Best feel-good music story: Music for Veterans
Dr. Roy Ernst founded Rochester’s New Horizons program in 1991, allowing beginner musicians of all ages to start their journeys playing an instrument for the first time. The cognitive benefits are profound and can improve memory, confidence and mental wellbeing — plus folks get to jam out, which rocks. This year, Ernst helped get a new endeavor off the ground, this time to help veterans in the Finger Lakes area.
Music for Veterans Rochester (ROCVETS) meets on Saturdays at Marketplace Mall. The basics are simple. There are classes for chorus, guitar, wind instruments and others, and no prior experience with an instrument is needed. The seminars are free and open to veterans of all ilks.
In a year marked by significant cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the simple act of communing through music is already having a great impact.
ROCVETS executive director Judy Rose said nearly 50 people showed up for the group’s earliest rehearsals in June. Since then, the program has grown in earnest. And instrument donations are always welcome to help keep the classes going.
Ernst’s bona fides, in addition to launching New Horizons, include being professor emeritus at the Eastman School of Music. As such, he brings his many musical connections to this latest initiative, which is the third music program for veterans by the Music for Veterans National Association. The nonprofit has similar enterprises in Columbia, South Carolina and San Antonio, Texas.
“Music connects people to life,” Ernst said in WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson earlier this year. “It connects people to the past, the present, the future and other people.” rocvets.org —PATRICK HOSKEN
Best new rehearsal space for artists: The Auguste Roost
There’s something undeniably enchanting about the old post office building on Cumberland Street. And the Auguste Roost, tucked inside the building’s maze of echoing hallways, feels like one of those only-in-Rochester places in the heart of the city — slightly eerie, unexpectedly warm and pulsing with potential. Over the years, a handful of studios have cycled through its upper floors, but the newest incarnation is opening its doors wider than ever, welcoming not just dance students but working artists in need of space.
Ask any independent choreographer or performing artist: finding rehearsal space can be a full-time job. In college, I was spoiled as a dance major with studios that were almost always free, plus the occasional racquetball court or dorm hallway for the times creativity sparked late at night. Adult artist life is a different game. Space costs money, and it’s often hard to find.
That’s why the Auguste Roost feels like a breath of fresh air. With two spacious studios, free parking and ample restrooms (key for those full-day rehearsals), the Roost has quickly become a promising hub for artists who need room to work.
But it’s not just a rental venue. Local artists teach dance, physical theater, and clowning classes throughout the week, bringing a rotation of movement styles. Contact improvisation jams and coworking sessions contribute to a collaborative, playful energy. The studios feel like a safe space where ideas can be tested without pressure or judgement.
The Auguste Roost is still growing into itself, but its potential is already clear. For Rochester’s performing artists — especially those without easy access to dance studios or dependable rehearsal space — it’s an essential new resource. rochaha.com/theroost —SYDNEY BURROWS
Best place to spot Broadway and opera stars: The Lotte Lenya Competition
Metropolitan opera tickets can cost over a hundred dollars, and even that price tag makes some Broadway shows look cheap. But once a year at the Eastman School of Music, you can watch four hours of equally high-caliber young vocalists from all over the world perform — for free.
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music hosts the annual Lotte Lenya Competition, founded by Eastman professor and Foundation president Kim Kowalke to honor the Austrian-American singer/actor Lenya (married to Weill), who was known for her ability to act through singing. This means contestants are expected to not only sing ridiculously well (think “classically trained Eastman” well), but act ridiculously well (think “I don’t even know German but I feel what this singer feels” well).
Every spring, 12 finalists compete back-to-back in Kilbourn Hall. Each singer has 15 minutes to perform character-driven songs chosen from Kurt Weill, an opera, a Golden Age musical and a contemporary musical. The day ends with an evening concert and the awards ceremony, where these absurdly talented young people following their artistic dreams get awarded, cumulatively, over $80,000 in prizes.
The contestants, who range in age from 19 to 32, often already have impressive international tour, Broadway and opera credits. Even more impressive are the judges, who include the likes of Tony Award winner Victoria Clark, Broadway producer Ted Chapin and stage and screen star Mary Beth Peil. I’m still reeling from when composer Jeanine Tesori judged and a contestant performed a song from her musical adaptation of “Shrek.” How often do you get to hear a Broadway song while sitting within feet of its composer?
If you can’t wait for this year’s competition on May 9, catch previous years on YouTube — though nothing beats the thrill of being in the room where it happens. kwf.org/lotte-lenya-competition —KATHERINE VARGA
Best new documentary with local ties: Mike Bradley’s “This Land”
In 2022, Mike Bradley and his partner, Julie, went camping in the Adirondacks. Near their campsite, they found a historic marker detailing “the summer camp for wealthy girls that stood there for much of the 20th century,” as Bradley wrote on Instagram. Also on the sign was just one sentence about the Mohawk people who “occupied the site for three years in the 1970s, demanding the return of their ancestral lands.”
It was the kind of buried story that made Bradley, a documentarian, wonder why it hadn’t been told before. So he decided to tell it — or rather, he turned his camera on the folks who could.
The resulting short documentary, “This Land,” chronicles the tale of those involved with establishing Ganienkeh, the Mohawk community that assembled in Eagle Bay, New York during that time. They were fed up with life on their reservation near Plattsburgh and sought a return to a more traditional way of life.
The ensuing standoff between the Mohawks, the local community and the state lasted three years and was marked by constant police presence. Eventually, as “This Land” showcases, an agreement was reached.
“They called us militants,” one subject says with a laugh in the film’s trailer. “I guess we were.”
Bradley has previously worked as a photojournalist for clients like “The New York Times” and “The Wall Street Journal,” but “This Land” marks a big moment for the Rochester native. The documentary has been screened at the Tribeca Film Festival as well as at fests in cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Indianapolis and Kansas City.
For Bradley, it all comes back to the story. “The whole purpose of making ‘This Land’ was to bring the story of Ganienkeh to more people,” he wrote on social media. thislandfilm.mov —PATRICK HOSKEN
Best dinner-and-a-magic-show: Chris ‘The Magic Guy’ Wilkinson at Salvatore’s
We all know when it comes to pizza, the Wizard rules. Yet what is a wizard if not a magician who’s been trained in the dark culinary arts of things that shouldn’t be made into a pizza? And what better way to enjoy a couple slices than with a magic show? You can find Chris ‘The Magic Guy’ Wilkinson at multiple Salvatore’s pizza shops twisting up balloon animals, setting his wallet on fire and making you gasp in between bites of your buffalo chicken slice. When I walked in with my kids this past fall, Chris saw us coming a mile away and the show was on. I ordered our to-go pie with the biggest grin as my girls giggled and told the mustachioed magic man their favorite animals, then we all watched in amazement as he twisted up a cat that looked surprisingly like a balloon dog and an axolotl that looked surprisingly like a balloon dog. He begged us to stay, but alas, we had other plans. I imagine he entertained the absolute sauce off of everyone in the restaurant that evening. Who knew we would get a show while stopping in for a quick dinner. imthemagicguy.com —RYAN WILLIAMSON
Best raised seat in town: The Company Theatre
In July of this year, The Company Theatre announced that it had found a new home and would be establishing all operations at 28 Lawn Street, on the Christ Church campus. Because of that fortuitous timing, the company was able to kick off its 2025–26 season in its new digs, staging a sizzling production of “Venus in Fur” in late September.
Formerly home to Blackfriars Theatre, the space on Lawn Street lends itself perfectly to the modestly cast, yet boldly executed productions The Company Theatre has become known for. Roughly 100 seats make up the house, the dramatic rake of which ensures that nary a compromised sight line is to be had. Perhaps most importantly, by resurfacing a found space, the organization, which was founded in 2021, digs its roots deeper into the community, recently launching a $100,000 capital campaign for revitalization efforts and an endowed fellowship.
As prospective audience members, we are all the better for it. The company — led by artistic director and founder Carl Del Buono, technical director Brodie McPherson and its dedicated board — has big plans for the space, both functional (enhancements to lighting and sound capabilities as well as accessibility features) and cosmetic (new paint, carpet, the works). Here, the play is actually the thing, and the current season offers several opportunities to grab a seat and settle in: the remaining shows of the 2025-26 season, “Julius Caesar” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” open in March and June, respectively. thecompanytheatreroc.org —JOHANNA LESTER
Best millennial emo revival: Gym Class Heroes inducted into Rochester Music Hall of Fame
It’s been nearly 30 years since Travie McCoy and Matt McGinley started up Gym Class Heroes in Geneva. Given that the emo genre’s commercial peak — of which the band was a notable part — was only 20 years ago, the band’s work ethic is clear. They made music for a decade before Pete Wentz, Gabe Saporta and anyone in the national emo conversation caught on.
In the greater Rochester region, the Gym Class Heroes roots run deep. That’s why it felt very special when, in April, McCoy returned to the area to be inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. The honor was also extended to original members (and area natives) McGinley, Milo Bonnacci and Ryan Geise, and even came with a performance by McCoy on stage at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
In a time when emo cover bands can pack music venues and blockbuster festivals like When We Were Young keep the genre’s flame burning, Gym Class Heroes stand out perhaps even more than they did in the 2000s. A rock group with a Supertramp sample fronted by a rapper was not quite in step with the typical homogenized emo aesthetic, but all it took was one listen to McCoy’s point of view to understand the group’s appeal. Those differences made them singular.
Ahead of the induction ceremony, McCoy told CITY that getting famous was a trip he might not have been ready for. “I got so sick of telling the same tour stories that I started bringing my friends out so they can tell their own,” he said.
Being enshrined in the same hallowed hall as Lou Gramm, Cab Calloway and Chuck Mangione means that McCoy and co. will never have to worry about those stories getting old. rochestermusic.org —PATRICK HOSKEN
Best bucket list screening: “Eyes Wide Shut” at Dryden Theatre
Here’s a question to pose to the avid moviegoer in your life: “If you could go back in time and see a movie on the big screen for the first time, what would it be?”
Every moviegoer has their dream list of films they want to see on the big screen. For instance, who wouldn’t have wanted to be in New York City in June 1960 to experience “Psycho” in a movie theater for the first time? Luckily, in Rochester we have theaters that take great pride in their repertory screenings. In July 2025, when the multiplexes were polluting screens with disposable green screen dependent movies, The Dryden Theatre allowed me the chance to check off a real bucket list item when they screened “Eyes Wide Shut,” Stanley Kubrick’s controversial final movie.
Though I’ve seen “Eyes Wide Shut” a handful of times, it has always been one that begged for the big screen, from the iconic imagery to the haunting score. And as part of their Kubrick series, The Dryden was able to make that happen, including an added treat for the audience — it was announced in the film’s introduction that the 35mm print was an international one from Martin Scorsese’s own collection. (A sea of excited gasps echoed through the Dryden auditorium.)The haunting psychosexual drama, which collected a great deal of controversy in the summer of 1999, is not an easy movie to get down to science and no one should spend the time trying. As thrilling as it was to see the movie projected on 35mm film, it was even better to hash it out in the parking lot after with friends. —MATT PASSANTINO
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