Maverick Concerts (120 Maverick Rd., Woodstock, 800/595-4849), America’s oldest continuous summer chamber music festival and winner of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, features the talents of top chamber musicians in a relaxed woodsy setting.
The remarkable hand-hewn “music chapel” has changed little since its creation in 1916, courtesy of artist colony founder, Hervey White. Attracting an eclectic crowd (drawing from NYC’s metro-music lovers as well as longtime Woodstockers), a Maverick concert is a true Catskill experience.
Following a ninety-year tradition, very little reserved seating is available (26 online ticketed seats, $40). Join the crowd of excited concert-goers for a grab bag of first come seating ($25), under the rustic chapel’s dome, or on handmade wooden benches decorated with woven branches under the canopy of leafy trees.
Some take advantage of Maverick’s “Rock Bottom, pay-what-you-can” seating and bring their own chair or blanket to lounge and soak in the venue’s unique atmosphere and the artistry of world class musicians.
The Colony Café (22 Rock City Rd., 845/679-5342) presents local, regional, and national performers most nights of the week. The café serves beer, wine, coffees, and desserts.
Now housed in the 1902 Byrdcliffe art colony is the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild (34 Tinker St., 845/679-2079, www.woodstockguild.org [1]), an arts center featuring performance art, theater, and film. Since 2000, Woodstock [2] has been home to the Woodstock Film Festival (www.woodstockfilmfestival.com [3]).
In Bearsville is the Bearsville Theater Complex (Rte. 212, 845/679-5555), which includes two restaurants, several off-site studios secluded in the woods, and a 250-seat theater that presents original drama throughout the summer. The complex was originally planned and financed by the late Albert Grossman, former manager of Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin.
To find out what’s going on in the area, check the Woodstock Times or listen to Woodstock’s independent radio station, WDST, FM 100.1.
Links:
[1] http://www.woodstockguild.org
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-york-state/the-hudson-valley/mid-hudson-valley/the-catskills/woodstock
[3] http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com