Caroga Arts Collective Announces 2023 Caroga Lake Music Festival Programming

Caroga Arts will present more than 35 performances, featuring over 125 artists, and offer music education programming to community members of all ages

CAROGA LAKE, NY (April 13, 2023) – Caroga Arts Collective today announced the complete 2023 Caroga Lake Music Festival (CLMF) summer lineup. Caroga Arts will welcome more than 125 artists for over 35 concerts, which will include notable guest artists Judy Collins, Baha Men, and The War and Treaty making their CLMF debut. For the second time in its 12-year history, this year’s festival will include a full symphony performed conductorless by the Caroga Arts Ensemble — Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony.

“We’re excited to bring a robust lineup of artists to Caroga Lake for our 12th summer season,” said Kyle Barrett Price, Founder and Artistic Director of the Caroga Arts Collective. “Our concerts will feature a diverse array of genres — classical, jazz, rock, and everything in between — presented lakeside at Sherman’s Park and at other beloved venues across the region.”

Caroga Arts will also invite music lovers of all ages to Sherman’s Park for the CLMF Lesson & Ensembles Program.

Back for its second year, the Lessons & Ensembles Program provides music workshops and individual or small group lessons, led by Caroga Arts Ensemble artists, to community members looking to learn a new instrument or hone their talent.

“Caroga Arts is breathing life into musical arts in our communities, and even in our schools” said Dr. William Crankshaw, Caroga Arts board member and Superintendent of Schools at the Greater Johnstown School District. “The potential to offer students the opportunities to experience a wide variety of world-class musical programs, not to mention exposure to string instruments and summer ensembles, excites me. There have been hundreds of educators in our region who have been pining for these types of opportunities, which, until now, were only available to communities with resources and affluence to do so.”

Over the course of its five-week season, CLMF will feature more than 20 touring guest artists and ensembles.

In addition to well-known names Judy Collins, Baha Men, and The War and Treaty, CLMF will feature a comedy and music event for the first time hosted by SNL star and local resident, Alex Moffat. CLMF will also highlight up-and-coming artists such as Laufey, an Icelandic musician and songwriter who recently ranked #1 on Billboard’s Alternative New Artist Chart. Past CLMF attendees will also recognize familiar favorites Eddie Barbash, performing at Sherman’s Jazz Fest; The Ultimates, back for a Labor Day concert with fireworks; and Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra at Fiesta Caroga, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

This year will also feature an ambitious lineup of performances from the Caroga Arts Ensemble, including a rare conductorless performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and two world premieres. The first performance making its debut is “27 Steps,” an immersive theater experience presented in partnership with Utica Dance. The second debut is the family-friendly “Louie the Loon,” composed by Brian Shank based on a short story by Julian Muller, which will be performed at a Kids Carousel Concert.

Caroga Arts will return with its five-week long artist-in-residence experience

Caroga Arts will return with its five-week long artist-in-residence experience, a core component to the summer season that features 100+ musicians living amongst the community and curating unique chamber music and orchestral collaborations as part of the Caroga Arts Ensemble. These artists hold positions as leading soloists, chamber musicians, and orchestral musicians from across the country, performing in the Met Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Verona Quartet, KASA Quartet, Cavani Quartet, Hausmann Quartet, and more.

Caroga Arts is proud to call Sherman’s Park — the historic and much-loved former amusement park — its home.

With the majority of CLMF concerts held on Sherman’s Park’s lakeside lawn or in its classic dance hall, guests can enjoy an idyllic setting while taking in performances from world-renowned artists. The George and Ruth Abdella Carousel will also be open for riders of all ages before every CLMF concert at Sherman’s Park this season. In addition to collaborations at Sherman’s Park, CLMF resident artists will be featured at partnering venues and festivals across the region as part of CLMF on Tour performances.

For the first time ever, Caroga Arts is offering a 2023 season pass, with discounted premium seats. To learn more about Caroga Arts and reserve tickets, please visit https://carogaarts.org/.

2023 SEASON SCHEDULE

Sherman’s Concerts

Sat, May 27 @ 7 PM – Zac Brown Tribute Band
Sun, June 4 @ 3 PM – Alex Moffat and Friends: A Comedy and Music Block Party
Sat, July 1 @ 2 PM – SAUNDERSFEST, artists to be announced
Sat, July 15 @ 7 PM – Tommy V Live
Wed, July 19 @ 7 PM – The Gibson Brothers
Fri, July 21 @ 5 PM – Caroga Arts Collective Gala, featuring Tony DeSare and the Caroga Arts Ensemble
Sat, July 22 @ 7 PM – Baha Men
Wed, July 26 @ 7 PM – Rich with Caroga Arts Ensemble
Fri, July 28 @ 7 PM – “27 Steps” World Premiere – Caroga Arts Ensemble, Utica Dance
Sat, July 29 @ 7 PM – Almost Queen: A Tribute to QUEEN
Sun, July 30 @ 7 PM – “27 Steps” – Caroga Arts Ensemble, Utica Dance
Wed, August 2 @ 7 PM – Laufey with Caroga Arts Ensemble
Fri, August 4 @ 7 PM – Musical Kaleidoscope: A Tribute to Jonah Poplove
Fri, August 4 @ 9:30 PM – “Dime-a-Dance” with Kyle Athayde Dance Party
Sat, August 5 @ 11 AM – Kids Carousel Concert – WARP Trio
Sat, August 5 @ 5 PM – Sherman’s JazzFest – Kyle Athayde Dance Party, Eddie Barbash with KASA Quartet, WARP Trio, Miriam Elhajli
Wed, August 9 @ 7 PM – Concert by Candlelight: An Evening of Encores
Fri, August 11 @ 7 PM – Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
Sat, August 12 @ 11 AM – Kids Carousel Concert – “Louie the Loon” World Premiere – Composed by Brian Shank
Sat, August 12 @ 7 PM – Judy Collins with Caroga Arts Ensemble
Wed, August 16 @ 7 PM – Grace Kelly Quartet
Fri, August 18 @ 7 PM – The Coda: A Chamber Music Round-robin
Sat, August 19 @ 7 PM – The War and Treaty
Sat, September 2 @ 7 PM – The Ultimates (with fireworks)
Fri, September 15 @ 7 PM – Fiesta Caroga: Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra

Caroga Lake Music Festival on Tour

Thur, July 20 @ 7 PM – CLMF on Tour: Caroga Chapel
Sun, July 23 @ 3 PM – CLMF on Tour: SVAN at Mayfield Presbyterian Church
Thur, July 27 @ 7 PM – CLMF on Tour: Little Falls at Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Sun, July 30 @ 2 PM – CLMF on Tour: Pecks Lake at Pecks Lake Marina
Thur, August 3 @ 6 PM – CLMF on Tour: Johnstown Midsummer Concert Series at Charles Jenner Memorial Band Shell
Sun, August 6 @ 6 PM – CLMF on Tour: Barge Concert at Canada Lake Store & Marina
Thur, August 10 @ 7 PM – CLMF on Tour: The Glove Theater
Sun, August 13 @ 2 PM – CLMF on Tour: Lorenzo State Historic Site
Tue, August 15 @ 6 PM – CLMF on Tour: Cooperstown Summer Music Festival at Otesaga Resort Hotel
Thur, August 17 @ 7 PM – CLMF on Tour: Arkell Museum
Sun, August 20 @ 12 PM – CLMF on Tour: Brunch Concert at Paul Nigra Center for the Creative Arts
Sun, August 20 @ 6 PM – CLMF on Tour: Caroga Museum
Sat, August 26 @ 6 PM – Caroga Arts Ensemble: Maverick Concerts

ABOUT CAROGA ARTS

The mission of Caroga Arts Collective is to reimagine the Caroga experience through the power of the arts.

In 2012, Kyle Price invited friends to his grandmother’s house on Caroga Lake, where they presented a week of free concerts, ambitiously calling themselves the Caroga Lake Music Festival (CLMF). During the first five seasons, CLMF grew from one to five weeks, presenting concerts at a variety of local venues. In 2016, to accommodate the growth, the organization gained 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status as Caroga Arts Collective. Today, Caroga Arts presents over 50 performances and community events annually bringing world-class artists from various genres of music, visual art, poetry, and film to the Southern Adirondacks.