READERS’ ROCHESTER
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BEST BETS: Aug. 12 to 19
Yo-Yo Ma at CMAC
In its only New York appearance on an eight-stop tour, the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma will perform at 7:30 p.m. today in Canandaigua. The group plays music from around the world, including commissioned pieces for instruments unique to countries along the silk trade routes. Highlights include “Air to Air” by Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov and “The Taranta Project” by Sicilian composer Giovanni Sollima. The 7:30 p.m. concert is a fundraiser for Lifetime Assistance Inc. NASA has predicted that this year's Perseid meteor showers will peak today and tomorrow, providing a natural light show for the audience on CMAC's lawn. For details, visit ticketmaster.com. You can also check out Yo-Yo Ma discussing the Silk Road Ensemble on YouTube.
Skaneateles Festival kicks off
The Skaneateles Festival begins today and continues through Sept. 4. Classical musicians from all over the country gather to play by the lake. The nationally recognized festival features musicians young and old and typically draws 7,000 listeners. This year it includes America's premier piano trio, Trio Solisti, violin superstar Hilary Hahn and Lionheart, one of the country’s foremost vocal chamber music ensembles. Each week of the festival has a different theme; this week's theme is "Time for Three." There are plenty of free events, as well, from FamilyFest! to student workshops to informative talks and post-concert receptions. Skaneateles is less than an hour and a half from Rochester. Visit skanfest.org for tickets.
On the big screen
"Eat Pray Love" is about a married woman (played by Julia Roberts) who realizes her life needs to go in a different direction and, after a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey. It's based on the memoirs by Elizabeth Gilbert. "The Expendables" is about a team of mercenaries who head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Find movie times.
Old-time Fiddlers' Fair
More than 100 fiddlers are expected at this weekend's Fiddlers’ Fair at Genesee Country Village & Museum. Musicians of all ages and abilities will gather to play at the living history museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The fair has roots in a fiddlers’ picnic some 80 years ago. A concert by the Genesee Harmonic Society is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday, and square dancing is featured each afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at the main stage. Visit gcv.org.
Hit the road in 19th-century style
The largest carriage-driving competition in the world will bring the 1890s to Pittsford this weekend. The annual Walnut Hill Farm Driving Competition will celebrate the Gilded Age as riders dressed in period garb take all kinds of carriages through the paces. More than 250 drivers and horses perform the same sorts of tasks that might have been seen at a similar gathering in the 1890s. The event, held at Walnut Hill Farm on West Bloomfield Road, began in 1972 as a drive through Mendon Ponds Park with only 14 carriages. Today it has grown to 250. Performances are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, through Sunday. For details, visit walnuthillfarm.com.
Finger Lakes Riesling Festival
The second annual Finger Lakes Riesling Festival is Saturday and Sunday. Presented by the Villas at Canandaigua, the event takes place along Lakeshore Drive and Kershaw Park. Area wineries, restaurants, artists and musicians unite for the festival, which celebrates the many riches the Finger Lakes region has to offer, highlighting local wineries and Rieslings, local food and fresh produce, entertainment and businesses. More than 30,000 visitors are expected. New attractions include horse-drawn carriages, a battle of the bands and a classic car show. Visit rieslingfestival.com.
One guy, six guitars
In “6 Guitars,” a new show at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, Orlando musician Chase Padgett takes on the personas of six very different guitarists from blues, rock, country, jazz, classical and folk music. As each character, he shares what he loves about his music, sporting the twang of a country crooner, the rock-on enthusiasm of a 20-year-old headbanger and the laid-back coolness of a jazz musician. And he’s a great guitarist. There will be performances Thursday to Sunday. After these shows, Padgett heads for the renowned Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Visit downstairscabaret.com.
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