official start of Fall, and opening nights galore!

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
Historic Hudson Valley
Live at Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Select nights through November 21
Meander through an 18th-century landscape and discover a breathtaking display of more than 7,000 illuminated jack o’ lanterns—all designed and hand-carved on-site. New for 2021, the always-impressive New York City skyline’s pumpkin treatment and an immersive river display. Complete with synchronized lighting and an original soundtrack, this one-of-a-kind event is not to be missed! Please note that admission is by a timed ticket sold ONLY in advance.
Get your advance tickets on the Historic Hudson Valley website

Delirium: Jeremy Denk
San Francisco Symphony
Streaming on-demand
PAC audience favorite pianist Jeremy Denk curates a SoundBox program that weaves together poignant states of sorrow and healing in music from composers across the ages. Denk notes: “I hope this program gives a sense of our place in history, at times unsettling, but also finally, comforting.”
Access Delirium: Jeremy Denk

Tributes and Tangos
Celebrity Series of Boston / Ágora Cultural Architects
Streaming live on Thursday, September 23, 8pm
Available on demand for three months
GRAMMY-winning guitarist Claudio Ragazzi and his quartet perform to Ragazzi’s evocative, Latin jazz-inflected originals.
Access the Claudio Ragazzi Quartet performance

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Caleb Teicher & Company
Britton-René Collins, marimba
Premieres Thursday, September 23, 7pm
Another PAC favorite returns to the stage! Celebrate the opening of Orpheus’ 2021-22 hybrid season with this remarkable full-length concert featuring dancers from Caleb Teicher & Company and percussionist Britton-René Collins. Enjoy tap dancing alongside Bach’s Goldberg Variations, an evocative marimba concerto by Ney Rosauro, and a classic aria by Villa-Lobos.
Get tickets and access Orpheus On-Demand

Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones
The Metropolitan Opera
Monday, September 27, 6:30 pm
A free simulcast of the Opening Night production of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem and in Times Square. All seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Marcus Garvey Park attendees must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. Masks are recommended at both venues.
Learn more about the simulcast

Performing Arts Talks: Fire Shut Up in My Bones
The New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Tuesday, September 28, 7pm
Livestream
Join us for an evening of talks and performances to celebrate Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones. The opera, adapted from The New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow’s memoir, is the Met’s first performance by a Black composer. The evening will feature Blanchard, Blow, co-director James Robinson, and more. Presented in partnership with The Metropolitan Opera.
Register here for Performing Arts Talks: Fire Shut Up in My Bones

Musical Heritage: Jascha Heifetz
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Livestream
Wednesday, September 29, 7:30pm
Arnaud Sussmann and Aaron Boyd lead a very special tribute to the legendary violinist and mentor, Jascha Heifetz. They are joined by special guests Jay Heifetz, son of Jascha Heifetz, and Ayke Agus, author of Heifetz As I Knew Him. The presentation includes pre-recorded interviews with Heifetz students, biographers, and collaborators Endre Granat, John Maltese, and Itzhak Perlman, along with photos and performance videos for an in-depth look at the historic career of this great artist. A Q&A will follow the presentation.
Access the CMS Musical Heritage livestream

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Culture Picks is a weekly feature celebrating the performing arts. The arts are back and there is so much to take in, both live and virtual. PAC staff member Coni Guhl is here to help you sort through it all. Each week we will post her curated selection of events featuring the artists you know and love from The PAC Center Series, plus a sampling of stellar local experiences. Enjoy!

All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.