If we’ve learned anything over the last few months, it’s that not even a global pandemic can stop the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) from putting on a great show. From the Virtual Jazz Fest to the Beethoven 2020, SPAC has quickly pivoted to adapt to a world in which in-person concerts are not currently an option. And now it’s adding yet another socially distanced double-bill to its virtual programming slate. As part of its SPAC REIMAGINED series, the nonprofit arts venue will be unveiling two “SPAC At Home: Concert Series” videos, one featuring world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell on September 12, the other, genre-bending classical ensemble Time for Three on September 19.
“When we first began to dream about artists we could bring to our grounds to create a unique concert experience without our amphitheater stage, Joshua Bell and Time For Three immediately came to mind,” says Sobol. “Both Joshua and Time For Three possess fresh, creative approaches to music-making—and both have close and special connections to SPAC. We are incredibly excited to be able to share these projects—all of which were filmed in Saratoga—with our community.”
Both Bell and Time For Three were originally scheduled to perform as part of SPAC’s live classical season with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which was canceled due to COVID-19. And both ventured to Saratoga in August to make sure their music still found an audience. Bell’s performance, which took place at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center, will be streamed via SPAC’s website, along with an interview by SPAC President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol and Tang Teaching Museum Director Ian Berry, about what it’s like being a performing artist during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Tickets for Bell’s performance are $10 and can be purchased on SPAC’s website.) Time For Three, who performed to a sold-out audience at SPAC in 2017, played a number of songs penned during quarantine, as well as fresh takes on classical pieces and pop hits, on SPAC’s grounds. (Time For Three’s performance will be available to stream for free from September 19 at 8pm to October 19 via Caffè Lena’s YouTube channel, as well as SPAC’s website and Facebook page.)
Bell is widely regarded as one of the greatest modern violinists, having played with nearly every major orchestra in the world and recorded over 40 albums, winning Grammy Mercury and Megaphone awards, among others. Time For Three, a trio of classically trained musicians—which consists of Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin/vocals), Charles Yang (violin/vocals) and Ranaan Meyer (violin/vocals)—are known for their unique blend of Americana, pop and classical music.
Check out the full schedule below:
SPAC At Home: Concert Series Schedule
September 12 at 8pm: Joshua Bell with Pianist Peter Dugan
Featuring an exclusive Q&A with Bell, SPAC President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol, and Dayton Director of The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College Ian Berry.
Repertoire:
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24
Dvorak arr. Fritz Kreisler: Slavonic Fantasy in B minor
Chopin arr. Pablo de Sarasate: Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
Wieniawski: Polonaise de Concert in D Major, Op. 4
September 19 at 8pm: Time For Three
Time for Three will perform their most recent singles, including “Vertigo” and “Joy,” along with their unique twists on classical pieces and pop hits.
