The Other Opera House in Our County

Last week, Darrah Cloud and David Simpatico wrote about their excursion to the Ancram Opera House to see a performance of In Praise of Elephants. Their review in the Poughkeepsie Journal--of the play and the venue--is recommended reading: "Ancram Opera House an experience inside and out."

Next weekend--Labor Day weekend--the Ancram Opera House presents Joseph Keckler, with Dan Bartfield on violin and and Matthew Marsh at the piano. Stephen Holden in the New York Times described Keckler as "a singer whose range shatters the conventional boundaries of classical singing." Infused with humor and longing, Keckler's material includes operatic renderings of contemporary life and haunting torch songs.

The concert is on Saturday, September 3, at 8:30 p.m. For those who don't relish the prospect of finding their way to Ancram and back along Route 82 in the dark, there's a bus that will leave from the Red Dot at 7:45 p.m. bound for the Ancram Opera House, with Trixie Starr as the chaperone, and return back to the Red Dot after the performance.

For more information and to order tickets, go to www.ancramoperahouse.org or call 518 329-0114.