My Urban Sherpa

Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas at the MET

Till Fellner performs Beethoven’s Complete Piano Sonata’s at the MET on Friday, March 6:  Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Opus 2, No. 1; Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Opus 2, No. 2; Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Opus 2, No. 3; Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Opus 57, “Appassionata”

& Friday, May 8, 2009:   Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Opus 10, No. 1; Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Opus 10, No. 2; Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Opus 10, No. 3; Sonata No. 29 in B flat Major, Opus 106, “Hammerklavier”

Tickets are $45 each, or $90for the two part series.

The MET is located at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street.

Grateful Dead at Madison Square Garden

Following their October 13th concert for Barack Obama at Penn State University, The Dead will tour for the first time in four years.

Original Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart will be joined by keyboardist Jeff Chimenti (Ratdog) and Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule / Allman Brothers Band) — veterans of the 2004 Dead “Wave That Flag” Tour. The Dead will take the stage at Madison Square Garden on April 25.

or buy your Grateful Dead paraphanelia today.

Asphalt Green – Summer Camp Open House Today

Asphalt Green is holding an open house today, Sunday February 15 from 3:00 to 5:00 for children and parents who want to explore their camp offerings.

Camps run from June 29 through August 14 for children ages 4 to 12 who enjoy swimming, sports, art, music, and fun.

For more information,…

Asphalt Green is located at 91st Street and York Avenue.

Is Love Strange?

This will be the topic of conversation at The New Yorker Speakeasy on February 14.

Hosted by The New Yorker’s fiction editor, Deborah Triesman, the conversation among Gabriel Byrne, JEffrey Eugenides, Grizzly Bear, Victor Rasuk and Karen Russell will take place at the Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo at 8:00 PM.

For more information,…

Alvin Ailey Film Festival at Lincoln Center

Alvin Ailey Day presents four programs of rare archival material and television documentaries honoring the life and work of the iconic figure, whose example continues to inspire dancers and choreographers and bring African-American cultural expression and the American modern dance tradition to the forefront of the international arts scene.

1:00pm A Hymn for Alvin Ailey screening with In the Company Of… ~ Special Guests: Judith Jamison, Anna Deavere Smith, director Orlando Bagwell and Donna Wood Sanders.

3:30pm Alvin Ailey: Memories and Visions screening with Camera Three ~ Special Guest: Judith Jamison.

6:15pm Ailey Celebrates Ellington screening with Lamp Unto My Feet ~ Special Guest: executive producer Herman Krawitz.

8:15pm Three by Three screening with Two by Dove ~ Special Guest: Patricia Birch.

See all four programs for one low price with the Alvin Ailey Day Pass: $32 public; $24 member, student, senior (62+) and child (6-12, accompanied by an adult).

For more information,…

The Walter Reade Theater is located in Lincoln Center at 65th Street and Broadway.

On the Money: Cartoons for The New Yorker at The Morgan

“To the Dollar — As we knew it!”

An exhibition of cartoons for The New Yorker is on view at the Morgan Library, including eighty original drawings from cartoonists Ed Arno, George Booth, Roz Chast, Lee Lorenz and many others.

The exhibition is complimented by a series of talks and movies — offering a humorous way to look at money, which is a novel and welcome idea today.

The exhibition runs through May 24, 2009.

The Morgan Library is located at 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street with hours from Tuesday through Thursday, 10:30 ~ 5:00 pm, Friday 10:30 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday 10am to 6 pm and Sunday 11 am to 6pm.

Lectures include:
“The Past, Present, and Future of Cartooning at The New Yorker Magazine”
Robert Mankoff
New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff investigates how humor changes over time and how the times change humor.
Thursday, February 12, 6:30 PM

“Three Paths to The New Yorker: Roz Chast, Arnie Levin, and David Sipress”
Three New Yorker cartoonists discuss their backgrounds, schooling, and career experiences in a lively roundtable moderated by fellow cartoonist and retired art editor Lee Lorenz.
Wednesday, March 18, 6:30 PM
“At the Pearly Gates: Judgment, Heaven, and Hell in The New Yorker”
Walter Cahn
In a richly illustrated lecture, Walter Cahn, Carnegie Professor of the History of Art (emeritus), Yale University, explores the imagery and views of the hereafter in our own time. Largely a product of the Middle Ages, these depictions surprisingly share the pages of The New Yorker with more familiar satires on the foibles of doctors, lawyers, or twenty-somethings, among other hilarious subjects. Presented in cooperation with the International Center of Medieval Art.
Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 PM

Outsider Art Fair

The Outsider Art Fair continues today and tomorrow, at 7 West 34th Street.

Shown are works by self-taught artists, including my favorite — Bill Traylor.

Admission is $20 and includes a catalogue.

If you can’t make it to the exhibition – you can enjoy the flavor of the show online.

Christmas Carols at Rockefeller Center

This afternoon at 3:00, Rockefeller Center will alight with the buzz of brass – Tuba and Bass players will play Christmas Carols.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Watch the Macy’s Day Parade come together on Wednesday, November 26th in Central Park, 77th to 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue from 3:00 to 10:00 PM.

“A Sealed Fate” tonight ~ AMC Loews 72nd St. & 3rd Ave.

Join Nigel Barker, Mary and Peter Max, and The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International for a screening of “A Sealed Fate” a documentary on the birth of the Harp seals of Canada’s Eastern shore and their imminent deaths weeks later for their fur.
A panel and question-and-answer period to discuss ways we can help end Canada’s cruel seal hunt and speak out for animals killed for their furs.
Tickets are $25 each, all proceeds of which benefit The Humane Society of the United States’ work in celebrating animals and confronting cruelty, thanks to the support of Mary and Peter Max.

Seating begins at 6pm and the 45-minute film rolls promptly at 7pm. A limited amount of tickets may be available at the theater at 6pm, but online ticket purchase is highly encouraged.
November 18, 2008
6:00-9:00 p.m.

AMC Loews Theater
1230 Third Avenue (71st and 72nd Sts)
New York, NY 10021