Cover Story
An ounce of intervention
Monroe County’s Early Intervention services are in crisis, just as they are in counties across the state.
Prominent regional bands to make GrassRoots Festival debuts
The 2019 Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance is assembling a formidable lineup of bands familiar to GrassRoots audiences as well as groups that have, surprisingly, never played the festival before.
La’Ron Singletary to head Rochester Police Department
Mayor Lovely Warren has chosen La’Ron Singletary, a Rochester native with 19 years’ experience in the RPD, as Rochester’s next police chief. His appointment comes after a national search in which more than 20 candidates applied.
CRCDS developer outlines plans for campus
Redevelopment of the 23-acre Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School property faces a challenge: producing enough income from new buildings to make it possible to preserve the historic main buildings and the broad lawn on the south side of the campus. At a meeting with Highland Park area residents Monday night, developer Angelo Ingrassia fleshed out…
Fresh string quartets come to 2019-20 Eastman-Ranlet Series
The 2019-20 Eastman-Ranlet Series of Sunday string quartet concerts isn’t flashy at first glance, but initial appearances can be deceiving, with two groups with which you may be unfamiliar.
Opera review: a modern take on ‘Don Giovanni’
The brilliant opera “Don Giovanni” — performed this weekend by Eastman Opera Theatre — unfortunately remains relevant more than 230 years after its premiere.
Downstairs Cabaret Theatre announces spring program
DCT’s spring program features four shows, including war dramas and a prison-escape caper. The theater will also continue its Rochester Folkus series of singer-songwriters.
Dems have primaries, so many primaries
Democrats totally control Rochester city government, which means that any year that city offices are on the ballot, there will be primaries. And oh boy, are there primaries this year: for school board seats, for every City Council district seat up for grabs, and for a few County Legislature seats. Candidates had until the end…
RBTL announces 2019-20 season
Next season’s lineup features seven award-winning shows, including “Come From Away,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” Disney’s “The Lion King” will also return for a three-week run.
Rochester’s ‘Report Card’: poverty still a major challenge
The overall “well being” of the nine-county Greater Rochester area is improving in some areas, but it’s deteriorating in some troubling areas. And as in past reports, the City of Rochester continues to face challenges related to concentrated poverty.
Alison Meyers will lead Writers & Books
Writers & Books has hired Alison Meyers, a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and fiction writer and a veteran non-profit leader, as its next executive director.
Feedback 4/3
We welcome your comments. Send them to feedback@rochester-citynews.com, with your name; city, town, or village; and daytime phone number for verification. We edit selections for publication, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. The challenges of building affordable housing I read Tim Louis Macaluso’s article, “New Housing Fuels Hope and Fears” – about…
Urban Action 4/3
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) CRCDS plans to be shown Neighbors Building Neighborhoods Sector 6 will hold a presentation on Monday, April 8, by developer Angelo Ingrassia concerning his plans for the former Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School…
Superintendent search ‘on schedule
The search for the Rochester City School District’s next superintendent is well under way, school board president Van White says. The board received 31 applications for the job, and it has narrowed that down to seven people. The board is interviewing them in person now. The goal is to narrow that group down to three…
THEATER | ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’
The tough themes in Eugene O’Neill’s 1956 autobiographical play, ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night,’ are still relevant today. The work examines how a family is both bound and divided by their complicated relationships and shared history. In the span of a single day, the Tyrone family is tested by morphine addiction, childhood tuberculosis, and revelations…
LITERATURE | ‘Listening to the Future’
Rochester Spoken Word’s monthly “Speak Easy” reading events at Cheshire cocktail bar gives local writers a chance to read their work in front of an audience. Each year RSW and Writers & books specifically spotlight young writers and performers by co-presenting “Listening to the Future: An Evening of Prose and Poetry by Area High School…
Film | “Sicily: Land of Love & Strife”
Che figata! This week The Cinema Theater will host a screening of the feature-length documentary “Sicily: Land of Love & Strife.” In the film, writer, director, producer, and first-generation Sicilian-American Mark Spano explores the island’s cultural and historic relevance, illuminating a land rich in natural beauty, food and wine, art, and diversity. Through his film…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Rattlesnake Revue: ResErection’
Whiskey and burlesque combine this week to summon a holy spirit and bring a new meaning to the phrase “spring has sprung.” This week Rattlesnake Revue burlesque troupe brings their seventh skin show, along with some debauchery and shenanigans, to Iron Smoke Whisky. ‘Rattlesnake Revue: ResErection’ features performers with backgrounds in vaudeville, theatre, comedy, and…
CLASSICAL | Pegasus Early Music presents Bedlam
Renaissance lute songs may only call for one singer and one lute, but they cover the gamut of human experience: love, lust, religion, and everything in between. Lute songs are Bedlam’s specialty, and Pegasus Early Music presents this acclaimed, Eastman-trained duo — soprano Kayleen Sánchez and lutenist Laudon Schuett — this weekend in a program…
EXHIBIT | ‘Stonewall: 50 Years Out’
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the uprising at Stonewall Inn in New York City. The series of LGBTQ riots against police raids are generally thought to be the pivotal events that led to the gay liberation movement. Opening this month at the Central Library is “Stonewall: 50 Years Out,” an exhibit that explores…
JAZZ | Mark McGrain’s NOROC Quartet
Native Rochesterian Mark McGrain has spent the last 25 years soaking up the indigenous jazz scene of New Orleans. When he visits his hometown Sunday, the trombonist will lead his NOROC Quartet in new compositions and works previously recorded with his main group, Plunge. Joining McGrain in his New Orleans-Rochester connection band — hence the…
SPECIAL EVENT | First Annual Seed Swap
How does your garden grow? If you’re sick of seeing the same blossoms come up season after season, it might be time to participate in a seed swap. This week, Grow Green Rochester’s First Annual Seed Swap encourages gardeners to bring extra or unwanted flowers, food, and herb seeds to trade with others while you…
FOLK | Richard Shindell
Fastidious singer-songwriter Richard Shindell made a name for himself in the acoustic folk world with his holistic approach to songwriting. A former New Yorker now residing in Argentina, he has celebrated 13 albums since 1991, including his latest, more electric guitar-focused album, “Careless.” After nearly thirty years in the biz, he continues to warm the…
ART | ‘The Myth of the Sacred Wound’
Flower City Arts Center’s current Artist-in-Residence in photo is Megan Joy May, whose work involves taking a deep dive into healing the self in order to fully connect with others. In an artist statement, she says: “The collective wound we share is one of fear and disconnection healed only by acceptance and unconditional love for…
METAL | Kryst
Not only is it a tasty name — ooh, sacrilecious — but it’s something you’ll find yourself muttering loudly in order to hear yourself over the ringing decay in your ears. Kryst Guitar player Mark Rapone is a walking, talking ready-made Shroud of Turin, but the catechism ends there. This new conglomeration of head-bangers is…
SMOOTH JAZZ | Lao Tizer Band with Eric Marienthal & Chieli Minucci
It may be scoffed at in elitist circles, but smooth jazz can be an enticing gateway into the hard (bop) stuff. Three of the top players in the genre — keyboardist and composer Lao Tizer, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and guitarist Chieli Minucci — will be joined on the Anthology stage by the excellent drummer Gene…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Oratorio Society presents ‘The Peacemakers’
The Rochester Oratorio Society’s next concert definitely qualifies as “an event”: Karl Jenkins’ “The Peacemakers,” an epic, 73-minute multimedia choral work first performed in 2012. The texts include excerpts from such great advocates for peace as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela, and the music draws on a number of international influences and…
Still waiting for action on the Call to Action
This is an unsettling time for anyone concerned about the Rochester City School District.
Album review: ‘Radio Silence’
The Squires of the Subterrain ‘Radio Silence’ Rocket Racket Records squiresofthesubterrain.com Here’s another analogue nugget from the Squire’s subterranean lair in the bowels of the South Wedge. However, expect a few surprises on “Radio Silence”: the track “House of Ghosts,” in all its rag-tag, Tin Pan Alley glory; and “Another Ghost (in the House),” with…
Film preview: ‘Shazam!’
Like a lot of big action flicks released these days, “Shazam!” shows the influence of Amblin-style 80’s family-adventures. It’s a delightful cross between “The Goonies” and a superhero version of “Big.”
Diner series: Jim’s at The Mall
Jim’s at The Mall, originally opened in 1967 by George Criticos as Critic’s at The Mall, was an original tenant in the area’s first suburban mall. But the diner would fit well into any neighborhood or town.
McFadden pleads guilty, vacating City Council
Rochester City Council Vice President Adam McFadden pleaded guilty to federal charges on Monday morning, including a count of wire fraud and a violation regarding filing a false tax return. His seat became vacant immediately, and the remaining members of City Council will appoint his successor.
The new state budget: some progress, some compromise
New York State’s new budget, passed during a marathon session in Albany on Sunday, includes a raft of progressive reforms. But like many budgets, it’s the result of a compromise where not everyone is completely happy.
RCSD needs major change, forum speakers say
Participants at a public forum on Saturday cited problems of racism and lack of teacher diversity in the Rochester school district and told state education officials that the district has to change.
Album review: ‘Partly on Time: Recordings 1968-1970’
Kinloch Nelson ‘Partly on Time: Recordings 1968-1970’ Tompkins Square Records kinlochnelson.com The inquisitive exploration and curiosity are all there. In fact they’ve been there sitting on guitar wizard Kinloch Nelson’s shelf for 50 years, undisturbed — but fortunately not forgotten. Though Nelson presents the 12 original songs on “Partly on Time: Recordings 1968-1970” acoustically, the…
Theater review: ‘Indecent’
Like the play it’s about, “Indecent” is a challenge to produce onstage. There are several difficult intimacy levels that require true professionalism, and sensitive subject matter including anti-Semitism and homophobia. But it lands well, under meticulous and caring direction, at JCC CenterStage.
Aaron Diehl: paradox at the piano
Pianist Aaron Diehl grew up loving jazz and classical music, and he’s still dedicated to both. That dichotomy forms the basis of “Paradoxes in Performance,” the title of his concert Saturday night at Nazareth College’s new and acoustically excellent Glazer Performance Hall.
