[img:blog-taylor-all.png]How lucky is the Lake Champlain Valley?

Unbelievably. We may live 5 hours or so from NYC but we are always learning of a new talent who has decided to settle in this quiet and picturesque valley.

For about a year now, I have been hearing about one such resident--composer/trumpeter, Taylor Haskins.

According to his website, Mr. Haskins is being hailed as one of the most original new voices on the...

[img:art-farm-several-pieces.jpg]It is a quintessential autumn day, slightly past peak, sunny and warm enough to walk around with just long sleeves yet there is a slight crispness to the air. It is Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus Day weekend, one of the busiest weekends of the year in the North Country.

I am celebrating by taking a ride to Ted Cornell’s Art Farm (aka Crooked Brook Studios) in Westport, NY. This blog is more or less...

[img:blog-clark-the-gallery.jpg]I found out last night that there is a new art gallery in Keeseville. Two prominent artists from the North Country were glowing with praise and encouraging me to go and check out the opening on Friday evening.

So, here I am on Front Street in Keeseville and I am pleasantly surprised by this New-York-City-like façade and interior space that I am about to enter.

Clark Davidson is the gallery owner...

[img:cast-onstage.jpg]It must be summer in the Adirondacks because everywhere I turn there is another arts event going on. So much is packed into our summers that it’s impossible to get to everything.

My passion is of course, is theatre, so it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to not only see a great play but get to listen to the actors talk about the play and their roles afterwards.

That’s why today I am back at The Depot...

[img:blog-essex-logo-horizontal.jpg]The Essex Theatre Company (ETC) in Essex, New York, is gearing up for another summer season of theatre.

This week, I had the opportunity to speak with Emily Madan, director of the first show this season,"Much Ado About Nothing."

Emily has been acting since 2001 and started directing when she was in college at SUNY Plattsburgh. This is her fifth production as director. She was recently seen on...

[img:studying-the-art.jpg]The 2013 performance season has not yet begun at The Depot Theatre but this May evening brings together a gathering of art and theatre lovers. It is a reception for artist Gharan K. Burton whose colorful and provocative paintings are displayed on the lobby walls of this lovely old multi-purpose building.

I arrive early enough to take my time and absorb each atmospheric piece. The artist is present and happy to...