Weekend Arts Planner: A concert for Ukraine and a Valentine's Day roundup
We start the Weekend Arts Planner this time with a benefit concert for Ukraine taking place on Sunday, Feb. 12. Plus, since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, we have some events for those who love the holiday and those that don't. WNYC's Culture and Arts Editor, Steve Smith joins Weekend Edition host David Furst with his latest picks.
John Zorn is a composer, a bandleader, an improvising saxophonist, and a huge figure in New York's downtown music scene since the late 1970s. He's also a community builder, someone who makes connections to the broadest imaginable range of artists and musicians. So when he taps into his networks for a cause, the results are prodigious.
Several times since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zorn has assembled concerts to raise funds for relief efforts. The one happening Sunday, Feb. 12 at noon at The New School in Greenwich Village is especially rich.
The concert includes performances by string quartet Brooklyn Rider (playing music by Philip Glass), saxophonist Ravi Coltrane with his quartet, the duo of guitarists Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson, and Zorn himself playing with Laurie Anderson. The concert is being held at the New School's Tishman Auditorium, on Sixth Avenue just above 13th Street, and in lieu of buying a ticket, attendees are asked to make a donation to the relief organization Razom.
2. Valentine's Day roundup
For our weekly Gothamist post of things to do in the week ahead, I solicited input from colleagues at WNYC and WQXR, and came up with a promising mix.
If you're into a lively, amorous and slightly risque experience, my colleague Precious Fondren recommends heading to the Bushwick nightclub Elsewhere, where Chicago rapper Cupcakke will hold forth on themes of empowerment and nocturnal recreation. She's supported by a solid bill of performers and DJs, and her Valentine's Day show is happening on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7.
If you're not feeling the love this Valentine's Day, WNYC reporter Catalina Gonella recommends "WHY IS EVERYONE BREAKING UP RIGHT NOW?" This is a pop-up installation devised by artist Blair Simmons, who used a dating app to put out an open call for projects based on lost love and heartbreak. The results are on display for one night only, Tuesday at 7, at AllinOne Collective's Portal, 164 20th Street in Brooklyn.
And if one day isn't enough for all the love in your heart, WQXR's Ed Yim recommends heading to Merkin Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 15. New York Festival of Song is presenting a wide-ranging mix of romantic songs titled "Amor" — and you can bet that a lot of the love will be directed toward pianist and ensemble founder Steven Blier, who's celebrating his 50th anniversary onstage.
