Happy New Year!  Wishing you a happy, healthy 2022!  I’m back this week with a mixed bag of treats that includes winter holiday events plus a few performances to remind you of summertime during this cold snap. Enjoy!

Jacob’s Pillow presents
STREB: From Ringside to Extreme Action
Available on demand through Thursday, January 6
Start your new year with a flying leap! Watch a full-length film of STREB’s return to Jacob’s Pillow this past summer, with multi-camera footage of Elizabeth Streb’s classic works spanning over three decades. Enjoy the remastered stream with astonishing views and watch never-before-seen footage of what it takes to become an action hero and archival footage of Elizabeth Streb. Escape winter with the extreme action heroes of STREB.
Watch STREB on the Jacobs Pillow website

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine presents
The New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace
Available on demand
This NYC New Year’s Eve tradition featuring music of inspiration and social conscience was founded at the Cathedral by Leonard Bernstein in 1986. Thanks to the generosity of Mount Sinai Health Systems, the Concert for Peace moved online and is available for all to stream! Join us on Facebook, YouTube, and the Cathedral website for an evening of festive and inspiring musical performances. Hosted by Harry Smith.
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace

ALL ARTS presents
Sun Ra Arkestra at SummerStage in Central Park
Available on demand
Travel the spaceways with the iconic Afrofuturist ensemble Sun Ra Arkestra for this special live performance from SummerStage in Central Park. Led by Marshall Allen, the group performs a number of classics, new and old, from their eclectic repertoire.
Watch Sun Ra Arkestra at SummerStage on ALL ARTS

PBS presents
GREAT PERFORMANCES From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2022
Available on demand until January 31
Ring in the new year in Austria at the Musikverein with the Vienna Philharmonic and host Hugh Bonneville in this annual concert of waltzes by Strauss and more under the baton of guest conductor Daniel Barenboim.
Watch Great Performances on PBS.org

PBS presents
Stars on Stage from Westport Country Playhouse
Premieres Friday, January 7, 9pm
Broadway favorites headline a brand-new PBS concert series, featuring Tony and Olivier Award winner Gavin Creel, chart-topping Billboard artist Shoshana Bean, and Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award nominee Brandon Victor Dixon. Filmed in front of live audiences, these versatile and virtuosic artists perform iconic showstoppers, tell intimate stories and dazzle with their extraordinary range of songs.  The trio of performances debuts with Creel, with subsequent episodes rolling out weekly.
Watch Stars on Stage on PBS.org

The Interfaith Connection and Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Nonviolence present
Annual Interfaith Community Concert in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, January 9, at 4pm
Livestream from Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, NY. For more information contact MLK Institute at 914-949-6555 or connect@mlkwestchester.org
Access the Interfaith Community Concert livestream

PBS presents
American Masters: Ailey
Airs on Tuesday, January 11, at 9pm
Available on demand until Tuesday, February 8
Explore the life of the legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, whose dances express the Black American experience with grace, strength, and beauty. Featuring previously unheard audio interviews with Mr. Ailey, interviews with those close to him, and an intimate glimpse into the Ailey studios today.
Watch American Masters: Ailey on PBS.org

The New York Public Library presents
Talking Books: Asian American Authors in Conversation:  Michelle Zauner
Wednesday, January 12, at 6pm
Join staff from Chatham Square Library for a virtual book talk with Michelle Zauner, author of Crying in H Mart: A Memoir. This talk is part of a conversation series with Asian American authors about their work.
Talking Books: Asian American Authors in Conversation—Michelle Zauner

###

Culture Picks is a weekly feature celebrating the performing arts. The arts are back and there is so much to take in, both live and virtual. Cultural connoisseur and PAC staff member Coni Guhl is here to help you sort through it all. Each week we will post her curated selection of events featuring the artists you know and love from The PAC Center Series, plus a sampling of stellar local experiences. Enjoy!

All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.

Pictured: Cathedral of St John the Divine (c) Helena Kubicka de Braganc