SaratogaArtsFest 2010 announces line-up and new features
Adult ARTSPASS for sale at 15% discount through March 31

What do “dueling organs,” noted jazz musicians, children’s theatre, Carnegie Hall, brimming art galleries, kids’ art workshops, live bands on Broadway, and probing discussions with authors and artists have in common?  They are all part of SaratogaArtsFest 2010, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

SaratogaArtsFest, now in its fourth year, will take place June 10-13 and will once again present a citywide celebration spanning music, dance, visual art, film, theatre, and literary art. The festival will offer some 75 events and activities at venues throughout Saratoga Springs. The full festival schedule and program details are now available at www.SaratogaArtsFest.org.

A small sampling of this year’s line-up includes the acclaimed José Limón Dance Company, jazz trumpeter Brandon Lee, pianist and sought-after jazz sideman Warren Bernhardt, the celebrated composer Richard Danielpour, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW, and fiction writer Alix Ohlin. 

These performances will be mixed in with dozens of events and activities for a wide-range of audiences—from the seasoned arts aficionado, to the live-entertainment enthusiast, to families with young children.

A celebration of local talent
A key goal of SaratogaArtsFest 2010 will be to celebrate the talent of local artists, from those with established reputations to budding performers from nearby schools.

The area’s musical talent will include the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s brass quintet, Lake George Opera at Saratoga, Saratoga Chamber Players, Burnt Hills Oratorio Society, Ballston Spa Community Band, the Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society, and the eclectic Annie and the Hedonists. A number of youth choral and music groups will also perform.

This year’s line-up will include the Albany-based Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company. Among the local visual artists who will display their works are sculptor Beverley Mastrianni and painters Michelle Winnie and David Arsenault. 

Area theatre will also play a key role in the festival, with two hard-hitting plays leading the charge. The Albany-based New York State Theater Institute will present a musical titled Orphan Train, the haunting story of orphans and “surplus” children of New York City who were sent West in the mid-nineteenth century for adoption. The Empire State College Foundation of SUNY will present Flashback, a play that explores the psychic repercussions of war. On a lighter note, Home Made Theater will present Runyonesque, an adaptation of Damon Runyon stories about Saratoga, gambling, and horse racing.

Purchase of the ARTSPASS Admission Package
The ARTSPASS provides access to some 75 events throughout SaratogaArtsFest as well as discounts and perks at area shops and eateries during the festival. Adult and senior ARTSPASS Admission Packages also include year-round benefits at area galleries, theaters, and museums.

The ARTSPASS Admission Package can currently be purchased online at www.SaratogaArtsFest.org and at three Saratoga Springs retail locations: Impressions on Broadway, Mimosa Gallery on Beekman Street, and Saratoga Beads on Henry Street.

Beginning in May, the ARTSPASS will be available for sale and pick-up at the SaratogaArtFest Center and Gallery, at a downtown location yet to be announced.

Thanks to an early-bird special, the adult ARTSPASS can be purchased for $30 (a discount of $5) through March 31. In addition, the Family Four-Pack offers a savings of $10 off the regular price if tickets were purchased separately.

The regular prices for the ARTSPASS Admission Package are listed below.

Sponsors
Major sponsors of SaratogaArtsFest 2010 to date include Adirondack Trust Company, CDTA, Dance Alliance, Designsmith Studio, Interactive Media Consulting, Nordlys Foundation, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, Quad Graphics, Skidmore College, CBS 6, Star 101.3 fm,  TheSaratogaLife.com, the Times Union, and WAMC Northeast Public Radio.