Court removes Astacio, and Warren begins search for successor
Letitia Astacio’s struggle to keep her position as a Rochester City Court Judge has ended, and the process of choosing a successor as begun. Astacio’s 2016 conviction of a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated was followed by a series of highly publicized problems, including violations of conditional discharges and an indictment for allegedly trying…
City seeks another developer for land at the port
City officials are again trying to find a developer for a key piece of land near Ontario Beach. The Warren administration issued a request for proposals this morning for developing 2.8 acres of land on the east side of Lake Avenue in Charlotte. This is the same parcel where developers had planned to build a…
Art/WORK Episode 8: Caitlin Yarsky
Caitlin Yarsky uses her love for sci-fi and fantasy to illustrate fantastic worlds and comic characters.
Plan to remove trees along canal delayed
The New York State Canal Corporation is pausing its plan to remove large numbers of trees from the banks of the Erie Canal west of Fairport. Earlier this year, the Canal Corporation began a preventive maintenance project that involved removing trees from 56 sites between the Village of Medina in Orleans County and the Village of…
Classical review: Musica Nova
On Thursday at Kilbourn Hall, Musica Nova and its music director Brad Lubman presented an engaging concert of 20th- and 21st-century works with bold compositional personalities. The program included an poignant tribute to the late composer and conductor Oliver Knussen.
Commissioner Elia reviewing report on Rochester school district
Jaime Aquino, the consultant that state education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia sent to examine the Rochester school district, sent his report to her earlier this week. School board members haven’t seen the report, board vice president Willa Powell says, but they’re bracing for a tough assessment. “He told board members, ‘My report is going to be…
Classical review: Dawn Upshaw and Gilbert Kalish
The most striking thing about Dawn Upshaw’s performance at Eastman School of Music on Tuesday was the warmth and accessibility of the soprano’s voice. Giving a recital as part of the Kilbourn Concert Series, Upshaw’s tone was earnest and personal, and devoid of pretension or blustery vibrato.
AMERICANA | Durham County Poets
Since their 2017 Rochester jazz festival performance, the Durham County Poets have been consistent visitors to the Flower City, bringing unforced, folksy charm to attentive audiences. The quintet from Québec returns this Friday with a diverse brand of roots music that includes blues, folk, gospel, and elements of jazz. This Canadian band definitely get Americana.…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Oratorio Society
In its season-opening concert, the Rochester Oratorio Society will present two of classical music’s most cherished melody makers in a sacred context. Led by Artistic Director Eric Townell, the ROS will sing Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as Mendelssohn’s Cantata from “Hymn of Praise.” Here, Schubert’s gift for emotional immediacy and vibrant harmonic language…
Feedback 10/10
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. We edit selections for publication in print. School stats On our report on Rochester schools’ low test scores: Reporter Tim Macaluso mentions the scores of students at School 58 but fails to mention the number of…
Urban Action 10/10
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Rochester in the ’60’s Monroe Community College’s Institute for the Humanities will present “Rochester Remembers the 1960’s: The Legacy of Social justice Activism” on Friday, October 12. The program will use lectures, film,…
Walking on the riverfront
Just west of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, jutting out off of the sidewalk on the Court Street Bridge, is the entrance to a new pedestrian walkway that swerves out over the edge of the Genesee River. It then heads behind the restaurant where it stops for now due to construction of the new Nathaniel apartment complex on…
Aqueduct, Colgate worry preservationists
The Landmark Society of Western New York has usually used its annual “Five to Revive” list to draw public attention and financial support to restoring historic buildings throughout the Rochester region. With the list, the Landmark Society is telling communities and developers that there’s unmined gold in repurposing – rather than ignoring or demolishing —…
Mobility zones next on RTS agenda
When Regional Transit Service officials rolled out a consultant’s recommendations for its fixed bus routes, they received some mixed reactions. The recommendations came out of the first stage of Reimagine RTS, the transit agency’s effort to plan for the Monroe County bus system’s future. Transit advocates praised the emphasis on direct routes, more frequent bus…
ART | ‘Seeing Shadows’
Rochester artist Nick Brandreth returns to Makers Gallery and Studio this week with “N.M. Brandreth’s Phantasmagoria Presents: Seeing Shadows,” featuring new work that plays off the spooky ideas he worked with in last year’s “Unadulterated Overkill” group exhibit. Brandreth creates hand-constructed viewing boxes for his glass plate photographs that depict dreamt-up scenes of that appear pulled…
ART | Flower City Pottery Invitational
The 4th Annual Flower City Pottery Invitational takes place this weekend, featuring 21 premiere ceramic artists from throughout North America. An excellent opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts of contemporary clay, the event includes four days of exhibitions and sales of more than 2,000 objects, demonstrations, workshops, and talks by visiting artists. In addition to the…
FILM | 2018 Polish Film Festival
A century of Poland’s regained independence will be celebrated in October and November with the annual Polish Film Festival, which will explore various periods of the nation’s history through several film screenings. Presented by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, the Polish Filmmakers Association, the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman Museum, and the…
ART | ‘A Bunch of Baloney’
Based in a Spencerport barn, Loud Cow is an unorthodox space for holding exhibitions of fine art. But twice a year, artist and curator Aaron Delehanty hosts group shows featuring regional artists, and invites the public to the opening night party. The latest event in the series opens this week, spotlighting inflatable drawings/soft sculptures by…
COMEDY | ‘Good Grief’
It’s no secret that a lot of comedy comes from coping — we make jokes to take some of the teeth out of the political situation, we make fun of our idiosyncrasies, and at times we use humor to deal with profound loss. That last point is the place that Glen Tickle’s current comedy tour…
LITERATURE | Rochester Small Press Book Fair
Before last year’s VSW Pub Fair I set a budget for purchases and then promptly ignored that number and went to town. I’m not mad about it. Held annually at Visual Studies Workshop’s auditorium, the renamed Rochester Small Press Book Fair features dozens of local and out-of-towner book artists, photographers, independent publishers, and DIY-ers in…
Willfully weird
Joe Tunis certainly has the look of an RIT alum, computer software developer, and family man who’s played his fair share of Frisbee golf. But it’s also the look of a DIY entrepreneur who still operates the same fledgling record company for indie rock and experimental music that he started in April 1994.
THEATER | ‘for colored girls…’
Playwright Ntozake Shange’s Obie Award-winning 1974 play “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” is what the author describes as a “choreopoem” — 20 separate poems choreographed to music and dance, and performed as monologues. It relates the experiences of seven African American women, identified only by the colors…
AMERICANA | Folkfaces Fest
Folkfaces Fest has a strong DIY vibe, but it ain’t small potatoes. Presented by the beloved Buffalo band Folkfaces and its charismatic frontman Tyler Westcott, the lineup is a sonic smorgasbord of nearly 50 acts, featuring many of the Western New York folk scene’s movers and shakers. Rochester concertgoers will recognize Matthew O’Brian, Jackson Cavalier,…
AVANT-JAZZ | The Sun Ra Arkestra
The Sun Ra Arkestra’s sonic attack has redefined atonal hijinks for years. Its varied music runs the course between linear and linear-as-a-busted spring. One minute it’s boppin’ with a finger-snap splendor and ease, and in the next minute the train careens into a brick wall. The late Afrofuturist Sun Ra claimed to be a visitor…
VOCAL JAZZ | Tia Brazda
Toronto-based jazz singer Tia Brazda’s talent lies in her exquisite phrasing and seductive tonal range. This young lady’s voice slips and slides from a contralto coo to breathy cool. Full of irresistible effervescence, her style is swing-infused jazz that goes way beyond the Winehouse wheelhouse. Brazda’s latest album, “Daydream,” just dropped in September and is…
MODERN CLASSICAL | Musica Nova
Brad Lubman has led Musica Nova, Eastman School of Music’s contemporary classical ensemble, for more than 20 years. During that time, the in-demand conductor has shaped the group as a consistently insightful interpreter of 20th- and 21st- century compositions. On Thursday, Lubman and Musica Nova will honor the memory of the recently departed Oliver Knussen.…
New cocktail lounge 80W to open off East Ave
Partners Mark Siwiec and Duffy Palmer plan to open the new upscale bar and lounge in mid-October. They envision 80W as a slower-paced, more intimate spot that will attract a slightly older crowd, city workers on their way home from the office, or for concert patrons grabbing a drink before an RPO concert.
Album review: ‘Peachy Keen’
Roselove ‘Peachy Keen’ Self-released roselove.bandcamp.com If art were supposed to be perfect and polished, the young and inspired would hit snooze instead of making it, and beautiful albums like Roselove’s “Peachy Keen” would never exist. Rose Love, a rising voice in Rochester music, will release the collection on October 13, and it’s an unbending work…
The significance of Indigenous Peoples Day
Last week, Mayor Lovely Warren issued a proclamation recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day in addition to the traditional celebration of Columbus Day. Guest columnists Ronald Garrow and Kathy Castania offer their perspectives on the need for the proclamation and the opportunities it offers.
Film review: ‘A Star Is Born’
In her first feature film leading role, Lady Gaga makes for a dazzling presence on screen. It’s no shock that she can sing like the dickens, but the pop star is entirely convincing as a young woman still unsure of her talent, and gradually learning to find her voice.
Review: ‘Becoming Dr. Ruth’
Everyone loves a good origin story — a true rags-to-riches, underdog-beats-the-odds-tale can be almost as satisfying as good sex. Through October 21 JCC CenterStage and Bristol Valley Theatre present a retelling of the journey of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, from her childhood as a German Jew pre-Holocaust to respected American sex therapist.
Album review: ‘Purple, Green, and Yellow’
Anamon ‘Purple, Green, and Yellow’ Self-released anamon.bandcamp/com On its recent platter-that-matters, “Purple, Green, and Yellow,” Rochester band Anamon invites the listener into the ether and reverb. The atmosphere envelops the dismissive, yet sincere vocals of frontwoman Ana Emily Monaco. The weaponry wielded wonderfully and wildly within is that of a classic rock ‘n’ roll quartet.…
Beiliang Zhu ‘cello-brates’ with Publick Musick
Beiliang Zhu, a doctoral student at the Eastman School of Music and a rising star in the early music world, joins Publick Musick this week for the group’s opening concert of the season, “Cello-bration!”
