For the second year, Stissing Center for Arts and Culture is proud to present exceptional, world-class Dance performances showcasing the very best talent from around the world! Curated by Catherine Tharin, these three performances will move and engage you using the language of movement!
A toe-tapping great time! Join our musician-actors on a journey across America. Playing Bluegrass classics and bringing to life celebrated American Tall Tales. From Paul Bunyan to a classic Appalachian Jack Tale, this show is brimming with lessons and wild characters. Songs like ‘In the Pines’ celebrate this special music and tales from our country.
The New York Theatre Organ Society proudly presents Silents at Stissing—a celebration of silent film and live music.
join us for a special screening of the 1928 classic Speedy, starring the legendary Harold Lloyd. This beloved silent comedy follows a taxi driver navigating a wild day in New York City, packed with slapstick stunts and unforgettable scenes—including a cameo by Babe Ruth!
Providing live accompaniment on the Allen T321Q Theatre Organ is acclaimed organist Peter Krasinski, known for his thrilling, spontaneous scores that breathe new life into silent film classics. His performance will transform Speedy into a dynamic, once-in-a-lifetime cinematic event.
Franz Kafka may never have intended for his name to be an adjective, but nonetheless the new musical comedy Kafkaesque! celebrates his body of work by layering the predicaments of most of Kafka’s stories onto one contemporary American family. The result is a funny and frightening joy ride through horrifying bodily transformations, artistic eating disorders, cancel culture run amok, and the relentless grind of late-stage capitalism.
“From start to finish, Kafkaesque! is engaging, funny and even a little soulful.” - Front and Center
Stissing Center presents Grumbling Gryphons in their dramatic production of "Trickster Coyote Shares the Fire: A Native American Trickster Tale!
In the story, “Trickster Coyote Shares the Fire” (Plains Indian Tale) Trickster Coyote cunningly outwits the greedy Fire Beings, risks his life and brings the treasure of fire to humans. Children will engage in becoming coyotes, fire spirits, eagle dancers and helping Trickster Coyote rescue and share fire with the humans.
Join some of the Valley's renowned chefs as they prepare foods and flavors from the harvest season, paired with regional wines and spirits from the Valley's distilleries and vineyards. Then "shop the season" at a lively farmers market showcasing our local farmers and purveyors.
Benji Kaplan effortlessly crafts his own brand of Neo-Classical Brazilian-infused music meets late Romantic-inspired compositions. A quirky crooner who adorns his voice with lush voicings and harmonies from his nylon string guitar, Benji has performed in a wide array of venues such as Cornelia Street Cafe, Dizzy’s Club, Rubin Museum of Art, Zinc Bar, Nu Blu, and the legendary Rio de Janeiro club “Beco das Garrafas” (Bottles Bar) among many others.
Part of our Coffeehouse Series, performed downstairs in an intimate setting on the Garon Suh Family Stage.
Broadway musicians Rachel Handman and Keve Wilson join Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra for a show stopping performance, featuring music from Bach to Wynton Marsalis and from Astor Piazzolla to Aaron Copland.
Highlights from their cabaret show at Feinstein’s 54 Below will be included, as they perform selections from their unique and creative repertoire. They’ll weave personal stories from their lifelong friendship into the program, showcasing their shared passion for music from around the world.
The Neon Moons have been a mainstay of the upstate honkytonk scene, playing dance party nights since 2018. With half the band hailing from Texas, Louisiana, and California, and the other half from New York, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, The Neon Moons straddle the line between good old country western and East Coast blues-based jam band. In their own words “we run a loose ship around here.” Regardless of how you define them, you’re gonna have a good time.
The Little Nine Partners Historical Society of Pine Plains, NY, presents WIDOW’S WEEDS, written by Dyan Wapnick and directed by Robert Lyons, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
WIDOW’S WEEDS tells the compelling true story of Mary Ingalls, who in 1842 at 84 years of age applied for her husband Elihu Ingalls’ pension under the Pension Act of 1836, which extended pension benefits to Revolutionary War widows for the first time. Elihu had served in the NY militia and died in 1823 without ever receiving a pension. Unfortunately, nearly all of his service papersand proof of their marriage were lost, and Mary had to rely on oral testimonies to support her application.
“The project proposed by the Little Nine Partners Historical Society was among the most innovative we received,” said Dutchess County Historian Will Tatum, “This play brings a vital type of primary source record to life, places a spotlight on the experience of Revolutionary War
Veterans’ widows, and explores the lingering impact of our struggle for independence on our rural landscape. I look forward to personally attending the production.”
Paid for in part by Dutchess County.
Not content singing the pirate song that has been passed down for generations, Paulette the Pirate Princess, along with her dog Waffle, set off on a worldwide, musical journey searching for her own song. With an original book and music by Scott Test, "Pirate Song" showcases eight beautiful new songs that rival any Broadway musical and features a cast of hand-crafted puppets. Get ready to set sail on a musical journey like never before as "Pirate Song" takes the stage with its unparalleled blend of storytelling, music, and puppetry!
Pianist Terrence Wilson will make his Stissing Center debut with an exciting program including Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition. " An esteemed faculty memberof the Bard College Conservatory of Music, Terrence Wilson was recently named “one of the biggest pianistic talents to have emerged in this country in the last 25 years.”
Join us for Stissing Center’s Harvest Sunset Celebration an unforgettable evening at Globe Hill in Pine Plains, with panoramic views of the Catskills, Berkshires, and Taconics. Savor a harvest-themed dinner by The Farmer’s Wife and enjoy soulful music from beloved Hudson Valley artists Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. It’s a joyful way to bid farewell to summer while supporting Stissing Center’s mission to bring world-class arts programming to our rural community. Your presence makes a difference—this celebration is as meaningful as it is magical.
Grammy® nominees R. Carlos Nakai and Will Clipman make their Stissing Center debut with a powerful blend of Native American flute and global percussion. Their longtime collaboration creates a rich, meditative sound rooted in tradition and connection to the natural world. Performed on earth-based instruments, their music invites listeners into a shared space of rhythm, reflection, and cultural harmony.
Martha Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up in the musical Spencer family and learned to play several instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, dulcimer, mandolin) and flatfoot/clog at a young age.
Step into the shadows with Dracula, Theatre on the Road’s flagship production, adapted from the iconic 1927 Broadway script by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. Revived with chilling elegance and thrilling drama, this haunting tale follows the mysterious illness of young Lucy Seward and the dark forces believed to be behind it—Count Dracula himself.
Wall Street Opera’s Christopher Sánchez, a Dominican operatic baritone, collaborates with Award-winning Cuban pianist and composer Dayramir Gonzales in an evening of musical fusion.
