Welcome to March, the month of ides and madness, Mardi Gras and hares! What’s on your must-see list this month?
On February 22, Grammy-winning Purchase alum Samara Joy was a winner at the 56th NAACP Image Awards in the Outstanding Jazz Album category, for her latest album, Portrait.
Listen to her sing “You Stepped Out Of A Dream” (studio version)
Support future Purchase alumni as they take the stage(s) this spring!
Purchase Latin Jazz Orchestra, Purchase Symphony Orchestra, Purchase Opera
Learn more about Conservatory of Music performances on the Purchase College website
Shakespeare’s Macbeth and The Tempest
Learn more about Conservatory of Theatre Arts performances on the Purchase College website
The String Queens
Saturday, March 8, 8pm
The Purchase PAC
On Saturday, March 8, The String Queens will grace The Purchase PAC stage. They were recently featured in a documentary by the Voice of America, Soulful Strings, “a celebration of music, mission, and message.” ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Watch “Soulful Strings” on YouTube
Get tickets to see the String Queens on March 8
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Nevermind
Tuesday, March 18, 7:30pm
Livestream
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents period-instrument ensemble Nevermind performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations at the American Philosophical Society. This French ensemble is expanding the artistic possibilities of period-instrument performance, imbuing the Baroque quartet repertoire (flute, violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord) with a thoroughly engaging mix of virtuoso expertise and unpretentious charm.
Watch the livestream on the PCM website
Janet Langsam: Improbable Feminist
Opening reception Wednesday, April 2, 5:30-7pm
The Neuberger Museum of Art, on the campus of Purchase College
Meet the artist—one of the arts and culture icons of the Westchester community, CEO of ArtsWestchester for 33 years—and explore Langsam’s body of work from its inception to the point at which she redirected her efforts toward making the world a better place through art. Advance registration is requested.
Learn more and RSVP
Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS New Orleans Songbook
Sunday, April 6, 5pm
The Purchase PAC
Featured artists Quiana Lynell, Milton Suggs, and Luther S. Allison bring “the soul of New Orleans and the spirit of Mardi Gras” to us right here at Purchase.
Learn more and get tickets.
Hear Quiana Lynell perform at the NOLA Jazz Museum, presented by the Jazz Foundation of America
Hear Milton Suggs perform “Sing a Song of Song (There Is a Song)” from his album Pure Intention (2024)
Luther S. Allison was a 2024 Jazz Is: Now Curatorial Fellow at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and a Grammy Award Winning Pianist with Samara Joy on her 2023 release “Tight.”
Hear Samara Joy and Luther S. Allison perform “Now and Then” on Jazz FM
Speaking of Jazz at Lincoln Center, it’s celebrating a major milestone: 20 years! Marking the occasion, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis discusses two decades of music, education, and performance at the venue known as “the house that Wynton built.”
Wynton Marsalis on 20 years of jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents the last of this season’s concerts at The Purchase PAC on Saturday, May 3, at 5pm, with a pre-show artist talk at 4:15. The concert will offer an opportunity to hear cellist David Finckel (Artistic Director of CMS since 2004 with his wife, pianist Wu Han) with five colleagues in selections ranging from Bach to Tchaikovsky.
Speaking of milestones, in 2020 CMS celebrated 50 years with this documentary that can be viewed on YouTube.
Also on Saturday, May 3, the PAC will be the site of an Alumni Showcase from 1:30-7:30pm and an 8pm performance of MOMIX: Alice. Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX’s Alice will take you on a mind-bending adventure inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
Watch a preview of “Alice” on YouTube
Get tickets to see “Alice” at the Purchase PAC on May 3
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Culture Picks celebrates the performing arts. In each post, PAC staff member Coni Guhl shines the spotlight on work by artists that you know and love from their appearances at The Purchase PAC, and offers recommendations about other performing arts events that you really should not miss. Experience them all!
All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.
Pictured: The String Queens, from the official music video for “Golden.”
