The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall will celebrate its reopening with Lea Salonga’s “Stage Screen & Everything in Between” on Tuesday December 2nd at 7:30.Salonga is known for her roles on stage and in film. Her Broadway credits include “Les Misérables,” “Flower Drum Song,” "Allegiance,” the revival of “Once On this Island,” “Here Lies Love,” “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” and, of course, “Miss Saigon” - for which she won a Tony Award in 1991.She performed the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in the Disney film “Aladdin” and the title character in “Mulan.” Her most recent album is a holiday record called “Sounding Joy.”

The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall has embarked on a transformation to preserve its historic charm while evolving into a dynamic, year-round hub for community engagement and creative expression. By reimagining the former banking spaces, they are opening up new opportunities for education, celebrations, and gatherings.Their re-opening celebration concert is on December 2nd with actress and singer, Lea Salonga. To tell us more, we welcome Jon Elbaum, Executive Director of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

Best-selling author and illustrator Jan Brett launches the national tour for her new book “The Christmas Sweater” in Rutland Vermont on Friday, November 28th. It is the kickoff to her bus tour where she visits 23 cities in just 17 days. The new Christmas classic features an adventurous boy and an adorable pug in a Christmas sweater who saves the day! With more than 44 million books in print she is one of the nation’s foremost illustrators of children’s books. The Friday event will be presented by Phoenix Books and will feature a live drawing demonstration takes place at the Paramount Theater in Rutland Vermont at 5 pm.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, Executive Director of The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Nic Rangel, Mayor of the City of Albany Kathy Sheehan, and Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College Catherine Tan.

This week's Book Picks comes from Matt Tannenbaum from The Bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts and Kira Wizner from Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, New York.

Universal Preservation Hall, “UPH”, is a year-round performing arts, and community events venue located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The former Methodist church has been transformed into a state-of-the-art performance facility.UPH combines a 700-seat theatre-in-the-round Great Hall with a community event space, offering year-round music and entertainment in downtown Saratoga Springs. Teddy Foster is the Director at Universal Preservation Hall and has been with the project since the beginning when it was a just dream.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Stuart Rice Honorary Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University Fran Berman, Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College Beau Breslin, The Empire Report’s JP Miller, and Former Times-Union Associate Editor Mike Spain.

Ozoz Sokoh is a culinary anthropologist, food historian, and author of the new cook book “Chop Chop: Cooking the Foods of Nigeria” (Artisan, 2025). In the tradition of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and Madhur Jaffrey’s “An Invitation to Indian Cooking,” “Chop Chop” offers both a cultural history and a hands-on introduction to the flavors of Nigeria.We spoke with Ozoz in a CulinaryArts@SPAC and WAMC on the Road event in Saratoga Springs, New York on November 15. At the event, we were all treated to authentic Nigerian dishes including a goat pepper soup, chin chin, puff puff, jollof rice, and more prepared by Keobi Restaurant of Albany, New York.

Benjamin Wood has written four very different novels that explore the creative process and relationships between parents and children. His fifth novel, Seascraper, is a vividly imagined, layered, and economical mediation on these themes, and it is full of surprises. From a very atmospheric description of a vanishing way of life, to great suspense, to the hint ultimately of optimism in its final characters. The novel was longlisted for the 2025 Booker prize.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College in Oneonta and Co-Director of the Institute of Public Service Laurel Elder, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Strategic Communications, and Public Relations for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University Terry Gipson, Political Consultant and lobbyist Libby Post, and Professor of Government at Dutchess Community College and President of the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley Dr. Karin Riedl.