The air is crisp, the leaves are getting lovely, scenic hiking trails are beckoning—plus it’s apple season! Autumn is awesome for so many obvious reasons, but it also happens to be the perfect time to take advantage of Hudson Valley culture. Save the dates for these must-see concerts, dance performances, film festivals, art exhibits, comedy shows, and much more.
Art • Dance • Film • Music • Performance • Comedy
Art
In & Out of Lineage: Tracing Heritage Through SUNY New Paltz Faculty
The Dorsky / New Paltz
September 7–December 8
Through a variety of mediums, twenty SUNY New Paltz art and graphic design faculty explore the creative relationship between teachers and their students.
Felix Beaudry: Window Show
Athens Cultural Center / Athens
September 11–29
Kingston-based textile artist Felix Beaudry displays tapestries and sculptures made with his industrial knitting machine in this solo exhibition.
Tall Shadows in Short Order
The Wassaic Project / Wassaic
Through September 14
Large site-specific installations by 30 artists take over all seven floors of The Wassaic Project’s Maxon Mills space. Works include a mountain range made of maps by Luciana Abait and a miniature version of Wassaic crafted by Cate Pasquarelli.
Rosalie D. Gagné: A Contemporary Alchemist
Neuberger Museum of Art / Purchase
September 18 – December 22
The museum at SUNY Purchase presents the first-ever retrospective of sculptor Rosalie D. Gagné’s career. Pieces on view include “Artificial Kingdom IV,” which comprises 45 inflatable polyethylene cells suspended from a 20-foot-tall ceiling.
Lucas Samaras
Dia Beacon / Beacon
Opens September 20
Two projects by multimedia artist Lucas Samaras come to Dia: “Cubes and Trapezoids,” a collection of gray wooden totems with geometric cutouts, and “Doorway,” an immersive mirrored room.
Care Everywhere: Photography and Print
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar / Poughkeepsie
Opens September 21
This exhibition explores the humanity that appears in works of art, inviting viewers to expand their understanding of caring in family, friendships, and more.
Reproductive: Health, Fertility, Agency
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar / Poughkeepsie
Opens September 28
Through photographs, collages, and other media, explore both the mental and physical realities women face in the years leading up to, during, and after fertility. Pieces depict topics such as birth, trauma, lack of access to abortion, and more.
Neighboring Visions: Westchester Artists Then and Now
Hudson River Museum / Yonkers
Through September 29
Historical landscape paintings are displayed in tandem with contemporary art pieces created by local artists in an attempt to show how makers across time have translated their surroundings into art.
Red Grooms: Drawing “The Bookstore”
Hudson River Museum / Yonkers
Through September
29 In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of immersive sculpto-pictorama “The Bookstore” (a space made of several two-dimensional drawings), pop-art icon Red Grooms presents a selection of previously unseen illustrations.
The Light in Our Eyes: Youth Visions of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse
Athens Cultural Center / Athens
October 4–20
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is celebrating its 150th birthday! Student artwork, poems, and long-form writing pieces from regional high schools about the lighthouse, river life, and local lore will adorn the walls of the Athens Cultural Center.
Start Making Sense
The Hessel Museum of Art at Bard / Annandale-on-Hudson
Through October 20
Highlights from the art collections of Bard College—with a focus on pieces made in New York City in the ‘90s and early 2000s—show the connection between works of art and their cultural contexts.
Particle Point Collisions
Athens Cultural Center / Athens
October 26–November 10
James Holl exhibits a selection of his colorful paintings to coincide with his upcoming book launch, The Book.
Keith Sonnier
Dia Beacon / Beacon
Opens November 9
A selection of colorful installations from the 1960s and ‘70s by the late sculptor Keith Sonnier.
LIE DOGGO
The School: Jack Shainman Gallery / Kinderhook
Through November 16
Artist Nina Chanel Abney pays homage to Matisse, Picasso, and Leger through colorful paintings and collages in the style of cubism.
Carrie Mae Weems: Remember to Dream
The Hessel Museum of Art at Bard / Annandale-on-Hudson
Through December 1
A collection of images by a politically engaged photographer depicts protests from the Civil Rights era to today.
Ho Tzu Nyen: Time & the Tiger
The Hessel Museum of Art at Bard / Annandale-on-Hudson
Through December 1
Five multimedia installations explore the history, fiction, and culture of Southeast Asia. The short films include documentary clips, segments of music videos, and more.
Dance
Kaatsbaan 2024 Annual Festival
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park / Tivoli
September 13–15, 19–21, 28–29, October 5–6
Across four weekends, Kaatsbaan will host a variety of events celebrating music, visual arts, and dance, which the cultural park is known for.
Martha Graham Dance Company presents Baye & Asa’s Cortege
The Orpheum Performing Arts Center / Tannersville
September 28
After spending a week at The Orpheum putting the finishing touches on a new commission, the renowned Martha Graham Dance Company will present a first look at the show before bringing it to the world stage at the Guggenheim.
The Bang Group
Stissing Center for Arts & Culture / Pine Plains
October 4–5
A five-piece dance company presents a rhythm-driven program blending percussive, classical, modern, and social styles.
The Sleeping Beauty
UPAC / Kingston
November 8
The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine performs the full-length, three-act tale of the cursed Princess Aurora to the original score composed by Tchaikovsky.
Film
Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo
Jacob Burns Film Center / Pleasantville
September 25
Explore the life of iconic artist Frida Kahlo through this film that uses letters she wrote to unlock the emotions and events that inspired her most popular works.
Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert
UPAC / Kingston
September 29
This interactive screening encourages children to sing along to the film’s soundtrack with guest artist Banda de la Casita.
Woodstock Film Festival
Various locations / Woodstock
October 15–20
This acclaimed film festival returns to the Woodstock area for its 25th year with movie screenings, industry-related lectures, and more. woodstockfilmfestival.org
FilmColumbia
The Crandell Theatre / Chatham
October 18–27
Watch the best in upcoming American and international films for 10 days at the circa 1926 Crandell Theatre.
Music
Wild Pink / The Fascinating Chimera Project / Greem Jellyfish
Basilica / Hudson
September 5
The final installment in Basilica’s summer 2024 Jupiter Nights series features experimental music by three artists.
Bob Mould Solo Electric
City Winery Hudson Valley / Montgomery
September 6
This seasoned American songwriter embarks on a solo tour to perform guitar-driven rock songs from his 15 albums.
Steven E. Greenstein Memorial Concert
Doctorow Center for the Arts / Hunter
September 7
This two-hour show features piano performances by Joanne Polk, Jeffrey Langford, and Jamie Saft, honoring the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s original curator of the CMF Piano Performance Museum.
Hardscrabble Music Festival
Red Hook
September 14
The streets of the Village of Red Hook come alive with song, food trucks, and more to celebrate the annual Hardscrabble Day.
Sidy Samb
The Local / Saugerties
September 20
Celebrate The Local’s first anniversary with music from a Spain-based Senegalese musician.
Dar Williams
City Winery Hudson Valley / Montgomery
September 26
Folk singer Dar Williams appears at City Winery ahead of the October 1 release of her upcoming album, “I’ll Meet You Here.”
Basilica SoundScape
Basilica / Hudson
September 27–29
Along with live music performances, catch art installations, readings by authors, conceptual sound shows, and local vendors and artisans at this year’s SoundScape.
Country Music Weekend
Barton Orchards / Poughquag
September 28–29
After wandering the orchard to pick apples, kick back on the grounds and enjoy sets from local country music groups.
People of Earth
Caramoor / Katonah
September 29
This free concert and dance event celebrating music from across the globe takes place in Caramoor’s Friends Field.
William Elliot Whitmore
City Winery Hudson Valley / Montgomery
September 29
Iowa-born Whitmore explores the natural cycles of life in his Americana-style songs.
Habibi Festival Hudson Valley
The Local / Saugerties
October 3
Award-winning artists Tarek Yamani and Yacine Boulares blend Lebanese and Tunisian music traditions.
Hudson Jazz Festival
Hudson Hall / Hudson
October 4–6
The 2024 festival program includes performances by the Riley Mulherkar Quartet, the Ethan Iversion Trio, and Ekep Nkwelle singing Ella Fitzgerald.
Marc-Andre Hamelin
Caramoor / Katonah
October 6
A renowned Canadian pianist showcases his talent by playing sonatas by Haydn, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff.
O+
Throughout Kingston
October 11–13
Indie-rock singer Neko Case, Kate Pierson of the B-52s, and local folk group Upstate are among the artists on the 2024 O+ Festival billing.
Opus Illuminate
Stissing Center for Arts & Culture
October 13
Listen to selections of classical and chamber music pieces written by composers from historically underrepresented communities.
Amythyst Kiah
Caramoor / Katonah
October 18
Presented in collaboration with City Winery, this Tennessee-based musician’s songs are bolstered by her powerful, soulful voice.
Le Consort
Caramoor / Katonah
October 20
Consisting of two violins, a cello, and a harpsichord, Le Consort performs a program of English baroque pieces with Italian influence (think: Vivaldi, Bach, and Purcell).
Transylvanian Dance
The Local / Saugerties
October 20
A piano and violin duo (Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri) perform a program of Transylvanian folk music that includes pieces by Bela Bartok.
Julie Benko: Cabaret in the Music Room
Caramoor / Katonah
October 25
Broadway star Julie Benko teams up with her husband, a jazz pianist, to sing cabaret-style tunes in Caramoor’s Music Room.
Centuries
Ancram Center for the Arts / Ancram
October 25–November 3
Musicians Kate Douglas, Matthew Dean Marsh, and Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez premiere an immersive concert experience celebrating humanity.
Ben Folds
UPAC / Kingston
November 9
Pop pianist Ben Folds performs audience requests sent to the stage via paper airplane on this inventive tour.
NYC Ska Orchestra
The Local / Saugerties
November 9
Jam out to tunes spanning the genres of Jamaican ska, mento, rock steady, and reggae as performed by this 20-piece big band.
Patti Smith & Friends
UPAC / Kingston
November 16
Punk-rock pioneer and poet Patti Smith takes the stage to perform spoken-word stories about her life and hit songs.
STOMP
UPAC / Kingston
November 17
This eight-person percussion troop puts on a family-friendly show using an assortment of unconventional instruments, such as garbage cans and hub caps.
Terra String Quartet
Caramoor / Katonah
November 17
This group kicks off its year-long residency at Caramoor with a performance of three quartet arrangements by Mozart, Britten, and Mendelssohn.
Performance
Downtown Upstate
Ancram Center for the Arts / Ancram
September 7–8, 14–15
The inaugural Downtown Upstate festival brings New York City theater artists to the Hudson Valley to perform shows and lead acting and playwrighting workshops for locals.
Beehive, The 60’s Musical
Shadowland Stages / Ellenville
Through September 8
A musical revue celebrating the powerful female voices of the 1960s—from Tina Turner to Janis Joplin—told through six young women coming of age throughout the decade.
Murder on the Orient Express
The Center for Performing Arts / Rhinebeck
Through September 8
The who-done-it mystery by Agatha Christie set on a train in 1934 is brought to life by this community-led theater.
Phoenix Festival
Throughout Nyack
September 12–22
Enjoy 10 days of live music, theatrics, readings by playwrights, and more in the heart of this Rockland river town.
The Garbologists
Shadowland Stages / Ellenville
September 13–29
A new comedy pairs a veteran sanitation worker with a newbie on a New York City garbage route, who get to know each other while hunting for hidden treasure in the trash of others.
American Terror: An Opera
Hudson Hall / Hudson
September 14
Join Hudson Hall for a discussion and work-in-progress performance of the recently commissioned American Terror, an opera adapted from a 1969 television debate concerning America’s involvement in Vietnam.
Dracula
Bannerman Castle / Beacon
September 18–22
The stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel is once again presented at Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island. Each showing begins at dusk.
The Road to Jerusalem
Shadowland Stages / Ellenville
October 4–20
An array of characters takes the stage to tell seven interconnected stories occurring in 1889 in Jerusalem, Arizona.
Taconic Opera: Carmen
Tarrytown Music Hall / Tarrytown
November 2–3
Taconic Opera’s 27th season features a two-night run of the famous opera Carmen, a dark tale of love, immorality, lawlessness, and violence.
Real People Real Stories
Ancram Center for the Arts / Ancram
November 17
After participating in storytelling workshops, residents of the surrounding area take the stage to recount personal tales that are equal parts humorous and poignant.
Comedy
Kathleen Madigan: The Potluck Party Tour
Tarrytown Music Hall / Tarrytown
September 6
Kathleen Madigan tells anecdotes about growing up in the Midwest in an Irish Catholic household in her newest special.
Sebastian Maniscalco: It Ain’t Right Tour
MVP Arena / Albany
October 3
Sebastian Maniscalco tells jokes about the modern age at this stop on his largest comedy tour to date.
Jessica Kirson
The Bardavon / Poughkeepsie
October 26
Known for her short comedic videos—which have amassed over 200 million views online—Jessica Kirson brings relatable jokes and silly characters to the stage.
Preacher Lawson: Best Day Ever!
Tarrytown Music Hall / Tarrytown
November 1
This comedian has been using fun banter to address serious issues since getting his start on season 12 of America’s Got Talent.
Mark Normand: Ya Don’t Say Tour
The Bardavon / Poughkeepsie
November 15
New York City-based Mark Normand uses a punchy storytelling style to tell an array of dark jokes.
Related: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s New Home Will Be Eco-Chic
