ALBANY, N.Y. – A first-of-its-kind series of concerts will celebrate 200 years of Erie Canal history this summer. Partnering with the New York State Canal Corporation, the Albany Symphony will offer seven nightly performances between in early July during its Water Music New York series, which was announced Friday at Jennings Landing in Albany.
Starting in Albany and ending in Lockport near Buffalo, the full orchestra will travel the canal by barge and either perform from the vessel or nearby on shore. Paired with local performance artists, the series commemorates the canal's bicentennial anniversary.
"I think it's a really great and very important story to tell and it really informs who we are and what New York State is," said David Alan Miller, the symphony’s musical director and conductor.
"To say that the Erie Canal's construction changed everything here in New York and really throughout America would be an understatement," said New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton.
The seven performances are as follows:
Sunday, July 2 at 8 p.m.: Albany
Corning Preserve/Jennings Landing Amphitheatre
Composer Daniel Schlosberg (Yale University)
Collaborating Arts Partner: Empire State Youth Orchestra’s Jazz Ensemble and Skidmore College Storytellers’ Institute
Monday, July 3 at 8 p.m.: Schenectady
Mabee Farm Historic Site
Composer: Annika Socolofsky (Princeton University)
Collaborating Arts Partner: Capital Repertory Theatre
Additional performances by the Schenectady Symphony Orchestra
Tuesday, July 4 at 8 p.m.: Amsterdam
Riverlink Park
Composer: Angelica Negrón (The City College of New York)
Collaborating Arts Partner: Mohawk Valley Chorus
Wednesday, July 5 at 8 p.m.: Little Falls
Rotary Park – Barge Performance
Composer: Benjamin Wallace (Yale University)
Collaborating Arts Partner: Mohawk Valley Choral Society
Thursday, July 6 at 8 p.m.: Baldwinsville
Paper Mill Island Amphitheatre
Composer: Ryan Chase (Colgate University)
Collaborating Arts Partner: Syracuse Pops Chorus
Friday, July 7 at 8 p.m.: Brockport
Welcome Center – Barge Performance
Composer: Loren Loiacono (Cornell University)
Collaborating Arts Partner: Golden Eagle String Band
Additional performances by choreographers/dancers Eddie Murphy and
Mariah Mahoney
Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m.: Lockport
Historic “Flight of Five Locks” – Barge Performance
Composer: David Mallamud