This could be the last week of Fall, so make it count. I don’t know what that means, but maybe it will inspire you to do that thing you were going to do. This week, there are jazz events, a reading by Joan Didion, a crafts sale at the cathedral of St. John the Divine, a free flamenco performance, and an appearance by photographer Frank Jump to promote his book about the fading advertisements on the sides of old New York buildings. Below, check out those events and dozens more we’ve listed for the neighborhood this week.
Email us at info at westsiderag dot com to let us know about upcoming events.
Please double-check times and prices with the event producer. Many venues offer special pricing for students, seniors and members.
Monday
5:30 p.m.
Winter’s Eve Festival New York City’s largest holiday festival! Winter’s Eve kicks off with a neighborhood tree lighting ceremony and features free entertainment, food tastings, in-store activities and shopping. From Columbus Circle to 68th Street. See our article for more.
6 p.m.
Songbook @LPA: Broadway’s Future A concert of new music by Broadway composers and lyricists, sung by Broadway vocalists. Presented by Arts and Artists at St. Paul, directed by John Znidarsic. At New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium. FREE.
8 p.m.
D’Ambrose Boyd & David Pearl Present Singers Space Come to Singers Space at Thalia Café, hosted by D’Ambrose Boyd with David Pearl at the piano. Where New York’s finest professional and aspiring singers go to sing their favorites and hear their peers perform before an intimate audience. The café offers cocktails, wine & beer, soups, salads, wraps and desserts. There’s no cover and no minimum. At Symphony Space. FREE.
Tuesday
All Day
African Diaspora Film Festival Part of the 19th Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival. At Symphony Space. $11 per film.
12 p.m.
Toe-Tappin’ Tuesdays – Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen The Gotham Jazzmen bring you all your old favorites and more on Tuesdays from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium. FREE.
7 p.m.
Karen Karbo: How Georgia Became O’Keeffe Karen Karbo, author of The Gospel According to Coco Chanel and two other Times notable books, joins us for How Georgia Became O’Keeffe, a book that uses the life of the iconic painter as a guide and inspiration for women seeking freedom of expression. At the 82nd Street Barnes & Noble. FREE.
6:30 p.m.
The Grand Tour of the Universe with Brian Abbott and Jackie Faherty We know that Earth is the third planet from the Sun, but do we hold a special place among the planets, stars, and galaxies in the universe? Learn the answer as you travel from Earth to the most distant objects in the universe. Explore extrasolar planets, nearby stars, and myriad galaxies to experience the entire observable universe and come to a cosmic understanding of where we are and how we came to be. At the Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium (enter on 81st Street). $15.
8 p.m.
Xianix Barrera & Sabor Flamenco A native New Yorker, Xianix Barrera is developing into one of the finest, new dancers on the flamenco scene. She is a Renaissance-figured marvel who assumes the role with complete authenticity in appearance, style, and attitude. Ms. Barrera has performed at various venues in the tri-state area including the La Mama Theatre, Thalia Theatre, B.B. King Blues Club and Grill of Times Square, Alegrias en La Nacional, and the 800-seat theater at New York’s F.I.T. Haft Theater. She is renowned for her amusing pataitas por Bulerias, an audience favorite. At Symphony Space. FREE.
Wednesday
9 a.m.
Walk NYC Walk NYC is a program that encourages New Yorkers of all ages to get fit while enjoying the outdoors. Parks will staff locations throughout the city with trained walking instructors to lead one-hour walks. Meet at 83rd Street & Riverside Drive. FREE.
2 p.m.
Guitar Afternoon Enjoy free live music performed by jazz guitarist Bill Wurtzel and guest musicians each Wednesday from 2 to 3 pm. Folk Art Museum. FREE.
7 p.m.
The Human Genome and Human Health In this exciting presentation experts in genetics will discuss the triumphs and disappointments, the ethical concerns, and controversies that have arisen over the past 10 years in an accessible way. Panelists include geneticists Dr. Robert C. Green and Dr. Paul R. Billings, ethicist and professor Sheldon Krimsky, and legal scholar and professor Dorothy E. Roberts. At the Museum of Natural History. $15.
7:30 p.m
Thalia Book Club: Joan Didion’s Blue Nights Didion discusses her deeply moving new memoir about her daughter, and her own fears and thoughts about growing old, in her first book since the National Book Award-winning The Year of Magical Thinking. As with that memoir, in her new one, Didion confides and confronts her fears, frailties, and sorrows about her life as she looks back and forward. In conversation with her nephew Griffin Dunne (After Hours). At Symphony Space. $25.
8:30 p.m.
Bar Trivia hosted by TriviaTryst TriviaTryst was founded in NYC in 2009 by Bryce Galen after realizing that pub quizzes were fun, but there was potential for a new type of trivia night with music, energy and popular appeal! With a talented team of dedicated hosts and weekly events in five states, TriviaTryst is taking the East Coast by storm! Bring your friends and come play! It’s FREE, and teams of up to 6 people can win prizes of up to $50 in gift certificates! At Symphony Space. FREE.
Thursday
6:30 p.m.
Russian Visionaries Photo Exhibit Opening The exhibition is conceived as a multimedia art project, which will display portraits of modern Russian thought leaders alongside their predictions for the future of Russia country after the 2012 presidential elections. At 25CPW gallery. FREE (RSVP with ok@imrussia.org).
7 p.m.
Frank Jump with John Kelly: Fading Ads of New York City Performance artist John Kelly joins author and photographer Frank Jump on World AIDS Day for a book signing for Jump’s fascinating new book Fading Ads of New York City and a discussion of the role of visual art in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. At the 82nd Street Barnes & Noble. FREE.
7:30 p.m.
The Soul of Shostakovich: A Musical Salon The great composer’s string quartets, thought to be his most intimate and revealing works, are the subject of this evening of conversation and performance. Wendy Lesser (editor of Threepenny Review and author of Music for Silenced Voices: Shostakovich and his 15 String Quartets) and Eugene Drucker (violinist, Emerson Quartet) talk with Artistic Director Laura Kaminsky, with Symphony Space All-Stars performing Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 3. At Symphony Space. $15.
7:30 p.m.
Elsa Nilsson This brand new project is getting their feet wet with tasty grooves and hip ideas for any occasion. Please stay tuned, there is more to come. At Symphony Space. FREE.
8:30 p.m.
Raymond Scott Orchestrette Deemed “The Gertrude Stein of Dada Jazz,” composer and inventor Raymond Scott rose to prominence in the late 1930s leading a six-piece Quintette which performed novelties that were part jazz and part chamber music. Warner Brothers music director Carl Stalling adapted Scott’s controlled mayhem in Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons, bringing immortality to many Scott themes, later revived when songs like his classics “Powerhouse” “The Toy Trumpet” and “Twilight in Turkey” were featured in Ren & Stimpy¸and paid homage to by artists as diverse as Don Byron, Soul Coughing, MadLib, and They Might Be Giants. Formed by producer and Scott authority Irwin Chusid, the New York City-based Raymond Scott Orchestrette (RSO) brings Scott’s legacy into the 21st century, performing modernistic interpretations of his best-known works. At the David Rubenstein Atrium. FREE.
Friday
8 a.m.
Walk NYC Walk NYC is a program that encourages New Yorkers of all ages to get fit while enjoying the outdoors. Parks will staff locations throughout the city with trained walking instructors to lead one-hour walks. Meet at 83rd Street & Riverside Drive. FREE.
8 a.m. (until 1 p.m.)
Green Market Choose from fresh produce & dairy, artisanal breads, baked goods, meats & poultry, honey, eggs. Clothing/textile recycling bin on-site. 97th Street and Columbus.
5 p.m. (until 8 p.m.)
Crafts at the Cathedral Crafts at the Cathedral celebrates its 16th Annual Fair with excellence in arts and crafts in a high quality and well attended 3 day event. Over 60 Artisans will be exhibiting their finest work, accompanied by live music and delicious food. At the Synod House, Corner of Amsterdam Ave and W 110th Street.
7 p.m.
Ethics in Film – Silkwood Moderator: Andra Miller – While working at an Oklahoma nuclear power plant, Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) becomes exposed to radiation. When the official investigation is tampered with, Karen conducts her own inquiry, but she disappears under suspicious circumstances before its completion. Kurt Russell co-stars in this fact-based drama, which was nominated for multiple Oscars and earned Cher a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for her minimalist performance. At the Society for Ethical Culture. Suggested donation: $5, includes snacks and beverages.
8 p.m.
Jonesy Jonesy began telling jokes on the stages of comedy clubs in his hometown of Boston in the summer of 2002. Since then, he has spit up a storm at colleges and clubs over the Northeast, Los Angeles, New Orleans and San Francisco. He has participated in numerous Comedy Festivals including the Boston Comedy Fest, Rhode Island Comedy Fest, Los Angeles Comedy Fest, and the New York City Underground Comedy Fest. At Symphony Space. FREE.
Saturday
10 a.m. (until 5:30)
GreenFlea Market A weekly flea market. In the playground on 77th Street and Columbus.
11 a.m. (until 6)
Crafts at the Cathedral Crafts at the Cathedral celebrates its 16th Annual Fair with excellence in arts and crafts in a high quality and well attended 3 day event. Over 60 Artisans will be exhibiting their finest work, accompanied by live music and delicious food. At the Synod House, Corner of Amsterdam Ave and W 110th Street.
11 a.m.
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker Children’s Workshop Explore the story, music, movement and themes of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker in this 45-minute program for families. See performance excerpts from the ballet and get to know our artists in a Q&A with New York City Ballet dancers. Children in the audience are also invited to participate in a movement workshop where they can learn ballet steps and choreography to perform for their families and friends. At the David Rubenstein Atrium. FREE.
2:30 p.m.
Colleagues In Concert With Gerald Kagan, cello, Susan Kagan, piano, and Eric Grossman, violin. Trio will perform works by Beethoven and James Cohn. At New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium. FREE.
3 p.m.
Chinese Theatre Works Presents Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood: The Chinese Opera retells, in English dialogue and Chinese song, the timeless fable of a young girl’s journey to grandma’s house by transforming it into a cross-cultural journey for all ages. The show lets audiences experience the full range of traditional Chinese theater techniques and aesthetics, including breathtaking stage acrobatics and martial arts, music, dance, song, pantomime, stylized face painting, and elaborate hand-sewn silk costumes. At the Museum of Natural History. $22.
Sunday
All Day
African Diaspora Film Festival Part of the 19th Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival. At Symphony Space. $11 per film.
8 a.m. (until 5)
79th Street Greenmarket Located on beautiful, tree-lined Columbus Avenue, this year-round market stretches from 77th St. to 80th St. each Sunday. Just behind the American Museum of Natural History, shoppers will find grass fed beef, goat cheese, fresh flowers, eggs, honey, baked goods, apple cider, and a large variety of fruit and vegetables. Columbus Avenue between 78th & 81st Streets.
10 a.m. (until 5:30)
GreenFlea Market A weekly flea market. In the playground on 77th Street and Columbus.
11 a.m. (until 5)
Crafts at the Cathedral Crafts at the Cathedral celebrates its 16th Annual Fair with excellence in arts and crafts in a high quality and well attended 3 day event. Over 60 Artisans will be exhibiting their finest work, accompanied by live music and delicious food. At the Synod House, Corner of Amsterdam Ave and W 110th Street.
1 p.m.
Thalia Kids’ Book Club: Chris Van Allsburg’s The Chronicles of Harris Burdick The winner of two Caldecott Medals, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, talks about a new short story collection in which skilled storytellers such as Kate DiCamillo, Stephen King and Sherman Alexie spin imaginative tales inspired by the original illustrations from his 1984 wordless classic, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Story contributor Jon Scieszka joins the conversation and performs his story “Under the Rug.” At Symphony Space. $15.
1:30 p.m.
Concert performance of Puccini’s La Bohème Performed by the New York Opera Forum under the direction of Richard Nechamkin. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium. FREE.
2:30 p.m.
Views from the Past Tour As you promenade through the heart of Central Park, imagine yourself living in 19th-century New York City. Learn about the Park’s history and hear how its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, struggled to make their vision our reality. For directions, please call 212-794-4064. Outside the Dairy Gift Shop, mid-Park at 65th Street. FREE.
7:30 p.m.
Cellist Harry Wimmer in The Return of Soup to Nuts Harry Wimmer, famed cellist – raconteur, returns, for one night only, to present his ever popular classical concert – extravaganza entitled “The Gypsy Spirit in All of Us.”All proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders. At Symphony Space. $30.
Ongoing Events
Lincoln Center: American Ballet Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Society, NYC Ballet, War Horse
American Museum of Natural History: Ongoing Exhibits
New-York Historical Society: Current Exhibitions
Photo by doodlehedz via flickr.
