‘SPAC on Stage’ performers announced
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Saratoga Performing Arts Center will host two different immersive concert formats featuring international artists and global music this summer.
The “SPAC on Stage” series has four Saratoga debuts. They are:
• Indian sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar (June 19), the heir to the transcendent musical tradition of her father, Ravi Shankar
• Latin Grammy Nominated multi-instrumentalist Tony Succar with his band Mixtura (July 23)
• Bhangra party band RED BARAAT (August 26)
• The multi- cultural Banda Magda (September 9).
In addition, on the amphitheater stage, YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan will fuse Taiko drumming with spectacle and athleticism for its Capital Region debut of its heart-thumping program, Jhonestsu, on July 29.
“This year’s summer line-up turns SPAC into a world stage, showcasing artists from every corner of the globe who blend genres from Indian- classical to pop… afro-latino to jazz… and bhangra to hip-hop to create a completely unique sound and performance experience,” said Elizabeth Sobol, SPAC president and chief executive officer.
“SPAC on Stage” features a unique seating arrangement that transforms the SPAC amphitheater into an intimate concert experience, where the entire audience is placed onstage with the artists, looking out into the theater,” she said.
“The series takes place once per month – June 19, July 23, August 26 and September 9 – and showcases ensembles whose artistry crosses through classical, contemporary and global music genres. All performances begin at 8 p.m.
The four ‘SPAC on Stage’ performances will be complemented by Yamamoto.
“The ensemble will bring their thrilling, high-energy and explosive interpretation of the centuries old Taiko tradition to Capital Region audiences to experience for the first time,” Sobol said.
Employing pin- point precision, ferocious skill, and high- energy creativity, YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan is a modern troupe of young male and female musician-athletes that are renowned for creating an unforgettable spectacle.
Performing in Saratoga on July 29 for its SPAC debut on the main stage, the group of a dozen-plus players start their performance by playing a Japanese Taiko drum weighing a half ton, made from a single piece of wood from a tree that has aged more than 400 years.
They move their whole bodies to strike the drum, creating a powerful surge of energy. YAMATO’s live performances are full of intensity and exhibit great originality and innovation
through this traditional Japanese musical instrument, with the belief that the drumbeat, like the heartbeat, is the very pulse of life, and the epitome of the Japanese spirit.
Tickets to “SPAC on Stage” are $50 or $40, depending on location. Tickets for the amphi theateronly performance of YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan are $30, $ 40 and
$60.
Both the “SPAC on Stage” series and YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan tickets will be on sale beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15 spac.org.