Celebrate the arrival of warmer weather and spring forward into the arts. In this issue, we’ve got lots of ways for you to get to know the artists who are coming to The Purchase PAC this month. Take a look!
Great Performances presents Samara Joy at Royal Albert Hall
On demand until February 2027
A number one album and a double Grammy-win in 2023 put jazz vocalist Samara Joy on the map, officially establishing the Bronx native (and Purchase alum) as the next jazz sensation and a legend in the making, with frequent comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Samara Joy won her sixth Grammy in 2026: Best Jazz Vocal Album for Portrait. Here, Joy makes her much-anticipated debut at London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall.
Watch Samara Joy at Royal Albert Hall on PBS.org
Samara Joy performs “Day by Day” at Royal Albert Hall; watch on YouTube
The Purchase College Conservatory of Music presents the Purchase Symphony Orchestra: Ode to Unity
Friday, March 6, 7pm
The Purchase PAC
The Purchase College Conservatory of Music presents the Purchase Symphony Orchestra, Purchase Chorus, and special guests in Ode to Unity, featuring Coleman’s Umoja: Anthem of Unity, a contemporary call for togetherness, and Beethoven’s 9th – a timeless celebration of humanity and brotherhood. Special guests: Purchase Chorus, David Recca, Director; The New Choral Society, John King, Director; Westchester Chamber Soloists, Alan Murray, Artistic Director
https://www.artscenter.org/events/purchase-symphony-orchestra-ode-to-unity/
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents: The Kreisler Impact
Sunday, March 8, 3pm
In person at Lincoln Center
Free livestream and then on demand until March 11
CMS’s celebration of the violin continues! The life and art of the great Fritz Kreisler is revealed by a panel of musicians whose lives have been profoundly influenced by Kreisler. Moderated by Aaron Boyd, with guest violinists Danbi Um, Benjamin Beilman, and Paul Huang, and author Amy Biancolli, writer of Love’s Joy, Love’s Sorrow, the definitive contemporary biography of Kreisler. Making a special appearance, with a violin played by Kreisler himself in hand, is Carlos Tome, Director and Head of Sales at Tarisio Auctions, New York.
Get tickets for CMS at Lincoln Center
Watch the free livestream
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia: Billy Goats Gruff & Other Tales
Saturday, March 14, 3pm
The Purchase PAC
The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, known for imaginatively retelling cherished children’s stories for young audiences through the magic of puppetry, is returning to The Purchase PAC with a delightful mash-up of Goldilocks, The Three Little Pigs, and The Billy Goats Gruff.
Watch a short video about Mermaid Theatre
Watch an interview with Jim Morrow of Mermaid Theatre on YouTube
Get tickets to see Billy Goats Gruff & Other Tales at The Purchase PAC
Martha Graham Dance Company
Saturday, March 14, 7:30pm
The Purchase PAC
100 years ago, the dance world was forever altered by Martha Graham’s vision and groundbreaking choreography. Graham’s style is visceral, sculptural, and emotionally direct; her dances reveal inner landscapes, surging with intensity, vulnerability, and fierce humanity. This month, the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company brings its three-year GRAHAM100 tour to us at The Purchase PAC, with a program that includes two Graham masterworks and a recent Graham-inspired piece by choreographers Baye & Asa. Discover why Graham’s art continues to move audiences a century after it began.
Watch “GRAHAM100: Celebrating a Century of the Martha Graham Dance Company” on YouTube
See Baye & Asa’s work on TikTok and YouTube
Get tickets for Martha Graham Dance Company on The Purchase PAC website
GRAHAM100: Martha Graham Dance Company Centennial Celebration
Various locations on the Purchase College campus
As the only college in the nation to do so, Purchase College and the Conservatory of Dance present a semester-long Martha Graham Dance Company Centennial Celebration @ Purchase featuring more than a dozen campus-wide events curated by Assistant Professor of Dance, Martin Lofsnes.
Learn more and join the celebration by purchasing your GRAHAM100 Season Pass today.
The Westchester Association of Chinese Americans (WACA) presents Spring Celebration Festival
Saturday, March 21, 1pm
The Purchase PAC
Spring Celebration Festival: Spring Breeze Awaits, Warm Hooves Ring Out. As spring approaches, the Westchester Association of Chinese Americans (WACA) warmly invites you to the Spring Celebration Festival. This celebration of spring and the Year of the Horse returns with cultural delicacies, vibrant performances, lion dancing, fun activities, and joyful reunions. Join WACA in welcoming spring and ushering in a prosperous new year.
Get tickets for the Spring Celebration Festival on The Purchase PAC website
Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS Great American Crooners
Sunday, March 22, 5pm
The Purchase PAC
For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally. The organization’s touring initiative — Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS — develops exceptional jazz programming featuring up-and-coming musicians who have been identified as rising stars by JALC. Take a look at the links below and meet the artists of Great American Crooners, coming to The Purchase PAC this month.
Benny Benack III performs “Some Enchanted Evening (Live Take)”
Robbie Lee performs “Nobody Else but Me”
Shenel Johns performs “You Turned the Tables on Me”
Get tickets for Great American Crooners on The Purchase PAC website
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Culture Picks celebrates the performing arts. In each post, PAC staff member Coni Guhl shines the spotlight on work by artists that you know and love from their appearances at The Purchase PAC, and offers recommendations about other performing arts events that you really should not miss. Experience them all!
All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.
Pictured: Martha Graham Dance Company: Xin Ying and Anne Souder in Martha Graham’s Chronicle (c) Melissa Sherwood
