Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots with Deborah Feldman

Unorthodox is the story of Feldman’s life, travails, and finally escape from Williamsburg’s insular Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism — what she calls ” a foreign world right here inside New York City.”

HALF GALLERY presents: Wes Lang “Here Comes Sunshine”

May 17—June 22, 2012

Cultural conflation is one of the purest forms of appropriation available to an artist today, bonding geography, myth and media among other fundamentals. In Wes Lang’s exhibition, “Here Comes Sunshine,” he extrapolates from a diverse range of tributaries: tattoo flash, memento mori, Cholo signifiers, Basquiat’s oil stick, Mike Kelley’s 13 Seasons, even a little Tao Te Ching. Competing influences here occasionally result in contradictory statements, a sort of paradoxical jamboree, where death is embraced – not as a hard stop – but as an eternal companion. It’s a perspective from which simple phrases, by means of their repetition, can become something more than mantras. Herein lies the leverage of lyrical thinking.

Lesley Heller Workspace presents: Jade Townsend

Rockwood Music Hall presents:AN EVENING W/ JOHN FANNON

FREE Historical walking tour of the LES

Take a historical 2.5-hour journey through the Lower East Side and explore some of the rich history tracing the arrival of immigrants to modern times.

No res required. Meet in front of Katz’s Delicatessen at 11am.

Lower East Side: Then and Now Walking Tour

Rich in history and tradition, the synagogues of the Lower East Side during the peak years of Jewish immigration are among the most distinctive sacred sites in New York. See sites where 19th century immigrants congregated, from the spectactular to the simple. Learn how Jewish Culture is being carried on at these same sites today.

Where:
Meet at the LESJC Kling & Niman Family Visitor Center
400 Grand Street (between Clinton Street & Suffolk Street)
PLEASE NOTE THIS TOUR WILL NOT BREAK FOR LUNCH / BRING A DRINK & A SNACK TO ENJOY WHILE ON THE WALKING PORTION OF THE TOUR

Scaramouche presents: Cameron Crawford and Jibade-Khalil Huffman

Scaramouche is pleased to present Double-Jointed, an exhibition bringing together new and recent work by Cameron Crawford and Jibade-Khalil Huffman, both of whose practices rely on the articulation of visual ideas through language.

http://www.scaramoucheart.com

Culture Fix Classical Music Series presents: Duo Cantabile

Lauri Aguirre ~ Soprano and Mariano Aguirre ~ Classical Guitar

The voice and guitar ensemble Duo Cantabile has been charming audiences since its inception in 2002. They have received great accolades for their spirited and heart-felt performances spanning repertoire from Renaissance to Folk. Lauri and Mariano Aguirre have performed in the United States and Mexico in such venues as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Trinity Church, Templo del Carmen, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, CAMI Hall and Queen’s Town Hall, to name a few. In 2009 Duo Cantabile presented at the New York Guitar Seminar the world-premiere of American composer Robert Cuckson’s song cycle “Worlds of Wanwood”. The duo has participated twice in the Discover concert series at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Music in Chelsea series at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, as well as other recital venues in the In addition to forming this artistic venture, both musicians have active solo careers both here and abroad. Lauri has performed in opera, oratorio and musical theater venues ranging from
the Finnish National Opera Company in Helsinki to the Village Light Opera Group in New York City. She has enjoyed numerous oratorio engagements as soprano soloist for Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ. Her operatic performances have included Le Nozze di Figaro, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoore, Don Carlo, Falstaff and Lohengrin. Mariano has performed recitals in the United States and Mexico and has appeared at many festivals, including the Young Artist Series at the Aspen Music Festival, the Warwick Music Festival, and Mexico’s National University and Centro Nacional de las Artes. His awards include the Gregory Award for Excellence in Performance given by The New School University and the Artists International Competition. Mariano has recorded with Six Hands Guitar Trio on the Vienna Modern Masters label. Aside from their performing endeavors, Lauri and Mariano have busy private music studios and are faculty of the Brooklyn Music School. Mariano is also on the faculty at the Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division. They both are graduates of the Mannes College of Music in New York City and hold bachelor and master degrees with honors from this institution. The artists have also found joy beyond their music making; Lauri and Mariano were married in 2005 and in 2007 gave birth to their baby daughter: Sofia.

Culture Fix

Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 presents:NOAH GUNDERSEN

In an era of social media and perceived self-importance, Noah Gundersen is in many ways the anithesis of his time.

Noah’s newest EP, called “Family”, pays homage to the people who have shaped his life–rather than the self-aggrandizing so common to the often homogeneous world of singer-songwriters. “Family comes in many forms,” says Noah. “It lives with us, for better and for worse. It shapes us. That’s what this album is about.”

Noah makes his New York City debut at Rockwood on May 21.

21 & Over Only

Tenement Talks: New York at War