Monday’s 5-20-24 City Council Meeting Agenda - What’s On Deck
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Peek at the agenda below...
Resolution No. 42 - Appointing Thomas Figlia to the Position of Police Chief
Monday’s 5-13-24 City Council Workshop Meeting Agenda - What’s On Deck
/Peek at the agenda below...
Discussion of Mayor's Appointment of Thomas Figlia to the Position of Police Chief
Discussion of Mayor's Appointment of Jamie Mickle to the Position of Motor Equipment Operator
Renewal of a Community Facilities Grant for the Howland Cultural Center
Proposed Resolution Amending the Schedule of Fees Concerning Fire Hydrants
Proposed Local Law Concerning Termination of Illegal Sewer Connections
Proposed Resolution Amending the Schedule of Fees Concerning Sewer Connection or Discharge Waiver
Authorization of the Naming of a Private Street Called Arno Drive
Literary Group "Lit Lit” Moves Back To In-Person Meeting At Howland Cultural Center
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After taking a hiatus to Zoom to duck the latest COVID spread, Lit Lit is back to in-person meeting at the Howland Cultural Center.
Says the creator of the group, Donna Minkowitz: “The September Lit Lit is ON and IN PERSON and all ready for you to sign up to read! Everyone can read their own writing of any genre, for up to five minutes--until we run out of time!”
The reading is Friday, September 2 at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St. in Beacon. Soft drinks, wine, beer, and snacks will be available by donation. Masks are required (you can take them off when you're at the podium).
New Creative TV Show From A New Beaconite Streamed Live From Inside The Howland Cultural Center - And Her Survival From COVID
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TARA O'GRADY HOWLIN' AT THE HOWLAND
Under the ornamental rafters of this historic landmark building, Tara will be interviewing Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films about their music video collaboration, and also performing with guitarist Tony DePaolo.
DATE: ON DEMAND: March 11-25
ORDER TICKETS HERE >
WATCH PROMO HERE >
Beaconite and singer Tara O’Grady has been busy since moving to Beacon from NYC after she survived her long battle with COVID-19 one year ago, which did weaken her voice, thereby canceling her singing career. Upon moving to Beacon, she searched around for new creative income opportunities.
Since then, she has been selling her vintage clothing collection from the 1940s-1960s at Jaz On Main; as well as her 5 albums of jazz, blues and folk music; hosted a book signing for her memoir “Migrating Toward Happiness” at Draught; making music videos with collaborator and film maker Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films; and this Saturday, March 11, 2021 at 8pm, is airing their first live-streamed TV show, “Howlin’ at the Howland," also created with Jon.
The singer/songwriter moved to Beacon, New York in August 2020 and “discovered the jewel of her new town, the Howland Cultural Center,” she says. The show will be performed live from within the Howland Cultural Center and then streamed On Demand for limited time, showcasing the Howland’s revered, architecturally ornate backdrop. Viewers can buy tickers here to support the show.
In each episode, Tara will be interviewing a local artist and co-creating with them using their artform, whether it be filmmaking (episode one), music, painting, writing, dress making, photography, etc. In addition, between the art making interviews. Tara will then perform live with different musicians.
Tara tells A Little Beacon Blog: “The show airs a full year and a day after I last performed live in front of an audience in Manhattan. I have not been able to sing since last March when all my gigs and my income ceased. It took me all year to gain back my strength and my voice after having COVID.” Musicians and other live performers have felt the emotional withdraw from connecting with a live audience in the same room, as we heard with the Beacon-based Wynotte Sisters.
About The First Episode
The premiere of Episode One is called "Seasons of Love" featuring the 4 seasons Tara has experienced in the Hudson Valley through cinematography and classic jazz songs about summer, autumn, winter and spring.
Under the ornamental rafters of this historic landmark building, Tara will be interviewing Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films about their music video collaboration, and also performing with guitarist Tony DePaolo.
And Inside Look At This Beaconite’s Battle With COVID
Tara, a writer, shared with us her experience surviving COVID in the early months of 2020 that it was recognized in this country. This is her story:
I just moved to Beacon two weeks ago. It was love at first sight. I had never been here before July when I decided to escape NYC. I stepped on to Main Street and within seconds said out loud, this is my new home. I'm a jazz singer. My last day performing in Manhattan was March 10. I didn't know it would be my last. I didn't know how serious the virus was. My fever started March 24. It lasted 21 days. The shortness of breath lingered for 5 weeks. I couldn't sing. I couldn't even walk half a block to a store. It took me all summer to build up my strength to be able to walk two miles and not get out of breath, to be able to ride a bike up a low incline. But I'm better now. Despite being an unemployed musician. My unemployed neighbors in Queens were also struggling. They are still lining up daily at community centers to receive free food. They are sleeping on mattresses on the sidewalk. Crime has increased. So has suicide. I wanted to get out and find a place where I felt safe. I've only been here two weeks and I've been able to attend live music in the Towne Crier, outdoor yoga at the Stony Kill Farm, and connect with musicians and other artists in town who are as open and friendly as my family back in Ireland. I've never felt so embraced by a community so quickly, except for Donegal where I spent every summer on a farm with my grandparents.
Before I even found an apartment, Jaz on Main, the vintage store, offered to host a book signing for me when I went in to try to sell them my vintage clothing collection that I wear when I perform. I'm also an author with a published memoir. I had plans to continue to perform at book launches and teach writing from here to Europe, but all was put on pause. Living in Beacon for me will me more than a pause to wait out the global pandemic. I have finally found a place to call home, something I've been searching for my entire life. I really love it here.
A Message From The Howland Cultural Center - Art in the Time of Corona
/Editor’s Note: The following is written by Craig Wolf, the President of The Howland Cultural Center. The HCC is currently closed to the public from all events and regular meetings until further notice.
Ah, so here we are, with normal life brought to a standstill as we scurry around trying to avoid a virus and cope with the civil restrictions that it brings.
With apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez for cloning the title of his great novel, it does seem to offer a bit of a parallel. His heroine is involved with two lovers. Here, we all have two loves. We love our arts. And we love to stay healthy.
Not much is happening publicly here at our little nonprofit. We are an arts center that normally produces and presents performances and exhibits, largely administered by volunteers. We can’t do that right now.
COVID-19 isn’t quite cholera, but it’s serious. And we are serious about getting back to business when they let us. We regret that the postponements include our now-annual gala event, which will have to be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, we continue to work behind the scenes to plan a future, so that this bulletin will once again be filled with art events. We do expect this story to have a happy ending.
But for now, the impact of not producing events is a significant loss of revenue. It is through doing what we do that we earn a good chunk of our keep. What’s left on the revenue side for now is just donations. Thankfully, many friends have recently responded to our annual campaign, which we now call Friends of the Howland Center. And we thank you again.
So, if you have yet to help, now would be a good time. A really good time.
How do you become a friend at a social distance? Good thing we invented the internet. You just click right here.
Best to all of you from the Howland crew, and stay tuned.
On behalf of our board and volunteers.
40th Anniversary Celebration for Howland Cultural Center in May: Tickets & Sponsorship Opportunities
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The Howland Cultural Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and you are invited to attend and participate. Ticket reservations and sponsorships are available now. The celebration is in honor of Florence Northcutt and the Howland Public Library for their many contributions to the cultural and social life of Beacon. The celebration will take place at the Roundhouse, 2 East Main St., Beacon, N.Y., on Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Please call (845) 831-4988 or email information@howlandculturalcenter.org to learn about major sponsorship benefits.
Learn More >
The Howland Chamber Music Circle - The Musical Jewel Accessible To So Many In Beacon
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Some cities have symphony halls. Beacon has a group of professional musicians who started meeting in someone’s living room, who now play regularly in the Howland Cultural Center on Main Street in Beacon, N.Y. The group is called the Howland Chamber Music Circle, and you have most likely attended one of their performances or kids instrument “petting zoos.”
“This is a great place to perform. It’s like being inside an instrument itself.”
For several Beaconites, listening to this amazing grade of music is an every Sunday afternoon kind of thing. We may not realize just what we have at our fingertips at the Howland Cultural Center, whose unique architecture has special acoustic advantages in which world renowned musicians come together to play. So we asked the Howland Chamber Music Circle to recall their history for our readers, so that we may better understand this group who is now popping up to perform in other locations throughout Beacon and the Hudson Valley. A board member of the Howland Chamber Music Circle, James Lichtenberg, researched and wrote this article for you:
The ‘Chamber’ of the Howland Chamber Music Circle Was A Living Room in the 1980’s
Gwen and Bill Stevens, Howland Chamber Music Circle (HCMC) co-founders.
Photo Credit: Howland Chamber Music Circle
The Howland Chamber Music Circle (HCMC), founded in Beacon, N.Y. in 1993, in the verdant valley of the Hudson River, began in the 1980s, appropriately enough, in a chamber… the living room of HCMC founders Gwen and Bill Stevens (sadly, they both passed away in 2018). Gwen was an accomplished musician, teaching piano at Vassar. Friends and neighbors would arrive to enjoy spontaneous performances by other artists whom Gwen invited to play on their two gorgeous Steinway grand pianos.
One of the more frequent attendees, Polly Gage, suggested to Gwen that they also promote house concerts for gifted young musicians. With the assistance of a friend and fellow pianist, Ed Loizides, and after contacting their respective alma maters, Yale and the Manhattan School of Music, they began the process of finding young talent, expertly aided by Robert Besen, then of the Concert Artists Guild. Besen was taken by Gwen’s enthusiasm and made it possible for her and an enthusiastic cadre of volunteers to learn the ropes of bringing exciting programs to a growing audience.
Howland Chamber Music Circle Outgrows The Living Room
Photo Credit: Howland Chamber Music Circle
As the number of attendees swelled, home venues grew inadequate. Gwen began to think about a venue somewhere in Southern Dutchess County to accommodate wider audiences. Among the considerations was a music barge in the Hudson River itself.
Then, in 1992, Gwen and Bill attended an exhibit of historic photos at the Howland Cultural Center, located at the far east end of Beacon’s Main Street. The Center’s building, a gothic jewel designed by Richard Morris Hunt, features walls of richly-carved wood beneath an open vaulted ceiling, and a space capable of seating 120 people. Not surprisingly, the two HCMC founders were struck by the potential of that space for chamber music.
First HCMC Concerts Start In Howland Cultural Center In 1993
Photo Credit: Howland Chamber Music Circle
The Howland Cultural Center agreed to produce a series of concerts under their auspices. The premier three-concert season in 1993-1994 featured the Meridian Brass Ensemble, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and a string duo of Ayako Yoshida and Semyon Fridman. As Besen remembers, “[If] a walk around the Howland Center (quite different from today) was…more than a little scary, the concert was well-attended. The venue was…magnificent…. Over the years I’ve booked 39 performances.”
“You can walk out of your house and hear world-class artists just a few blocks away.”
With the increasing abilities of the Stevens and their associates to secure talent, the growing annual programs became a staple of the Hudson Valley music calendar, with the unique venue a draw in its own right for both listeners and artists, who were only too happy to return to play in subsequent seasons. As one performer put it, “This is a great place to perform. It’s like being inside an instrument itself.” The sell-out audiences, standing and clapping for encores add, no doubt, to their pleasure. One Beaconite, also a musician, exclaimed, “You can walk out of your house and hear world-class artists just a few blocks away.”
Photo Credit: Howland Chamber Music Circle
With continuing success in the early years, it became evident that the “Circle” should be more formally established to ensure its future. In April 1999, it was incorporated as a not-for-profit membership corporation, independent of the Howland Center.
Twenty-five years later, its annual offerings have grown to include a 12-concert season, featuring four pianists and eight chamber music groups -- with Sunday afternoon performances (in the 2018/19 season) including the Juilliard and Brentano String Quartets, and pianists Jeremy Denk and Simone Dinnerstein. Along with its dozen formal concerts, the Circle also hosts a number of pop-up concerts in other Beacon venues, a Classics for Kids series, co-sponsored by the HCC, as well as music residencies in local high schools. To celebrate its founders on the group’s 25th anniversary, HCMC commissioned a beautiful string quartet by local composer Debra Kaye, performed in the spring of 2018 by the Voxare String Quartet.
The 2018/19 season also reflects the continuing aspirations of HCMC to take new paths and broaden its appeal, including this season’s “concertante” approach, adding soloists to the quartets, like the oboist James Austin Smith, who performed with the Telegraph Quartet, harpist Bridget Kibbey, who will join the Daedalus Quartet, as well as rising violinist Alexi Kenny, partnered with pianist Renana Gutman. In addition, there will be a break-out “living-room” performance by the So Percussion group, whom The New York Times called “exceptionally inventive with instruments galore!”
Established and applauded as it may now be, the Howland Chamber Music Circle is not content to rest on its laurels. Rather, it is dedicated to continuing the inspiration of its founders in finding ever new ways to bring broad and engaging programs of music to its supportive community in Beacon and beyond. The hills of the Hudson Valley are indeed alive with the sound of music.
Learn about and buy tickets to upcoming concerts, and learn about how to support the Howland Chamber Music Circle with donations.
Happening This Weekend 11/23/2018 : Happy Black Friday!
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Kaleidoscope Pop-Up at Zora Dora's
New Musical Production Holding Auditions May 21st and 22nd at Howland Cultural Center
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The Hudson Valley Theatre Initiative will be holding auditions at the Howland Cultural Center on Monday, May 21, and Tuesday, May 22, from 5 to 8 pm for their upcoming pop musical production, "#QueenE The Musical." They are seeking eight women and two men and encourage all actors, singers, and dancers to come out - no experience necessary.
Who Is The Hudson Valley Theatre Initiative?
The Hudson Valley Theatre Initiative's mission is to integrate professional theatre into the community experience of living in the Hudson Valley through music-focused, family-friendly theatre, by developing and presenting unique shows that push forward the art of live storytelling performance.
All Ages Welcome!
Whether you are 4 years old or 100, all experience levels are considered at these auditions, and non-traditional casting is encouraged. This is your chance to be a part of a musical production, if this is something you've always wanted to do but never had the chance.
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
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