While many New Yorkers are stuck at home under Governor Cuomo’s mandatory work-from-home order during the COVID-19 crisis, that hasn’t stopped many of the top local and national performers from keeping us entertained. A steady supply of online entertainment, especially live music, from the Capital Region and across the nation has been offering us some much-needed fun and distraction.
On the national front, one of the biggest live-streaming events coming up this week will be sure to please fans of musicals and Broadway tunes. In celebration of famed musical composer Stephen Sondheim, an event, entitled “Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration” on Sunday, April 26, will feature a jawdropping lineup of iconic performers, including Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, Tony-winner Kristin Chenowith and renowned Sondheim interpreter Mandy Patinkin (of TV’s Homeland). The event will be streamed live starting at 8pm on Broadway.com and Broadway.com’s YouTube channel.
As for the Spa City, the biggest cultural news for this upcoming week is that the iconic folk venue Caffè Lena, which was recently designated an essential business, will be bringing back its Stay Home Sessions starting Monday, April 27. These Stay Home Sessions will include a mix of fresh live and pre-recorded performances. If that weren’t enough folk music for you, on Thursday, April 30 Lena’s School of Music, which was funded by Saratoga Living’s recent cover stars, will also start a new round of online classes for both kids and adults, offering lessons in banjo, fiddle, guitar and ukulele. To register online, click here.
Though you can’t really leave the house for fun yet, there’s still plenty to do online. Check out Saratoga Living‘s expertly curated social distancing calendar of both weekly and ongoing events.
On The Calendar
Friday, April 24
Radio personality Elvis Duran is throwing a Stay At Home Ball on his YouTube channel with performances by Thomas Rhett, Lewis Capaldi, Train and others; this event will benefit the Project C.U.R.E. Foundation, which raises money for hospitals and frontline medical workers
Every Friday, Saratoga Knights of Columbus at 50 Pine Road will be offering takeout half-pan dinners of delicious, fresh-made meals, $35-$40 each
Saturday, April 25
The Troy Foundry Theatre’s Living Room Series will welcome Nadine Medina, owner of the Troy Dance Factory, to lead a session on “Mindfulness through Improvisation” and a live performance featuring music and dance
Mohawk Chevrolet is hosting a live-streamed brunch acoustic set with American Idol finalist and Cohoes native Madison VanDenburg on its Facebook page from 10am-noon
Hawaiian singer-songwriter Jack Johnson will throw his Kōkua Festival 2020 – Live From Home in partnership with Amazon Music and big-name musical guests such as Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley and more
Register online and take photos of your pup on a walk for H.O.P.E.’s 17th Annual Spring Walk for the Animals, which has gone virtual this year because of the spread of COVID-19
Sunday, April 26
Pathway to Paris Earth Day 50: A Virtual Festival for Our Planet will start on Instagram Live at 4pm and feature some top-notch talent like folk icon Patti Smith, the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Flea and singer-songwriter Michael Stipe of R.E.M.
Catch live performances by Adam Lambert, Melissa Etheridge, Kesha and more during GLAAD’s “Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone,” a live-stream event shining a light on the LGBTQ response to COVID-19 at 8pm on the organization’s Facebook page
Tuesday, April 28
Northshire Live will host New York Times Bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis in a discussion with fellow children’s nonfiction author Steve Sheinkin.
Wednesday, April 29
Take part in a free “Family-Kids Dance and Movement Class” on Zoom, presented by Saratoga-based dance company Tango Fusion
Thursday, April 30
Order some takeout, delivery or gift cards from restaurants participating in Dining Out For Life, a national annual event that raises funds for services for people living with HIV/AIDS
As part of Northshire Live, Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl, will be discussing her new young adult novel, Verona Comics.
On-Going Events
Local
COESA (pronounced coh-EE-sah) in Saratoga Spa State Park is offering COESA Community: Rising Together, an online wellness series posted regularly to the center’s Instagram and Facebook pages
Palette Cafe in Downtown Saratoga is regularly throwing free online events, including writing clubs, live-streamed webinars and digital meditation classes for stress reduction
Go to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s webpage to find new lessons and activities from the center’s virtual library; its Facebook thread Sparked by Beauty is also loaded with lots of great posts about poetry, art, dance nature and more
Saratoga Paint & Sip Studio is offering Take ‘N Paint To-Go Kits, available for pick-up Thursdays from 5-7pm at its Henry Street studio (tonight, Saratoga Living will be co-sponsoring a paint and sip event with the studio!).
Nerd out by learning how to code in free, live-streamed classes put on by Albany Can Code, a nonprofit that’s working to shift public opinion on who can work in technology
Downward dog on your own time from The Hot Yoga Spot’s Flow From Home series with an assortment of free, pre-recorded yoga videos and classes with Hot Yoga Spot instructors live-streamed on Zoom
National
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan star John Krasinski started his own YouTube series called SomeGoodNews featuring positive, fun and inspiring stories
Artist Brandon Schaefer’s SchaeferArt series has been viewed millions of times on his YouTube page with videos on all manner of art topics, from drawing for beginners and sketching your cat to mixing colors for painting
Hosted by nine-time Grammy winner Dolly Parton, “Goodnight with Dolly” on YouTube features Parton reading children’s books
Participate in daily writing prompts as part of The Isolation Journals, a free creativity project designed by Emmy Award-winning writer Suleika Jaouad
Planet Fitness—a.k.a. the Judgement Fee Zone—is offering free, live-streamed, in-home workouts with different trainers daily at 7pm Eastern Time on Planet Fitness’ public Facebook Page
Back in March, Verizon launched Pay It Forward Live, a performance series live-streamed weekly on Twitter to support local businesses
French-born chef and TV personality Jacques Pépin has been posting to his Facebook page a fun Good Morning/Good Afternoon cooking series
—Additional reporting by Natalie Moore