One of the benefits of Rochester Overture for me has been the extra motivation to get out to artistic events I might not have otherwise attended. In August, that meant attending a couple of visual arts events: First Friday on August 7th and the Memorial Art Gallery’s Block Party. In preparation for First Friday, I made a plan — plotted on a Google map — of how I was going to hit about five or six galleries, with others as back-up choices. But it all went a little haywire when I was out seeing art, wanting to savor the experience rather than rush to the next option, and deciding to head in unplanned directions. Because of that, a couple of exhibits I wanted to see were pushed to the 8 to 9 p.m. hour, and some of them closed before my later arrival, presumably because attendance seemed to taper off. A note to self (and to readers): go early for First Friday, especially for the smaller galleries and outer-limit spaces that might not attract the main crowds. The First Friday website does suggest hitting the suburban galleries first, which did bear out in my experience. The most surprising part of the experience was seeing Rochester geographically through art, emphasizing the widespread nature of our city’s creative community.
Read about August’s First Friday here:
Citywide Gallery Crawl Spotlights Local Art Makers
Last night, Thursday the 13th, I attended the Memorial Art Gallery’s first-ever Neighborhood of the Arts Block Party. I brought my nine-year-old daughter and we enjoyed the opportunity to not simply look at art but to take part in creating it. There was sidewalk chalk art outside, crafting tables inside, a printmaking tutorial (led by the Flower City Arts Center), along with options to try out Garth Fagan’s dance technique and martial arts (courtesy of the Universal Kempo Club). We additionally relaxed (as much as a nine-year-old can) for a sound bowl session led by Harold Taddy, in which the sounds accompanied images of sculptures from the John Rhoden exhibit and videos of Garth Fagan dancers, part of the “Determined to Be” exhibit that is on view through the end of the month. I wrote a bit about the exhibit in this article, back in May. I expected to attend for an hour, and we stayed nearly three. Although I didn’t plan to write about the block party, I did take some photos:
If things have been a bit quiet on the music front lately, this weekend and the week ahead will make up for it. Jazz fans will have two local festivals to choose from this weekend. The first is the Webster Jazz Festival, taking place Friday and Saturday.* The other is the 28th Clarissa Street Reunion on Saturday. Clarissa Street, in what was known as the Third Ward of Rochester, was a major site in Rochester’s jazz history, a jumping-off point for local artists during jazz’s mid-century heyday, and now hosts an annual festival to honor the site’s role in making Rochester a jazz destination. This year features three stages of local artists.
Lastly, the uber-popular vocal artist Josh Groban, whose smooth, soaring vocals have made him a favorite among fans of pop, light classical, and Broadway music, visits CMAC on Tuesday evening. But he’s not the only name on the bill that should pique interest. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra will provide the symphonic swells. Groban is singing with local orchestras at each of his stops. I was able to catch up with Josh Groban this week as he embarked on this tour, and we had a nice chat about how this tour is going and his development as an unusually versatile artist.
And just in case you missed it, Sudha Brightman reported back on some films viewed during the Rochester Jewish Film Festival:
Film Roundup: 2026 Rochester Jewish Film Festival
Happy listening this week!
*A prior version of this newsletter mistakenly stated the Webster Jazz Festival dates. It is a two day festival, running Friday and Saturday.