Bobby Previte leads a quartet exploring free improvisation.

Keith Pray - Saxophones
John Esposito - Piano
Otto Gardner - Acoustic Bass
Boby Previte - Drums

Every 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sunday at 6 p.m. upstair at the Avalon Lounge!

All are welcome to join and learn various Qigong sets and then work on a traditional Tai Chi Form – a set series of movements and postures – with instructor Curt Anthon, a member of the Yang Family Tai Chi Association.

Date/Time: Tuesdays, June 24 through August 26, 10 – 11am

Location: In person, Hudson Area Library Community Room and virtual via Zoom!

Registration: No registration required for the in-person sessions. To access the Zoom stream, email programs@hudsonarealibrary.org

Together we can come together and care for the land! This month’s Working Wednesday will take place at Overmountain.

Together, we’ll tackle some invasive plants on the side of the trails – the thornier and pricklier the better!

All are welcome to lend a hand at this fun, friendly volunteer event.

What’s involved: This volunteer event will focus on removing invasive weeds.

What to bring: Please bring a water bottle, work gloves, and sunscreen, and wear weather-appropriate clothing and footwear. You may want heavier clothing and thicker gloves. Site may be wet and muddy after rain!

Yoga for Gardening with Pamela Martin at the Mountain Top Arboretum.

Sessions run Wednesdays from June 11- October 8; Class is from 3:15-4:15 (feel free to join us beforehand for volunteer gardening!)

You're welcome to join us for outdoor* yoga classes led by Pamela Martin and other local yoga teachers. Learn tips and tricks to avoid injury, and to help support the body during gardening and yard work. A stretch and strength class appropriate for multiple levels. Please bring a mat, water, sunscreen and bug spray. Wear comfortable clothing you can move in.

* in case of inclement weather, sessions will take place indoors in the Education Center.

This program starts just after our garden volunteering ends. Please feel free to join us for volunteer gardening.

You're invited to join Stewardship Coordinator Garrett Chisholm every Thursday to help tackle the invasive species that threaten the health of the Preserve. Volunteers will learn how to identify and manage a different invasive species every week.
Taking place at the Lake Myosotis Boat Launch.

Kicking off EMPAC's TOPOS Music Festical, Pulitzer Prize–winning composer and visual artist Raven Chacon sheds the gravitas of the art world and returns to one of music’s most raw and immediate forms: the band. Drawing on his roots in noise, thrash, and metal (Tenderizor, KILT, White People Killed Them), Chacon channels that energy into an exploratory, almost meditative excavation of American musical traditions: country, folk, and their haunted echoes.

Lazyhorse marks the latest chapter in Chacon’s nearly decade-long collaboration with The Living Earth Show (percussionist Andy Meyerson and guitarist Travis Andrews). Known for transforming the chamber ensemble model into a platform for genre-defying invention, The Living Earth Show builds immersive sonic worlds with their collaborators. After their lauded piece Tremble Staves, Chacon and the duo return with a new vision, this time centering songcraft, improvisation, and the unruly edges of music.

At its core, Lazyhorse is haunted by the spaghetti western—a film genre that injected moral ambiguity into the clean-cut heroics of the American frontier myth. In Chacon’s hands, these disillusioned antiheroes become sonic archetypes, spectral guides complicit in westward violence, leading us through a landscape where distortion, silence, and satire collide.

Commissioned by EMPAC, Lazyhorse assembles a powerhouse lineup: Mali Obomsawin (bass), Miriam Elhajli (vocals, guitar), Steve Hammond (lap steel), Chacon (keys/guitars), and The Living Earth Show. Together, they form a genre-exploding band that dissects and reconstructs the mythology of Americana, stitching together songs that are as biting as they are hauntingly beautiful.

This is no nostalgia trip: Chacon’s topos is resistance. Lazyhorse confronts the violence of empire through sound, turning the stage into a site of reckoning, reclamation, and radical reimagination.

Turn out on Thursday, August 28th at 7pm Upstairs at the Avalon Lounge for the next edition of “Breaking the Algorithm IRL,” a new monthly series presented by Wave Farm’s WGXC 90.7-FM as part of our Local Waves initiative and the show "Local Waves in Conversation." Part conversation led by Mike Amari of Chosen Family and part DJ set by a WGXC volunteer, the series highlights local artists, musicians, venue owners and bookers, and record label owners. This month’s event features a discussion with Elizabeth Ibarra of Catskill-based band Camp Saint Helene and record label Misery Mother. DJ set by WGXC Programmer Alex Daud ("A Frequently Visited Dream") whose music with the Catskill-based band The Fascinating Chimera Project has been released on Misery Mother. Entry by donation. See you there!

As part of the TOPOS Music Festival at EMPAC, pioneering producer, composer, and performer King Britt brings Liberation Meditations: A Call to TOPOS, joined by collaborators Suzi Analogue and Myles Ortiz-Green. Within the 39-speaker spatial soundscape of EMPAC Studio 1, turntables, analog synths, and digital textures are marshalled to move bodies–physically, emotionally, spiritually.

This is dance as ritual, rhythm as resistance. The topoi here are movement, celebration, and gathering—a communion forged through frequency and vibration:
“In times of chaos, the practice of centering oneself becomes not merely beneficial, but essential. Music (and movement) have long served as vital instruments of liberation and spiritual practice,” King Britt says, “functioning as forms of sonic centering. Mantras, in particular, have held a profound role in facilitating ritual connections to source energy, often yielding tangible physical and mental healing. These practices have been especially crucial to the endurance and resilience of communities of color.”

Liberation Meditations: A Call draws from deep archives—historic speeches, interviews, fragments of collective memory—reframed and recomposed as mantras grounded in the ethos of freedom. The result is an improvised, immersive, and spatial offering: healing in intent, ancestral in knowledge, futuristic in sound.

TOPOS presents the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by celebrated composer-performer Sarah Davachi. The Rose Dialogues, scored for two violas, cello, organ, and electronics, begins with the simplest of musical devices—the canon (or, which can colloquially be thought of as a round)—and spins an oceanic world of unexpected harmonies, haunting melodies, and formal surprises.

The topos of Davachi’s work is listening itself. Her music invites a deep attention, drawing us gently into the slow blossoming of her sonic landscapes. Within the veritable ocean of alternate tunings and temperaments, we are carried by waves of respite and repose, a darker pull that nudges us toward the unexpected.

Joined by musicians Eyvind Kang, Whitney Johnson (violas) and Lucy Railton (cello), Sarah Davachi’s piece moves slowly and with a precise ear for timbre and harmony. Its surprises feel hard-won, emerging from a rigor rooted in early Western compositional techniques: counterpoint, canon, heterophony, polyphony. And yet, her music is timeless, a dilated present that inches towards an uncertain yet harmonious future. A future that, in listening, seems to go on without end.

Join the newly formed Chamber Music Churchtown for a two concert festival celebrating chamber music. Concert 1 features String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American” by Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) and Souvenir de Florence, String Sextet in D Minor, Op. 70 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893).

String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American” by Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
Violin I — Jesse Mills
Violin II — Alex Fortes
Viola — Milan Milisavljević
Cello — Matthew Christakos

– Intermission –

Souvenir de Florence, String Sextet in D Minor, Op. 70 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Violin I — Catherine Cho
Violin II — Todd Phillips
Viola I — Milan Milisavljević
Viola II —Alex Fortes
Cello I — Wendy Sutter
Cello II — Matthew Christakos

A spectacle of sound and light, Greek composer Iannis Xenakis’s epic work Persépolis was originally commissioned by the Shiraz Festival in Iran, taking place in the ruins of the Temple of Darius in the Iranian desert on August 26, 1971. The performance—lasting over an hour starting at sunset—included two lasers, military searchlights, huge bonfires, 150 torch-bearing children, and six listening stations outfitted with eight-channel speakers, one for each track of Xenakis’ electroacoustic score.

Persépolis was the second of Xenakis’s Polytopes, large-scale works—from the Greek language poly meaning many and topos meaning place—monumental works that sought to fuse sound, light, colors, and architecture into a single, immersive site of sensory experience. For Xenakis, the topos was not just spatial but sensorial: an encounter with the totality of an intermedial artwork.

Reimagined for EMPAC Studio 1 by sound artist and composer Micah Silver, Persépolis becomes a magmatic mass of noise, snaking its way across a multitude of discrete audio channels. In many ways, Xenakis’s work is less a concert and closer to an extreme weather event: light, color, raw sound, and stagecraft combine to create a dramaturgy of turbulence, compression, and blistering immediacy, then release. Over the course of an hour, the piece overwhelms—and ultimately expands—the senses, rewarding those who listen and watch with openness.

Preceding the presentation of Persépolis on Saturday, August 30, a rare screening of director Pierre Andregui’s documentary Xenakis Portrait 1971–72 will shed light on the piece and the strange and fascinating context in which the Polytope Persépolis was born.

Wrapping up the summer season with an unforgettable night at HPAC’s Silent Disco! Stepping into a vibrant atmosphere where the music is in your headphones! Attendees can choose from multiple DJ channels to find the perfect vibe, whether it’s upbeat dance hits, throwback favorites, or chill grooves. With everyone dancing to their own beat, it’s a unique and immersive way to celebrate the end of summer with friends. You can wear clothes that will glow under the lights and stand out on the dance floor. A ticket includes one complimentary drink, making it the perfect night to relax, dance, and enjoy the last big celebration of the season.

Ages 16+
Cash Bar Available
Must bring ID to check out headphones/bar

Ranger Rachel leads a short hike up to the top of the Rensselaerville Falls, where you will view the waterfall and Rachel will discuss the significance of meditation in nature. You can then settle into a spot on the ground, and Rachel will guide you through a short body scan meditation, followed by a 10-minute silent meditation. Once you complete the meditation, Rachel will walk the group back while stopping along the way to direct anyone who wants breakfast at Kuhar's Cafe to the Post Office Trail before continuing to the Visitors' Center.

It is advised that you wear suitable clothing and shoes for hiking and sitting on the ground. This is an event for ages 15 and up.

Registration required; event capped at 15.

TOPOS is a gathering for listening, exploration, and discovery—a place where musical experimentalism becomes an experience open to all. Join us for five extraordinary productions that invite inquiry and pleasure, provocation and dance.

From country to house, chamber music to noise, TOPOS features the world premieres of commissioned projects by composer-performers Raven Chacon and Sarah Davachi, alongside performances by King Britt, Suzi Analogue, and Myles Ortiz-Green in Liberation Meditations: A Call.

Two rare presentations of Iannis Xenakis’s landmark electronic piece Persépolis, realized by sound artist Micah Silver, and a screening of the documentary Xenakis: Portrait 1971-72 round out the program. A community barbeque open to all celebrates the festival’s final day.

Each festival event becomes its own topos: a charged site of experience and wonder for every listener.

Preceding the presentation of Persépolis on Saturday, August 30, a rare screening of director Pierre Andregui’s documentary Xenakis Portrait 1971–72 will shed light on the piece and the strange and fascinating context in which the Polytope Persépolis was born.

A spectacle of sound and light, Greek composer Iannis Xenakis’s epic work Persépolis was originally commissioned by the Shiraz Festival in Iran, taking place in the ruins of the Temple of Darius in the Iranian desert on August 26, 1971. The performance—lasting over an hour starting at sunset—included two lasers, military searchlights, huge bonfires, 150 torch-bearing children, and six listening stations outfitted with eight-channel speakers, one for each track of Xenakis’ electroacoustic score.

Persépolis was the second of Xenakis’s Polytopes, large-scale works—from the Greek language poly meaning many and topos meaning place—monumental works that sought to fuse sound, light, colors, and architecture into a single, immersive site of sensory experience. For Xenakis, the topos was not just spatial but sensorial: an encounter with the totality of an intermedial artwork.

Reimagined for EMPAC Studio 1 by sound artist and composer Micah Silver, Persépolis becomes a magmatic mass of noise, snaking its way across a multitude of discrete audio channels. In many ways, Xenakis’s work is less a concert and closer to an extreme weather event: light, color, raw sound, and stagecraft combine to create a dramaturgy of turbulence, compression, and blistering immediacy, then release. Over the course of an hour, the piece overwhelms—and ultimately expands—the senses, rewarding those who listen and watch with openness.

Preceding the presentation of Persépolis on Saturday, August 30, a rare screening of director Pierre Andregui’s documentary Xenakis Portrait 1971–72 will shed light on the piece and the strange and fascinating context in which the Polytope Persépolis was born.

Join the newly formed Chamber Music Churchtown for a two concert festival celebrating chamber music. Concert 2 features String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36 by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) and String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (Op. posth. 163) by Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36 by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Violin I — Jesse Mills
Violin II — Alex Fortes
Viola I — Milan Milisavljević
Viola II — Todd Phillips
Cello I — Matthew Christakos
Cello II — Wendy Sutter

– Intermission –

Where concrete meets ice, visceral tension unfolds. Seth Honnor’s visionary direction brings Kaleider’s most ambitious work yet to breathtaking life.

Witness the very real, live endeavor of performers building a gravity-defying, freestanding arch — two-thirds unforgiving concrete, one-third melting ice.

An exquisite combination of breath, heart, and muscle entangle with the perpetual inevitability of collapse to draw the audience into a compelling emotional journey.

In what could be described as a kind of “installation opera,” a languageless score by Verity Standen holds and moves us through a relentlessly physical performance; at times meditative, and at others arresting and highly charged.

With themes of death, renewal, and hope, Arch points towards the extraordinary, yet flawed, systems humans create: language, economies, architectures, democracies – and, inevitably, to the impact of these systems on our ecological system, and on ourselves.

The premise is disarmingly simple. What takes place is straightforward. But the emotional aftermath remains devastatingly complex.