Culture Picks: September 15

Bigger isn’t always better! This week’s Culture Picks features a Puccini from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center that is less than five minutes long – but what a treat! Equally inspiring is the Tiny Desk Concert featuring superstar Angélique Kidjo, who spreads the music of Africa and the spirit of love in all that she does.*

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents
Puccini: Scherzo for String Quartet
On-demand
Giacomo Puccini: Scherzo for String Quartet (c. 1880)
Recorded live in Alice Tully Hall on March 3, 2017. Video produced by Ibis Productions.
Artists: Orion String Quartet (Daniel Phillips, Todd Phillips, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello)
Watch more chamber music videos at https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/watch-and-listen/ and on YouTube. New videos are released every Tuesday at 10am.
Watch and listen to Puccini: Scherzo for String Quartet on YouTube

NPR Presents
Angélique Kidjo: Tiny Desk Concert
On-demand
On September 12, NPR Music celebrated the 1,000th concert the Tiny Desk team has captured and published with a Tiny Desk Concert featuring superstar Angélique Kidjo. Originally from the West African country of Benin, the singer and activist is joined for this concert by Zambian singer Sampa The Great on vocals, while her band drives the energy and melody. They perform songs from her 2021 album Mother Nature and then dig back a decade to perform the song “Afirika,” encouraging strength for the African people. The celebration concludes as Angélique Kidjo pays tribute to her friend and mentor Miriam Makeba by performing her 1967 global hit, “Pata Pata.”
Watch and listen to The Tiny Desk Concert featuring Angélique Kidjo on YouTube

* You’ll be able to see both CMS of Lincoln Center and Angélique Kidjo live right here at The Purchase PAC this season! Visit the event listings page of our website for tickets and more information.

PBS presents
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at the Kennedy Center
On-demand through October 7
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra brings together Ukrainian musicians from around the world in artistic defense of their homeland. Organized by the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera in a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the Russian invasion, the orchestra is led by Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, who grew up in Winnipeg, the home of the largest concentration of Ukrainians in North America. The Orchestra includes recent Ukrainian refugees, Ukrainian members of European orchestras, and some of the top musicians of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa.
Watch the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at The Kennedy Center on PBS

Ballet Hispánico presents
Diálogos, Instituto Coreográfico with Omar Román De Jesús.
Live stream on Thursday, September 15, 7:30pm
Afterward on demand
To kick off our Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, choreographer Omar Román De Jesús (Bayamón, Puerto Rico) discusses his experience working with Ballet Hispánico Company dancers, his creative process, and how Instituto Coreográfico gives a voice to young artists and opens access to the dance-making process for all audiences.
Watch the live stream on YouTube

Live at Wigmore Hall presents
Le Concert Spirituel: Fauré Requiem
Premiering on Saturday, September 17, at 3pm
French sacred music is one of the specialties of the ensemble founded in 1987 by Hervé Niquet that takes its name from an 18th-century Parisian concert-giving organization. Here, Fauré’s choral masterpiece is preceded by works by his local contemporaries.
Watch Live at Wigmore Hall on YouTube

PS: Check last week’s Picks for some weekend concerts you might still be able to get tickets/register for.

###

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. Cultural connoisseur and 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, work being done by Purchase alums, plus a sampling of arts experiences you just can’t miss. Enjoy!

All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.