Backstage with the Bardavon

Backstage with the Bardavon

Hosts, Mike Harris and Jode Millman, draw back the curtain and invite you backstage at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and UPAC in Kingston, NY for intimate conversations with musicians and performers appearing at the historic venues. Guests include Chris Silva, Executive Director of the Bardavon, Floriana Frassetto, Creator and Artistic Director of Mummenschantz and Mary Stuart Masterson, Actor, Director, Producer and Community Activist. Backstage with the Bardavon is created and co-produced by Patrick J. Watson and Jode Millman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

An intimate conversation with Phillipe Petit, master wire-walker

February 16, 2022 • 43 mins
       We are honored to speak with Phillipe Petit, the incredible wire-walker artist who captivated the world when he walked on a wire between Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in August, 1974. Since then, Phillipe has conquered such structures as the Eiffel Tower, Grand Central Station, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where he has been artist-in-residence for over 45 years. We caug...

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Machan Taylor- Legendary Singer, Songwriter, Producer and Professor

January 26, 2022 • 52 mins
Today, our very special guest is the legendary American singer and songwriter, Machan Taylor. Having toured internationally with Pink Floyd, Foreigner, Sting, and Government Mule, not to mention working with Billy Joel, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor and George Benson, Machan has established herself as a woman who’s passionate about singing, songwriting, the music business, teaching college and producing music. We were lucky enough ...

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Damian Darlington, Musical Director, Guitarist and Vocalist for Brit Floyd

September 21, 2021 • 27 mins
Our very special guest is Damian Darlington, Musical Director, guitarist and vocalist with the “World’s Greatest Pink Floyd Show”, Brit Floyd. Currently on their post-pandemic tour, Brit Floyd is covering North America, including our own UPAC in Kingston, NY. While staying true to the source material, Brit Floyd stamps their own musical brand on their tribute to Pink Floyd. Their mesmerizing light and video show will amaze, and aud...

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Joe Louis Walker, legendary Blues Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer

August 7, 2021 • 46 mins
Join us for a lively conversation with legendary Blues Guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, Joe Louis Walker, as he talks music and current world events. An inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame, Grammy nominee and multiple Blues Music Award winner, JLW has teamed with musical greats such as Bonnie Raitt, Tower of Power, Taj Mahal and James Cotton to bring his heavy guitar riffs filled with Memphis soul, gospel harmony and po...

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Dar Williams, American Pop-Folk Singer, Songwriter, Retreat Leader and Author

June 8, 2021 • 48 mins
In these waning days of pandemic craziness, it's nice to have a girl friend to chat with. On this episode, our very special guest is American Pop Folk singer and songwriter, Dar Williams. Having toured with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patti Griffin, Ani DeFranco, Shawn Colvin and Joan Baez, Dar has established herself as a woman who follows her muses from coffeehouses to festivals to the stage of the Bardavon. Dar’s been busy during the...

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Stephen LaMarca, Managing Director of Theater Productions, Tom Rosato, Technical Director and Audio, and Nicole Raskofp, Technical Director/ Lighting Designer for the Bardavon Theater and UPAC

May 5, 2021 • 34 mins
In this episode, we have three very special guests who will actually be taking us backstage at the Bardavon and UPAC. Joining us is Stephen LaMarca, Managing Director of Theater Productions, Tom Rosato, Technical Director and Audio, and Nicole Raskofp, Technical Director/ Lighting Designer. They are the technical team who make sure the lights go and the curtain rises for each performance at the Bardavon and UPAC. And that you have ...

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Murali Coryell, acclaimed singer, guitarist and songwriter

March 17, 2021 • 39 mins
In these days of COVID-19, our podcast has reached out to residents of the Hudson Valley who have been instrumental in the development of our unique music scene. Joining us today is Murali Coryell, acclaimed singer, guitarist and songwriter, and Hudson Valley resident. Murali’s blues guitar chops have landed him on stages around the world and into the New York State Blues Hall of Fame. His nine albums, most recently “Made In T...

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John Barry, freelance writer, and former music and arts writer for the Poughkeepsie Journal.

February 1, 2021 • 36 mins
In these days of COVID-19, our podcast has reached out to residents of the Hudson Valley who have been instrumental in the development of our unique music scene. Joining us today is John Barry, freelance writer, and former music and arts writer for the Poughkeepsie Journal. During his time at the Poughkeepsie Journal, John has covered everything from Woodstock 40 to the recent Covid pandemic and it’s effect on the Music Scene....

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John Hall, Musician, Songwriter, and Political Activist

December 23, 2020 • 29 mins
Joining us today is John Hall, musician, songwriter, and political activist. In addition to being one of the founding members of the rock band Orleans, his songs have been recorded by Janis Joplin, Jackson Browne, Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt. His song, “Power,” has become the anthem for the No Nukes movement and John helped spark Musicians for Safe Energy with Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Graham Nash. And John’s interest in po...

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Danny Louis, musician, songwriter and performer

September 24, 2020 • 31 mins
Joining us today is Danny Louis, musician, songwriter, producer, and someone who was born and bred in the Hudson Valley. Danny has toured with Joe Cocker, Cheap Trick and the Allman Brothers Band, among others, and has appeared on discs by Ronnie Spector, Rosanne Cash, and Ricky Martin. Danny is a founding member of the rock band the Cars and, of course, he’s best known as keyboardist for Government Mule.

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Stan Beinstein

June 5, 2020 • 43 mins
In these days of COVID-19, Backstage with the Bardavon has reached out to residents of the Hudson Valley who have been instrumental in the development of our unique music scene. Joining us today is Stan Beinstein, local music maven, historian and chronicler of music in the Hudson Valley. Stan began his career producing concerts like THE WHO at SUNY New Paltz, then moved on to become Sales Manager at WPDH during its hey-days an...

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Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Grammy Award winning musicians

December 20, 2019 • 29 mins
For more than four decades, Emmy-nominated and Grammy Award Winning musicians, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason have brought their love and folk, country, swing and zydeco expertise to the Hudson Valley through their involvement with the Askohan Center, in Shokan, NY, recordings, books and educational programs. In addition to scoring several motion pictures like Legends of the Fall, they’ve worked with Ken Burns on several of his doc...

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Jose Francisco Salgado, Phd, Astronomer, Astrophotographer and Filmmaker

November 11, 2019 • 59 mins
Dr. Jose Francisco Salgado, astronomer, astrophotographer and filmmaker is the executive director of KV 265, a non-profit whose mission is the communication of science through the arts. Jose recently brought his Science and Symphony project, which has been presented to audiences around the world, to the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. In celebration of the 50th Moon Landing, one of his brilliant films, “Moonrise”, which featu...

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Lisa Cortes, Film Producer and Billy "Mr. Apollo Theater" Mitchell

October 3, 2019 • 32 mins
Host Jode Millman draws back the curtain and brings you backstage at the UPAC Theater in Kingston, New York for an intimate conversation with film producer, Lisa Cortes and Billy Mitchell, the resident Historian of the Landmark Apollo theater in Harlem. Lisa started her career in the music industry working with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin to launch the iconic Def Jam brand, and then transitioned into filmmaking, workin...

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Mary Kay Vrba, President/CEO, Dutchess Tourism, Inc.

March 20, 2019 • 37 mins
Hosts, Mike Harris and Jode Millman draw back the curtain and invite you backstage at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and UPAC in Kingston, N.Y. for an intimate conversation with Mary Kay Vrba, President and CEO of Dutchess Tourism, Inc. Since 2006, Mary Kay has helmed this non-profit designed to promote Dutchess County tourism around the world. In 2017, Mary Kay was honored by Women in Travel and Tourism Intern...

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New Paltz Ballet Theatre

February 26, 2019 • 31 mins
For the past 24 holiday seasons, the Bardavon Theater has presented Tschaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” Ballet as performed by the New Paltz Ballet Theater. Under the direction of Lisa Chalmers-Naumann and Peter Naumann, the New Paltz Ballet Theater has brought a world-class production of this classic Christmas time tale to the Hudson Valley. As principal dancers in the New York City Ballet, the Naumann’s trained the incomparable Georg...

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Randall Fleischer, Conductor and Musical Director for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic

October 12, 2018 • 43 mins
Since 1992, Maestro Randall Fleischer has served as Musical Director and Conductor of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and has conducted orchestras for a president and a pope, as well as audiences around the world. Randy is just off a smash six-week engagement of the Broadway production of "Rocktopia", a mash-up of rock music by such icons as Pete Townsend and Queen with symphonies by Wagner and Bach. He produced "Rocktopia" with Bro...

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Mary Stuart Masterson - Actor, Director, Producer and Activist

August 28, 2018 • 33 mins

Mary Stuart Masterson’s award-winning career includes roles in the iconic films Some Kind of Wonderful, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Benny and Joon. She has also directed and produced indie films, network television, and documentary theater.  As a full-time resident of the Hudson Valley, she and her husband, Jeremy Davidson, have created Stockadeworks.org in Kingston, NY, to provide job training to the local under-...

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Floriana Frassetto- Founder and Artistic Director of Mummenschanz

July 12, 2018 • 33 mins

During its 2018 season, the Bardavon presented Mummenschanz, the Swiss mask theater troupe that uses masks, light, shadows and choreography to entertain every age.

In this episode, we are lucky enough to be speaking with one of the original founders of Mummenschanz, Floriana Frassetto. For more than forty years, Mummenschanz has entertained international audiences with their unique and often hilarious prop-oriented mime. Besides tou...

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Johanna Pfaelzer - Artistic Director, New York Stage and Film

June 19, 2018 • 35 mins
 For thirty-four seasons, New York Stage and Film has fostered professional playwrights, directors, actors, and designers at its summer residence at the Vassar College Powerhouse Theater Season in Poughkeepsie, NY. Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer discusses the new, innovative productions to be presented at its 2018 Mainstage, Powerhouse and Shiva Stein Theaters, as well as the Tony award and Pulitzer prize nominated project...

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