On Gabrielle Stravelli…

Guest post by Matt Dunne, East Branch Friends of the Arts

Vocalist and songwriter Gabrielle Stravelli blends musical traditions with a modern, genre-bending sensibility. Her tremendous swing feel and gift for lyric interpretation have led to a career defined by joyful performances and a deep connection with audiences. Unexpected, highly individual choices are her trademark.

Gabrielle has been a mainstay of the New York Jazz scene for decades, and has appeared at most of the city’s famous music venues, from Birdland to Carnegie Hall. She’s performed with some jazz greats including Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and played extensively with the great pianist Fred Hersch. 

While Gabrielle and her trio can be found performing locally in NYC several nights of the week, she’s developed an international reputation over the last decade or so, performing throughout the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. She has garnered great praise from both audiences and the press. Here’s how the New York Times describes her: 

Listening to the jazz singer Gabrielle Stravelli is like imbibing a potent cocktail whose flavor changes as you drain the glass….she dipped and swooped, twirling notes and phrases with a confidence and playfulness that recalled Ella Fitzgerald in her prime…

East Branch Friends of the Arts is pleased to present Gabrielle and her quartet on Saturday, June 27, 7:30 pm, at the Keene Valley Congregational Church. There is a suggested donation of $20. For more info and reservations, please visit HERE.

You can listen to a sample of Gabrielle’s music HERE.

Keene Valley Congregational Church, 1791 NY-73 Scenic, Keene Valley

Craigardan presents

Songs of the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley

Traditional Music from the Marjorie Lansing Porter Collection of North Country Folklore

Friday, June 26, 2026, 5 – 6 pm

At this gathering, musician and historian Steven Engelhart and harpist and music therapist Sarah Ward will sing a variety of songs that were collected across the region in the 1940s and 50s by Marjorie Lansing Porter (1891-1973) and tell the story of how this remarkable woman came to embrace and record the traditional songs sung by dozens of people—farmers, woodsmen, homemakers, and others—all learned through an age-old oral tradition. Sarah Ward is the great-great granddaughter of Marjorie Lansing Porter. 

Porter’s family roots in the Champlain Valley go back to the 1790s. Her great grandfather was newspaperman and abolitionist Wendall Lansing, and she was an editor, journalist, author, historian… and co-founder of the Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown. By the time Porter died in 1973, her collection of folk songs and other interviews, originally recorded on a SoundScriber machine, consisted of 456 recordings and more than 300 songs. One of her most important contributors was Lily Delorme of Saranac who shared more than 100 songs with her.

Find out more HERE.

Ctaigarden, 9216 New York 9N, Elizabethtown

Strand Center for the Arts and PPNCNY & Plattsburgh Pride Committee’s Pride Fest cohost

Plattsburgh Pride Fest 2026

Friday, June 26, 4 - 8 pm

Join us in celebrating Pride Month with a full list of activities on our campus, including:

Art Activities

Lawn Games

LGBTQ+ Resources

Vendors

Music

Mocktails

Find out more HERE.

The Strand Center for the Arts, 23 Brinkerhoff St Plattsburgh

Keene Arts presents

American Echoes, Rose Chancler and Grace O’Connell

Sunday, June 28, 3 pm

Trumpeter Grace O’Connell and pianist Rose Chancler present American Echoes, a diverse presentation of American music.  

Come enjoy a matinee with one of the finest young trumpet players in the United States, accompanied by the North Country’s own jewel Rose Chancler.

Keene Arts, 10881 State Hwy 9N, Keene

Old Forge Library Announces

Summer Craft Series for all Ages

The Old Forge Library invites families, friends, and neighbors of all ages to enjoy a full season of hands-on creativity during its free Summer Craft Series, held every Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer. 

From painting and papermaking to clay, beadwork, and collaborative community art projects, the library will offer a welcoming space for residents and visitors alike to gather, create, and connect. Designed as a multi-generational program, the series offers activities suitable for children, teens, adults, and seniors, with an emphasis on imagination, hands-on learning, and meaningful social interaction. All materials are provided, and participants are encouraged to wear clothes that can get messy.

See the full schedule of craft classes HERE.

The library’s summer craft programming is intended to provide accessible, screen-free experiences for everyone. Please note that children under age 10 must be accompanied by an adult, and some of the more involved Friday projects may include the supervised use of crafting tools such as hot glue guns or irons. While walk-ins are welcome as materials allow, registration is appreciated to assist staff with supply planning. For more information, to register, or to learn about other year-round resources, visit the Old Forge Library at 220 Crosby Blvd., call 315-369-6008, or email oldforge@midyork.org.

Images: Some of last years participants in the Summer Craft Series

Old Forge Library,  220 Crosby Blvd., Old Forge

Also at Old Forge Library

Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle

Old Forge Library Launches 2026 “Music in the Gazebo” Series with Revolutionary-Era Concert

Tuesday, June 30, 4 pm

Titled Historic American Revolutionary Songs, this program brings history to life through music and storytelling. Gibson and Staudle, award-winning upstate songwriters and performers, have been performing together for more than 15 years and are known for their thoughtful songwriting, strong musicianship, and engaging live performances that blend history, humor, and heart. They have toured widely throughout New York State and beyond, building a reputation for concerts that are both entertaining and deeply rooted in storytelling. They are favorites of Old Forge Library concert audiences.

While the American Revolution is often remembered for its battles and key figures, it was also a time shaped by music, poetry, and shared expression. This program highlights that cultural side of the era through approximately eight historic songs, woven together with a narrative that offers context and perspective. The performance also comes at a meaningful time as the nation observes the 250th anniversary of the United States Constitution.

Set in the library’s gazebo, the concert invites the community to relax on the lawn and enjoy an afternoon of live music in a welcoming outdoor setting. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or folding chairs. In the event of inclement weather, seating will be available under a large tent on the lawn.

The Friends of the Old Forge Library will vend used books during the concert, weather permitting. 

The Music in the Gazebo series continues every Tuesday at 4 pm. throughout the summer.

See the full range of offerings including the Gzebo Concert Series HERE.

Old Forge Library, 220 Crosby Blvd, Old Forge

Saranac Lake ArtWorks and Green Side of the Big Apple host

Third Annual Guide Boat Art Show

Monday, June 29 – Monday, July 6

Opening reception Monday, June 29, 4 pm

Saranac Lake ArtWorks is proud to collaborate with Green Side of the Big Apple to host an art exhibit that coincides with the Fifth Annual Hotel Saranac Guideboat Show. ArtWorks is currently seeking submissions from local artists. Each artist may submit up to three pieces with a $10 entry fee. Income derived from the fees will go to prizes based on the number of entries.

The theme of the Adirondack Guide Boat Art Show should feature human-powered watercraft, outdoorsy, or water. Work in any medium, framed and with hanging wire on the back, will be accepted for display in the Oak Room, next to the Ballroom, in the Hotel Saranac. Display racks, hooks, and labels will be provided by Artworks.

Anyone and all art mediums welcome to enter. Artwork should depict human-powered watercraft/outdoorsy/water theme. Artists interested in participating can learn more at saranaclakeartworks.org. Please email admin@saranaclakeartworks.org or greensideofny@gmail.com with any questions.

Oak Room, Hotel Saranac, 100 Main St, Saranac Lake

Arts Center lake Placid presents

Painting the Adirondack Rocks with Holly Friesen

June 29, 2026, 10 am – 1 pm

Discover the rugged beauty of Adirondack Rock through acrylic painting. Participants will explore how to build convincing rock forms using simple shapes, layered color, and textured mark-making with brushwork and palette knife.

*This class is ideal for beginners and those wanting to loosen their style. Individual guidance will be tailored to each student’s goals. The class combines instruction, guided exercises, and individual feedback, plus opportunities to connect with other artists.

Students will complete one rock-focused landscape painting and gain tools for continued exploration.

Learn more and register HERE.

Arts Center Lake Placid, 17 Algonquin Drive, Lake Placid

Orchestra of North New York (ONNY) presents

Frederic Remington’s America

Wednesday, July 1, 8 pm, Watertown
Thursday, July 2, 7:30 pm , Potsdam
Friday, July 3, 7 pm, Ogedensburg

ONNY celebrates our nation’s 250th birthday with a unique and exciting collaboration with the Frederic Remington Art Museum, located in Ogdensburg, NY. The program has been curated through the lens of one of America’s most important artists, and reflects his family’s heritage, experiences growing up in Northern New York, his travels to Paris and Cuba, and his lifelong love of the cowboy culture of the American West.

The concert will feature a veritable Who’s Who of American composers, including Aaron Copland, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, and Leroy Anderson, and will finish in traditional ONNY fashion with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever.

In addition to our usual venues in Potsdam and Watertown, and in light of our collaboration with the Frederic Remington Art Museum, we’ll be adding a third performance in Ogdensburg. We hope you’ll join us for one—or more! – of these performances, which promise to be an unforgettable way to celebrate our nation’s birthday!

Specific event info and tickets are HERE.

The Bookstore Plus presents

Morning Morning Storytime with special guest, Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department

Monday, June 29, 2026, 10 – 11 am

Our theme is FIRETRUCKS!

Our storyteller will read Construction Site: Firefight! by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Firefighter Flo! by Andrea Zimmerman. Instead of a craft, the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department will be in front of the store with a firetruck!

Storytime is geared towards children ages 3 and up, but all children are welcome!

The Bookstore Plus, 2491 Main Street, Lake Placid

Gem Radio Theatre Presents

Additional details HERE.

Sacandaga Valley Arts Network (SVAN) Presents

Sacandaga Jams

Saturday, June 27, and then every Saturday in July and August, 10 am

Seattle Mike is back and he’s leading us all in Sacandaga Jams every Saturday during the Farmers Market. Bring your instrument, your songs, your voices or just your enthusiasm to this open jam.

Find out more HERE.

Northville Waterfront Park, 60 N Main St, Northville

The Depot Theatre presents

Tick, Tick… Boom!

Thursday, June 25 to Sunday, July 12

Before Rent transformed American musical theatre, Jonathan Larson was an aspiring composer in New York City, waiting tables, approaching thirty, and wrestling with a question familiar to artists in every generation: How long do you keep betting on yourself?

Part autobiographical monologue, part rock musical, Tick, Tick… Boom! follows Jonathan, a young composer navigating ambition, friendship, love, and the relentless passage of time as he struggles to finish the musical he believes will change everything.

Additional info and get tickets HERE.

Depot Theatre, 6705 Main Street, Westport

The Sembrich presents the Alfred Z. Solomon Masterwork Series

Soulful Visions, with Violinist Kinga Augustyn

Saturday, June 27, 7 pm

Violinist Kinga Augustyn brings stunning musicianship to the evocative melodies of Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, Florence Price, and others in an evening program highlighting the outstanding contributions of women in classical music. Pianist Moriah Trenk accompanies.

Praised as “Stylish and vibrant” (The Strad Magazine), and “beyond amazing, one hell of a violinist!” (The Fanfare Magazine), Ms. Augustyn regularly performs across the globe as a soloist with orchestras and as a recitalist and chamber musician – and she holds a special place in her heart for The Sembrich and Lake George.

Followed by a lakeside reception.

Tickets and more info are HERE.

The Sembrich, 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing