Astorian Weekend Edition 15.10.09

Well, it's mid-October already, and it's hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner!  Halloween is almost here, changing our clocks is coming up, and it keeps feeling like fall around here.  Enjoy these cool, crisp days around neighborhood, perhaps enjoying a bowl of warm soup at Il Bambino (34-08 31st Ave), a hot potato at La Papa (25-13 30th Ave), or a pot of tea at Himalyan Teahouse (33-17 31st Ave).

Thursday night brings a fashion event to Astoria via KrisTees and Candy Plum.  Their second annual Fashion: Astoria Style show should be a lot of fun, taking place at Central Lounge (which has sushi!). Doors open at 6 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m., and entrance comes with your RSVP (astoriafashion@gmail.com or call 718.721.2299).  Central Lounge is at 20-30 Steinway.

The first game of the ALCS and NLCS (Baseball Championship Series) starts Friday, and the Yankees are in it to win it. Newcomer YOLO is a nice place to catch the game (by the way, they have a $22 happy hour special that includes a pitcher of beer and a large plain pizza), and I'm sure neighborhood favorites like the Irish Rover and McCanns will be busting with excitement to see the home team triumph. The ALCS games (Yanks vs Angels) take place on Friday and Saturday, with a game time of 7:57 p.m. for both.

Head over to Socrates on Saturday for their Halloween Harvest Festival. Fun for all for sure. That night the Astoria Symphony kicks off their season with a concert of Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Schnittke at the new Frank Sinatra School for the Arts (35-12 35th Ave).

Finally, Sunday hails the start of Rioja Restaurant Week.  Both 718 (35-01 Ditmars) and Sweet Afton (30-09 34th St) will be participating.

Astoria Symphony: Opening Night Celebration This Weekend!

The Astoria Symphony launches their 2009/10 season this weekend! Come out to hear some great music at a brand new space - the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, down on 35th Ave. Details below:

Astoria Symphony: Opening Night Celebration
Saturday, October 17, 2009, 8:00 pm (7:30 lecture*)
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts
35-12 35th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106 [map]

Program:
Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream Excerpts
Schnittke: Quasi Una Sonata - Miranda Cuckson, violin
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Silas Nathaniel Huff, conductor

The Astoria Symphony launches its seventh season by celebrating Mendelssohn's 200th birthday, Alfred Schnittke's 75th birthday, and Beethoven's first symphony. This concert will feature a special guest appearance by the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Orchestra, Ken Lieberson, director.

* Join Maestro Huff in the concert hall 30 minutes before the concert begins for an insightful glimpse into the evening's performance. These "Meet the Maestro" talks delve into the lives of the composers, the meaning of the music, and the techniques musicians use to bring music to life.

Purchase Tickets here.

Astoria Symphony Concert this Weekend

These days I'm getting some lovely emails from a publication called The Q Note, which chronicles life in the greater borough of Queens. This week they highlighted the Astoria Symphony, our neighborhood's very own orchestra. There are a lot of classical musicians that live in town, so it makes sense for Astoria to have a group like this. I know Silas Huff and have a lot of respect for what he does here in the name of classical and new music.

The Astoria Symphony will be playing a concert this weekend. From the email article entitled, Classical Music: Just An Everyday Art for Astorians:

This weekend’s performance of "Spring Song Dance", a collaboration between the Astoria Symphony, Long Island City Ballet and the revered Martha Graham Ensemble, enlivens classics like Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and features new stuff, including the world premiere of Huff’s own Chun Zhi Ge ("Spring Song Festival"), Chinese folk melodies set to orchestral music, inspired by artist Shanye Huang’s paintings. "We’ve done Mozart, but it’s the first time we’ve ever done a ballet," Huff points out.

"Spring Song Dance" takes place this Saturday, March 21 at 8 pm at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center; Tickets are $20, $15 for students; 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, 718-482-7200; 7 train to 33rd St/Rawson.

This sounds like a great concert! If you go, let us know what you thought!

Image from astoriamusic.org

Astorian Weekend Edition 13.09.07

One of my favorite events is happening this weekend, the Shoreline Cleanup. The big one will be in Astoria Park, starting around 9am, going until around 1pm or so. Check-in is on Shore Blvd across from the war memorial, and you'll most likely see me helping out there. It's a terrific event and a great way to contribute to the community. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes (that means no sandals or flipflops). And if Astoria Park is too far from you, from 11am-2pm that day there's a shoreline cleanup at Gantry Park. Gantry Park is located at at 48th Avenue and the East River. For more info, contact GantryParkFriends@aol.com.

Later that day is the re(Cycle) Plays at Socrates Sculpture Park. This is a free event with a bunch of local theater groups participating. From the press release:

THE (re)CYCLE PLAYS is a free outdoor festival of live performances in theatre, dance, and music with green themes. A dynamic mix of artists will recycle titles from the medieval Cycle Plays and pair them with today's leading ecological issues. This series of short performances will cycle throughout the day on multiple stages.

Also on Sunday, Flux Factory (38-38 43rd Street) is starting a new project, DeluxeFactory. There's a capitalist element to it, which I'm sure will be twisted by FF in their own inimitable way. Saturday at 7pm is the opening party, plus the gallery is open during the weekend.

The Astoria Symphony has a performance this weekend, too. They'll be performing the music of Wagner, Huff, and Brahms. On Sunday at 5pm they'll be playing in Astoria at St. Joseph's Catholic Church (43-19 30th Avenue). Tickets are $12 apiece.

Thursday night the Creek and the Cave in LIC (10-93 Jackson Ave) they're showing Kill Bill 2. I was there last Thursday and had a great time. The food is tasty, the beer is great, and it's fun to be outside in the back watching a movie. Kill Bill was terrifically violent but such a well-crafted film. I'm really curious to see how things happen in the second installation.

If you want to do some shopping this weekend, we've got great boutiques here in town: Kristees (24-01 23rd Avenue), Candy Plum (30-98 36th Street), Loveday 31 (33-06 31st Ave), The Blooming Company (22-75 31st Street), and Mimi's Closet (21-10 31st Street) come to mind. Such cute stuff!

And maybe a trip to Dolce Italia will be in your plans? I understand that apart from the delicious pastries they also sell bread. Pair that with some great feta and olives from Angelo's Food Emporium ( 31-27 Ditmars Blvd) up the street, and a bottle of Greek wine from Omega Wines over on 23rd Ave (29-15 23rd Street), and you're set. Don't forget some gelato later at La Guli (29-15 Ditmars Blvd)!