Month: June 2024

Caramoor delivers a diverse music filled summer season

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Caramoor is one of the premier live music venues in Westchester County and the surrounding area.  If you believe that Caramoor presents only classical music, then you will be pleasantly surprised.  Blues, jazz, folk, world, and bluegrass join classical music as some of the many offerings.

Situated on the former Rosen estate in Katonah, this picturesque property consists of several different venues.  There is the casual outdoor Friends Field which hosts lawn concerts.  The Venetian Theater is a large tented space which hosts some of Caramoor’s more larger concerts.

There are also smaller more intimate spaces including the indoor “Music Room” inside the Rosen house, the “Spanish Courtyard” an elegant setting that is part  of the main house, and the “Sunken Garden”.

Hear are some upcoming events for June 2024 which you should consider attending:

Saturday June 22:  Jazz at Lincoln  Center with Wynton Marsalis  (Venetian Theater)

Sunday June 23:  Chamber Fest (classical) (Venitian Theater)

Thursday June 27: Abeo Quartet  (Classical) (Spanish Courtyard)

Friday June 28:  Roomful of Teeth (vocalists) (Friends Field)

Saturday June 29:  American Roots Music Festival (various artists and genres) (throughout the property)

Caramoor also features guided house tours, afternoon tea and meditation.  A free shuttle brings guests to and from the Katonah Metro North station on concert days.

For more information and tickets:

https://caramoor.org/

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photos by Caramoor. Spanish Courtyard photo credit, Caramoor and Gabe Palacio

Magnifique! The Baker’s Wife now on stage at the Ridgefield Theater Barn

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The set of the Baker’s Wife

The Ridgefield Theater Barn presents another outstanding musical. The Baker’s Wife is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End of London in 1989 for a short run but, toured the United States but unfortunately it was  never produced on Broadway.  Now  it is  on stage at the Ridgefield Theater Barn in Ridgefield Ct.

Stephen Schwartz  has an impressive resume with his work on such hits as  Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked.  He has also penned the music and lyrics for movies such as The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt and Enchanted.

The story of The Baker’s Wife is set in a small remote village in rural France that has recently lost its only baker.  The villagers are miserable without fresh bread until Aimable (Joe Harding) the baker and his much younger wife, Genevieve (Claire Simard) move to the village and open a bakery.   The villagers rejoice but the audience soon learns about the tensions and issues between many of the citizens.

It is not long before Genevieve realizes that she is not happy with her life and wonders why she is in this village married to man many years older.  When a new man comes into her life, her world, the village, and the bakery is turned upside town.   She runs away with her new love and the bakery ceases operation.   The villagers now have a common cause and they rally to the baker and work together to reunite the baker and his wife.

The two act, two hour production moves along quickly and the audience is drawn into the story immediately.   The songs are catchy and memorable, and the vocal performances by the large 17 member cast are captivating.   The set design is beautiful and the band (now located to the side of the stage) was wonderful.  Direction by Rena Gavigan was first rate and the entire production was high quality that one would see in a much larger venue.    Music direction is by Sarah Fox.

The show runs through June 22, 2024 . Check out their website for the 2024/25 season as well as donate to the Barn as it has recently undergone many improvements.

The Ridgefield Theater Barn https://ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org/

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