This and That by JL

Many people ask me “What is an arts council?”. ArtsWestchester is an arts council, one of some six-thousand nationwide, which supports the arts through leadership, funding, programming, education, advocacy, audience cultivation and professional development. “One of the things I love the most about what we do is giving emerging artists and performers opportunities to have their […]

Growing up in what may be considered the jazz era, I have learned to tap my feet in appreciation of most any old beat. In fact, it’s an involuntary action. It occurred to me that others may also have feet they can’t control, which led to ArtsWestchester featuring the best of jazz in our historic […]

Now that it’s over – past history, at least for this year – let’s talk about the 15th annual Pleasantville Music Festival. What a great all-day event, featuring 18 bands such as Everclear, Soul Asylum and Aimee Mann. But, let’s not get too distracted by the music, or for that matter the food, which was […]

What can we do about the end of summer? Mourn the loss? Or…get with the new fall program? Your choice. I’m sprinting into fall with a line-up that’s off the charts. There’s Romare Beardon at the Neuberger. He’s the guy who was anointed as the “foremost collagist” in America. Leonard Bernstein will be in New […]

As a kid, I was a musical disappointment. My mother, a proud teacher, tried every pedagogical tactic–first, of course, piano lessons; later the clarinet, then the saxophone and finally a bass clarinet, hardly a lady-like choice. Then there were the Saturday young people’s concerts at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.  At the […]

I’m taking a trip down Memory Lane and remembering the late George Delaney who served as Con Edison Vice President for Westchester operations for many years. George was super involved in community life, served on many boards and supported many causes, one of them being the arts.  I first met George at a “Sunset Serenade” […]

  In today’s technology-driven world, making music can be done from anywhere. That’s in part why Crain’s New York Business is reporting that 20% of the New York City’s recording studios have disappeared over the past decade, and 25% of live-music clubs have shut down since 2000. The culprit appears to be rising rents and changing entertainment habits. That may […]

At my ripe-but-not-old age, I have finally, yet reluctantly, concluded that mothers know best. This message was brought home to me Saturday night by the mother of the famous clarinetist Derek Bermel. She whispered (entre nous) to me “I told him not to play the trumpet.” Thus, she took credit for his world renown as […]