10 virtual things to do this week: Brandi Carlile, The Apollo, dinosaurs, and more
Photo by Felix Soage on Unsplash
New York City is finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t remain vigilant in our social distancing efforts. Thankfully, there are plenty of cool online events this week to make staying at home that much easier. There’s good music, from the kick-off concert in a new series from Brandi Carlile to a benefit concert to support Harlem’s The Apollo, as well as some newsy discussions like a talk about life after COVID-19 with Fareed Zakaria and a new virtual open newsroom with THE CITY and the Brooklyn Public Library. You can also go on a virtual dino bone dig with the American Museum of Natural History and watch Puccini’s masterwork Tosca with the Met Opera.
Brandi Carlile Performs “By The Way, I Forgive You”
Monday, June 1 at 9pm; from $10
On her 39th birthday, Brandi Carlile will perform a virtual concert of her album “By The Way, I Forgive You,” to benefit the Brandi Carlile band and crew fund.
Fareed Zakaria: The World after Covid-19—What Will Life be Like?
Monday, June 1 at 7pm; $20
The 92Y is hosting a discussion with Fareed Zakaria, bestselling author, Washington Post columnist, and the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. He’ll give “‘his take’ on the pandemic, the world that will come out of it, and if life will ever be the same again.”
Virtual Talk: Lost Utopias of the World’s Fairs
Tuesday, June 2 at 12pm; free for Untapped members (membership starts at $10/month)
Join Untapped New York for a virtual visual journey to recount the history of the world’s fairs around the globe. Photographer Jade Doskow ” has been retracing where these fairs took place and photographing the remaining architecture, art, and landscaping” since 2007, and he’ll share these in this one-hour talk.
Live Streaming Premiere of Parkland Rising
Tuesday, June 2 at 8pm; free
To coincide with National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the documentary about the Parkland school shooting and the activism that was spurred by these horrific events will premiere online with an introduction by executive producer Katie Couric. After, Couric will moderate a conversation with will.i.am, Manuel Oliver, Greg Kahn (Gun Safety Alliance Co-Lead), Cheryl Horner McDonough, and Manju Bangalore (March For Our Lives LA Chapter Co-Lead).
The “Art is Not Cancelled” Talent Showcase, hosted by Elaine Del Valle
Wednesday, June 3 at 8pm; free
Writer, director, casting director, and producer Elaine Del Valle is hosting a virtual night of performances for the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Performers include Edwin Vazquez performing his original music, Isabella Velasquez from Pequeno Gigantes, the Broadway Cast of Evita in a new bilingual rendition of “A New World,” and more surprises.
Virtual Open Newsroom: THE CITY and Brooklyn Public Library
Thursday, June 4 from 6-7:30pm; free
The first in a series of Virtual Open Newsrooms, this interactive Zoom event seeks “to find out what information and resources you need to get through this time.”
Met Opera Nightly Live Stream: Puccini’s Tosca
Thursday, June 4 at 7:3opm; from $3.99 to rent
This week’s schedule of nightly live opera streams from the Met Opera includes Puccini’s famous Tosca. The melodramatic piece set in Rome was first performed in 1900. This 1978 production features Luciano Pavarotti as Cavaradossi, Shirley Verrett as Tosca, and Cornell MacNeil as Baron Scarpia.
Let’s Stay (In) Together: A Benefit To Support The Apollo
Thursday, June 4 at 7:30pm; free
This live, virtual benefit concert, in partnership with Gibson instruments, will “kick off Black Music Month in June and will offer critical support to safeguard the ground-breaking institution’s future following the unprecedented cancellation of more than 100 programs due to COVID-19.” There will be performances by “Captain” Kirk Douglas of The Roots, Kool & The Gang, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Randolph, Ray Chew, Michael McDonald, Lil Buck and Jon Boogz, Keb Mo, Celisse Henderson, Infinity’s Song, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and DJ Reborn, as well as special appearances by Dionne Warwick, Doug E. Fresh, and Roy Wood Jr.
Big Bones and Dino Dig
Friday, June 5 at 1pm; free
Take a virtual tour of the American Museum of Natural History’s “Big Bone Room,” part of the world’s largest dinosaur collection, and then travel to a dinosaur dig site at the famous Morrison Formation in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, where Macaulay Curator of Paleontology Mark Norell and Research Associate Emanuel Tschopp will be answering questions live.
Brush Calligraphy Basics
Friday, June 5 from 3-4:45pm; $25
In this Brooklyn Brainery class, modern calligrapher Danielle Rothman “will start by teaching you the basic strokes, then how to form letters, and finally how to use pressure and faux calligraphy techniques to make the hallmark thicks and thins that make modern calligraphy so much fun.” Don’t have supplies? There’s still time to gather them from Danielle’s recommended list, or you can use what you’ve got at home.
