A healthy blend of Saratoga Springs’ old motto: “Health, History and Horses.” There is no better example than a stormy summer night in the woods at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center as the Philadelphia Philharmonic plays the climax of Strauss’ Alpine Symphony. Montreal-born guest conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin had the most fun watching the horns, strings and timpani create a mountain of commotion under the two-story, 6,000-seat amphitheater, and it was very hot outside. Our visit the night before demonstrated the soothing effect of SPAC, which had more than 10,000 people gathered in flower beds for an evening with John Legend in support of the Phillies. As the stars came out, the EGOT-winning Legend invited the audience to sing along to the chorus of All of Me, highlighting SPAC’s deafening acoustics.
SPAC CEO Elizabeth Sobol joked that the location was too close to nature for the sensitive ears of music director Eugene Ormandy, who served as the final design consultant in 1966. He was convinced that the falls would disrupt his Philly orchestra, so he ordered a dam to be built on a nearby river. This work created a chorus of bullfrog ponds which were carefully relocated to other parts of the park at Forestry’s insistence.
Beginning with a concert by Harry Belafonte and the Grateful Dead in 1966, the SPAC campus has drawn 500,000 annual summer visitors to its mineral pools and boardwalks and represents a $105 million annual investment in this charming upstate New York city York, with 29,000 inhabitants. Sales generated. The city is three hours from Montreal and six hours from the Greater Toronto Area. The city’s origins lie in the indigenous people who discovered the healing powers of the springs through the local fault lines. Casualties of the American Revolution (the Battle of Saratoga, 15 miles away, was a decisive British victory) and the Civil War were caught in high concentrations of magnesium, sodium, and potassium.
Future President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited here to receive treatment for polio. A bathhouse named after him still exists on campus, offering a wide range of spa treatments. Germany paid for the resettlement of some Holocaust victims after the war. Many of the first responders injured in the 9/11 attacks were recent recruits. To continue the tradition of healing through art, SPAC’s founders thought the natural rolling hills of the 971-acre state park were perfect for the main stage. The Philharmonic and New York City Ballet have summer residencies for the Jazz and Dance Festival. Many of my Canadian connections, such as Nézet-Séguin, came here every year.
Although the outdoor event season ends in September, the Spa Little Theater stays busy year-round with music, dance, culinary arts, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Christmas Holiday Series. The rest of the park offers tennis, swimming and a 27-hole golf course.
