October 6th thru December 16th, 11-1 pm, Sundays, (or by appointment)
Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery

Copake artist Peter Nicholas Fritsch, (a.k.a.“Nick,”) studied painting and drawing at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Student’s League in NYC. His teachers included artists Herb Katzman, Don Eddy, Gilbert Stone and Robert Cenedella.

Inspired by the traditions of mid 20th century American realism, his streetscape paintings explore the mystical qualities of night, evoking a quietly dramatic sense of place. The artist finds his mysterious imagery in the quiet buildings, silent roads and nocturnal skies of Copake, New York. Several of Fritsch’s paintings include local historic Copake sites such as the abandoned Copake Depot, the First Town Meeting house, the former Knox and Wilsey store, etc. The nocturnal landscape paintings on view in this exhibition, inspired by night walks in the town of Copake with his wife, Lesley Doyel and dog, Munchkin, evoke both a sense of quietude and a striking reflection of reality. These night scenes of Copake in all seasons, present to us, the viewer, a mystical and intimate experience of the natural world.

Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery. Open, 11-1 PM, Sundays, and by appointment, contact, Lucy Eldridge, ‪518-329-0530.
View paintings at peternfritsch.com

ARTISAN HOLIDAY POP-UP SHOP AT HUNT LIBRARY

December 5, 2019 through January 4, 2020 during operating hours

David M. Hunt Library

63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031

860-824-7424 / HUNTLIBRARY.ORG

Hours: Tues & Thurs 10-5, Fri 3-7, Sat 10-1, Sun 11-2

Closed Nov 28 & 29 for Thanksgiving Holiday

The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village, CT, will be hosting an Artisan Holiday Pop-Up Shop featuring crafts, ornaments, culinary salts, and beauty items, from local artisans and small businesses now through Jan 4, 2020.  Items on display will include weaving from Under Mountain Weavers, glass ornaments by Nunwell Glass, crafts by Jennifer Markow, culinary salts from Rolling Rock Farm, ceramics by Diane Schapira, woodwork by Frank Grusauskas, and body scrubs and soaps by Cherie Kennedy.  A portion of all sales benefits the library.  63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031, 860-824-7424, HUNTLIBRARY.ORG.  Tues & Thurs 10-5, Fri 3-7, Sat 10-1, Sun 11-2.

The sinuous, curving ornamental motif known as arabesque has ancient sources and first appeared in Islamic cultures as a form of sacred writing. It figures in key movements in European art, from Renaissance grotesques to Rococo interiors, on through Art Nouveau and beyond. Bridging cultures and materials, arabesque did not settle into a single form or style but rather burst open the aesthetic possibilities available to artists, tracing a winding path from decorative border to overall principle of design. The nineteenth-century flowering of this motif is explored in the Clark Art Institute’s exhibition Arabesque, on view December 14, 2019–March 22, 2020. Forty-five works across a variety of media trace the development of the arabesque line from the highly detailed compositions of the German Romantics through the pictorial experiments of Nabi and Art Nouveau artists.

Wonders of Winter

The Salisbury Association will hold an Art Exhibition and Benefit Sale from December 14, 2019 to February 9, 2020. This exciting event will feature 55 art works by 34 artists at six different locations in Salisbury.  The Grand Opening will be a Winter Wonder Walk on Saturday, December 14 from 4 to 7 pm.

This exhibition of winter sports art will feature 21 artists from Connecticut, nine from New England and elsewhere, and four internationally recognized European artists.  Subjects range from the sublime to the whimsical, and styles from realistic to abstract. Some paintings were created specifically for the exhibit, and several feature Salisbury’s ski jump.  Many of the art works will be available for purchase, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) and the Salisbury Association.

The exhibition can be viewed at the Salisbury Association’s home, the Academy Building on Main Street, and at Johnnycake Books, NEO Restaurant & Bar, William Pitt/Sotheby’s International Realty, Sweet Williams’s Coffee Shop & Bakery, and the White Hart Inn, all located near by.  It will remain until the conclusion of SWSA’s Jumpfest in February.

The Salisbury Association is mounting the Wonders of Winter to honor and celebrate SWSA and to call attention to the town’s unique ski jumping traditions.  The exhibition is being curated by Allen Blagden, Sarah Morrison, and Gerald Stanton.  Additional information is available at salisburyassociation.org or SalisburyWinterWonder@gmail.com.  Mark your calendars for this exciting event and enjoy viewing the Wonders of Winter as interpreted by artists past and present from around the world!

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

Northern Dutchess Hospital’s monthly memoir workshops return in 2020

Rhinebeck, NY — December 10, 2019 — Part writing instruction and part therapy, Northern Dutchess Hospital’s memoir writing workshops will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Jan. 8, Feb. 5, March 4, April 1, May 6 and June 3, in the cafeteria conference room of the hospital, 6511 Springbrook Ave.

During the Write Your Story workshop, Roselee Blooston will help participants plan, construct and learn more about the tools for writing a vivid story that will bring their memories to life. Blooston is a published author and memoir writer, as well as speaker about loss and renewal.

Participants can start at any time. They should bring writing materials or a laptop. Registration is required. To sign up, call 845-871-1720 ext. 1 (TTY 1-800-421-1220).

###

CONTACTS

Sarah Colomello, manager, Public and Community Affairs

O: (845) 871-1720 | C: (914) 474-7332 | scolomello@health-quest.org

About Nuvance Health

Nuvance Health is a family of award-winning nonprofit hospitals and healthcare professionals in the Hudson Valley and western Connecticut. Nuvance Health combines highly skilled physicians, state-of-the-art facilities and technology, and compassionate caregivers dedicated to providing quality care across a variety of clinical areas, including Cardiovascular, Neurosciences, Oncology, Orthopedics, and Primary Care.

Nuvance Health has a network of convenient hospital and outpatient locations — Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital, Norwalk Hospital and Sharon Hospital in Connecticut, and Northern Dutchess Hospital, Putnam Hospital Center and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in New York — plus multiple primary and specialty care physician practice locations, including The Heart Center, a leading provider of cardiology care, and two urgent care offices. Non-acute care is offered through various affiliates, including the Thompson House for rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, and the Home Care organizations. For more information about Nuvance Health, visit our website.

Swing Dance w/ South Street Swing

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Dewey Hall, 91 Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257

Doors open at 7:00, Lesson w/ Harry Pisila at 7:30, Live music at 8:30. No partner necessary. Refreshments available. Beginners welcome, Come to dance or just enjoy the music.

We invite you to enjoy dinner before the dance and get 15% off at the Stagecoach Tavern at Racebrook Lodge with coupon code #oldtonenative 

South Street Swing is a collaboration between vocalist, fiddler, and saxophonist Maggie McRae and jazz guitarist and vocalist Mark Phillips that seeks to revitalize great American songbook tunes as performed by Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and other classic jazz vocalists. Based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, McRae and Phillips take inspiration from jazz duet ensembles like Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass, as well as contemporary artists like Diana Krall, to create memorable, foot-tapping musical experiences for both traditional and modern listeners.

Refreshments available. This event is part of our second Saturday (mostly) Swing series at Dewey Hall. There will be six dances in 2020. 

October 6th thru December 16th, 11-1 pm, Sundays, (or by appointment)
Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery

Copake artist Peter Nicholas Fritsch, (a.k.a.“Nick,”) studied painting and drawing at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Student’s League in NYC. His teachers included artists Herb Katzman, Don Eddy, Gilbert Stone and Robert Cenedella.

Inspired by the traditions of mid 20th century American realism, his streetscape paintings explore the mystical qualities of night, evoking a quietly dramatic sense of place. The artist finds his mysterious imagery in the quiet buildings, silent roads and nocturnal skies of Copake, New York. Several of Fritsch’s paintings include local historic Copake sites such as the abandoned Copake Depot, the First Town Meeting house, the former Knox and Wilsey store, etc. The nocturnal landscape paintings on view in this exhibition, inspired by night walks in the town of Copake with his wife, Lesley Doyel and dog, Munchkin, evoke both a sense of quietude and a striking reflection of reality. These night scenes of Copake in all seasons, present to us, the viewer, a mystical and intimate experience of the natural world.

Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery. Open, 11-1 PM, Sundays, and by appointment, contact, Lucy Eldridge, ‪518-329-0530.
View paintings at peternfritsch.com

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

The Claverack Free Library announces the opening of an exhibition of still lifes by painter Nancy Hagin, a nationally known artist who lives both locally and in New York City, on Saturday January 18 at 4 PM.

This is the second show in the library’s new Marilyn and Bob Laurie Foundation gallery space. Ms Hagin will be present to discuss her work, so bring your questions and stay for refreshments. The library is located at 9 Route 9H with parking at 629 Route 23B.

Nancy Hagin is a contemporary realist painter. Working in acrylic and watercolor, she is known for her lush hues, exploration of color symmetries and opulent patterns. Hagin received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and a MFA from Yale University. She has served as an instructor at the Maryland Institute of Art, Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt Institute, Cooper Union and SUNY/Purchase in NewYork, and worked as a visiting artist/guest lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Hagin has been honored with a Fulbright Grant, two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and awards from the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her work has been shown at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Mass.; Brandeis University, and the Art in Embassies Program of the U.S. State Department among others. She showed for many years at the Alpha Gallery in Boston and the Fischbach Gallery in New York City. Since 1983, she has maintained a house and studio in Glenco Mills.

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

Make your brain a priority on January 23 by attending Noble Horizons’ Healthy Brain and Memory Screening program at 11 am. Jennifer LaBrie from Hartford Healthcare’s Center for Healthy Aging will discuss ways to keep your brain healthy, techniques for maintaining a sharp memory, and the difference between normal age-related memory changes and those that may warrant a deeper look. Jennifer’s presentation includes engaging, interactive activities and take home materials. Following her program, LaBrie will offer free, confidential memory screenings which are scheduled by appointment. The screenings do not diagnose illness, but can indicate whether a follow up medical exam is recommended.

LaBrie, a Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner, was the Helpline Director/Northwest Regional Director with the Alzheimer’s Association, Connecticut Chapter for more than 10 years and prior to that the program director of a memory-care neighborhood in an assisted living community. She is currently the Resource Coordinator for Hartford Healthcare’s Center for Healthy Aging at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Registration for Jennifer’s program is below:

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

Ben Cosgrove: an evening of music and conversation

Doors at 7pm, Music at 7:30pm

Friday, January 31st

Dewey Memorial Hall, 91 Main Street Sheffield, MA 01257

Join Ben Cosgrove, a traveling composer-performer, for an evening of music and conversation about landscape, place, and environment in North America.

Ben Cosgrove is a traveling composer-performer whose music explores themes of landscape, place, and environment in North America. Ben has performed his “electric and exhilarating” instrumental music in every U.S. state except Delaware and Hawaii, and held artist residencies and fellowships with institutions including the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, Harvard University, Middlebury College, the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and the Sitka Center for Art & Ecology.

His recent album “Salt,” which compares feelings of ungroundedness and confusion to landscapes of flux and ambiguity, was described by Seven Days as a “majestic entry into the composer’s catalog… replete with near-imperceptible embellishments and forward-thinking concepts.” Junction Magazine called the album “a poetry of tones and turns and motion and play that transcends the gross signification of everyday language,” and both Sound of Boston and Red Line Roots deemed it one of the best local releases of the year.

For more about Ben’s work, including a full biography and audio samples, please visit his website at bencosgrove.com and watch videos here, here, and here.

This event is presented by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) and Dewey Memorial Hall.

Dewey Event link: http://www.deweyhall.org/dewey-hall-calendar/2020/1/31/ben-cosgrove-concert-and-lecture

Eventbrite Event link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-of-music-and-conversation-with-ben-cosgrove-tickets-83176165149

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/720523928439001/

Ben’s website: www.bencosgrove.com

Video links: https://youtu.be/rsBlOmqv4_I , https://youtu.be/KXkKA8Ikko8

October 6th thru December 16th, 11-1 pm, Sundays, (or by appointment)
Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery

Copake artist Peter Nicholas Fritsch, (a.k.a.“Nick,”) studied painting and drawing at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Student’s League in NYC. His teachers included artists Herb Katzman, Don Eddy, Gilbert Stone and Robert Cenedella.

Inspired by the traditions of mid 20th century American realism, his streetscape paintings explore the mystical qualities of night, evoking a quietly dramatic sense of place. The artist finds his mysterious imagery in the quiet buildings, silent roads and nocturnal skies of Copake, New York. Several of Fritsch’s paintings include local historic Copake sites such as the abandoned Copake Depot, the First Town Meeting house, the former Knox and Wilsey store, etc. The nocturnal landscape paintings on view in this exhibition, inspired by night walks in the town of Copake with his wife, Lesley Doyel and dog, Munchkin, evoke both a sense of quietude and a striking reflection of reality. These night scenes of Copake in all seasons, present to us, the viewer, a mystical and intimate experience of the natural world.

Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery. Open, 11-1 PM, Sundays, and by appointment, contact, Lucy Eldridge, ‪518-329-0530.
View paintings at peternfritsch.com

The sinuous, curving ornamental motif known as arabesque has ancient sources and first appeared in Islamic cultures as a form of sacred writing. It figures in key movements in European art, from Renaissance grotesques to Rococo interiors, on through Art Nouveau and beyond. Bridging cultures and materials, arabesque did not settle into a single form or style but rather burst open the aesthetic possibilities available to artists, tracing a winding path from decorative border to overall principle of design. The nineteenth-century flowering of this motif is explored in the Clark Art Institute’s exhibition Arabesque, on view December 14, 2019–March 22, 2020. Forty-five works across a variety of media trace the development of the arabesque line from the highly detailed compositions of the German Romantics through the pictorial experiments of Nabi and Art Nouveau artists.

Wonders of Winter

The Salisbury Association will hold an Art Exhibition and Benefit Sale from December 14, 2019 to February 9, 2020. This exciting event will feature 55 art works by 34 artists at six different locations in Salisbury.  The Grand Opening will be a Winter Wonder Walk on Saturday, December 14 from 4 to 7 pm.

This exhibition of winter sports art will feature 21 artists from Connecticut, nine from New England and elsewhere, and four internationally recognized European artists.  Subjects range from the sublime to the whimsical, and styles from realistic to abstract. Some paintings were created specifically for the exhibit, and several feature Salisbury’s ski jump.  Many of the art works will be available for purchase, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) and the Salisbury Association.

The exhibition can be viewed at the Salisbury Association’s home, the Academy Building on Main Street, and at Johnnycake Books, NEO Restaurant & Bar, William Pitt/Sotheby’s International Realty, Sweet Williams’s Coffee Shop & Bakery, and the White Hart Inn, all located near by.  It will remain until the conclusion of SWSA’s Jumpfest in February.

The Salisbury Association is mounting the Wonders of Winter to honor and celebrate SWSA and to call attention to the town’s unique ski jumping traditions.  The exhibition is being curated by Allen Blagden, Sarah Morrison, and Gerald Stanton.  Additional information is available at salisburyassociation.org or SalisburyWinterWonder@gmail.com.  Mark your calendars for this exciting event and enjoy viewing the Wonders of Winter as interpreted by artists past and present from around the world!

October 6th thru December 16th, 11-1 pm, Sundays, (or by appointment)
Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery

Copake artist Peter Nicholas Fritsch, (a.k.a.“Nick,”) studied painting and drawing at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Student’s League in NYC. His teachers included artists Herb Katzman, Don Eddy, Gilbert Stone and Robert Cenedella.

Inspired by the traditions of mid 20th century American realism, his streetscape paintings explore the mystical qualities of night, evoking a quietly dramatic sense of place. The artist finds his mysterious imagery in the quiet buildings, silent roads and nocturnal skies of Copake, New York. Several of Fritsch’s paintings include local historic Copake sites such as the abandoned Copake Depot, the First Town Meeting house, the former Knox and Wilsey store, etc. The nocturnal landscape paintings on view in this exhibition, inspired by night walks in the town of Copake with his wife, Lesley Doyel and dog, Munchkin, evoke both a sense of quietude and a striking reflection of reality. These night scenes of Copake in all seasons, present to us, the viewer, a mystical and intimate experience of the natural world.

Artist reception, October 5th, 5PM, Burke Hall Gallery. Open, 11-1 PM, Sundays, and by appointment, contact, Lucy Eldridge, ‪518-329-0530.
View paintings at peternfritsch.com

On February 1 at 11 am well-known cook book author Jessie Sheehan will share the secrets-as well as samples- of extra special and extra simple Valentine’s Day treats. As an added indulgence, all guests will receive a 10% discount coupon to Lakeville Wine and Spirits should they wish to pair their Valentine’s Day desserts with a little bubbly or similar luxury.

Plan on a delicious morning of ”easy peasy” baking tips and tricks with Jessie who will demonstrate the preparation of three tantalizing and easily made chocolate desserts that will win the heart of your Valentine. Using just one bowl, Jessie will prepare fudgy cocoa brownies, moist chocolate snacking cake with peppermint frosting and creamy no-bake Nutella pie. Jessie is the author of The Vintage Baker, named by The Washington Post as a Best Cookbook of 2018 and about which Rachel Ray Every Day raved, “our favorite baking book…Sweeten up any day with this adorable book…full of great recipes,” and Nigella Lawson wrote, “Just reading The Vintage Baker puts me in a very happy place.” Ms. Sheehan’s first cook book was Icebox Cakes, featured in The New York Times and Vanity Fair among many other publications; both will be available for purchase.

To ensure ample chocolate samples and discount coupons, reservations are necessary for Ms. Sheehan’s free program, co-sponsored by Main Street Magazine, at www.noblehorizons.org or 860-435-9851.

The Claverack Free Library is proud to announce The Cyndy Hall Memorial Concert by The Broad Street Trio, Elizabeth Chinery flute, Jay Shulman cello & David Smith piano. The concert  honors  Cyndy Hall, beloved neighbor, music teacher, and benefactor, who bequeathed her piano to the library in 2018.

The concert will be held Saturday February 1 at 4 PM (snow date February 8).

There is a suggested donation of $20 per person, but any payment will be gratefully accepted; children and students are free. Reservations are requested but not required. A reception will follow.

The library is located at 9 Route 9H, with parking at 629 Route 23B.

Reservations will be taken by phone: 518.851.7120, email: news@claveracklibrary.org or at the circulation desk. Pay by cash or check at the door.

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

Northern Dutchess Hospital’s monthly memoir workshops return in 2020

Rhinebeck, NY — December 10, 2019 — Part writing instruction and part therapy, Northern Dutchess Hospital’s memoir writing workshops will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Jan. 8, Feb. 5, March 4, April 1, May 6 and June 3, in the cafeteria conference room of the hospital, 6511 Springbrook Ave.

During the Write Your Story workshop, Roselee Blooston will help participants plan, construct and learn more about the tools for writing a vivid story that will bring their memories to life. Blooston is a published author and memoir writer, as well as speaker about loss and renewal.

Participants can start at any time. They should bring writing materials or a laptop. Registration is required. To sign up, call 845-871-1720 ext. 1 (TTY 1-800-421-1220).

###

CONTACTS

Sarah Colomello, manager, Public and Community Affairs

O: (845) 871-1720 | C: (914) 474-7332 | scolomello@health-quest.org

About Nuvance Health

Nuvance Health is a family of award-winning nonprofit hospitals and healthcare professionals in the Hudson Valley and western Connecticut. Nuvance Health combines highly skilled physicians, state-of-the-art facilities and technology, and compassionate caregivers dedicated to providing quality care across a variety of clinical areas, including Cardiovascular, Neurosciences, Oncology, Orthopedics, and Primary Care.

Nuvance Health has a network of convenient hospital and outpatient locations — Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital, Norwalk Hospital and Sharon Hospital in Connecticut, and Northern Dutchess Hospital, Putnam Hospital Center and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in New York — plus multiple primary and specialty care physician practice locations, including The Heart Center, a leading provider of cardiology care, and two urgent care offices. Non-acute care is offered through various affiliates, including the Thompson House for rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, and the Home Care organizations. For more information about Nuvance Health, visit our website.

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

                                 For Immediate Release

January 7, 2020, Valatie, NY

Contact Info, Video Clips, and Still Photos at end of press release.

“ELLA THE UNGOVERNABLE” TO DEBUT AT VALATIE COMMUNITY THEATER THE WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 14 AND 15, 2020

The Valatie Community Theater will be presenting its first-ever original production, “Ella The Ungovernable,” on the weekend of Friday, February 14, and Saturday, February 15, at 3031 Main Street in Valatie, NY. This play by David McDonald is about 15 year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s incarceration and escape from Hudson, NY’s, Training School For Girls in 1933.

__________________________________________________________________

“Ella The Ungovernable,” a play about 15 year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s incarceration at Hudson, NY’s Training School For Girls in 1933, will be debuting the weekend of February 14 and 15 at the Valatie Community Theater in Valatie, NY, at 3031 Main Street in Valatie. In case of sellout or inclement weather, the following weekend of February 21 and 22 as well.

Playwright David McDonald first learned about the Ella Fitzgerald story several years ago after reading about it in Hudson’s Prison Public Memory Project. It seems that, back in 1933, a then-unknown young girl named Ella Fitzgerald was incarcerated at Hudson, NY’s, Training School For Girls. This was before Ella ever sprung to fame and very few details are known about her incarceration close to 90 years ago. What is known is the following:

When Ella Fitzgerald was fifteen, she was living in Yonkers with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. Then the mother died, leaving young Ella at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, a man whom, historians have suggested, may have abused Ella.

Ella escaped the abusive situation by fleeing to the streets of Harlem, where she took a job as a lookout for one of Harlem’s famous bordellos.

She was eventually caught by the police and transported to The New York Training School For Girls in Hudson, NY, where, rumors have it, physical and sexual abuse were also commonplace.

Less than a year later, she escaped back to Harlem. No one knows exactly how she did it.

About two weeks after her escape, she was talked into trying out at the first-ever Amateur Night at The Apollo Theater, where, against all odds, she won.

Even crazier? Orchestra leader Chick Webb was sitting in the audience that night, and was able to convince the State of New York to parole Ella Fitzgerald to his orchestra. Months later, they had their first worldwide hit with “A Tisket, A Tasket.”

The attached video by playwright David McDonald tells the story of the Ella Fitzgerald narrative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoyQg2cIOOE&t=2s

When McDonald first heard the story, he recognized its allegorical power immediately:

“On a surface level, it was probably the greatest allegory for centuries of African American incarceration I had ever heard,” McDonald says.

McDonald continues: “Over the last few years, I have wondered why we haven’t had protest songs or works of art like we did in the sixties, like ‘Blowing In The Wind.’ Was it simply because they were not being written, or not being played? I set out in my mind to give the majority of us Americans — the ones who are feeling marginalized — a project to inspire and galvanize the people. The message of the play is: ‘Don’t ever give up.’ It’s meant to give us hope across the country that things, one day, will get better, if only we don’t give up.”

The genesis of the project is an interesting story in and of itself. Over the last 15 years, McDonald has primarily been known over the years as a documentary filmmaker, having directed the feature length documentaries “Woodstock Revisited” and “The Mystery Of Creativity.” He has also done numerous short form videos for clients such as The NY Times and Chronogram Magazine on Hudson Valley subjects such as Olana, The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and The Hudson River wine-growing region.

“I am a huge fan of local history and I generally choose subjects that are close to me, such as the early history of the Woodstock arts colony or Marc Chagall’s exile in the Hudson Valley in the late 1940s.”

When he first discovered the story of Ella Fitzgerald’s incarceration, the initial idea was to make a dramatic film about it, shot at the original Hudson locations where everything had transpired in 1933. After trying in vain to raise funds for such a film, a friend of McDonald’s suggested he start the project as a play first.

“I fell in love with that idea immediately for a variety of reasons,” recalls McDonald. “First, I love the idea of involving the community in a creative project.”

“As artists, a lot of us face the dichotomy of doing most of our work while in private while hoping our art reaches the broadest swath of the public as possible,” says McDonald.

“Starting the Ella Fitzgerald project as a community-based theatrical project is a way of taking my art and making it art for the people, involving the community in every aspect of the production, from acting to lighting to staging, makeup, costumes and promotion.”

McDonald first started directing the theatrical production in Hudson in June of 2019, doing casting and rehearsals in a gallery on Warren Street and at The Hudson Area Library. Some of the notable cast members include Hudson Alderwoman Tiffany Garriga playing Ella’s wicked Aunt Edna and WGXC news reader Philip Grant playing Apollo Master of Ceremonies Ralph Cooper.

Over the course of the summer, the production morphed and morphed again, with several of the main actresses coming and going due to other commitments, summer camp, and family trips.

“Our production sort of ground to a halt at the end of the summer,” says McDonald. We had three actresses playing Ella in three months, and I started thinking it would just be easier to cast and mount this production in New York City. So I started to reach out to theaters there.”

One day, McDonald received a very unexpected response, this from Crystal Field, the legendary founder of Theater For The New City in Greenwich Village. She offered McDonald the theater’s main stage for the month of January, albeit with one small caveat: “She could help us with everything, from casting to rehearsal space to providing us with theater techs — the only thing she could not help us with was funding.”

After spending several weeks trying to manically network in the theater production community, McDonald eventually realized that getting the production up and running in New York City by January, 2020, might be a technical impossibility: “It was quite a weird position for me to be in,” says McDonald. “On the one hand, we had an offer from a famous Off-Broadway theater — I would never have imagined anything like that happening. On the other hand, this offer was only contingent on us raising tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of weeks.”

After exhausting what he felt to be his fundraising capabilities, McDonald was having lunch one day at the Valatie Diner, when he noticed tons of kids going in and out of the Valatie Theater across the street.

“Just on a whim, I decided to cross the street and see what was going on there. It was one of the neatest surprises I ever got.”

There, McDonald ran into George Phelps, who was running rehearsal on behalf of his wife Tanya that day for a kids production of Frozen Jr., the musical.

“It was the proverbial light bulb moment,” says McDonald. “Here I was, deciding which next steps to take with my play, and the solution presented itself, right out of the blue.”

As it turns out, Tanya Phelps, the director of Frozen, works with a theater group called Master Class Performing Arts, which presents youth musicals up and down the Hudson Valley. She also has a wildly popular dance studio for kids on Fairview Avenue in Hudson called The Columbia Elite AllStars.

David mentioned to Tanya the difficulty he was having finding replacements for the two major roles in his play, that of a young Ella Fitzgerald and her best friend and cellmate Alice, and Tanya said that two of her students would be ideal for the two parts. Soon David and Tanya were collaborating on ideas, casting and venues, the primary of which was the self-same Valatie Community Theater.

“I asked Tanya if the theater in Valatie might be interested in trying out a new thing, presenting a new play of original material, rather than children’s versions of Broadway musicals. She introduced me to their board.”

On a snowy night in December, Mr. McDonald made his pitch to the theater board. The board apparently liked what they heard.  After all sides concluded that they shared the same priorities, the Valatie Community Theater decided to expand its original vision and run its first-ever original play.

There are risks involved for all sides. For Valatie, it’s the risk of running their first-ever original production, smack dab in the middle of winter, snowstorms and all. For Tanya Phelps, it’s a step into dramatic production (albeit with three songs), rather than the light musical fare she usually produces. For McDonald, there are concerns about population density and demographic.

“The first stop for ‘Ella The Ungovernable’ was obviously going to be New York City, with its much larger population as a whole and African American population in specific” says McDonald.  “Now, here we are doing an African American play in a primarily white farming community whose closest large urban area is over twenty miles away, in February. Are we crazy? We shall see!” McDonald laughs.

For McDonald, all the risks involved are just par for the course.  “For me, writing the play in the first place was a risk. You can’t be sure that people are even going to like it. Then there’s the risk of mounting the play for production, finding the right actors and the right team work with.”

If I had ever really thought about the odds of my own success with this play, I probably would have never had the courage to write it. The world is always going to doubt you. It’s always going to put up barriers. It’s always going to say, ‘no, you can’t do this..’

“But that’s precisely the point of why I wrote the play, and while I am moving forward with it relentlessly, no matter what.  Because, If I’m telling the audience, ‘Don’t ever give up,’ then I can’t really give up either, you know what I mean? So the production is actually mirroring the play, and vice a versa.”

To buy tickets in advance for either show, please go here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ella-the-ungovernable-theatrical-production-tickets-87826817375

The “Ella The Ungovernable” Facebook Event page is here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/472616230301780/?active_tab=about

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CONTACT INFO:

Tom Barber Board Member, Valatie Community Theater 518-857-1243

David McDonald Playwright luminescentmedia@gmail.com 518-491-6409

Tanya Phelps Director, “Ella The Ungovernable” tanya@columbiaeliteallstars.com

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IMPORTANT LINKS TO OTHER ARTICLES ABOUT ELLA FITZGERALD’S INCARCERATION

N.Y. Times (The Gap In Ella Fitzgerald’s Life)

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/23/weekinreview/ward-of-the-state-the-gap-in-ella-fitzgerald-s-life.html

The “Ungovernable” Ella Fitzgerald — Prison Public Memory Project

https://www.prisonpublicmemory.org/blog/2014/the-ungovernable-ella-fitzgerald

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LINKS TO OTHER ARTICLES ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT DAVID MCDONALD AND HIS ELLA FITZGERALD PROJECT

The Altamont Enterprise/”Using A Sense Of Place To Create A Film”

https://soundcloud.com/thealtamontenterprise/david-mcdonald-using-a-sense-of-place-to-create-a-film-feb-28-2019

HV1 — Hudson Filmmaker Hopes To Make Documentary About Ella Fitzgerald’s Reform School Sojourn

https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2019/02/21/hudson-filmmaker-hopes-to-make-documentary-about-ella-fitzgeralds-reform-school-sojourn/?fbclid=IwAR2q_JgcN0neTcdF_otA8W7KLonx2xjZnYQbKYT5OBfiozh-sz63BCv2iiI

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VIDEO TRAILERS DIRECTED BY DAVID MCDONALD FOR “ELLA THE UNGOVERNABLE”

I, David McDonald, grant you the right to use both of my video trailers as multimedia resources in your newspapers.

This is the first trailer playwright David McDonald prepared when he was originally planning the project as a film to be shot in Hudson, NY. It is in the public domain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoyQg2cIOOE&t=2s

This second trailer was prepared by McDonald when the focus of the project switched over to theater. Again, the trailer for the project is in the public domain. The music is by McDonald himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNRsMfDpLJ8&t=8s

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.

PJ, well-known for his infectious energy, contagious spirit, humorous antics and disco lights, has taught Zumba at the Canaan Y, The Pulse in Great Barrington, and the Cranwell in Lenox. He also teaches Chair Zumba at Noble Horizons.

Born with a passion for dance and the performing arts, PJ (Placido) Birriel is a semi-retired professional dancer, choreographer, performer, sculptor, and personal trainer. He has spent over 3 decades performing all over the United States and Europe and continues to teach, perform, headline and produce shows and live events throughout the Berkshires and New York City. PJ welcomes all skill levels and urges his class to “Leave your inhibitions at the door and have fun!” PJ’s fee is $15/class or $10/class for a package of 10 ($100) which may be used at any time.