Meditation Art in NYC: The Lost Art of Good Conversation

October 30, 2017January 18, 2018 arts-NY 1 Comment

Meditation Art in NYC: The Lost Art of Good Conversation

Meditation Retreat at New York Society for Ethical Culture on Nov 3-4, 2017

Contributed by Vegan Aharonian

Meditation Art NYC Shambhala Center retreat — Great Eastern Sun

In the age of virtual communication and instant response, it feels that people have less and less time to listen to each other and have a deeper conversation. We consume an unthinkable number of snippets of information and are expected to react in a split of a second. As the organizers of this New York Retreat focused on the art of conversation note, “we are often communicating in sound bites and photo captions that do not create a sense of real connection with the people we care about. In fact, some feel we have lost the art of communication”. Sakyong Mipham will join the hosts and other special guests for this weekend-long retreat.

Sakyong Mipham, who just published his new book “The Lost Art of Good Conversation”, shows a way to do better. He is the head of the Shambhala lineage and the global network of more than 200 Shambhala Meditation Centers. With a unique blend of Eastern and Western perspectives, his teachings focus on living a courageous life based on wisdom, kindness, and compassion. He also holds the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.

Sakyong Mipham is the author of such bestsellers as “Turning the Mind Into an Ally” (2004), “Ruling Your World” (2006), and “Running with a Mind of Meditation” (2013) among many others. He is a husband, father of three daughters, and an avid runner.

The retreat at the New York Ethical Society is organized by NY Shambhala Meditation Center. In addition to the retreats NY Shamhala Center also hosts hourly Learn to Meditate program and other events.

Your can book your tickets for the retreat here.

Venue: New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, NY

Dates: November 3 – 4 , 2017

March – January 2018: Mummies at the American Museum of Natural History

April 12, 2017January 18, 2018 arts-NY

March 2017 – January 2018: Mummies at the American Museum of Natural History

Reach history of the mummies from pre-Columbian Peru to ancient Egypt

The custom of preserving the bodies of dead humans and animals was practiced by people from ancient times. The most well-preserved objects are usually found in dry and hot climates where nature provides the most suitable environment for the mummification. Due to their geography both Egypt and Peru had very elaborate embalming traditions and associated religious rituals. The exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History brings on view the mummies from these two countries located on opposite sides of the globe.

Photographs by Corrado Serra.

via Mummies at American Museum of Natural History, through January 7, 2018 — Arts Summary

While many think that the oldest mummies came from Egypt, its actually Peru where the oldest mummies were found. The ancient people living in hot and dry areas of nowadays Peru, started making mummies 7,000 years ago. While Egypt’s mummies are better known, its oldest is 3,500 years old.

The show at the American Museum of Natural History comes from the Fields museum in Chicago. Some of the objects on view were not exhibited from 1893 when the World’s Columbian Exposition took place in Chicago.

Current exhibition goes into history, techniques and practices of mummifications with many interactive tables to learn and explore. Even a CT scanner is prominently on view as its a staple of modern exploration of the artifacts. The New York Times review explores various method used by archeologists to glean inside and reconstruct the objects and how they lived.

Find out more about the exhibition here.

John Lindberg book Ancient Egypt and National Geographic documentary Inca Mummies:Secrets of the Lost World are absolutely fascinating journeys into the history, traditions and art of these rich cultures.

Enjoy your free visit to American Museum of Natural History with your NewYorkPass!

Venue: American Museum of Natural History, NY

Dates: March 20, 2017 – January 7, 2018

Beyond NY: Jazz Music for Two Pianos with Fred Hersch and Sullivan Fortner

September 19, 2017October 17, 2017 arts-NY

Beyond NY: Jazz Music for Two Pianos with Fred Hersch and Sullivan Fortner

Catskill Jazz Factory brings great music to Bard College

This partnership of two great pianists is promising to make a delightful night full of fresh perspectives on contemporary jazz. Each musician brings a distinct style and artistic excellence while being true the roots of his style. Merging these two creative personalities playing the music of Fred Hersh, Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter and others is not an easy fit. But it will surely be refreshing and exciting.

double piano jazz concert bard college ny October 2017 — Fred Hersch / Photo credit Vincent Soyez

Fred Hersch is a celebrated figure on the international jazz scene. He came to fame in 1984 when he debuted with Horizons. His very elegant style of introspective and emotionally rich music is gaining in its depth with each appearance and recording. His trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson enjoys a fruitful collaboration and maintains a demanding live performance and recording schedule. The New York Times review of the trio performance at the Vanguard back in 2012 described their style as “the incremental stretch toward an elusive ideal”.
A celebrated pianist and a bandleader, Hersch is also a well-known composer and jazz educator. Being nominated for ten Grammy awards, the last two in 2017, and named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist puts Hersch at the top of the list of contemporary jazz musicians. His very personal story of near-death health crisis, a remarkable come-back and an openness about his experiences all contribute to his very distinct status among the musicians. A profile in the WallStreetJournal by Ted Gioia calls this return to life “a miracle” which brought Hersch music to the level “that doesn’t get any better than this”. Hirsch’s latest album Open Book was released in September 2017.

Sullivan Fortner, a 2015 Cole Porter Jazz Fellow with the American Pianists Association, brings in the vibe of his generation to this fascinating partnership. Also a leader of his own band, The Sullivan Fortner Trio, who are performing extensively, Fortner had played with vibraphonist Stefon Harris and the trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Etienne Charles and toured with major jazz collectives of today.
Graduating from Oberlin Music Conservatory with bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and master’s from Manhattan School of Music, Fortner is recognized for his youthful energy mixed with the disciplined maturity. A review in the New York Times of his “Aria” album release stresses that “his fundamentals as a player could hardly be stronger”.

The concert at Richard B. Fischer Center for Performing Arts at Bard College located on a picturesque campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY is organized by an innovative educational and performance art community the Catskill Jazz Factory. Bard College is well-known for its rigorous art education program and the best in class roster of music performances in upstate NY. Only two hours away from hustle and bustle of New York City, the campus is sufficiently insulated for full concentration and study, yet affords a convenience of being accessible via train connection to the city.

The Richard B. Fisher Center is an architectural jewel in itself being designed by Frank Gehry and hosting a multitude of adventurous programs at the world-class facilities.

Book the tickets here.

Venue: Richard B. Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Dates: October 7, 2017

Places to eat around Bard College.

Beyond NY: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at Bard in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

June 9, 2017August 9, 2017 arts-NY 1 Comment

Beyond NY: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at Bard in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Summer Jazz Academy by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Internationally acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with its artistic director Wynton Marsalis will appear in a special performance as part of its Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College. With education being at a core of the Jazz at Lincoln Center philosophy, the Academy program at Bard is marking its second year and is bringing the best high school jazz musicians for 2 week residential intensive in performance practice, aesthetics, culture and history of jazz among other subjects.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and its 15 world-class musicians is billed as the most versatile ensemble with vast musical repertoire starting from rare historical compositions all the way to american jazz staples. The orchestra is known to tour extensively collaborating with the top artists in such diverse genres as dance, folk, classical musicians and various guest soloists.

Beyond NY: Fischer Center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY — Fischer Center; Photo: Peter Aaron ’68/Esto

The performance at Bard College is taking place at the time of Bard SummerScape with most events held at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Art located on a picturesque campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Bard College is well-known for its rigorous art education program and the best in class roster of summer performances in upstate NY. Only two hours away from hustle and bustle of New York City, the campus is sufficiently insulated for full concentration and study, yet affords a convenience of being accessible via train connection to the city.

The Richard B. Fisher Center is an architectural jewel in itself being designed by Frank Gehry and hosting a multitude of adventurous programs at the world-class facilities.

Book the tickets here.

Venue: Olin Hall, Olin Humanities Building, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Date: July 29, 2017

Places to eat around Bard College.

Beyond NY: Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel June 8 – September 4, 2017

June 8, 2017July 28, 2017 arts-NY 1 Comment

Beyond NY: Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel June 8 – September 4, 2017

2017 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel Mansion in Garrison, NY

This year summer season at Boscobel brings in another round of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. The festival is already in its 31^st season and going strong. The performance will be held at Boscobel mansion in Garrison, NY. The mansion is a historical landmark restored from the Federal-era house and the Beaux-Arts gardens and grounds 60 miles north from New York City. The majestic surroundings opening to vast view of Hudson river and its highlands give a unique backdrop for time-period as well as plays set in the modern time.

We’ve been hard at work putting a brand new system in place that will make your experience of buying HVSF tickets faster and easier. On Wednesday, March 15, you’ll get the chance to try it out when tickets go on sale to the public!

via It’s almost time for tickets! — Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

This season lineup includes Twelfth Night and Love’s Labor’s Lost by W. Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice adapted from Jane Austen, The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson and The General from America by Richard Nelson.

There is probably no reason to explain the fable behind the play by Shakespeare and an adaptation from Jane Austin. We are all familiar with the main points and are ready for new staging. The Book of Will was written by Laurie Gunderson who was named “the second most produced living playwright of 16-17 season” by the American Theater Magazine. The story is a historical drama set in Elizabethan London. Its full of people, noises and colors of that time. The Globe theater is a setting for some of the scenes. In the interview published on the HVSF blog Gunderson shares her ideas about storytelling and on bringing women into play, something that wasn’t a customary thing at that time. This year performance of The Book will be its HVSF premiere.

The General from America by Richard Nelson is a return to HVSF scene. The first time it was performed here in 1996. Set at a time of the Revolutionary War, it has a lot of stuff going from meetings of congress to protests to the war itself.

Plan to arrive early to enjoy the gardens and the scenery of Hudson river and its Highlands.

Book your tickets here.

Venue: Boscobel House and Gardens, Garrison, NY 2017 HVSF Dates: June 8 – September 4, 2017

Category: Places