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River to river

The recent unrest in Egypt has dashed my hopes of seeing the River Nile, at least for the near future.  But, I did get a glimpse of what it must have been like, back in the old days, at a “Voyage to the Nile” gala at the Hudson River Museum (www.hrm.org).  Jan Adelson, board chairperson, […]

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Seize the moment

It’s not often that someone comes along and changes the face of a town.  But it does happen once in a while.  And, it did happen in the case of Steve Apkon and the Jacob Burns Film Center.  Steve moved to Pleasantville in the late nineties, put down his roots, had a second child, decided […]

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A good marriage

Several years ago, feeling somewhat like a “dummy,” I asked Emily Tabin: “What’s a jazz orchestra?”  As Executive Director of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra (WJO) she had come to ArtsWestchester offices to sing its praises.  She told me that it is an orchestra made up of 17 or 18 instruments, typically saxophones, trumpet, trombone, drums, […]

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Apps For Learning

Elmo, the smart-mouth puppet showed up in Westchester one Saturday evening.  Clever that puppet.  He didn’t stop talking…about the Katonah Museum, about Sesame Street and also about educating youngsters.  He was accompanied by Gary Knell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sesame Workshop. Mr. Knell was at the Katonah Museum to receive an award…and well […]

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Don’t believe everything you hear

The rumors have been flying.  Ever since we opened The Bank & Trust Show at ArtsWestchester…ever since we put that work of art in the window, the phone has been ringing off the hook. “Is ArtsWestchester closing?”  “Are you guys going out of business?” Well, first let me reassure everyone that ArtsWestchester is 45 years […]

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Historic houses reflect lives well lived

Although I am a great admirer of Edward Hopper’s work, I had never been to his birthplace, a historic house located in Nyack. However, with a Facebook nudge from artist Andrea Kantrowitz, I headed across the bridge to Rockland on a recent Sunday to see “Edward Hopper Reimagined” a group exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary […]

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The Arts in Ossining

The Village of Ossining seems to be on the move, thanks to Mayor Bill Hanauer. He’s an artsy guy. I first met him at the MTA of all places where he and I were panelists on a committee selecting artwork for the Ossining train station. He was shaking hands and loving it this particular Sunday […]

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Dan Montez…a wunderkind

Dan Montez is a wunderkind. How do I know? He told me so. Well, not exactly. He’s the director of the not-for-profit Taconic Opera, which he founded 14 years ago. He learned to play the piano at age six. As a teenager, he fell in love with opera, and through sheer grit and talent became […]

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