2023 Summer Amphitheater Series & Feel Good Fridays

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YONKERS, NY, June 21, 2023—The Hudson River Museum is thrilled to welcome back audiences for a new season of our popular Summer Amphitheater Series, with free performances Friday and Saturday evenings from July 7–August 12, 2023. This year’s Summer Amphitheater Series is generously sponsored by Ørsted. Additional support for select performances has been provided by Art Bridges and Sax LLP.

The series offers audiences an inspiring outdoor venue, overlooking the majestic Palisades and the Hudson River, where they can come together to enjoy top-quality entertainment, including tango, jazz, soul, Latin Fusion, drama, magic, and even a falconer showing off birds of prey. All performances are FREE and begin at 8pm, with doors opening at 7:30pm. No reservations required. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Free parking is available, with an ADA entrance on Kennedy Boulevard.

Feel Good Fridays: Enjoy free general admission to the Museum Fridays in July & August from 5–7pm. Experience the exhibitions currently on view, grab a drink at the cash bar, enjoy the outdoor courtyard with games for all ages, and catch an out-of-this-world planetarium show at 6pm (ticketed).

“Get ready to embrace sizzling beats and radiant sunsets as the Hudson River Museum proudly invites you to our exhilarating 2023 Summer Amphitheater Series!” said Director and CEO Masha Turchinsky. “Prepare to be swept away by electrifying performances and immerse yourself in the vibrant pulse of culture beneath the open skies. Join us as we turn the stage into a playground of joy, celebration, and shared memories. Let the HRM ignite your spirit and awaken your imagination. We can’t wait to see you here!”

“Ørsted is proud to sponsor the 2023 Summer Amphitheater Series and support its wide variety of talented performers,” said Kevin Hansen, Head of Government Affairs and Policy, New York at Ørsted. “Ørsted’s vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy, and through our clean energy projects we strive to build more sustainable and resilient communities. Partnering with leading cultural institutions like the Hudson River Museum aligns with that mission and we are glad to help bring this performance series from the banks of the Hudson River to Westchester and the New York metro area this year.”

Schedule:

Symphonic Tango
Friday, July 7
Two of the HRM Amphitheater’s most popular acts, Yonkers Philharmonic and the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet, are collaborating to create a night to be remembered! They will present the musical evolution of tango, from its roots in the traditional orquesta típica, to tango nuevo, as epitomized by Astor Piazzolla, to a contemporary sound that respects the past and looks to the future. The joint effort will amplify the vigor of both ensembles, bringing something new and exciting to the genre, while retaining all the lushness and beauty of tango to create an unforgettable performance. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers
Saturday, July 8
Thunderbird American Indian Dancers perform a variety of dances from different tribes and delve into their origins, purpose, and regalia—with audience participation! Founded in 1963 by ten men and women descended from Mohawk, Hopi, Winnebago, and San Blas tribes, the troupe recognizes and celebrates our region’s First People, who are integral to our understanding local and national history, our relationship to the land, and responsibility for its stewardship for future generations. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Skyhunters in Flight
Friday, July 14
As twilight turns into night, watch trained birds of prey fly above you as falconer Brian Bradley demonstrates their special powers. Get a closer look at live owls, hawks, and falcons from around the world and learn how these beautiful birds play an important role in our environment. See their amazing adaptations for survival in the wild. Hear about the ancient sport of falconry and its training techniques. See these trained athletes in action in an exciting, informative program for all ages.

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble Presents Honduras
Saturday, July 15
Honduras is a powerful solo piece written by Drama Desk–nominated playwright Sara Farrington, starring Valeria A. Avina. Based on true events, the play recounts the stories of Honduran mothers and children who crossed the border seeking asylum in the summer of 2018. , with whom Farrington worked while she was volunteering with Immigrant Families Together, the group that she helped found. Founded in 2004, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is an Audelco, IRNE, Elliot Norton, and NYITA award-winning not-for-profit organization committed to the presentation of the great stories of the classical canon, and new adaptations of language-rich texts in innovative stagings that speak to and serve contemporary audiences.

Lost Soul Found
Friday, July 21
Lost Soul Found is an eleven-piece band that plays the music of Earth Wind & Fire, the Ohio Players, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Santana, Tower of Power, and other Funk, Soul, and R&B artists of the 60s and 70s. The band’s rhythm section is complemented by three lead vocalists and a three-piece horn section, and it aims to get its audience up on the dance floor while simultaneously showing off the band’s substantial instrumental chops.

Gamelan Dharma Swara
Saturday, July 22
Gamelan Dharma Swara is a coalition of musicians, dancers, and composers presenting Balinese performing arts across a wide range of traditional and contemporary repertoire, made possible by gamelan semara dana instruments that combine a twentieth century five-tone scale with a sixteenth or seventeenth century seven-tone scale. Their mission is to cultivate Balinese gamelan as a global artform, engaging diverse partners and curious audiences. Their repertoire balances work by and in collaboration with Bali’s leading artists, such as I Dewa Ketut Alit and I Gusti Nyoman Darta, as well as American composers such as Matthew Welch (Blarvuster, Experiments in Opera), Joel Mellin, Momenta Quartet, Vivian Fung and jazz singer Nerissa Campbell. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Brass Queens
Friday, July 28
Brass Queens is a nine-piece brass band whose sound is deeply inspired by the music of New Orleans mixed with the flair of modern pop. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, the Brass Queens features an all-female horn section with the goal of expanding the space for women in a male-dominated industry. Brass Queens has performed at the 2021 Met Gala, on Good Morning America, multiple appearances at Governor’s Ball Music Festival and Exit Zero Jazz Festival, Chanel No. 5’s 125th anniversary, and for notable clients including Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., Perrier, Instagram, New Balance, and many more.

Afro Dominicano
Saturday, July 29
Afro Dominicano is a Latin Fusion indie band of the Alternative Latin Music diaspora playing what they call “Afro Caribbean soul music,” a blending of traditional folkloric roots music from the Dominican Republic with Afro-beats, reggae, calypso, samba, Funk, Punk rock and other Caribbean rhythms. Over the last four years, they’ve given more than 300 performances, at Chelsea Music Hall, Central Park, Afribembe festival, Joe’s Pub, Lincoln Center, Musikfest and Hispanic Festival (PA), and won the Music Hall of Williamsburg battle of the bands and Latin Night at Citi Field.

Library Jazz Band
Friday, August 4
Library Jazz Band, a collective of music professionals and educators from Westchester, perform all the tracks on Innervisions—the landmark album that Stevie Wonder released almost exactly fifty years ago!—with arrangements that honor the originals, but reimagine them with big band flair. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Afro-Peruvian Ensemble
Saturday, August 5
This all-star band brings you the joyful sounds of the Peruvian coast with a contemporary treatment rooted in the rich Afro-Peruvian tradition. Directed by drummer Hector Morales, the Afro-Peruvian Ensemble includes former Peru Negro singer/dancer Mariela Valencia; legendary percussionists Freddy “Huevito” Lobaton and Hector Ferreyra; innovative guitar player Eric Kurimski; along with the extraordinary talents of Ali Bello (Venezuela) on violin and Grammy Awarded Pedro Giraudo (Argentina) on the bass. The ensemble’s repertoire includes uplifting festejos and zamacuecas, dazzling Peruvian waltzes and hypnotic landos, as well as the “contrapunto de Cajones” (box drums counterpoint) and “contrapunto de Zapateo” (tap dancing competition) classics of the Afro-Peruvian folklore rarely seen in the US. Altogether, “. . . a superb group of authoritative musicians . . . Illuminating and joyful” —Jeff Potter, Modern Drummer Magazine.

AM Gold Yacht Rock Party
Friday, August 11
Sailors and landlubbers alike will groove to this Yacht Rock Party on the Hudson! AM Gold is a New York City-based tribute band, performing the adult-contemporary hit songs from the late 1970’s through the mid 1980’s. Artists include Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, Huey Lewis, Christopher Cross, Lionel Richie and so many more! Most of this Southern-California based music has recently experienced a revival known to many as Yacht Rock. This smooth style of music has stood the test of time.

Magic and Mentalism with Andy Gersh
Saturday, August 12
Forget everything you know about magicians! Andy Gersh’s unique brand of magic and mentalism is personal, interactive, and will completely melt your mind. Andy has been a professional magician for over 15 years and recently performed on the hit CW TV show Penn and Teller: Fool Us, where he won their prestigious Fool Us trophy. Everyone will get a taste of the spotlight for an evening you will remember forever! Sponsored by Sax LLP.

Press contact:
Jeana Wunderlich
jwunderlich@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240

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