Events in the Neighborhood, January 20–26

     To celebrate the participation of the Hispanic Society of American in the exhibition “Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light” at the National Gallery in London and at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, the Society is reopening the Joaquín Sorolla Vision of Spain Gallery for a limited time.

     The gallery houses the monumental series of 14 paintings known as Vision of Spain by the Valencian master Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, the preeminent artist in Spain at the turn of the 20th century.

     Nearly 12 feet tall and 200 feet in combined length, the canvases that comprise Vision of Spain were painted by Sorolla at various locations in Spain between 1912 and 1919.

     Closed until 2020 for extensive renovations, these tours will be offered if you book a visit in advance at visitsorolla@hispanicsociety.org.

      Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 4:30, by appointment only, at the Society’s museum on Audubon Terrace.

      If you like outdoor geometry, get on the street for sunrise and sunset when the shadows line up with the streets.

      The “Manhattanhenge” effect works Uptown on days different from the rest of the island’s.

      To see the sun line up with the streets in Hudson Heights (on 181st Street in the photo), where the street grid is aligned differently from most of the borough, get out on April 18; it’s also on August 26 in Hudson Heights Henge. Fort George Henge is on the same dates as Manhattan, and Inwood Henge is on January 23 — the grid there is so katy-wompus that the sun aligns when it is due “south.”

     The effect works below 174th and above 174th if you go east of Broadway (for sunrise: sunset views may be blocked by buildings to the west). So if you want to see Manhattanhenge, as it’s dubbed, hope for clear skies on May 30 and June 12.

     Inwood Henge: Thursday at dawn and dusk.

     You can look for the dates in all the city’s neighborhoods on this map from Carto.

    Slavery is a chilling chapter in the nation’s history, and it happened here in Uptown too.

     The artist Peter Hoffmeister explored the subject through investigations with curators, researchers and historians while spending a year as an artist in residence at a Manhattan farmhouse.

     His exhibition explores the themes and results of slavery in Upper Manhattan. Through March 31.

     In this special event, Hoffmeister holds a conversation with the curator Gabriel de Guzman. Reserve your seat: development@dyckmanfarmhouse.org.

     Free. Saturday afternoon at 3 at the Dyckman Family Farmhouse in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Four cold Saturdays and four hot readings.

     An annual exploratory reading event of plays in differing levels of development, presented by Up!

     Jan. 11 The Best Punk Rock Band in Conway, Missouri An older punk rocker looks back at the hard knocks and glory days and the band that propelled her to fame, sort of.

     Jan. 18 Mr. Theater A comedy about an octogenarian moves to New York- and onto his son’s couch- and tries to make it as a serious actor.

     Jan. 25 Drown A teenage boy attempts to cope with his mom’s suicide by drowning, while his mom tries to cope with her new life under the sea.

     Saturday night in January at 7 in the Good Shepherd School Auditorium in Inwood on Isham Street between Cooper and Seaman Streets.

     Since the Macs’ last home basketball game, five weeks have past and a new year has turned.

     Yeshiva suits up to host the United States Merchant Marine Academy in a Skyline Conference matchup.

     Saturday night at 8:30 at the Max Stern Athletic Center in Fort George on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     Famous and up-and-coming artists perform at Eliot’s weekly sessions and her free concerts are legendary among jazz aficionados.

     Free. Sunday afternoons at 4 at 555 Edgecombe Avenue, Apt. 3F, in Lower WaHi.

     The High Bridge—New York City’s oldest standing bridge—is a landmark that connects walkers and cyclists with Manhattan and the Bronx.
     The High Bridge is a path from the neighborhoods of Washington Heights to Highbridge across the river, and is accessible from both boroughs.
     Free. Daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Enter from Highbridge Park, in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue in the 170s.

    Slavery is a chilling chapter in the nation’s history, and it happened here in Uptown too.

     The artist Peter Hoffmeister explored the subject through investigations with curators, researchers and historians while spending a year as an artist in residence at a Manhattan farmhouse.

     His exhibition explores the themes and results of slavery in Upper Manhattan. Through March 31.

     Clean out your closets and recycle at the same time.
     Take clean and dry textiles like clothing, paired shoes, towels, sheets, scarves, hats, bags and belts for reuse or recycling. Sponsored by Grow NYC.
     Free. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Inwood Greenmarket (in Inwood Hill Park) on Isham Street between Seaman Avenue and Cooper Street.

     Each month Uptown writers get together to workshop some prose based on the theme for the gathering.

     Join neighborhood authors who reflect on the theme’s meaning. Each writer will have five minutes to read to you.

     The group celebrated its tenth anniversary in November, so you can take part in the group’s second decade.

     $5. Often on the third Monday night at Le Cheile in Hudson Heights just off Lafayette Plaza on 181st Street and Pinehurst Avenue.

     In 1890, the third Polo Grounds rose within the gaze of Jumel Terrace and would serve as home to the New York Giants baseball team from 1891 to 1957, the New York Highlanders (who would become the Yankees) in 1913–22, the New York Giants in 1925–55.

     The exact spot of home place, seen at right in 1906, is now marked by a bronze plaque in a courtyard of the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. A lot has change since then, and history buffs and baseball fans will find the nuances and transformations in a new show.

     The exhibition explores the teams that made the stadium a New York icon and the associated personalities that became local and national heroes.

     Free. At the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Roger Morris Park. Extended through February 2.

     A New York farmers’ market is open Thursdays on 175th Street between Wadsworth Avenue and  Broadway.

    The Inwood greenmarket is a year-round neighborhood favorite.
    People of all ages, backgrounds, and tastes gather each Saturday to meet and greet their friends and neighbors and do their weekly shopping. Even on the coldest, darkest winter Saturdays, loyal Inwood shoppers come out because they know they can’t get products like this anywhere else.
     A core group of 15 farmers attends every week of the year, and during the peak of the season, five more join to round out the offerings with the summer’s bounty.
     Saturdays from 8 to 3 on Isham Street between Seaman Avenue and Cooper Street.

     From late spring through the late autumn, a greenmarket in Lower WaHi offers Mexican herbs, peppers, and greens, honey, cheese, juice pressed from ripe orchard fruit, produce grown in the rich soil of Orange County’s “Black Dirt” region, pastries and fresh bread. You can also take your food scraps for composting and used textiles for recycling.

     You can also take your food scraps for composting and used textiles for recycling.

     Saturdays in the spring and summer on Fort Washington Avenue at 168th Street. On hiatus until spring.

     Edward Sorel, the Bronx-born cartoonist known for his liberal social commentary and criticism of reactionary right-wing politics, will join a discussion of his work after a screening of It’s Nice Work If You Can Get It, a short film about Sorel’s life and career.

     The filmmaker will lead a conversation with Sorel and you. To get the questions flowing, wine will be provided.

     $5. Thursday night, January 30, at 7:30 at Castle Village in the Annex Community Room in Hudson Heights just above Lafayette Plaza at 110 Cabrini Boulevard.

     Conference play continues when Yeshiva hosts Purchase College.

     Thursday night, January 30, at 8.

     Manhattanville College is the next Skyline opponent Uptown.

     Saturday night, February 1, at 8:30. Both games in the Max Stern Athletic Center in Fort George on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     Enjoy fabulous live jazz from the Tim Mulé Trio. That’s him on the double bass.

     He’s a favorite of Pinehurst parties, and now you can see him and his musical colleagues in the neighborhood. Make a night of it with dinner during his performance at the Heights’ favorite Indian restaurant and bar.

     Friday night, January 31, from 7:30 to 9:30 at Kismat in Hudson Heights on 187th Street at Fort Washington Avenue.

     Go, Tim! Love, your fans @447.

     The heather gardens’ foliage and heaths’ flowers are quite beautiful this time of year.

     Join the expert naturalist Ken Chaya for a tour of the Heather Garden to find out which plants are in bloom during the winter while searching for and identifying winter birds in Fort Tryon Park.

     Dress for the weather and take a bottle of water.

     Free. Sunday afternoon, February 2, at 1 in the Heather Garden at the park entrance on Margaret Corbin Circle in Hudson Heights.

     Jazz singers Louise Rogers and Suzanne Lorge welcom a special guest, who’s a first for for the Performing Arts Group.

     $12 to $15. Sunday evening, February 2, at 5 in The Lounge of Hudson View Gardens in Hudson Heights on Pinehurst Avenue at 183rd Street.

      Sam Suggs, on the double bass, performs Voyage Alone, featuring music for the double bass. It includes tradition alphorn compositions and commissions for the bass.

      $15; students and seniors, $12; free for kids 8 and younger. Sunday evening, February 2, at 5 in The Lounge of Hudson View Gardens in Hudson Heights on Pinehurst Avenue at 183rd Street. Also on March 29, April 25, May 31, and June 21.

     Vengan a ver una selección de películas documentales de las Américas, presentadas por la candidata de doctorado en NYU, Daniella Gitlin.

     En cada sesión, empezaremos con una breve introducción de lo que vamos a ver y después de ver la película, charlaremos un poco sobre lo que hemos visto.

     Join a series of documentary films from the Americas, curated by NYU doctoral candidate Daniella Gitlin. She will begin every session with a brief introduction, and after the film host a short discussion.

     This month, two Cuban shorts will be screened. Codigo Color, Memorias, and ¿Grandes Ligas?

For other months' films, the list is here.

     Free. Wednesday evening, February 5, at 6 at the Word Up Community Book Shop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street. On the first Wednesday of the month through June.

     It’s the summer of 1889, and Antonín Dvořák is on fire. He’s just about to begin composing what would become his eighth symphony, and he writes to his friend with unabashed confidence: “It’s going unexpectedly easily … the melodies simply pour out of me!”

     The February concert of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra features melodically bold music from three centuries. Cerón’s “A la caída de la tarde” (At the End of the Afternoon) is a beautifully nostalgic and flowing soundscape from the Dominican classical tradition. Music Director Chris Whittaker presents a new violin concerto for the orchestra’s former concertmaster, Amos Fayette.

     The concert concludes with the sublime and melodious 8th Symphony of Dvořák.
     After the Saturday concert you can drop by a reception to sample local beers.

     $5 ($7 at the door); kids 17 and under free. Friday night, February 7, at 7 at the George Washington Educational Campus in Fort George at 549 Audubon Avenue, and Saturday afternoon, February 8, at 3 at the Fort Washington Collegiate Church in Hudson Heights on 181st Street at Col. Robt. McGaw Place.

     Heat up a winter night with the outperforming Macs during a three-game homestand.

     Saturday night, February 8, at 8:30 against Mount Saint Vincent.

     Tuesday night, February 11, at 8 at against St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn.

     Saturday night, February 15, at 8:30 against Farmingdale State College.

     All games in Fort George at the Max Stern Athletic Center.

     You’ve heard about it but you can’t quite imagine how this architectural confection came to be in WaHi.

     So here’s your chance to explore this stunning 3,400-seat theater, its mezzanine, grand foyer, balcony, exterior and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to go up on stage.
     Reservation is required here.

     The history of United Palace, Manhattan’s fourth-largest theater and now a landmarked building, began in 1930, when it was then one of five Loew’s “Wonder Theatres” across the boroughs and New Jersey. Designed by noted architect Thomas Lamb (Cort Theatre, the former Ziegfeld Theatre) with interiors overseen by decorative specialist Harold Rambusch (Waldorf Astoria, Radio City Music Hall), it was one of the region’s premier vaudeville and movie houses.

     Free. Sunday morning, February 9, at 10 at the theater in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street. On the second Sunday of the month.

     A midnight swim with the wrong man, drinking, and three potential grooms are a recipe for one of the greatest romantic screwball comedies ever.

     A socialite’s wedding is thrown into disarray when both her ex-husband and a charming reporter arrive at the same time.

     Philadelphia Story stars Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. The 1940 film was directed by George Cukor.

     Before the 80th-anniversary screening, enjoy a conversation with Kelli O’Hara, one of the biggest stars on Broadway, with Tony Award win for best leading actress in a musical for The King & I.

     $15; children, students, seniors, $12. Friday night, February 14, at 7 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street.

     With only 10 days left in the carnival season, find out how feasts were celebrated in the medieval world.

     The special tour is led by a curator to highlight the collection.

     Free witih meseum admission. Saturday, February 15, at noon and 2 at The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     The reading series Bloom presents a variety of authors and genres.

     This month you can hear stories from Melissa Christine Goodrum, Tess Crain, Constantine Jones.

     Bloom’s literary readings and discussions will get you to shake off your assumptions and think hard about everything. The evening includes wine and light fare. Pleasant as a tea party, but with booze and cutting-edge writing. More information at www.bloomreadings.org.

    $8 suggested donation includes wine and hors d’oeuvres. Sunday evening, February 16, at 5 in The Lounge of Hudson View Gardens, in Hudson Heights on Pinehurst Avenue at 183rd Street. Monthly on the third Sunday,  September through May but not December.

     The Inwood Film Festival announces the winning entries at a reception open to all. The winning films were submitted by Uptown residents earlier this year.

     The festival opens on March 13 and runs through the 15th.

     Free. Monday night, February 17, at 7 at the Indian Road Cafe in Inwood on 218th Street.

     When Yeshiva opens the volleyball season at home, the Macs will already be in Skyline Conference play.

     Thursday night, February 20, at 8 at the Max Stern Athletic Center in Fort George on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     She’s a legend.

     The rapper, songwriter, actress Lauryn Hill, performing Uptown. Best known for her part in the Fugees and her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the East Orange native is touring again.

     $120 and up (way up!). Saturday night, February 22, at the United Palace in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street.

     The Macs’ final home game before the finals promises to be a good one.

     The team has been playinig amazingly this year, so this is your chance to see them go out in style.

     Saturday night, February 22, at 8:30 in Fort George at the Max Stern Athletic Center.

    The Yeshiva Macs host the Brooklyn College Bulldogs as volleyball competition continues.

     Sunday afternoon, February 23, at 1 at the Max Stern Athletic Center in Fort George on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     The Fair Trade Trio specializes in creating accessible performances for all audiences and has a mission to champion the works of living female composers alongside the standard chamber music canon.

     The program begins with Jessica Meyer's I Only Speak of the Sun, which was inspired by Rumi's Ode by the same title while exploring the palette of colors the string trio can produce, followed by Schnittke's searing String Trio, and the deeply emotional yet restrained lyricism of Faure's first piano quartet.

     Free. Sunday evening, February 23, at 5 at Our Saviour’s Church of the Atonement in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     Want to have your art displayed all over Uptown?

      Submit your design for the annual Uptown Arts Stroll poster. The events takes place in June in Lower WaHi, Fort George, Hudson Heights and Inwood in venues big and small.

     The winner gets $1,250, the runner-up earns $500, and if you come in thrid you get $250.

      Submission details are available here.

      Deadline is Monday, February 24.

     York College of New York visits us to take on the Macs in men’s volleyball.

     Wednesday night, February 26, at 8 at the Max Stern Athletic Center in Fort George on Amsterdam Avenue at 185th Street.

     Music is the theme of the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K.
     The route is Fort Washington Avenue from Lower WaHi to the Cloisters and back, so prepare for a busy street. In 2015 more than 6,000 runners finished the 3.2-mile race. It’s one that qualifies for entry in the New York City Marathon, in November.
     Fee varies by age and classification. Sunday morning, March 1, at 9 starting at J. Hood Wright Park in Lower WaHi.

     It may not feel like it but the weather is changing and spring will start in just a few weeks.

     On this walking tour of the Heather Garden, horticulturist Madeline Byrne will point out the burgeoning signs of rewakening, and compare the park’s flora with the plants found at the New York Botanical Garden, where she has over 15 years’ experience.

     Free. Sunday afternoon, March 1, at 1 in the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park near Margaret Corbin Circle in Hudson Heights.

     The Skyline League Tri-Match pets three men’s volleyball teams against one another on a busy Sunday.

     The Macs take on St. Joseph’s University of Long Island first, at 11 a.m.

     Next they host New Jersey City University at 3 p.m.

     Sunday, March 8, at 11 and 3 in Fort George in the Max Stern Athletic Center.

     The highly lauded Ensemble Graindelavoix from Antwerp, Belgium, is less an early music ensemble than an art collective, comprised of singers and instrumentalists experimenting in performance and creation.

     In this program of transcendent music inspired by the Virgin and Child, they bring their pioneering approach to the Romanesque splendor of the Cloisters Fuentidueña Chapel and its 12th-century fresco The Virgin and Child in Majesty and the Adoration of the Magi to create a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

     $65; children, $1. Saturday afternoon, March 8, at 1 and 3 in the Fuentidueña Chapel at The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     The fifth annual Inwood Film Festival is a neighborhood event intent on showcasing the sights, sounds, people, and talents of the filmmakers who reside in and around Upper Manhattan.

     The films take place in Uptown and the Bronx, so you’re going to see your home in any of the screenings.

     Thursday through Saturday, March 12 through 14, with locations and times to be announced later.

     The Macs continue ther homestand with more league play when they host Ramapo College.

    Thursday night, March 12, at 8 in Fort George at the Max Stern Athletic Center.

     The spring production from Up Theater is A Barn Play, by Lizzie Donahue.

      More information coming soon.

      Wednesday, March 18, through Satruday, April 4, at Good Shepherd School in Inwood on Cooper Street between 207th and Isham Streets.

     Purchase College is the latest team to challenge the Macs’ men’s volleyball team on their home turf.

     Wednesday night, March 18, at 8 in Fort George in the Max Stern Athletic Center.

     The Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra presents a musical snapshot of a time and place, featuring classical composers living and writing in WaHi.

     You’ll hear Jessica Meyer’s lyrical meditation on quantum mechanics and Peter Gordon’s whimsical post-minimalism, Aaron J. Kernis’ poignant musical response to September 11, 2001, and Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s dreamy impressionistic sonic landscapes.

     The performance brings together a collection of compelling voices a concert you’ll find only above 155th street.

     When the music ends you can pause at the post-concert reception featuring tastings from neighborhood restaurants.

    $5 (at the door, $7); kids 17 and under free. Friday night, March 20, at 8 at Our Savior’s Church of the Atonement in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avene at 189th Street, and Saturday afternoon, March 21, at 3 at the Fort Washington Collegian Church in Hudson Heights on 181st Street at Col. Robt. McGaw Place.

     Say farewell to the Macs when they host the Bears of St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn. It’s the final home match for Yeshiva.

     Tuesday night, March 24, at 8 in Fort George in the Max Stern Athletic Center.

     With stops in London, Cape Town, Sydney and WaHi, the Colour Conference is a global women’s gathering that places value on everyday women of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.

     As a movement, the Colour Sisterhood has inspired women around the world to rise up, champion womanhood and partner in advocating for justice and social change.

     The Colour experience also has a strong humanitarian mandate toward the issues that women face around the world.

     $154.17 (early registration, through December 18). Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4, at the United Palace Theatre in Lowe WaHi on Broadway at 165th Street.

     Over its almost 30-year history, the vocal ensemble Amarcord, from Leipzig, Germany, has developed an international reputation for its unique tone, breathtaking homogeneity, and musical authenticity.

     In their only New York City appearance this season, they bring their consummate artistry to the haunting Cloisters to perform music by Dufay, Ockeghem, and Josquin, alongside other luminous works from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

     $65; children, $1. Sunday afternoon, April 26, at 1 and 3 in the Fuentidueña Chapel at The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Only in New York ...
     One day late in most springs, The Great and Glorious Grand Army of The Bronx comes together to claim the neighborhood of Marble Hill which, the group suggests, belongs to the only borough on the mainland on the basis that it was annexed by Bronx Borough President James Lyons in the 1930s.
     Care to fight back? Everyone is welcome, even hecklers.
     Free. A Saturday in early May beginning with pre-invasion cocktails; the battle of Marble Hill commences once the tab is settled.

     Closing out the season, the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra presents a concert on the theme of destiny. 

     The program features Paul Brantley’s On the Pulse of Morning, Bienvenido Bustamante’s Concierto para Saxofón, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

     $5 ($7 at the door); kids 17 and under free. Friday night, May 15, at 7 at the George Washington Educational Campus in Fort George at 549 Audubon Avenue, and Saturday afternoon, May 16, at 3 at the Fort Washington Collegiate Church in Hudson Heights on 181st Street at Col. Robt. McGaw Place.

     End your day outdoors with yoga before sunset, overlooking the Hudson River.

     A variety of certified yoga instructors will lead the sessions. 

     Arrive early. Take a towel or yoga mat and water, and note that the park is slightly sloped with uneven spots. Rain or wet ground cancels the event.

     Free. Wednesday evenings at 6:45 starting May 27 on Abby’s Lawn in Fort Tryon Park. Through September 9.

    His autumn concert was so popular to Uptown fans that Emmanuel is coming back.

     The gospel, pop, and romantic singer, songwriter, and musician, hails from Mexico City.

    Born to an Argentinian bullfighter and Spanish singer, Emmanuel released a string of albums toward the end of the ’70s, before finding popularity with the full-length “Intimamente” in 1980.

     $45 to $395. Friday night, June 5, at 8 in Lower WaHi at the United Palace Theatre on Broadway at 175th Street.

     The annual Drums Along the Hudson began in 2002 as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakapok (“edge of the water”).

     The event features dancers and drummers from around the world, combining Native American heritage, culture and art with the diversity of New York City. Activities include a Tree of Peace planting, international cuisine, Native American storytelling, a Pow Wow and crafts.
     The event has attracted a growing audience, numbering from 400 in the first year to over 8,000 in recent years.
     Free. A Sunday in June in Inwood Hill Park at Indian Road and 218th Street.

    The Medieval Festival is the most famous event in the Heights, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the neighborhood.

     Lords, ladies, knights and commoners bring to life the customs and spirit of the middle ages, transforming a slice of Upper Manhattan into a medieval market town decorated with bright banners and processional flags. Visitors are greeted by period music, dance, magic, and minstrels, as well as jugglers and jesters. The day concludes with a joust among four knights on horseback.

     Free. A Sunday in late September from 11:30 to 6 in Fort Tryon Park.   

     A yearly gathering on Thanksgiving will remind you of the Lenape people and the blessings of their land we now call home.

     A short ceremony honors our duty to Mother Earth and our responsibility to the forest, the river, and each other.

     Free. Thanksgiving morning at 9 at Shorakkopoch Rock in Inwood Hill Park. From the intersection of 214th Street and Indian Road, follow the path that runs along the water; the boulder is on the far side of a large open field.