After a live music drought, there is a bout of music festivals throughout the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and the Berkshires for summer 2021.
Clearwater (June 19)
Clearwater, the beloved folk festival cofounded by Pete Seeger, is going virtual for 2021. Performing under its banner online will be John McCutcheon, Tom Chapin, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Thomasina Winslow, Emma’s Revolution, Holly Near, Tom Paxton, and more.
Caramoor (June 19-September 12)
Held at the historic Rosen House in Katonah, Caramoor 2021 opens with a benefit concert by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and unfurls with dates by the PUBLIQuartet, Richard Goode, Natu Camara, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Callisto Quartet, Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash, Joan Osborne, and others.
Brassroots (July 24)
This fast-rising new favorite Brassroots Festival at Seed Song Farm celebrates the boisterous sounds of authentic brass band music. This year’s festival will feature the music of six brass bands from across the east coast whose influences range from traditional second line music to Ghanian drumming to ’70s discopunk. They are: Funk Rust Brass Band, Hot Hand Band, Kotoko Brass, Novi Hitovi, Ocean Avenue Stompers, and What Cheer? Seed Song, a 200-acre rural oasis in the middle of the City Kingston, is a lovely place to spend a sunny summer afternoon, while you take in the sounds of brass and nosh food from local vendors.
Jams in the Hamlet (Through October 9)
New to the landscape is this series at Hillsdale’s Hamlet Park. On its schedule are classical ensemble the Hudson Festival Players, the Hudson Valley Jazz Quartet, singer-songwriters Kerri Powers and Lisa and Lori Brigantino, children’s performers Brady Rymer and Claudia Mussen, and a community talent night during the town’s Pumpkin Festival.
Downtown Peekskill Summer Music Series (Through September 6)
This always-appetizing series brings live music and outdoor dining to the charming Westchester County town every Saturday and Sunday night until Labor Day. Check its Facebook page for acts and dates.
FreshGrass (September 24-26)
Taking root for another season at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, FreshGrass promises Dispatch (Acoustic), Trombone Shorty, Bela Fleck, Watchouse (formerly Mandolin Orange), the Steep Canyon Rangers, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, Watkins Family Hour, Noam Pikelny, and more.
Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice (August 27-29)
Local and vocal, this Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice gem arises again via live drive-in operatic performances at Tech City in Kingston. The parking-lot presentations include Verdi’s “Rigoletti” by the New York City Opera, Mascagni’s “L’amico Fritz,” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” featuring the Westchester Circus Arts troupe.
Unison Arts Outdoor Series (Through August 20)
The open-air series at New Paltz’s reopened Unison boasts the Hudson Valley String Quartet, Gwen Laster, Gohar Vardanyan, Hubby Jenkins, Raina Sokolov, and additional attractions.
Tanglewood (July 9-August 31)
The resident Boston Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven with Emanuel Ax on piano (July 10); Sibelius and Dvorak with violinist Baiba Skride (July 11); Brahms with pianist Daniil Trifonov (July 17); and Mozart with pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen (July 18). John Williams co-conducts the world premiere of his Violin Concerto No. 2 by Anne-Sophie Mutter (July 24) and James Taylor closes the season (August 31).
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (July 10-September 23)
Bethel Woods, the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel kicks off its summer-to-fall lineup with the Black Crowes, who are followed by Chicago, James Taylor with Jackson Browne, Chris Stapleton, and others.
Maverick Concerts (July 18-September 12)
America’s oldest summer chamber music series, Maverick Concerts comes back to its hall in the woods near Woodstock with classical and jazz by Fred Hersh, the Horzowksi Trio, the Miro String Quartet, the Christian Sands Trio, and the debuts of the Cavani String Quartet, the Tesla String Quartet, and the Manhattan Chamber Players, plus more.
This article appears in June 2021.
