Culture Picks: September 30

Did you watch the Tonys? I had my fingers crossed for Purchase alum Katie Kresek! Katie is the concertmaster and co-orchestrator of Moulin Rouge! the Musical and was nominated for Best Orchestrations. Here she is being interviewed with fellow Tony Award-winners Justin Levine, Charlie Rosen, and Matt Stine. Congratulations!
Winner First Impressions: The MOULIN ROUGE! Orchestrators – YouTube

Christian Gerhaher and Friends – Live at Wigmore Hall
Streaming on-demand
Christian Gerhaher, baritone; Isabelle Faust, violin; Anne Katharina Schreiber, violin; Timothy Ridout, viola; Danusha Waskiewicz, viola; Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Christian Poltéra, cello. PROGRAM: Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957) Notturno Op. 47; Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) Verklärte Nacht Op. 4; Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Les nuits d’été Op. 7 (arranged by David Matthews for baritone and sextet). Of note is the rarely heard song cycle for baritone and string quartet by Swiss composer Schoeck, which sets poems by Nikolaus Lenau and Gottfried Keller; Alban Berg is known to have been an admirer.
Watch Christian Gerhaher and Friends Live at Wigmore Hall on YouTube.

A Jam Session for Troubling Times
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Streaming on-demand through Tuesday, October 5, at 7pm
Escape your present-day troubles and let the energy and virtuosity of the “bebop” sound lift your spirits when Ailey All Access presents A Jam Session for Troubling Times. Created last year by Jamar Roberts, Ailey’s “on-a-roll resident choreographer” (NY Times), this boisterous dance is set to recordings by jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
Stream A Jam Session for Troubling Times on Ailey All Access

Virtual A La Calle Block Party
Ballet Hispánico
Live stream Friday, October 1, 7-8pm
On-demand through October 15
Ballet Hispánico kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month programming with a virtual rendition of the annual A La Calle Block Party! Company dancers and School of Dance students perform alongside guests from Bombazo Dance Company, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, and Contra Tiempo in a festive celebration fusing dance and culture. Sponsored by Con Edison of New York, Popular Bank, and Mutual of America.
Learn more about Ballet Hispánico’s Hispanic Heritage Month events on their website

National Storytelling Festival
Online October 1-2
Experience the world-class storytelling you have come to know and love from the comfort of your home. The weekend-long festival will feature 20+ hours of live stream storytelling, with continued viewing access for 14 days following the final show.
Access the National Storytelling Festival

Composers in Focus: Vijay Iyer
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Wednesday, October 6, 6:30pm
Composers in Focus offers audiences a rare opportunity to sit in on intimate conversations between composers and musicians. Each program is accompanied by an online resource guide exploring the influences of featured composers. In this episode, composer and pianist Vijay Iyer talks with violinist Kristin Lee about his inspiration and influences over the course of his innovative and multi-faceted career; they also perform Iyer’s The Diamond for Violin and Piano (2018).
Access Composers in Focus: Vijay Iyer

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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.