READERS’ ROCHESTER

What are your favorite things to see and do locally? What are the best restaurants and shops? Share your thoughts with fellow Explore Greater Rochester readers: visitors and residents alike.

Submit a Comment >
Read Comments >

BEST BETS: Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, 2011

'Hot Jazz/Cool Tap'
Tap artist Bill Evans opens his new show, "Autumn Leaves: Hot Jazz/Cool Tap," Friday at the Geva Theatre Center's Nextstage. It runs through Oct. 8. The program features rhythm tap, jazz vocals and modern tango accompanied by live jazz music. The program showcases Rhythm Tap Rochester, a new group featuring Evans, Cheryl Johnson and Courtney World. Along with guest artists Don Halquist and Leanne Rinelli from the internationally acclaimed Bill Evans Dance Company, they will be accompanied by the No Mean Feat Jazz Trio of Gabe Condon on guitar, Alex Dugdale on clarinet and sax and Dominic Sbrega on bass, with guest artists Danny Lopa on bass and Tamara Wilcox on piano. Visit billevansdance.org.

Group stages 'Chorus Line'
25North Theater Productions presents "A Chorus Line" this weekend. The version was choreographed by Judy Brondon, Pamela Schickler and Kristie Schillaci. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and performances are at 1001 Lake Ave., Rochester. Visit 25northdance.com.

Rock legend Browne
Jackson Browne performs at 8 p.m. Friday at the Auditorium Theatre. Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2007. Buy tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Remmereit debuts with RPO
Arild Remmereit, the new music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, has his debut concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. The RPO's Red Carpet Spectacular—dinner, a walk down the carpet, the concert and a rooftop after-party—is Friday. Remmereit wants to honor Susan B. Anthony’s role in women's history and will begin the inaugural concert with Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony, first performed in 1896. As the season unfolds, Remmereit will pursue a theme of works by female composers. Visit rpo.org.

Heritage Jazz Series
Saxophonist Carl Atkins performs at 7 p.m. Friday at Baobab Cultural Center, near Writers & Books on University Avenue. It's part of the Heritage Jazz Series. Atkins, director of the music program at Rochester Institute of Technology, will perform with his band and talk with the audience about major influences and icons of jazz. In leading the ongoing series, Atkins hopes to foster understanding about jazz in Rochester. The series takes place at Baobab on the last Friday of the month. Visit thebaobab.org for more information.

ImageArt kicks off Saturday
ImageArt, a show of more than 70 works of art from 11 gay and lesbian collectors in the area, opens this weekend at Visual Studies Workshop. The exhibition, "rochesterLGBTQcollects," will open with a public reception in VSW's gallery from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Visitors will have an opportunity to meet the curators and collectors. There also will be a show and sale of original postcard-size artwork on paper. ImageArt is a companion to the ImageOut Film and Video Festival. The 19th annual festival runs from Oct. 7 to 16. Visit imageout.org.
 

On the big screen
Written by cancer survivor Will Reiser, "50/50" is about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz star in "Dream House," a thriller about a family that moves into a home where grisly murders were committed—and becomes the killer's next target. Anna Faris stars in "What's Your Number" as a woman who looks back at the past 20 men she's had relationships with and wonders if one of them might be her true love. Find movie times.

Hilton Apple Fest
The Hilton Apple Fest will feature free family entertainment while celebrating the region's apple harvest season Saturday and Sunday. The fest has live music, activities for children and contests for eating apple pies, peeling apples and decorating pumpkins. The annual auto show is Saturday at the Village Elementary School in Hilton; this year's show highlights antique cars. Also on Saturday is the Apple Derby/Merkel 5-mile run, a road race that takes off from Hilton High School at 9 a.m. Since the festival was founded in 1981, it has grown from roughly 75 to more than 200 craft booths and from five to 24 food booths. The Apple Fest runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit hiltonapplefest.org.

Submit listing information

Help us provide readers with the most up-to-date and comprehensive information on dining, shopping, entertainment and the arts, wineries, sports and recreation, special events, museums and more.  

For information about submitting listings to Explore Greater Rochester, contact us by email.