NEWSLETTER
Featuring Taylor Mac & Matt Ray, 50 Years of PUNK, acclaimed classical and bluegrass artists, mind reader Vinny DePonto, and community celebrations
Hudson, NY — Hudson Hall announces its Fall 2026 season, with performances, exhibitions, and community programs running September through December. Highlights include MacArthur Award-winning artist Taylor Mac with longtime collaborator Matt Ray; 50 Years of PUNK, an exhibition curated by Ki Smith and PUNK magazine co-founder John Holmstrom; the Hudson debut of Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective; acclaimed countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen in recital; California bluegrass band AJ Lee & Blue Summit; and mentalist and theater artist Vinny DePonto.
The fall also includes the previously announced Hudson Jazz Festival, returning October 2–4 for its ninth year, with mainstage performances by Dafnis Prieto and his Sí o Sí Quartet, Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall, and Shenel Johns, alongside events at venues throughout Hudson.
Community programming rounds out the season in December with two holiday traditions: Community Canvas, Hudson Hall’s annual exhibition of work by local and regional young artists, and the Kwanzaa Umoja Community Celebration, presented in partnership with Operation Unite NY.
Tickets go on sale to the public Sunday, August 16 at 10AM at hudsonhall.org.
FALL 2026 PROGRAMMING
TAYLOR MAC & MATT RAY
An Evening from the Queer Songbook
Saturday, September 26 at 7PM
MacArthur Award-winning artist Taylor Mac and Obie Award-winning composer Matt Ray reunite for an evening of song celebrating queer history and futures.
The longtime collaborators are best known for A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, their acclaimed 24-hour journey through American music and the subject of an HBO documentary. The Hudson Hall performance coincides with the publication of their new illustrated songbook, Bark of Millions, featuring lyrics by Mac and music by Ray.
Bark of Millions will be published by Black Dog & Leventhal in Fall 2026 and will be available for pre-order through Hudson Hall or for purchase at the event.
Lyrics by Taylor Mac
Music by Matt Ray
Runtime: 60–90 minutes, no intermission
Underwriting support generously provided by PoketheBear
HUDSON JAZZ FESTIVAL
October 2–4, 2026
Hudson Hall and venues throughout Hudson
The previously announced Hudson Jazz Festival returns for its ninth year with three mainstage concerts at Hudson Hall and performances, conversations, and community events throughout the city.
Hosted by media personality Keanna Faircloth, the mainstage lineup features Cuban-born MacArthur Fellow and GRAMMY-winning drummer Dafnis Prieto and his Sí o Sí Quartet on October 2; South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist Chris Pattishall on October 3, including the premiere of a new Hudson Hall commission; and acclaimed vocalist Shenel Johns on October 4.
Festival events throughout Hudson include Mino Cinélu’s Mino 4 Miles: Inspired by Miles Davis at Park Theater; a jazz brunch with Brazilian guitarist Vinícius Gomes at Pocketbook Hudson; a family concert with Lady Moon & Friends at The Half Moon; a Lunch & Learn with Sotashe, Pattishall, and Faircloth and an opening night party at The Spark of Hudson; a free Community Kick-Off at The Hudson Harmonic; and Sounds Around Town pop-up performances throughout the city.
For the complete festival schedule, visit hudsonhall.org/hudson-jazz-
50 YEARS OF PUNK
Curated by Ki Smith and John Holmstrom
October 17–November 29, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 17, 5–7PM
Free
Opening October 17, 50 Years of PUNK marks the 50th anniversary of PUNK Magazine with five decades of covers and artwork from the publication that helped define the look and attitude of New York’s downtown punk scene.
Founded in 1976 by John Holmstrom, Ged Dunn, and Legs McNeil, PUNK championed the Ramones before the release of their first album, featured Blondie early on, and combined interviews, comics, photography, hand-drawn graphics, and satire.
The exhibition features work by Imari Azzi, Roberta Bayley, Bruce Carleton, R. Crumb, Rufus Dayglo, Hal Drellich, Shepard Fairey, Danny Fields, GODLIS, Bobby Grossman, Tom Hearn, Danny Hellman, John Holmstrom, Bob Krasner, Johnny Moondog, Cliff Mott, Eileen Polk, Dustin Pittman, Joey Ramone, Robert Romagnoli, Chris Stein, Steve W. Taylor, Debra “Raffles” Tripodi, Buz Vaultz, Ken Weiner, and others.
KALEIDOSCOPE CHAMBER COLLECTIVE
Sunday, October 25 at 3PM
In partnership with Clarion Concerts
Ben Goldscheider, horn
Elena Urioste, violin
Melissa White, violin
Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola
Tony Rymer, cello
Tom Poster, piano
Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective is known for imaginative programs that place beloved chamber works alongside music by composers heard less often. Curated especially for the ensemble’s Hudson debut with Clarion Concerts, the program brings together six acclaimed musicians, including violinist Melissa White, Executive Director of Clarion Concerts.
Bookended by two of Robert Schumann’s most beloved works, the program opens with the lyrical Adagio and Allegro for horn and piano, followed by Ethel Smyth’s Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano and Eleanor Alberga’s Shining Gate of Morpheus, and concludes with Schumann’s exuberant Piano Quintet in E-flat major.
ARYEH NUSSBAUM COHEN
Sunday, November 8 at 3PM
In partnership with Etude Arts
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor
John Churchwell, piano
"one of the world’s finest countertenors" — Parterre Box, August 2026
Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, hailed by The New York Times as “a complete artist” and “a young star,” joins pianist John Churchwell for a recital spanning German lieder, Handel, music of his Jewish heritage, and works by American composers.
The program includes music by Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Maurice Ravel, Herbert Howells, Clara Schumann, H. Leslie Adams, Florence Price, and Max Janowski, as well as Jake Heggie’s Oh Children!, with poetry by Margaret Atwood.
Nussbaum Cohen also performs an aria from Handel’s Deidamia ahead of his starring turn as Ulisse in R.B. Schlather’s new production at Hudson Hall in April and May 2027.
AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT
with The Cody Sisters
Saturday, November 21 at 7PM
In partnership with Fourth Stream House Concerts
California bluegrass band AJ Lee & Blue Summit perform November 21 with The Cody Sisters.
Led by vocalist and mandolinist AJ Lee, the Santa Cruz-based group first met as teenagers at festivals and jam sessions and has since built a national following for its blend of bluegrass, blues, folk, country, and Americana.
AJ Lee is a three-time nominee for Female Vocalist of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association, including a 2026 nomination alongside Alison Krauss and Sierra Hull. Together, AJ Lee & Blue Summit are, as the San Francisco Chronicle puts it, “carrying the torch for the next generation of bluegrass.”
COMMUNITY CANVAS
December 4–20, 2026
Free
Community Canvas brings together artwork by local and regional students alongside work created in Hudson Hall’s art workshop with artist Ntangou Badila.
The exhibition opens during Hudson’s annual Winter Walk celebration.
Opening: Saturday, December 5, 5–7PM
VINNY DEPONTO
Mind Reader
Saturday, December 12 at 7PM
Written & Performed by Vinny DePonto
Directed by Zach Morris
Set Design by Dan Daly
Mentalist and theater artist Vinny DePonto brings Mind Reader to Hudson Hall on December 12.
Using audience participation, psychological techniques, and theatrical illusion, DePonto explores attention, influence, and the workings of the human mind. His critically acclaimed work has toured nationally and Off-Broadway, and his theatrical consulting credits include the Broadway productions of Angels in America and Mother Play. He is a member of the Bessie Award-winning theater company Third Rail Projects.
KWANZAA
Umoja Community Celebration
Saturday, December 19, 2026
In partnership with Operation Unite NY
Free; Open to All
Hudson Hall and Operation Unite NY present the annual Kwanzaa Umoja Community Celebration, a free afternoon of arts and crafts, dancing, drumming, a candle-lighting ceremony, the sharing of the Nguzo Saba, and a community dinner.
3PM Arts & Crafts for Children
4PM Kwanzaa Performance & Candle Lighting Ceremony
5:30PM Community Dinner
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About Hudson Hall
hudsonhall.org
Hudson Hall is a cultural beacon in the Hudson Valley, offering a dynamic year-round schedule of music, theater, dance, literature, film, workshops for youth and adults, as well as family programs and signature events such as the Hudson Jazz Festival and the Handel on the Hudson opera series. Built in 1855, Hudson Hall is a landmarked building housing New York State’s oldest surviving theater. @hudsonhallny
Photo: Taylor Mac (left) and Matt Ray (right) - Photo by Ian Wallman