All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (December?), to Hanukkah, to Matilda, to all sorts of holiday stuff, to hoops, to cooking, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Foggy to start, then sun. Almost 50.

Tuesday: Sunny and 45.

Wednesday: Sun and mid 40s.

Thursday: Cloudy, mid 40s.

Friday: Sunny and almost 50.

Weekend: Sun, 50s.

Is this December?

Hanukkah

The Jewish holiday Hanukkah begins at sunset Sunday and runs through sundown on December 14. Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, and a miracle in which a supply of oil only large enough to burn for one night lasted for eight -- thus the eight nights of Hanukkah. Another tradition that comes out of the miracle of the oil: Hanukkah foods often includes things that are fried (and delicious) -- jelly-filled donuts and latkes. More Hanukkah fun: spinning the dreidel.

Stage

Matilda
Tuesday-Sunday: A touring production of the Broadway show Matilda The Musical will be at Proctors this week. It's based on the Roald Dahl story of the same name. Tuesday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

A Christmas Story
Tuesday-Sunday: Capital Rep continues its production of A Christmas Story, The Musical, an adaptation of the classic film. Tuesday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

Holiday stuff

A whole bunch of holiday things this week:

Tuesday: Trailer Park Boys "Dear Santa Claus Tour" at The Palace
"Spend an evening with the boys for a Christmas sh%* show you will never forget!" 8 pm - $35 and up

Tuesday: The Messiah at The Cathedral of All Saints
"Woodrow Bynum leads The Cathedral of All Saints Choir of Men & Boys, and a period instrument orchestra in a performance of Handel's masterpiece ... The work, sung in its entirety, features guest soloists Sarah Brailey, soprano, Emily Marvosh, alto, Jack Swanson, tenor, and Nathaniel Webster, baritone, and performed in the Gothic splendor of The Cathedral of All Saints." 7 pm - $25 / $20 seniors / $15 students / $10 under 12

Thursday: Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker at The Palace
" All ages feel the spirit of the season at Great Russian Nutcracker performances through the beauty of romantic hand-sewn costumes, 9 shimmering backdrops with authentic splashes of Russian history and fanciful effects such as; life-sized Matrushka (Nesting) Dolls; a 3-headed Rat King and a Troika Sleigh ride through the magical Snow Forest (with falling snow) escorted by Father Christmas and Snow Maiden." 7 pm - $31 and up

Friday: Mendelssohn Club Holiday Concert at The Egg
"The Mendelssohn Club of Albany performs its annual Holiday Concert: Winter Wonderland with Guest Artists: Bell Top Boys Choir and Karlinda Caldicott, Harpist" 7:30 pm - $20

Friday-Saturday: Sharon Springs Victorian Holiday Celebration
"You can count on Santa being here, and this year we expect a visit from Mrs. Claus and her helpers who will be serving up hot chocolate, cider and some delicious holiday treats. Of course. we will have our Christmas traditions - The Christmas Chicken, Christmas Caroling and all the other festive happenings here in Sharon." Starts the evening of December 11 with the Festival of Lights Parade. various times - free admission

Friday-Saturday: Holidelic at Helsinki Hudson
"Part dance party, part funk concert, part comedy show, the holiday-funk spectacular Holidelic features original holiday songs as well as loose, funk-infused adaptations of Tchaikovsky, "Frosty the Snowman," "Little Drummer Boy" and the like." 9 pm - $25 ahead / $30 day of

Saturday: Santa Speedo Sprint
People dashing down Lark Street in scant, holiday-themed attire. For charity. sprint starts at 2 pm at Lark and Madison - registration is $25 to run

Saturday: Downtown Schenectady's City Hall-iday
"Members of the regional community are invited to gather family and friends and head to Schenectady's spectacular City Hall in the heart of downtown for a fun-filled afternoon of music, crafts, demonstrations, performances and more..." noon-4 pm - free admission

Saturday: Albany Pro Musica The Many Moods of Christmas at Troy Music Hall
"A moving program anchored in Ralph Vaughan Williams' powerful Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Robert Shaw's beautiful collection, The Many Moods of Christmas." 7:30 pm - $25 and up

Saturday-Sunday: Mountain Snow and Mistletoe at The Egg
The annual bluegrass holiday show. Saturday 7:30 pm / Sunday 2 pm - $25

Saturday: Robinson & Rohe's Lightbox Christmas at Caffe Lena
"Liam Robinson and Jean Rohe go deep into the Christmas repertoire: the mystical, the melancholic, the soulful, the sublime. Expect songs you may not know: haunting melodies of old Europe, joyful singalongs of the Southern US, and modern takes on the strange and ancient Christmas tale." 8 pm - $16

Sunday: Historic Albany Foundation Holiday House Tour
"The tour moves from neighborhood to neighborhood highlighting the very best in Albany's architecture and ongoing preservation efforts." noon-4 pm - $25 / $15 students before December 9 | $30 / $20 students after

Sunday: Trans Siberian Orchestra at TU Center
Christmas prog rock. 3 pm and 7:30 pm - $46.50 and up

Hoops

Wednesday: The Siena men's basketball team takes on Hofstra at the TU Center. 7 pm - $8 and up

Looking ahead to the weekend: The men's and women's basketball teams from Siena and UAlbany renew their rivalry at TU Center on Saturday.

Cooking

This can be a fun time of year to take a cooking class. A few this week:

Ravioli hands on
Monday: Gio Culinary Studio has a hands-on class about making ravioli. "Students will learn how to make four delicious ravioli each with its own shape, and paired with a delicious sauce. We will be using all scratch ingredients and professional techniques that are easily duplicated at home." Monday 6:15 pm - $60

Bûche de Noël
Tuesday: Laura Rosenthal will be leading a hands-on class at Honest Weight about making the classic holiday dessert Bûche de Noël (you know, the rolled-up cake that looks like a log). Tuesday 10:30 am - free (registration required)

Ravioli and gnocchi hands on
Tuesday: Jim Kavanaugh will be at Different Drummer's Kitchen leading a hands-on class about making "homemade potato gnocchi and handcrafted ravioli." Tuesday 6 pm - $65

Baking with local grains
Thursday: Amy Halloran will be at Honest Weight for a class about holiday baking with local flours. (And we hear the class will be making pancake mix, too.) Tuesday 6 pm - free (registration required)

Skating at the ESP

The ice skating rink at the Empire State Plaza opened for the season this past Friday. It's open every day 11 am-8 pm and it's free to skate. Skate rentals are $4 for adults / $3 for kids (and free on Friday).

Music

Tuesday: The Tedeschi Trucks Band show at The Egg is sold out.

Tuesday: The Acacia Strain at Upstate Concert Hall
Metalcore. Counterparts, Fit For An Autopsy, Kublai Khan, Hollow is Thy Heart. 7 pm - $15 ahead / $18 day of

Thursday: The Punch Brothers at Troy Music Hall
Progressive bluegrass stars. With: Gabriel Kahane. 8 pm - $39 and up

Thursday: Arkells at Upstate Concert Hall
Alt rock. With: Hard Soul, Of the Atlas. 8 pm - free EQX show

Thursday: Elvis Perkins at Helsinki Hudson
Singer/songwriter. With: Kinsey. 8 pm - $15 ahead / $18 day of

Friday: Driftwood at Putnam Den
Americana. With: Black Mountain Symphony. 9 pm - $10 ahead / $12 day of

Friday: Eastbound Jesus at The Hollow
With: The Mallett Brothers Band. 9:30 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Friday: DigiTour Slaybells at Upstate Concert Hall
Featuring Rebecca Black and many others. (From Buzzfeed earlier this year: On The Road With The Teen Social-Media Sensations Of DigiTour). 6:30 pm - $25 ahead / $28 day of

Saturday: The Figgs at The Low Beat
As is tradition. With: The Charlie Watts Riot. 8 pm - $10

Saturday: Professor Louie and the Crowmatrix at The Linda
"[R]ompin' stompin' roots rock, sweet ballads and roadhouse blues..." 8 pm - $12

Sunday: Dustin Lynch at Upstate Concert Hall
Country. 7 pm - first 100 $10.77 / $25 ahead / $28 day of

Sunday: Tall Heights at Caffe Lena
"Stunning, harmony-heavy indie folk..." 7 pm - $16

Sunday: Glenn Miller Orchestra at Troy Music Hall
"Playing classics such as In The Mood, Chattanooga Choo Choo, A String of Pearls, Moonlight Serenade, Tuxedo Junction and more." 3 pm - $28 and up

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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

The Troy Music Hall, Helsinki Hudson, and Cap Rep on AOA. And AOA is a media sponsor of the ESP ice skating rink.

photo: Brantley Gutierrez

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