The Hudson Valley hub for emerging artists, dancers, and performers, Performance Spaces for the 21st Century, is soon to start a jam-packed summer season, hosting more than 50 events. PS21 is an arts center located in Chatham. Founded in 2018, the sprawling property encompasses a state-of-the-art black-box and open-air theaters; 100 acres of fields, meadows, woodland trails, and orchards; as well as the Chatham Farm Animal Rescue. This summer’s lineup will include music and dance by global artists, world premieres, and workshops.
First up is a PS21 PATHWAYS event. These free off-site events are created with the idea of bringing Hudson Valley communities together, starting this season with the Resistance Revival Chorus at Promenade Hill Park on Juneteenth. This chorus is a synergic group of over 60 female and non-binary singers, coming together with the goal to “breathe joy and song into the resistance, and uplift and center women’s voices.”
To finish up June, PS21 is bringing back a season staple: Paul Taylor Dance Company’s “Mercuric Tidings,” “A Field of Grass,” and “Piazzolla Caldera.” These dancers have long been described as “captivating with their athleticism, emotion, and fearlessness.”
On Saturday July 15, Filipinx composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra is having her world premiere “Four Meditations on Impermanence” at PS21. She will present four pieces, in tandem with other artists, based on “the sonic world of four elements—metal, skin, wood, and water.” This concert will include a full day of engagement on the PS21 property, including a performance along the Stony Kill and a musical procession through the forest.
For those that are more interested in classical music, PS21 still has you covered with their annual House Blend Concert Series, with performances on July 16, August 5, and August 25. The first concert will be host to Miranda Cuckson, a fan favorite at PS21, along with Eric Huebner and Adrian Sandi. At the August 5 concert , the Ulysses Quartet will have two performances, providing attendees with variety and showcasing additional artists. The quartet will have a limited audience, donation-based concert, featuring Zosha Di Castri and the music of Beethoven at 1pm. The nighttime show, from 7pm to 8:30pm, will be a variety performance, with works such as “Dance of the Yi People,” “Sequenza II,” and “At the Purchaser’s Option.” Finally, the August 25 performance will feature Hub New Music, and include a workshop with the musicians, with times being announced soon.
More diverse works being shown this season include two circuses, a live art display, and an adaptation of a bitter family drama. “Runners,” a Czech New Circus from Cirk La Putyka, will perform on July 22, and the Amoukanama Circus will do an off-site PATHWAYS program with the Crellin Park Day on August 19. “Never twenty One” is a testimonial to young Black victims of gun violence, with live stories and contemporary dance, being shown on September 30. Finally, on October 13 and 14, Gisele Vienne will do an adaptation of Robert Walser’s family drama “L’Etang,” with past shows being described as “a transfixing performance.”
PS21’s summer season runs June through October, with specific event dates, times, and descriptions on their website.
