Press Release: SPAC Announces 2023-24 Spa Little Theater Season
August 1, 2023
SPAC Announces
2023-24 Spa Little Theater Season
Highlighted by Global, Jazz, and Classical Artists
AVI AVITAL & HANZHI WANG, SÄJE, and ZAKIR HUSSAIN
“Sounds of the Season” Returns in December with Holiday Programs by KINGS RETURN, TIME FOR THREE, and KAT EDMONSON
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center continues year-round residency with three performances
Saratoga Springs, NY (August 1, 2023) — Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces its 2023-24 Spa Little Theater season featuring a robust slate of global, jazz, classical, and pop offerings highlighted by the SPAC debuts of GRAMMY-nominated mandolinist Avi Avital alongside accordionist Hanzhi Wang; all-female jazz ensemble säje; and contemporary world music virtuosos TISRA: Zakir Hussain With Debopriya Chatterjee and Sabir Kahn, in addition to appearances by the recently announced modern dance troupes Pilobolus and BalletX. The year-round residency by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will also continue with three special performances, highlighted by the program American Panorama, featuring Copland’s Appalachian Spring with Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel.
Returning by popular demand this December is the “Sounds of the Season” series featuring a capella group Kings Return for their joyous We 4 Kings holiday celebration; genre-defying trio Time for Three in a special Home for the Holidays program, and jazz and vintage pop vocalist Kat Edmonson for her Holiday Swingin’! evening.
“While we have continued to expand our programing outside of the summer months in recent years, being able to inhabit the Spa little Theater year-round has opened up new possibilities for our year-round line-up of programming. Our 2023-24 season is a diverse and rich mix of incredible artistry offering everything from jazz to global to classical music along with full modern dance productions,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
The announcement marks the continuation of SPAC’s year round programming in the Spa Little Theater, which is inclusive of a fall, holiday and spring season and is part of SPAC’s mission to present year-round programming.
Tickets for the 2023-24 Spa Little Theater season will be available to purchase on August 7 at 10 a.m. for members, tiered by level, and August 10 at 10 a.m. for the general public. Multi-ticket packages will also be available in selections of three or five programs (excluding Sounds of the Season) for a discount of 15% or 20%, respectively. Visit spac.org for details.
The programming is as follows:
2023 FALL SEASON
Pilobolus
Sunday, October 8, 2023 | 2PM & 7 PM
Pilobolus’s new Re: Creation Tour reminds us that play and creativity are fundamental to the human experience and that stories are alive and breathing and can teach, comfort, and connect us to ourselves and each other. Building on the success of their critically acclaimed Big Five-OH! Anniversary tour, Pilobolus moves confidently into the next half century of creation and performance. Alongside groundbreaking new pieces, the company breathes new life into beloved works from the past to create an experience both timely and timeless.
Tickets cost $35-$75.
Avi Avital & Hanzhi Wang
Thursday, October 19, 2023 | 7 PM
GRAMMY-nominated mandolinist Avi Avital, will make his SPAC debut alongside star accordionist Hanzhi Wang, in a truly unique program that will showcase each artist’s incredible virtuosity. Avital is the first mandolin soloist ever nominated for a GRAMMY and has been heralded by The New York Times for his electrifying performances. Wang is a rising talent in the classical world, recently winning a roster spot with Young Concert Artists (YCA), the first accordionist ever to do so. This program will be an incredible mix of repertoire from around the world, showcasing two unique instruments by two of the best artists to play them.
Tickets cost $30-$55.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
American Panorama
Saturday, October 28| 7 PM
Led by CMS Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han, this program will feature a roster of 13 musicians in a special performance of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring along with works by Dvořák and American Composers Arthur Foote and Harry Burleigh.
Tickets cost $35-$65.
säje
Saturday, November 11 | 7 PM
The GRAMMY® nominated vocal supergroup, säje, is the brainchild of vocalist/composers Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick, and Erin Bentlage. Traversing a vast array of compelling original material, beloved jazz standards, and contemporary re-imaginings of artists such as The Bad Plus, YEBBA, and Björk, the all-female collective has demonstrated their devotion to thoughtful, sophisticated original compositions and heartfelt covers. Their highly anticipated debut album is expected to be released in summer 2023, and will feature new original work and compelling covers, highlighting collaborations with artists Jacob Collier, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ambrose Akinmusire, and more.
Tickets are all general admission and cost $33.
The Spa Little Theatre fall season is made possible by the generous support of Deborah and Dexter Senft.
2023 SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
Kings Return
We 4 Kings
Saturday, December 2| 7 PM
The GRAMMY-nominated Kings Return is back by popular demand following their SPAC debut last spring. The unique, harmonizing group turned internet sensation captures the essence of an old-school a cappella quartet with sounds inspired by gospel and R&B. Kings Return features tenor Vaughn Faison, bass Gabe Kunda, tenor JE McKissic, and baritone Jamall Williams. Their joyous We 4 Kings program features pop, classical, and religious holiday classics, reinterpreting modern and classic pop (Michael Jackson, Simon & Garfunkel, BGs), soul (Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire), R&B (Frank Ocean, Leon Bridges), gospel (Kirk Franklin), jazz and sacred music.
Tickets cost $25-$55.
Time for Three
Home for the Holidays
Saturday, December 9| 7 PM
Defying convention and boundaries, Time For Three stands at the busy intersection of Americana, modern pop, and classical music. In addition to their incredible arrangements of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Led Zeppelin and others, the trio featuring Charles Yang (violin, vocals), Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin, vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), will present special arrangements of holiday favorites including The Christmas Song, Edelweiss, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and a special Hanukah MashUP.
Tickets cost $35-$65.
Kat Edmonson
Holiday Swingin’!
Sunday, December 17| 4 PM
Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer “with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop” (The New York Times). The songwriter and her band will perform Yuletide favorites along with Kat’s originals for a magical holiday evening celebration.
Tickets cost $25-$55.
2024 SPRING SEASON
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Instrumental Array
Saturday, March 9| 7 PM
In a celebration of instrumental odd couples, three duo teams highlight the extremes of possibility for their ensembles. Maurice Duruflé’s post-Romantic trio augments the duo format, and all join for the concluding Septet by virtuoso pianist Johann Hummel, who was a pupil of Mozart and Haydn and was admired by Beethoven.
Tickets cost $35-$65.
BalletX
Saturday, March 16 | 7 PM
Sunday, March 17 | 2 PM
Led by Artistic & Executive Director Christine Cox, BalletX creates extraordinary dance experiences that inspire human connection through live performances, dance education in Philadelphia public schools, free community pop-ups, and more. In addition to virtual works,
main-stage performances and international touring, the company offers free community pop-ups, dance classes, artist Q&As, open rehearsals and in-school dance education designed to bring audiences closer to dance.
Tickets cost $25-$55
BalletX performances are presented in partnership with the Skidmore College Department of Dance.
TISRA: Zakir Hussain
With Debopriya Chatterjee and Sabir Kahn
Saturday, March 23| 7 PM
The pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time, Zakir Hussain is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. Hussain will lead his ensemble TISRA (three) with two of India’s finest young musicians, Sabir Khan and Debopriya Chatterjee. Showcasing rich folk and classical traditions, this unique trio is comprised of tabla, sarangi, and bansuri (bamboo flute), a combination not often heard. This colorful mix, combined with Indian classical music and the rich rhythm repertoire of Punjab, makes for a compelling program.
Tickets cost $35-$65.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Wu Han, David Finckel and Chad Hoopes
Saturday, May 11 | 7 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel return to end the season with guest violinist Chad Hoopes.
Visit spac.org for additional details.
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Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters. Its tranquil setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws lovers of arts, culture and nature for performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz
Festival, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC also hosts imaginative programming such as Caffè Lena @ SPAC and initiatives in culinary, literary, healing and visual arts.
SPAC is a 501c3 charitable organization. Donations and proceeds from fundraising events benefit the Center’s thriving education program, community outreach efforts, and the vibrancy of its programming. For more information visit spac.org.