With Nights Lights—the culmination of Wave Hill’s 50th anniversary celebrations—about to begin, and spring so surely in the air, my pulse is jumping! Fortunately, there is plenty to distract and enthrall this week, from serene sessions of wellness and a walk through Wave Hill’s history, to the finale of our concert season with a dynamic performance by the quintet WindSync. And then, of course, Fridayevening is our first evening of Night Lights. Hooray!
SAT, APRIL 18 TAI CHI CHUAN
Quiet like a mountain, moving like a river, Tai Chi is a sequence of gentle movements based on images found in nature. In this beginner-level class, Irving Yee, a member of the William CC Chen Tai Chi School, introduces students to the internal martial arts and promotes an awareness of its benefits. Sessions in April are held indoors. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Advance registration online receives a $2 discount. Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Cancellations must be made by 3PM the Friday before; after that, refunds will not be made. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. Participants must present their Membership card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11AM
SAT, APRIL 18 FAMILY ART PROJECT: CONNECT THE AQUATIC DOTS
Make your own image of Wave Hill’s Aquatic Garden—the site of this spring’s 50th-anniversary art installation. Then let visiting artist Melissa Brown take you through some simple steps to help connect the dots from your image to create a group animation project, on view through the month of May. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. A Wave Hill at 50 anniversary project.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
SAT, APRIL 18 WAVE HILL HISTORY WALK
Discover the fascinating history of Wave Hill’s architecture and landscape on a walk with a Wave Hill Garden Guide. Hear about those who once called Wave Hill home, among them Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, Bashford Dean and Arturo Toscanini. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM
SUN, APRIL 19 FAMILY ART PROJECT: CONNECT THE AQUATIC DOTS
Make your own image of Wave Hill’s Aquatic Garden—the site of this spring’s 50th-anniversary art installation. Then let visiting artist Melissa Brown take you through some simple steps to help connect the dots from your image to create a group animation project, on view through the month of May. Free with admission to the grounds. A Wave Hill at 50 anniversary project.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM
SUN, APRIL 19 HATHA YOGA
Reduce stress, increase your energy and bring strength and flexibility to mind, body and spirit with a yoga practice. Classes are led by Yoga for Bliss directorNeem Dewji and other certified instructors. Ms. Dewji is certified in Hatha and Therapeutic Yoga from The Yoga for Health Foundation, England, and The Integral Yoga Institute, NYC. All levels welcome. Sessions in April are held indoors. Session fee: $25/$15 Wave Hill Member. Advance registration online receives a $2 discount. Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Cancellations must be made by 3PM the Friday before; after that, refunds will not be made. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. Participants must present their Membership card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10‒11:15AM
SUN, APRIL 19 MEDITATION
Let nature inspire you to find your center and reconnect with your true self using guided mindfulness and other meditation practices. Each session, led by Yoga for Bliss director Neem Dewji and other qualified instructors, includes instruction in simple techniques, followed by guided meditations. Sessions are held indoors. All levels welcome. Session fee, which includes admission to the grounds: $20/$10 Wave Hill Member. Advance registration online receives a $2 discount. Online registration closes at 8AM on the day of the session. Drop-ins will be accommodated as the limited space permits. Participants must present their Membership card or a printed program registration form at the front gate.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11:45AM‒12:45PM
SUN, APRIL 19 WINDSYNC
Windsync is recognized internationally for dramatic and adventurous programming in venues ranging from concert halls to museums, universities and schools. The young, energetic group plays exclusively from memory, including elements of staging and choreography, and focuses on building connections with audiences through dynamic concert programming and charismatic stage presence. Absolutely irrepressible, WindSync offers a program that captures the quintet’s musicality and theatrical stage presence. A mesmerizing rendition of Ravel’s Bolero for winds and snare drum is followed by Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and The Hoedown. Ages eight and older welcome with an adult. $28 general admission, $15 child (ages 8 to 18). $22 Wave Hill Member, $12 Wave Hill Member child. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org or at the Perkins Visitor Center.
WAVE HILL HOUSE, 2PM
SUN, APRIL 19 GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK
Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM
MON, APRIL 20
Closed to the public
TUE, APRIL 21 GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK
Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM
FRI, APRIL 24 NIGHT LIGHTS AT WAVE HILL
Wave Hill’s 50th anniversary festivities reach a crescendo this spring with Night Lights at Wave Hill, a month-long celebration, when, for the first time in Wave Hill’s history, visitors will be invited to attend in the evening to enjoy the garden landscape at a time of day and during a season when it is normally closed to the public. Take in The Lightening: a Project for Wave Hill’s Aquatic Garden, an immersive installation by acclaimed artist by Chris Doyle, with music by composer Jeremy Turner, recorded by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Stop by Glyndor Gallery to see Chris Doyle: Landscape Fictions. Visit The Shop, The Café and the Marco Polo Stufano Conservatory, and enjoy informal piano performances in Wave Hill House. This evening’s pianist is Randy Ingram. Same-day tickets for Night Lights at Wave Hill: $25/$20 Wave Hill Member/$12 children. (Purchase tickets in advance and save $2.) All sales are final; no refunds or exchanges. Rain or shine. Tickets available now at wavehill.org and onsite. A Wave Hill at 50 anniversary event.
ON THE GROUNDS, 6:30–9:30PM
A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.
HOURS Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays:9AM–5:30PM. Closes 4:30PM, November 1–March 14.
ADMISSION $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6–18. FreeSaturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.
PROGRAM FEES Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.
Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/ getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm
DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.
Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.