This month, we celebrate big birthdays and special anniversaries. And, of course, since it is October, we had to throw in something a little creepy for Halloween. Enjoy it all!
The Carter Center presents
Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song
On-demand, available from October 1
Capturing the landmark concert event presented by The Carter Center on September 17 at Atlanta’s famed Fox Theatre in commemoration of the centennial birthday of the longest-living U.S. president, Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song will premiere Tuesday, October 1, at 7pm on Carter’s 100th birthday. Featured artists include Angelique Kidjo, BeBe Winans, Carlene Carter, Chuck Leavell, D-Nice, Drive-By Truckers, Duane Betts, Eric Church, GROUPLOVE, India Arie, Lalah Hathaway, Rickey Minor Band, Spelman College Glee Club, The B-52’s, The War And Treaty, and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus.
Watch a preview of the concert on YouTube.
Watch “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song” on-demand.
The Metropolitan Opera in association with PBS and The WNET Group presents
Great Performances at the Met: Madama Butterfly
Premieres Sunday, October 6, at 2pm, on PBS. Check local listings.
Soprano Asmik Grigorian stars as Cio-Cio-San in her Met Opera debut as the loyal geisha at the heart of Puccini’s devastating tragedy. Tenor Jonathan Tetelman stars the callous American naval officer Pinkerton, whose betrayal destroys her. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang makes her Met debut conducting Anthony Minghella’s vivid production, and Anthony Roth Costanzo hosts.
Watch “Great Performances: Madama Butterfly” on PBS.org
The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Archive Center present
Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church
On view October 11, 2024—May 17, 2025
Thursday through Saturday from 11am to 3pm
Free; advance registration required
Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church provides a rare opportunity for visitors to explore the creative process of renowned artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985). In the 1960s, Chagall was commissioned by the Rockefeller family to create a large stained-glass window in memory of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., as well as eight smaller windows, for Union Church of Pocantico Hills. The resulting jewel-toned panels depict Old and New Testament subjects, including the parable of the Good Samaritan and several Hebrew prophets. Sketching Light features 27 mixed media works on paper from Chagall’s preparatory studies for the project. These works, acquired by David Rockefeller in 1975 for the Rockefeller Archive Center, will be on public display for the first time since 1978. Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church is a collaboration between the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Archive Center. It is co-curated by Katrina London and Michele Hiltzik Beckerman to celebrate the Archive Center’s 50th Anniversary.
Learn more on the Rockefeller Brothers Fund website
Manual Cinema: Frankenstein
at The Purchase PAC
Sunday, October 20
Just in time for Halloween, Manual Cinema stitches together the Gothic tale of Frankenstein with the biography of the original novel’s author, Mary Shelley, to create an unexpected story about love, loss, and the beauty and horror of creation. To tell this haunting tale, the Chicago-based performance collective imaginatively combines shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, sound effects, and live music — it’s like nothing else you’ve ever seen.
Learn more and get tickets on The Purchase PAC website
PBS presents Great Performances:
Émigré: A Musical Drama with the New York Philharmonic
Premieres Friday, October 25, at 9pm, on PBS. Check local listings.
Enjoy this semi-staged oratorio with the New York Philharmonic and an international cast telling the story of Jewish refugees in World War II Shanghai. Set to music by Aaron Zigman with lyrics by Mark Campbell and additional lyrics by Brock Walsh.
Watch “Émigré: A Musical Drama” on PBS.org
–Celebrating 100 Years of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue —
Strike Up the Band! A Century of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
On-demand
Belated birthday greetings to George Gershwin! The beloved New Yorker, composer, and pianist was born on September 26, 1898, and 2024 marks 100 years since his seminal work, Rhapsody in Blue, originally premiered. WQXR’s radio special, Strike Up the Band! A Century of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, was hosted by Jeff Spurgeon and features guests who share the fascinating stories behind the composition and premiere of this iconic work, and explores how artists have reimagined Gershwin’s masterpiece over the past century.
Listen to “Strike up the Band!” on WQXR.org
Carnegie Hall presents
NYO-USA at Sala São Paulo
On-demand
This summer, after their residence at Purchase College, the extraordinary young musicians of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) embarked on a tour of South America with stops in Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires under the direction of celebrated conductor Marin Alsop. The esteemed ensemble performed a program of works by Barber, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Gershwin, featuring world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist in Rhapsody in Blue. This concert was filmed at Sala São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
Watch NYO-USA at Sala São Paulo on YouTube
The City of Boston presents
Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Pops
At the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 Concert for the City, Mayor Michelle Wu performed one of her favorite pieces, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. The Concert for the City is a free event that showcases all that the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops have to offer, alongside arts and music education partners and programs from throughout Greater Boston.
Watch Michelle Wu and the Boston Pops on YouTube
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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: NYO-USA performs at Sala São Paulo. Photo (c) Chris Lee.
