Sponsored by local farms, Local Produce is a unique and exciting series of readings of new plays, some being heard for the very first time! Join in the creative process as Hudson Valley playwrights bring their newest projects to life with Hudson Valley talent, in live readings with script in hand. Includes a short introduction from the playwright, followed by an audience Q&A session.
In The Grace Note
Join us for Open Mic Night at The Grace Note, a welcoming evening for music, spoken word, comedy, and every kind of self-expression. Artists of all ages and experience levels are invited to share. Come perform, listen, and cheer on friends and neighbors!
Interested in performing? We will start taking sign-up requests on Friday, August 14. Email info@thestissingcenter.org. Limited slots available!
In Banning Hall
Part of our Summer Children’s Series, Monster Intelligence follows Melvin, a young monster eager to earn his license to scream. With help from his friend Red the Rat, he sets off on a lively quest to learn and grow. Filled with colorful characters and original songs spanning rock, jazz, pop, and Broadway, this family-friendly musical celebrates different ways of learning and encourages kids to discover their own “monster intelligence.”
In Banning Hall
An Evening with Windborne showcases the group’s striking vocal harmonies and globally inspired repertoire. Known for music rooted in social justice traditions, Windborne weaves together songs of struggle, resilience, and hope with selections from cultures around the world. Their close, powerful singing creates an immersive experience—at once intimate and far-reaching—inviting listeners to connect through voices that carry both history and a shared sense of purpose.
In The Grace Note
Christopher Hoffman brings a wide-ranging creative practice to The Grace Note, blending cello, composition, and improvisation into a singular live experience. Drawing from his solo work (REX) and collaborations across jazz, experimental music, and film—including with Henry Threadgill, Yoko Ono, and Martin Scorsese—Hoffman creates performances that feel both cinematic and immediate. His playing moves fluidly between structure and spontaneity, inviting listeners into a richly textured, deeply expressive sound world.
In Banning Hall
Experience Frankenstein (starring Boris Karloff) like never before, with the world premiere of a chamber ensemble score by composer Michael Shapiro, performed live by the Argus String Quartet with pianist Steven Beck—called “vivacious” by The New Yorker. Shapiro’s haunting score reimagines the bond between creator and creature, blending dark, Herrmann-esque tension with moments of unexpected tenderness, revealing the monster not as horror, but as a soul in search of connection. The evening begins with a Q&A with our special guest, Boris Karloff's daughter, Sara.
In The Grace Note
Seven comic pieces ranging in length from one minute to 20 minutes. A Young Man comes out to his Father—12 different ways. A beleaguered daughter brushes up her euthanasia skills, just in case. A mismatched dance team prepares for a nationally televised talent competition. Two high school girls discover the perfect diet—vampirism! And against all odds, a man and a woman find their perfect mate in the jungle of contemporary dating.
In The Grace Note
House of Hamill delivers a high-energy blend of original folk, Celtic influences, and tight three-part harmonies. Known for captivating festival audiences across the U.S., the Pennsylvania-based trio pairs inventive songwriting with virtuosic playing and an engaging stage presence. Their latest album, Wildfire, showcases lyrical depth and irresistible hooks, while their viral violin-driven arrangements have reached millions. From driving jigs to rich ballads, House of Hamill creates a performance that is both lively and memorable.
In Banning Hall
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Stissing Center welcomes back Widow's Weeds, written by Dyan Wapnick and directed by Robert Lyons. Based on a compelling true story, the play follows Mary Ingalls, who in 1842 — at 84 years old — fought to claim her late husband Elihu's Revolutionary War pension. With his service records lost, Mary relied on memory, testimony, and sheer determination to prove what she and her country had earned together.
At Globe Hill
Please join us for another extraordinary evening on Globe Hill watching the sun set over the Catskills as we celebrate and support the arts. Stissing Center’s signature fundraising event features a performance by John Sebastian (The Lovin’ Spoonful) invites guests to enjoy music, food, wine, and the beauty of our region while supporting exceptional performances, free youth and family programs, and year-round arts experiences for the community.
In The Grace Note
The Limeliters bring their signature vocal sound and spirited performance style to The Grace Note. Formed in 1959 at the height of the folk revival, the group remains a lively presence with a current lineup featuring Andy Corwin, Steve Brooks, and C. Daniel Boling. Blending rich harmonies, humor, and timeless songs, The Limeliters continue to connect with audiences in an intimate setting perfectly suited to their enduring appeal.
In Banning Hall
The first-ever Pumpkin Patch Dance Party at Stissing Center! Join friends and neighbors in beautiful Banning Hall for a lively night with beloved dance band Jungle Love, back by popular demand. Promising great music and great vibes, come spend an autumn evening boogie-ooogie-oogieing on the dance floor.
In The Grace Note
Stissing Center launches its new literary series, Writers & Readers, with a special eventfeaturing novelist Jane L. Rosen in conversation with author John Searles about his newly released book Single Girls. Presented in partnership with Oblong Books and the Pine Plains Free Library, the series brings writers and readers together for lively discussion, storytelling, and insight into the creative process in an intimate, welcoming setting.
In Banning Hall
Join us for an evening an Evening with Murray Hill in conversation with Bridget Everett, celebrating Murray Hill’s new memoir, Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man, presented in partnership with Oblong Books. A beloved fixture of New York’s downtown comedy scene, Murray brings his signature mix of sharp humor, campy showmanship, storytelling, and heartfelt honesty to the stage. Expect laughs, surprises, and behind-the-scenes tales from the self-proclaimed “hardest working middle-aged man in show business” in a night that’s equal parts comedy, conversation, and celebration.
In The Grace Note
Two decades after their first collaboration, British-Italian songwriter Piers Faccini and Malian kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko reunite to create a luminous musical dialogue. Faccini’s poetic songwriting meets Sissoko’s intricate kora playing in songs inspired by the migration of nightingales and the pull of one’s path. Bridging continents and traditions, their performance unfolds with elegance, intimacy, and a sense of quiet discovery.
In Banning Hall
Skye Consort and Emma Björling bring together traditions from Scandinavia, Ireland, Britain, and French Canada in a vibrant, finely crafted performance. With voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cello, bouzouki, and percussion, they move effortlessly from swirling dance tunes to lyrical songs. Blending folk roots with chamber music influences, their richly textured arrangements and four-part harmonies create a sound that is both precise and full of life.
In Banning Hall
Massaranduba brings the irresistible sound of Brazilian Forró to Stissing Center, led by accordionist Felipe Hostins and percussionist Gil Oliveira — New York-based collaborators with credits alongside Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Bebel Gilberto. Born from Portuguese accordion tunes and African rhythms in Brazil's rugged sertão, Forró is music, dance, and all-night celebration in one.
Join us for an evening of stories where the ordinary brushes up against the extraordinary. Acclaimed actors including Griffin Dunne (This Is Us), Colby Minifie (The Boys), and Bhavesh Patel (Not Suitable for Work) bring to life funny, poignant, and surprising fiction in which a touch of magic transforms the everyday, revealing wonder in the most unexpected places. Recorded live for public radio.
Selected Shorts is produced by Symphony Space in New York City. Our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a timeActors subject to change.
In Banning Hall
In Banning Hall
Fresh off their 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest win, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light are a Boston-based string band making music that blends folk tradition with feminist storytelling, poetic detail, and a little grit. At the center is Sumner’s songwriting—rooted in history, myth, and personal reckoning—carried by close harmonies, upright bass, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. The trio features Kat Wallace on fiddle and vocals and Mike Siegel on upright bass and vocals, whose playing brings both tension and tenderness to the sound.
In The Grace Note
Diana Hickman is a singer, pianist, and songwriter known for her expressive voice, dynamic musicianship, and engaging performances. Blending soul, pop, and jazz with a strong sense of storytelling, she creates emotionally rich, deeply human music. A California native, she studied at the Boston Conservatory and is now based in New York City, performing regularly at venues including Blue Note Jazz Club, Webster Hall, and throughout the Hudson Valley.
In Banning Hall
Join us for the 2nd annual Pine Plains Festival of Short Films—celebrating short films by local and regional filmmakers. Each screening includes a Q&A with the creator. Come enjoy great storytelling and help us bring more films to Pine Plains!
In The Grace Note
The next installment of Stissing Center’s Writers & Readers series welcomes author Rachel Greenfield in conversation with Pulitzer Prize–nominated writer Amy Reading about Greenfield’s new biography Rose Knox. The book explores how Knox transformed a small gelatine company into a national brand by blending business savvy, marketing innovation, and the realities of working motherhood in early 20th-century America. Presented in partnership with Oblong Books and the Pine Plains Free Library.
In The Grace Note
Edie Carey brings her soulful voice and finely crafted songs to The Grace Note for an evening that feels both intimate and deeply engaging. Blending warmth, humor, and emotional clarity, her performances create an easy connection with audiences. A seasoned touring artist, Carey’s music draws from folk, country, and Americana traditions, offering a thoughtful, heartfelt set shaped by years on stages across the U.S. and beyond.
In Banning Hall
Stissing Center welcomes back The Slocan Ramblers, one of Canada’s top bluegrass bands, known for their high-energy live shows and modern take on traditional roots music, full of heart and guts, designed to remind you why you loved bluegrass in the first place. Since forming in 2010, they’ve played major stages including the Grand Ole Opry and MerleFest, earning awards and a JUNO nomination along the way.
In The Grace Note
Floyd Mercantile brings Peter Mulvey and Jenna Nicholls together for an intimate duo performance drawn from their acclaimed recording in rural Virginia. Blending original songs with gems from the Great American Songbook, their live set captures the warmth, spontaneity, and quiet beauty of musicians listening deeply to one another, creating a timeless evening of song on stage with understated grace.
In Banning Hall
Rachna Nivas' tour-de-force solo performance is simultaneously dance, music, poetry, and storytelling. 'Unedited' showcases North Indian classical kathak dance in its most raw and unadulterated form, featuring continuous interplay and improvised rhythmic exchange between the dancer and live musical artists. A highly interactive experience, Rachna displays her mastery of all elements of kathak to captivate and intimately engage audiences, bringing them on a journey that relies primarily on depth of artistry and compelling dance and music.
In The Grace Note
Holiday Trivia returns to Stissing Center for another festive evening of laughs, friendly competition, and holiday cheer. Hosted by local trivia maven Alec Sisco, the night will test your knowledge of classic holiday movies, TV specials, music, traditions, and pop culture oddities. Gather a team of friends or come ready to make new ones for a cozy, spirited night in The Grace Note filled with seasonal fun, questionable answers, and just enough holiday chaos to keep things interesting.
