Cover Story
James Johnson’s daring works
James Johnson, an innovative architect who gave the Rochester region some of its most distinctive structures, died last week at the age of 83. For many Rochesterians, Johnson’s isn’t a household name. But unless you’ve never been downtown, you’ve seen his work. You’ve seen it if you’ve entered Powder Mills Park from the east, driven…
COMIDA hearings on Morgan projects postponed
UPDATE 10:55 a.m. February 16 — The Monroe County Industrial Development Agency has postponed the hearings scheduled for today, due to the weather. New dates and times haven’t yet been decided. Original post: The Monroe County Industrial Development Agency will hold public hearings on tax incentive packages for several Morgan Management projects on Tuesday morning, including…
Superintendent search firm selected
The Rochester school board has chosen Western New York Educational Service Council to conduct its search for a permanent superintendent of city schools. The firm, which is based in Buffalo, consults top district management and has conducted numerous searches for high level school personnel throughout New York State. The search could be completed in a…
Mellencamp to play Eastman Theatre
Here’s your chance to see the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy winner.
What if someone starts shooting? Seminar helps you plan
Once you may have worried about getting caught stealing pens from the office supply closet. Now you have to worry about getting shot at your desk. In a depressing reflection of the state of the country, two area business groups will hold a seminar next month on how to respond if someone walks into your…
RPO announces 2016-17 season
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2016-17 season has been announced, and like the current season, it has its share of crowd-pleasing classics, American and contemporary works, and notable guest performers. But the big coup here is the presence of famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who will join conductor Ward Stare and the RPO for a special concert…
JAZZ | Midwestern Swing
When Cameron Cochran starts picking his pedal steel, and Nick Fryer and Brad Myers join in on their guitars, I defy you to say who plays the best. With fingers flying all over the fret boards, these guys are all monsters on their instruments. And the music they play — at once part of the…
ALBUM REVIEW: “art & soul”
Kirsten Edkins “art & soul” Equipoise Records kirstenedkins.com If you’ve ever wondered where all of those great musicians in Eastman School of Music jazz ensembles go, saxophonist Kirsten Edkins can serve as one answer. After studying with Walt Weiskopf, Ray Ricker, Bill Dobbins and others at Eastman, she’s played with jazz greats like Arturo Sandoval…
JAZZ | Eastman Jazz Café with Tom Christensen
After graduating from the Eastman School of Music, saxophonist Tom Christensen played with many top big bands. Currently a member of The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, he has also performed with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and Ryan Truesdell’s “The Gil Evans Project.” But he’s no jazz snob, also having shared…
Feedback 2/10
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Jim Crow…
HIP-HOP | Migos
Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos rocketed into hip-hop stardom with its 2013 single/de facto advertising campaign, “Versace.” Made up of rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset, the members of Migos have lived up to their “Three Amigos” inspired moniker quite well since the group’s inception, dodging gunfire and bouncing in and out of prison while still managing…
Urban Action 2/10
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Lecture on Iraq war lessons Nazareth College will present the lecture, “Keeping Hope in the Desert: What our brothers and sisters in Iraq can teach us,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 11,…
CHIP | Rochester Chip show
The pounding drums in “Contra” and the eerie synths in “Metroid” make for captivating sounds in and of themselves, but what happens when they’re repurposed by contemporary musicians? Rochester Chip, a monthly series of concerts that hosts artists who repurpose sounds from old video game consoles, is presenting a show headlined by Buffalo’s Danimal Cannon…
Strong expansion could be in the works
Rumors have been circulating for weeks now that the Strong museum is considering an expansion. It makes sense, given the land that will be available once the nearby section of the Inner Loop is filled in and ready for development. Strong Director of Development Shane Rhinewald says that an expansion is possible, but that the…
County, shelters struggle with Cuomo’s homeless order
The unusually mild winter has allowed Monroe County, meaning both the community and the government, to dodge a serious, ongoing problem regarding a hard-to-serve segment of the area’s homeless population. When the temperature drops below a certain point, homeless people need to get indoors to stay safe; the National Coalition for the Homeless says that…
Burgers, beers, and (arcade) battles at The Playhouse/Swillburger
As anyone who has opened a business knows, the best-laid plans often go awry. This held true for Brian Van Etten and Jeff Ching, co-owners of The Playhouse/Swillburger (820 South Clinton Avenue). “We’ve both opened restaurants. We thought we had anticipated all the pitfalls and delays. We spent two years planning this,” says Van Etten.…
LECTURE | “A Sustainable World of Equality and Peace”
Two women will revisit the impact Haudenosaunee women had on the 19th century women’s rights movement during a special presentation at the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan. Onondaga Clan Mother Freida Jacques will join Women’s Rights Authority Sally Roesch Wagner to present “A Sustainable World of Equality and Peace” on Saturday, February 13.…
DANCE | Flower City Follies “Dream of You”
Rochester’s all-female, authentic jazz dance troupe, The Flower City Follies, will present a special Valentine’s Day-themed stage show, “Dream of You,” on Saturday, February 13, at 7 p.m. Vintage chorus girls and local jazz musicians will share the stage at this debut show at The Historic German House (315 Gregory Street). The production includes a…
THEATER | “The Hit Factory 2”
For the second season in a row, Ralph Meranto of JCC CenterStage and Sandy Foster of the Harley School are debuting the world premiere of a musical production. Following the success of last season’s sell out “The Hit Factory,” the original 10-member-cast and creative crew returns for “The Hit Factory 2.” This show is again…
THEATER | “I Love You Because”
The energetic crew behind the OFC Creations and RAPA collaboration will launch “I Love You Because” this weekend at the Kodak Center Executive Theatre. The show, which is loosely based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” is the story of high-strung greeting card writer Austin Bennett who falls for whimsical photographer Marcy Fitzwilliams. With the…
FESTIVAL | New York Ice Wine & Culinary Festival
The 8th annual New York Ice Wine & Culinary Festival will take place on Saturday, February 13, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Casa Larga Vineyards (2287 Turk Hill Road, Fairport). The winter celebration will feature ice wine created by wineries from across the state, delicious cuisine, and sleigh rides. Traditionally a German delicacy, ice…
The City Seen: February 14
In celebration of Valentine’s Day weekend, City visited the George Eastman Museum on Sunday to see the display of flowers during Dutch Connection. Tulips, hyacinths, begonias, primroses, azaleas, and hundreds of spring bulbs were in full bloom throughout the museum for visitors to delight in the promise of an early spring. Not only were they…
CLASSICAL | “The Sun King”
If you’ve never had a chance to visit Versailles, attending Pegasus Early Music’s Sunday concert may be the next best thing. Rochester’s resident experts in Renaissance and Baroque music will present the sounds of Louis XIV’s court with the “The Sun King,” a program featuring works by the influential François Couperin and lesser-known composers of…
CLASSICAL | Juilliard String Quartet
Now in its 70th season, the Juilliard String Quartet brings a well-balanced program spanning multiple musical eras to Kilbourn Hall on Sunday as part of the Eastman-Ranlet Series. Violinists Ronald Copes and Joseph Lin, cellist Joel Krosnick, and violist Roger Tapping seem to possess an intuitive synchronicity with one another. This quality will serve them…
POST-ROCK | Caspian
Caspian covers multitudinous ground from whisper quiet to sonic freak-out. Like an analog rage against a digital machine, the band’s introspection is as fascinating as it is disquieting. It’ll make you think while you feel just what you hear. It’s an all-encompassing music experience. This Beverly, Massachusetts, band self-labels itself post-rock in a way hinting…
ORCHESTRAL | Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage
Star Wars? Schmar Wars. It all started with “Star Trek.” OK, there’s Buck Rogers, but come on, Star Trek was epic just in the way it has permeated our vernacular for the last 50 years. You could say it has lived long and prospered. This concert is set to stun with a lush orchestral performance…
Film review: “45 Years”
In British director Andrew Haigh’s startlingly intimate marital drama, “45 Years,” veteran actors Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay play Kate and Geoff, a happily childless couple a week away from commemorating their 45th wedding anniversary with a lavish party among friends and family. But amid all the arrangements, Geoff receives a letter informing him that…
Full RPO 2016-17 schedule
Philharmonics series (All performances at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre): Season Opener: Stare Conducts Beethoven 7 + Nakamatsu Returns Thursday, September 15, 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, September 17, 8 p.m. Ward Stare, conductor; Jon Nakamatsu, piano. Ron Nelson, “Savannah River Holiday” (RPO premiere); Rachmaninoff, “Piano Concerto No. 2”; Beethoven, Symphony No. 7. Seaman Conducts Elgar…
Politics as blood sport: Is this what we want?
Debate smack-downs and outrageous pronouncements are more fun to watch and read than policy discussions. So they’re dominating the media coverage.
Film review: “Hail, Caesar!”
Imagining an alternate history of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest cinematic treasure, “Hail, Caesar!” observes a day in the life of studio “fixer” Eddie Mannix. Though Mannix was a real executive for MGM during the 1950’s, the Coens offer a fictionalized version of his life. Set in the studio era,…
Film review: “The Lady in the Van”
In the charming “The Lady in the Van,” Maggie Smith stars as the ornery Miss Shepherd, a homeless woman who meanders her way into playwright Alan Bennett’s upscale North London neighborhood. He allows her to temporarily park her home in his driveway, only for her to end up staying for 15 years. Scarred by events…
Film review: “How to be Single”
“How to Be Single” begins with Alice (a charismatic Dakota Johnson), explaining that this story takes place entirely in the times between romantic relationships when, as she puts it, “real life happens.” Her statement is a bit silly, since that’s when most romantic-comedies take place — not many revolve around established relationships — but no…
