Actor, Comedian and SNL Legend Jane Curtin at UAlbany on April 29

incredibly important aspect of arts for youth in our area.” Teddy Foster, director of Universal Preservation Hall, said in a statement.

The vision of the Collaborative School of the Arts is to provide extensive performing arts opportunities with instruction by regional and national professionals. Its programs inspire and cultivate career paths for students in creative fields while developing and welcoming a diverse palette of artists. Tuition assistance ensures student accessibility across Proctors Collaborative, including UPH’s summer program Rock Camp.

For more information, go to universalpreservationhall.org. There is no cover charge for this event.

ALBANY — Actor and comedian Jane Curtin, an original cast member on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” will visit the University at Albany on Saturday, April 29, for two distinct events. Both appearances will take place at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown University at Albany campus at 1400 Washington Ave.

At 4 p.m., the Emmy Award winner will participate in an onstage interview with WAMC’s Joe Donahue as part of The Creative Life: A Conversation Series. This event is free and open to the public. Later that day at 7:30 p.m., Curtin will be a part of the cast of Selected Shorts, the live version of the weekly public radio show that airs locally on WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Tickets purchased in advance are $10-$15.

Starting in its first season in 1975, Curtin was one of the original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” on “Saturday Night Live” and stayed with the show through the 197980 season. She later starred in two long-running television sitcoms,

“Kate & Allie” from 1984 through 1989, during which she won backto-back Emmy Awards in 1984 and 1985, and “3rd Rock from the Sun” from 1996 through 2001. Curtin also starred in all four seasons of “Unforgettable” as well as the television movie series “The Librarian” and its spin-off television show, “The Librarians.” Guest appearances have included “The Good Wife,” “48 Hours ’til Monday,” “The Good Fight,” “Broad City,” “United We Fall” and, most recently, “The Conners.”

Opera Saratoga Names Mary Birnbaum

New General and Artistic Director

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mary Birnbaum, a decorated opera director, takes the reins of Opera Saratoga ahead of the 2023 summer festival season, the organization announced.

Birnbaum succeeds former General and Artistic Director Lawrence Edelson, whose 8-yeartenure concluded at the end of the 2022 season. Birnbaum is the tenth general director in Opera

Saratoga’s history.

Birnbaum is on faculty at The Juilliard School where she teaches and coaches acting for singers as the Dramatic Advisor to the Masters of Music and Graduate Diploma Program at the Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts. She was Juilliard’s inaugural directing fellow in Vocal Arts, and she will continue her role as a faculty member and Dramatic Advisor to graduate-level singers.

“I look forward to collaborating with the talented staff and superior board of directors to bring exceptional music theater to Saratoga Springs and the surrounding communities,” said Birnbaum, in a statement. “Part of the allure of working with Opera Saratoga was the richness of the artistic and intellectual community in the area and I can’t wait to find ways to partner with other local organizations.”

Opera Saratoga originated as Lake George Opera Festival with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962. The company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people annually.

In her role as general and artistic director, Birnbaum will be responsible for producing the annual opera festival and overseeing Opera Saratoga staff in all elements of programming, community engagement, fundraising, and artist development; while also directing or working with guest directors, conductors, and designers.

Her introduction to the Saratoga Springs public will take place at Opera Saratoga’s Annual Gala, on Thursday, June 8, at the Saratoga National Golf Club. More information can be found at www.operasaratoga.org/ opera-gala-2023