Billy Budd

Saturday Opera at Kendal continues.

The opera Billy Budd by Benjamin Britten is based on the unfinished novel of the same name by Herman Melville. It describes the tragic fate of a young sailor pressed into service on the HMS Indomitable during the French Wars of 1797.

The principal singers in John Dexter’s brilliant Metropolitan Opera production are Dwayne Croft as Billy, James Morris as his tormentor master-at-arms John Claggart, and Philip Langridge as Captain Vere.

Come join us in the Gathering Room on Saturday, April 2, at 1pm.

Concert by Youth Music Camp Students

On Sunday, April 3, at 3 pm, Kendal will host violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn and Luzerne Music Center Students in the Gathering Room.

Founded in 1980 by Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Bert Phillips and Steinway pianist Toby Blumenthal, the Luzerne Music Center (LMC) aims to provide world-class music instruction for passionate young people in a summer camp environment regardless of their financial circumstances.

Musicians ages 9 to 18 come from all over the world to train at LMC’s campus located in the foothills of New York’s Adirondack Park.

Performers on April 3 will include Ilona Biagini-Rosenbaum (violin), James Liu (tuba), Auggy Cai (trumpet), Mia Jung Pitkin (violin), and Melody Shen (flute). World-renowned violinist and Luzerne Music Center Director Elizabeth Pitcairn will also play.

Pre-Kendal Lives

“Inside Kendal on Hudson: Residents Reflect on their Pre-Kendal Lives.”

By the time each of us moves to Kendal, we will have had at least 65 years of life behind us. Among all the experiences that filled those years and helped to make us who we are, which were most important, or most interesting, or most unusual?

On Monday, March 28, at 7:30 pm, in the Gathering Room, four of our neighbors will offer their answers to those questions.

Barbara Bruno, Eugenie Havemeyer, Hubert Herring, and Peter Seldin will each talk briefly about some aspects of their pre-Kendal lives. The four speakers will not simply review their resumes! For that information, check the biographies available on the Kendal website or in the library. Instead, each will introduce us to aspects of their lives that we would otherwise be unlikely to discover. The panel will be moderated by Ellen Lagemann and is sponsored by the Education Committee.

The Portrait Project

You might have noticed Shelley Robinson and Jody Spellun doing sketches of residents in the lounge last week.

They were participating in an event sponsored by the worldwide group “Urban Sketchers,” with chapters in 60 countries, a group of artists who enjoy sketching together and sharing their work.

The “100-People-in-a-Week” project is a challenge which Shelley and Jody did for fun. They plan to put the original sketches into archival binders available for viewing in the KoH library or art room.

Wednesday Art Class

New Unit Begins March 23 at 3:00 in the Art Room

COLLAGE / ASSEMBLAGE - Combine color, form, imagery and typography from magazines and other print and non-print materials. Create a unified piece of art in your own unique style.

March 23: Create pleasing compositions using cut and glued paper. Learn techniques of sketching and laying out color and image choices ahead of final creation.

March 30: Experimentation with focus on creating a good abstract. Emphasis on contrasts between similar and repeated images.

April 6: Combine and incorporate disparate materials such as fabric, wood and other natural found items. Use texturing techniques to enhance color and form.

Registration required for each class. Contact Gretchen Engler

Coming Art Show News

New Art Show

"KENDAL KALEIDOSCOPE"

April 26, 2022 to October 18, 2022

Reception  April 26, 4:00-5:30 pm

INITIAL SUBMISSION

The curators ask for submission of artwork made by residents and staff never seen before  on the Rue des Artistes.  Paintings, photographs, collages, assemblages, fiber arts, and whatever can hang on the wall or fit in the case. Please bring your work to the Art Room on Friday, April 1, between 10 am and 12 noon or between 1 pm and 3 pm.  If you are unable to bring your work to the Art Room, give us a call, and we will arrange for the work to be picked up. 

You may submit a maximum of three (3) works.  We will let you know which have been chosen.

Your submissions are to be picked up Sunday, April 3 between 10 am and 12 noon, or between 1 pm and 3 pm. 

Please remember to put your name, the title of the work, the medium (oil, collage, etc.), your phone number, and apartment number on the back of your submission. The work does not have to be framed for the INITIAL SUBMISSION.  Many thanks!

The FINAL SUBMISSION of all artworks is Saturday, April 23, 2022.

We look forward to seeing your work and showing others the many talents here at Kendal. It should be an interesting show.

Curators: Lynn Brady, Ann Holloway, and Judy Baker.

New Year's Eve at Kendal

How could we forget? Because of Covid, New Year’s Eve at Kendal had to be postponed. So… it is to take place on Thursday, March 24 with all the trappings: a Muriel Fox produced show, champagne and all the rest.

The ball drops at 9:00 pm to welcome in the New Year. Where else do you get New Year’s in March?

Volunteers are still welcome for the committee that’s creating a festive Champagne and Caviar Reception for after the show. To help out or donate funds for refreshments and decorations contact co-chairs Sally Costa or Sharry Lukach. We’re all reminded that evening attire is encouraged.

Happy Belated New Year!

Concert March 27

On Sunday, March 27, at 3 pm, award-winning Romanian-Hungarian pianist Alexa Stier returns for a solo performance at Kendal.

Ms. Stier earned her Bachelor of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2019, her Master of Music at Yale School of Music in 2021, and currently is a candidate for the Doctorate of Musical Arts at Yale. Her program includes works by Mendelssohn, Radzynski, Chopin, Bacewicz, Debussy and de Falla.

This is a rare opportunity to experience Ms. Stier again. Great performances deserve a repeat.

Saturday Opera Continues

Kendal’s Saturday Opera continues.

Our program this week is Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, in a presentation by the Vienna State Opera with Adrianne Pieczonka, Jonas Kaufmann, Tomasz Koneczny, Hans-Peter König, and Olga Bezsmertna. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Franz Welser-Möst at the 2015 Salzburg Festival.

It takes place on Saturday, March 26, at 1 pm in the Gathering Room.