ZANKEL ARTHUR ZANKEL
MUSIC CENTER
ARTHUR ZANKEL
At the Arthur Zankel Music Center, we remain committed to curating forward-thinking, inclusive programming that invites audiences into transformative encounters with music and the people who make it.
This fall we celebrate the cultural heritage of Trinidad and Tobago through steel pan and limbo dance, launch a new two-day festival that unites Skidmore and Bennington Colleges through the shared tradition of folk music, and present the world premiere of Be the Sky, composed by Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal in collaboration with legendary American composer Philip Glass. We also welcome back our SURROUND series, where audiences sit onstage with the performer, erasing the distance between artist and listener. And we partner with the Tang Museum in celebration of their 25th year to present Who Turns Out the Light with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw and long-time Tang collaborators Sō Percussion.
Equally meaningful are the concerts that showcase the extraordinary talent of our own community. The season opens with 100 Years of Wind Music by Women, performed by Skidmore faculty and students, and wraps up with a wide range of performances that reflect the vibrance and creativity of our Music Department, not the least of which is SKIDMANIA ’75, celebrating popular music from 1975.
Phone: 518-580-5321
Email: zankel@skidmore.edu
TUESDAY - FRIDAY | 1:00 - 5:00PM
815 N. Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
MUSIC CENTER
These concerts remind us that music is always present in our lives—shaping, uniting, and even healing us, whether or not we stop to notice. Most of our concerts are free, and with the introduction of a pay-what-you-will model, we aim to sustain our operations while keeping live music accessible to all. We hope you’ll join us this season for moments of discovery, connection, and joy at Zankel—and, if you’re able, help keep the music thriving with a donation.
See you soon,
Zhenelle LeBel Director
To view all events and purchase tickets, scan the QR code or go to www.skidmore.edu/zankel/events.php Our events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
SEPTEMBER
100 Years of Wind Music by Women performed by the Skidmore Faculty Wind Quintet
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 | 3:00PM
Rhythms and Movements:
Celebrating Trinidadian Limbo Dance and Steel Pan Music
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 | 7:30PM
SURROUND: Khemist Mayfield
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 | 7:00PM
In It 10 presents: SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 | 7:30PM
OCTOBER
Sterne Virtuoso Series: Dmitri Novgorodsky
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 | 7:30PM
Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra: Fate & Turmoil
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 | 7:00PM
Filene Scholar Celebration Concert
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 | 7:00PM
Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion feat. Ringdown: Who Turns Out the Light
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 8:00PM
Ensemble Connect
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 | 7:30PM
NOVEMBER
Skidmore & Bennington Folk Festival feat. Jay Ungar & Molly Mason with Carolyn Shapiro
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 7:30PM
SURROUND: Julie Doiron
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 | 4:00PM
Tenzin Choegyal w/ Attacca Quartet & Alex Ring Gray: Be the Sky
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 7:30PM
SKIDMANIA ’75
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 | 8:00PM
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 | 8:00PM
Zankel’s Fall 2025 events are presented in collaboration with the departments of Music, Dance, and English; the Asian Studies, Black Studies, IdeaLab, International Affairs, and MDOCS (John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative) programs; the Office of Special Programs; Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity; and the Tang Museum at Skidmore College, as well as partnerships with Proctors Collaborative and Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). This programming is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; the Aaron Copland Fund for Music; the Zankel Music Fund; the Skidmore Presidential Discretionary Fund; and the generosity of Jean Sterne '32 and the family of Elisabeth Luce Moore.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 | 3:00PM
100 YEARS OF WIND MUSIC BY WOMEN PERFORMED BY THE SKIDMORE FACULTY WIND QUINTET
Yvonne Chavez Hansbrough, flute; Karen Hosmer, oboe; Brett Wery, clarinet; Patrice Malatestinic, horn; and Gerald Lanoue, bassoon, perform repertoire by Amy Beach, Grazyna Bacewicz, and Claude Arrieu, as well as living composers Gwyneth Walker, Amanda Harberg, and Valerie Coleman. This program offers modern, postmodern, and contemporary music in a variety of compositional styles and textures. Highly accessible to audiences, the repertoire is vibrant, tuneful, engaging, and energetic. The concert opens with remarks from Skidmore College faculty in Gender Studies and World Languages and Literatures and concludes with a collaborative performance by Skidmore students and faculty of Ruth Gipps’ Seascapes for 10 winds.
Presented by the Skidmore College Department of Music.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 | 7:30PM
RHYTHMS AND MOVEMENTS: CELEBRATING TRINIDADIAN LIMBO DANCE AND STEEL
PAN
MUSIC
This dynamic concert features award-winning TrinidadianAmerican steelpan artist, composer, and educator Josanne Francis, joined by an ensemble of musicians–Daron Roberts (drums), Ellington Carthan (piano), Knox Barber (bass), Atesh Indarjit (tabla), Modupe Onilu (percussion), and Elijah Jamal Balbed (saxophone)–and limbo dancers from Trinidad and Tobago.
Presented as the culminating event of a two-day residency at Skidmore College, Rhythms and Movements highlights the steel pan’s unique role as a symbol of sustainability, resistance, and sonic brilliance, alongside the limbo dance’s transformation from spiritual ritual to performance spectacle. The result is a vibrant, interdisciplinary celebration of Trinidadian heritage through sound, rhythm, and movement.
This event is pay-what-you-will. Your support helps ensure that cost is never a barrier and keeps tickets accessible to all members of our community. Free for children 18 and under.
Presented by the Skidmore College Department of Music in collaboration with the Department of Dance. Sponsored by the Office of Special Programs/ McCormack Artist-Scholar Fund, the Presidential Discretionary Fund, and the Arthur Zankel Music Center, with co-sponsors in the Asian Studies, Black Studies, International Affairs, and Environmental Sciences and Studies programs. Made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
SURROUND concert series
The SURROUND series makes space for the quiet magic of listening together. Seated onstage around the artist as sunset fills our window wall, audiences experience music as a conversation— intimate, unguarded, and resonant.
SUNDAYS AT SUNSET
Scan the QR code to purchase your tickets now.
$25 General Public
$8 Skidmore faculty and staff FREE for Skidmore students and children 18 and under
Made possible by the Zankel Music Fund; the Alfred Z. Solomon Community Fund for Children, Youth, and the Arts; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
SEPTEMBER 21 | 7:00PM
KHEMIST MAYFIELD
Khemist Mayfield is a Philadelphia-born rapper, songwriter, poet, and multiinstrumentalist whose music blurs the line between hip hop and live instrumentation. Raised in the city’s Logan Valley, he turns personal history and sharp observation into songs that illuminate life in post-industrial Philadelphia. Known for his monotone delivery and unflinching storytelling, he humanizes the overlooked and gives voice to lives shaped by street realities and resilience. His influences include poets like Sonia Sanchez and musicians like Lauryn Hill. He has released projects with DJ Aktive, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and legendary MC Black Thought of The Roots.
As the 2025 Pia Scala-Zankel ’92 and Jimmy Zankel ’92 Artist-in-Residence, he will engage Skidmore students through collaborations with the department of English, MDOCS, and the Schupf Family IdeaLab.
NOVEMBER 9 | 4:00PM
JULIE DOIRON
Julie Doiron is a Canadian singersongwriter known for her raw, intimate songwriting and unmistakable voice, drawing from her roots as a founding member of Eric’s Trip and collaborations with artists like Gord Downie, Okkervil River, and Mount Eerie. Her latest album, I Thought of You—her first solo release in nearly a decade—pairs warmth, grit, and vulnerability in songs that feel both personal and universal.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 | 7:30PM
IN IT 10 PRESENTS: SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®
SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK® is an internationally renowned, Grammynominated, a cappella ensemble rooted in the rich legacy of African American musical traditions. For over five decades, the group has captivated audiences around the world with their powerful blend of spirituals, gospel, jazz, and folk-infused with a commitment to justice, education, and empowerment. Known for their stunning harmonies, dynamic performances, and socially conscious message, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK® continues to inspire and uplift, using music as a force for change, connection, and healing.
In It, coordinated by the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity, is a suite of programs designed to deepen our understanding of different perspectives and foster a more connected community.
Scan the QR code to purchase your tickets now.
$35 General Public
FREE for Skidmore students, faculty, staff, and retirees
This performance features American Sign Language interpretation and closed captioning. Assisted listening devices are available upon request.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 | 7:30PM
STERNE VIRTUOSO SERIES: DMITRI NOVGORODSKY
Born into a musical family in Odessa, Ukraine, Dmitri Novgorodsky began his piano studies at age five and quickly emerged as a prizewinning prodigy— clinching the First Prize at Kazakhstan’s National Piano Competition and the Gold Medal at the National Festival of the Arts by age 16.
A graduate of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory (1990, with high honors under Victor Merzhanov), Novgorodsky went on to win a full scholarship to Yale University, where under the mentorship of Boris Berman, he earned his Master’s, Master of Musical Arts, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in piano— becoming the first Moscow Conservatory alumnus to do so. He is currently a member of the piano faculty at Ithaca College School of Music.
In this recital, Novgorodsky presents a richly woven program of Romantic masterworks by Haydn, Debussy-Gryaznov, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin— composers whose emotional depth and poetic nuance align perfectly with his luxuriant tone and dazzling technique.
This event is pay-what-you-will. Your support helps ensure that cost is never a barrier and keeps tickets accessible to all members of our community. Free for children 18 and under.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 | 7:00PM
SCHENECTADY-SARATOGA SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA: FATE & TURMOIL
Experience a captivating evening of storytelling through music. Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont sets the stage with heroic intensity, while Strauss’ Macbeth brings Shakespeare’s tragic character to life in dramatic orchestral form. The program concludes when the SSSO is joined by guest pianist Philip Fisher for Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety, a gripping, jazz-infused journey inspired by W. H. Auden’s epic poem.
Don’t miss the pre-concert talk with Artistic Director/Conductor Glen Cortese at 6 p.m. in Zankel’s Elisabeth Luce Moore Hall.
Scan the QR code to purchase your tickets now or call Proctors' Box Office at 518-346-6204.
Tickets are $17–$24. Children under 18 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 | 7:00PM
FILENE SCHOLAR CELEBRATION CONCERT
The 2025 Filene Scholar Celebration Concert features the winners of the 44th Annual Filene Scholarship Competition, alongside our current Filene Scholars and faculty artists. Established through the generosity of the Filene Ladd families, this prestigious merit scholarship recognizes exceptional young musicians, providing them with support for private lessons and the freedom to pursue any major while continuing to perform at a high level. We celebrate the Filene Scholars for the ways they enrich Skidmore’s musical life, contributing to a vibrant community of student–musicians through performances, ensembles, and collaborations across campus.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 8:00PM
CAROLINE SHAW & SŌ PERCUSSION FEAT. RINGDOWN: WHO TURNS OUT THE LIGHT
This evening-length performance is a band-generated theatrical experience, featuring music from Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion’s Grammy-winning album Rectangles and Circumstance, as well as their first album Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part, with an interlude from Shaw’s pop duo Ringdown. Beginning with a lone spotlight on Shaw singing “I’ll Fly Away,” the performance builds as musicians gradually introduce lights and inventive instruments, culminating in an ecstatic full-ensemble experience featuring up-tempo songs like “Sing On” and “To the Sky”—a dazzling blend of DIY design and original music.
In celebration of the Tang Museum’s 25th anniversary, this presentation of Who Turns Out the Light continues a long-standing artistic partnership between Sō Percussion and the Tang. The performance is co-presented with Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), which joins as a community partner during renovations of the Spa Little Theater—helping maintain strong connections to the region through collaborative programming.
Tickets to this event are FREE.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24 | 7:30PM
ENSEMBLE CONNECT
Returning for its 18th season at Skidmore, Carnegie Hall’s dynamic Ensemble Connect—called “the new face of classical music for New York” (The New York Times)—will perform a program that includes Leoš Janáček’s Mládí, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet, and music by the singular Arvo Pärt, joining in the worldwide celebration of the composer’s 90th year. Made possible by the generous support of Beverly Sanders Payne '59 and David B. Payne.
Tickets to this event are FREE.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 7:30PM
SKIDMORE & BENNINGTON FOLK FESTIVAL FEAT. JAY UNGAR & MOLLY MASON WITH CAROLYN SHAPIRO
The Bennington & Skidmore Folk Festival is a two-day gathering of music, dance, and community, uniting the colleges through the shared traditions of folk music as alumni, students, faculty, and guest artists come together for concerts, workshops, and jams. Both days invite seasoned musicians, beginners, and enthusiastic listeners to share in the joy of making music together.
Friday, Nov. 7 at Bennington College features Carling & Sam and CAM — Cedar Stanistreet, Alex Cumming, and Max Newman — plus a lively campus dance.
Saturday, Nov. 8 at Skidmore College includes workshops and performances with local folk heroes Jay Ungar & Molly Mason and Skidmore alum Carolyn Shapiro. Audiences will enjoy American, Celtic, and contemporary folk while sharing in the welcoming, collaborative spirit of the tradition.
Scan for event schedule and more info. This event is pay-whatyou-will. Your support helps ensure that cost is never a barrier and keeps tickets accessible to all members of our community. Free for children 18 and under.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 | 7:30PM
TENZIN CHOEGYAL W/ ATTACCA QUARTET & ALEX RING GRAY: BE THE SKY WORLD PREMIERE
Composed by Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal and renowned American composer Philip Glass, in collaboration with producer-composer Alex Ring Gray, Be the Sky is a new collection of works for piano quintet and string quartet. This world premiere performance features Choegyal, Gray, and the 2× Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet, with collaborative performances by Skidmore College students and faculty.
Choegyal, known for blending Tibetan musical traditions with contemporary soundscapes, reunites with Glass—one of the most influential figures in modern classical music— to offer works that meditate on resilience, devotion, and spiritual connection. The program previews music from the forthcoming album Be the Sky, to be released this November on Glass’s Orange Mountain Music label.
This event is pay-what-you-will. Your support helps ensure that cost is never a barrier and keeps tickets accessible to all members of our community. Free for children 18 and under.
Presented by the Arthur Zankel Music Center in partnership with the Skidmore Department of Music
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 | 8:00PM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 | 8:00PM
SKIDMANIA ‘75
SKIDMANIA returns! Celebrating the music of 50 years ago and fueled by the talent and imagination of Skidmore student and faculty performers, SKIDMANIA ’75 offers an exciting and inclusive bill of beloved hits and forgotten gems, with all proceeds to charity. Join us as we revisit and reinterpret the sounds of 1975, bringing our creative community together for an evening of music and giving back. Can’t make it to the show? Find the livestream at skidmore.edu/zankel and make a donation online today!
Tickets:
$25 General Public
$15 Skidmore faculty, staff, and retirees
$5 Students
■ ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CHARITY.
SKIDMORE IN CONCERT
This free, public series showcases the excellence of our Music Department and celebrates the vibrancy of our shared artistic community. All events take place in Zankel’s Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall unless otherwise noted.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 5:30PM BRASS & WOODWIND ENSEMBLES
Directed by Patrice Maletestinic and Yvonne Chavez Hansbrough Elisabeth Luce Moore Hall (ELM)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 7:00PM ORCHESTRA
Directed by Georgia Mills
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 10:00AM VOCAL CHAMER ENSEMBLE & CHORUS OUTREACH CONCERT
Directed by Floydd Ricketts
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 7:00PM CONCERT BAND
Directed by Milton Lee
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2:00PM GLOBAL MUSIC SHOWCASE (STRING BAND, INDIAN, MONGOLIAN, + WEST AFRICAN ENSEMBLES)
Coached by Trish Miller and John Kirk, Veena Chandra, Charlotte D’Evelyn, and Koblavi Dogah
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 7:00PM BIG BAND + CUBAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE
Coached by Russell Haight and Jorge Gomez
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1:00PM SMALL JAZZ ENSEMBLES + GUITAR
Coached by Russell Haight and George Muscatello
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 4:00PM GUITAR ENSEMBLE
Coached by Brett Grigsby
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 7:00PM STRING ENSEMBLES
Directed by Michael Emery and Jameson Platte
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 7:00PM VOCAL CHAMBER ENSEMBLE & CHORUS
Directed by Floydd Ricketts
