The American Classical Orchestra’s Healing Bach at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer delivered restorative brilliance: period-instrument clarity, exceptional soloists, and Thomas Crawford’s visionary leadership. A concert of structural grace and emotional depth. The 2025–26 ACO season continues this distinguished tradition.
There are moments in theater when a single performer holds an entire audience in the palm of her hand — and Samantha Inside Out is that kind of show. Elizabeth Heflin delivers a tour de force in playwright Marisa Smith’s fiercely intelligent world premiere, now playing at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch. Samantha is every woman who has ever swallowed her fury, smoothed her dress, and smiled through the indignity of a life that no longer fits. In one electrifying evening, she unravels, reimagines, and reclaims herself — with rapier wit, raw honesty, and a daughter’s wardrobe as her armor. Smith’s writing is both comic and devastating, and Heflin’s performance is nothing short of revelatory. If you have ever asked “Why don’t women leave?” — or if you have been the woman asking it — this is the play you need to see.
Thomas G. Waites — Juilliard-trained actor, musician, and storyteller — has long defied categorization, and his debut album Heartbreak Waites proves he has no intention of stopping now. At The Cutting Room in New York City, Waites and his band delivered a performance that was by turns funny, heartbreaking, galvanizing, and deeply human. From the fierce political urgency of “Heartbeat of Nation” to the wry wit of “Kelly Anne,” the concert showcased a singular artist who draws from nearly five decades of lived experience. With bandmates Tony Daniels, Cedric Allen Hills, and Annie McGovern providing world-class musicianship and soaring harmonies, the evening was equal parts concert, theater, and social commentary. The 14-track album is now available. If you’ve never seen Thomas G. Waites perform, this is your moment — and if you have, you already know: you don’t miss a second time.
Marc-André Hamelin’s sovereign recital at the 92nd Street Y was a revelation of pianistic genius — Haydn to Rachmaninoff, with Zappa, Wolpe, Oswald, and Medtner illuminated en route. Seek out this peerless artist and others in the 92NY’s dazzling 2025–26 season: this is precisely why concert halls and the human spirit exist.
Thomas G. Waites — Juilliard-trained actor known for The Thing, The Warriors, and …And Justice for All — celebrates the release of his album Heartbreak Waites: Americana Music for the Soul with a one-night-only concert at The Cutting Room (44 East 32nd Street, NYC) on Tuesday, February 17, at 9 PM. Joined by his folk-rock band Heartbreak Waites — named decades ago by friend John Goodman during a wild CBGB’s set — Waites delivers original songs born from fifty years of heartbreak, redemption, and living from the heart. Doors open at 8:30 PM. Tickets are $20. Ages 21+.
Mia M.I.A. is a breathtaking fusion of shadow puppetry, live hip-hop, and afro-futurist storytelling that transforms grief into transcendence. Charlotte Lily Gaspard and the Midnight Radio Show collective have crafted an intimate, genre-defying masterwork at La MaMa that every lover of daring, heartfelt theater should seek out—and follow into whatever enchanted dimension they conjure next.
Edward is a luminous theatrical gem—intimate, profound, and deeply human. Ed Schmidt transforms twenty-seven ordinary objects into an unforgettable meditation on memory, love, and legacy. Each performance is unique, each story revelatory. This is essential theater for anyone who has ever kept a memento or mourned a moment lost. Seek it out. Experience its genius. You will leave changed.
The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony’s “Sublime Schubert” concert was a transcendent evening of immersive orchestral artistry. Under David Bernard’s visionary leadership and the InsideOut Concert format, audiences experienced Schubert’s Eighth and Ninth Symphonies from inside the orchestra—an unforgettable journey of beauty, intellect, and communal joy. Explore their 2025–2026 season and discover why PACS is redefining the concert experience.
At the 92nd Street Y, Grammy-winner Richard O’Neill and Chopin Competition gold medalist Garrick Ohlsson delivered a transcendent evening spanning Schubert’s intimate lyricism and Rachmaninoff’s impassioned grandeur. Their artistry reminded us why live chamber music remains irreplaceable. Explore the 92NY’s extraordinary 2025–2026 season and discover these remarkable musicians in concert near you.
The Players’ 5th Annual Artists Exhibition celebrates the remarkable creative talents hidden within this historic Gramercy Park club. From Peggy Kinstler’s photography inspired by her legendary husband to Dr. James Sabetta’s late-blooming passion for painting, this exhibition proves that artistic expression knows no boundaries—reminding us all to discover and nurture our own hidden gifts.
