For over 40 years, the Dutch chapel in the heart of the Village of Saugerties served as a child daycare center. But soon, this quaint church building will be brimming with the sounds of music from all over the world. Recently acquired by Isabel Soffer and Danny Melnick, cofounders of the world music events producing company Hudson Valley Live, Saugerties’s 1800s Dutch chapel has now been transformed into The Local: a year-round, multi-arts venue. The upcoming debut fall concert series features 15 distinct shows from September through December.
Founders Soffer and Melnick each have more than 30 years of experience in the music industry, including producing multiple festivals, concerts, and curated arts experiences. Soffer was instrumental in developing the global music scene in America, and she’s renowned for her work as cofounder and codirector of globalFEST. Celebrated in the jazz world, Melnick has produced the Newport Jazz Festival as well as a variety of other festivals and tours through his own company, Absolutely Live Entertainment.
With The Local, Soffer and Melnick hope that they can lean on their experience in curating eclectic international music acts to help introduce new musical talents to the Hudson Valley. Melnick sums up the goal succinctly: “Let’s bring the world to Saugerties.” Arguing that there have been far too many touring and recording artists who miss the Hudson Valley, Melnick believes that The Local is an opportunity for local residents to see these kinds of artists without having to trek out to the city or major festivals. “These bands have had success all over the world, so why can’t they be successful here?” asks Melnick. “Why should Saugerties be different from any other place?”
Two highlights from The Local’s diverse lineup include the Wazumbians, an Afropop group from Ghana (performing October 7, at 8pm) and Troker, a band from Guadalajara that blends psych jazz, rock, and funk with traditional Mexican music (November 12, at 7pm). Although The Local will feature a motley of uncommon acts from abroad, it will also uplift local artists during events like the John Street Jam—the long-held Saugerties tradition featuring Hudson Valley-based musicians performing folk, blues, bluegrass, and country in-the-round (November 10, at 8pm).
The Local is located at 16 John Street, behind the Saugerties Reformed Church on Main Street. Transforming the Civil War-era Dutch chapel into a venue ready for live music required three months of intense renovations. A drop ceiling, which served as temperature and sound control during the chapel’s time as a daycare, had to be removed, and the venue also needed the addition of all new lighting, electric, and plumbing. Additionally, The Local has become an ADA accessible space, featuring a wheelchair ramp, a widened exit doorway, and an accessible bathroom.
In their quest to optimize the sonic potential of the chapel, Soffer and Melnick have assembled an amalgamation of gear from different sources around the Hudson Valley. This includes a sound system designed by Pete Caigan of Utopia Studios Bearsville in Woodstock, a Yamaha drum set purchased from Chris Bowman of CHBO drums in New Paltz, and a baby grand piano donated by Bridge Arts and Education, the nonprofit arts and music education organization in Kingston.
For now, Soffer and Melnick are concentrating on music, but the duo envision The Local as an eventual community center and space for arts and culture more broadly. “Isabel and I have heard over the years from many different people in town that they wish they had a space for things like poetry readings, or a comedy club, or karate classes,” says Melnick. The space is available to rent for anything ranging from classes on meditation, yoga, and painting, to christenings, birthday parties, or even community and private meetings. Already, The Local has opened as an art gallery, featuring work from Julia Warr and Brian Lynch, and there was also a Shaolin Qigong event with Saugerties’s Adam Ortiz back in August.
Melnick and Soffer hope that those attending the venue’s concerts will support the town of Saugerties, whether it’s by eating at local restaurants, visiting local shops, or spending the night. “We both live here and want to make an impact economically and culturally,” says Melnick. “There’s been study after study going on for decades that proves culture is a huge economic driver for communities. That's just such a major reality.”
Things are about to kick off soon. After a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce, The Local’s first concert will take place at 7pm on September 20, featuring the Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, a big band mixup performing everything from jazz and kraut rock to West African funk.
With this first concert looming on the horizon, Melnick recognizes that The Local’s expansive assortment of artists may present an unknown element to audiences unfamiliar with broad-ranging global styles of music. “We know a lot of people are not going to know a lot about these groups,” says Melnick. “We’re really hoping that people will come out and trust us.”
Ultimately, Melnick hopes that he and Soffer can act as trustworthy music authorities, with combined experience in the music industry to back them up. “Isabel and I are like a live Spotify playlist. Let us be your curators, and tell you and show you that we know what we’re doing.”
