Opening night here at Caramoor went so smoothly. It was an incredible night! If you missed my last blog, this past Saturday was opening night, and the Opera singer Susan Graham performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. She was quite amazing! The orchestra played Beethoven’s 5th, as well as Rossini and Mozart. Gala attendees ate dinner, watched the concert, and had fun at an After Dark party, where the Timba band Tiempo Libre played. They were really energetic and exciting to watch! The crowd was dancing. Although I had the day off, the band came back on Sunday to perform and apparently everyone was up and dancing and a conga line ensued!
Even if you didn’t attend Gala, you could still buy concert tickets only, and it was certainly well attended. Here’s the NY Times article about it!
I got to wear a dress and heels (which I did change after standing for a while). I felt like we were going to prom again, almost. Everyone in Development helped me pick the right dress and helped me do my hair. Of course we all looked superb!
Overall, it was a great team effort to make this night happen.
It’s going to be a really busy week this week, again, with a family program on Wednesday, David Leisner with “Guitar in the Garden” on Thursday in the beautiful Sunken Garden, Bela Fleck on Friday, a Pops, Patriots and Fireworks concert on Saturday, and the Pacifica Quartet on Sunday. And this is only week two!
I was able to relax a little after Gala was over, on Sunday I took a hike up a mountain nearby and on Monday, my mom and I went to Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, to take a tour. That was beautiful! The Rockefellers mixed classical art with modern art and nature and created a beautiful home on hundreds of acres with a gorgeous view of the Hudson River.
A lot of nature over the past few days! The weather here has been in our favor, with the whole month of June a huge rainstorm. I’m lovin’ the sun!!!
I really can’t believe that Summer Session One is already over. Time goes by so fast, this also means that I am almost done with my research. I am researching the correlation between homework grades and exam grades of students in of the Graduate Engineering classes. I am really putting to use my three semester of Statistics researching this topic. Even the research has been great, one of the best things about this summer is Binghamton. Usually during the school year I am so busy with school work and all my other activities I don’t have time to explore the great city around me. However with my free time I have been able to go about the greater Binghamton area. The other week I went to a Greek restaurant on Main Street.The food is great and I had an amazing time with my friends. Well I’m off to do more research.
Greetings! I’m Kate, a 2008 Binghamton University grad who is taking on the role of a Binghamton MythBuster. I’m sure you’ve seen that on the TV show they do more than explain how something may or may not be scientifically possible. Through trial and error they actually demonstrate it. In this same fashion, my mission: shatter the myth that there is nothing to do in Binghamton. There is no excuse for boredom.
Since all life experiences contribute to the biases in our opinions, here’s a snapshot of my background that might help put my future blog posts into perspective: I grew up in a small town ~20 miles east of the University, so when I was a kid, when we traveled to Binghamton, I’d say we were going to “the city”. I worked as a waitress at Applebee’s for 3 years during college and, aside from the occasional cranky guests, I met a lot of great people. In 2008, I graduated from the only accredited Bioengineering Program in the nation that focuses on complex systems. While a student at Binghamton, I served as the Director of Catalysts for Intellectual Capital 2020 (CIC2020), through which I helped present the first ever Binghamton Blowout Block Party and led the CIC Leadership Institute in working on the Partnership for Knowledge Entrepreneurship. Since the Fall of 2008, I’ve been a tenant in the Greater Binghamton Innovation Center where I run a start-up company called H2 Innovations, Inc.
I love TED talks and P90X. I’ve been “trained” to see change as opportunity and to recognize that entrepreneurs can change the world. Lastly, I don’t claim to be an expert in anything (according to Philip Tetlock, that would make me a mediocrity anyway), but I’m happy to help when I can. To suggest a topic or “Binghamton urban legend” for exploration, just send a message to . I hope to see you all at the Binghamton Communiversity Fest in September!!
Posted by Kathryn Fletcher at 04:51 PM.
Filed under:
About Our Bloggers •
My name is Brian McCann. I am originally from from the small town of Cooperstown in upstate NY. You probably know Cooperstown because of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Fun fact: I had my first ever summer job there when I was 14. After I graduated high school I was an exchange student for one year in Maebashi, Japan. When I’m home I spend a lot of time out on our local lake and am usually pretty good about applying sunscreen. I’m majoring in Cinema and Asian Studies but have a lot of other interests as well. When I graduate it would be nice to have a job in some aspect of video production or maybe work on films. I am also open to the idea of having a career in something unrelated to what I’ve studied in school. Right now I work as a professional delivery expert at Dominoes Pizza. Thanks for checking out my videos— I hope you learn something or are at least entertained!
The students living in Dickinson and Newing have woken up to sounds of excavators and dump trucks for over a year now. Right outside their windows the university is putting the finishing touches on the first new dorm building, which will replace Dikinson and Newing. The project has come together at a startling pace and will already be housing students this coming semester. The design of the new housing was influenced by information gained by surveying students who are currently enrolled as well as incoming. “We wanted to validate is our direction correct, are we looking at this thing right?” explained Terry Webb the Director of Residential Life. In addition to being student friendly the new community will be environmentally friendly as well. The Mountainview halls which were completed in 2003 have a LEED silver rating. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. In the new housing project the university is shooting for a LEED gold certification. Buildings achieve different levels of LEED certification by being awarded points in several categories having to do with sustainability and efficiency. Watch the video to see the progress they’ve made so far.
Posted by Brian Mccann at 12:48 PM.
Filed under:
The Brian Blog •
Work at Caramoor is going really well. Right now we’re in preparation for Opening Night Gala, which is the biggest night of the season! We’ve been getting everything ready. The tent is getting set up and RSVPs are still coming in. All of us here are getting excited. Susan Graham, an opera performer will be singing with the Orchestra of St. Lukes.
The week after opening night we have a very exciting week. We will still be catching up from Gala and still have to manage a busy week!
They just started a family program that has a concert series called “Dancing at Dusk.” I worked the first one, which was a country/blues/bluegrass concert. The kids really got into it, they were dancing and jumping to the music! Unfortunately it was raining, so we had to create a plan for the rain, which thankfully worked out. I hope that for the other two, the sun will be in our favor and the families will be able to walk the grounds.
The next Dancing at Dusk is the Wednesday after Gala, features the Doc Wallace Trio with Texas-style improvisational fiddling, which should be fun for me to watch since I play strings. There will also be a Tango family concert in August.
That Friday, July 3rd, is the concert I am most excited about. Bela Fleck, who performed on campus in 2007 will be performing with African Musicians. He is exploring the African roots of the banjo. Again, I am looking forward to this concert. On my radio show on campus I played African music and country so this is the ultimate fusion!!!
Then, of course, on July 4th, we have a Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks concert. The Orchestra of St. Lukes will be performing Disney hits and classic patriotic songs. This is another family-oriented performance. Caramoor has picnic grounds so there will be tons of people picnicking. After the performance, there will be fireworks. Even though I will be working, I hope that it will be a 4th of July to remember.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Pacifica Quartet with Joyce Yang will be performing on Sunday. I won’t be working then, but it should be great. I learned that the Pacifica Quartet won the 2009 Grammy Award for the Ensemble of the Year. They were also Caramoor’s Ernst-Stiefel Quartet in Residence in 2001-2002, which helps train and expose string quartets to the public, as well as educate the local schools about music.
So as you can see, lots of busy things coming up. This weekend is my birthday, hooray!!! (And, Father’s Day.) So I’ll be spending time with friends and family and relaxing and preparing for Opening weekend! Wish me luck!
...might one say without a thought. Of course, the City of Binghamton isn’t as city-like as NYC. However, if you know how to utilize your resources, you will have tons of things to do! Just to prove I’m not lying, I will offer you the inside scoop of the things you can do here on campus and in the city. :D !
Movies LateNite Binghamton shows movies every Friday and Saturday nights on campus for free !
The Harpur Film Society shows national and international thought-provoking well-made movies that you won’t see anywhere else!
The AMC movie theater is just a couple of miles from campus and shows $4 films Monday through Friday! Plus, it’s in the same shopping plaza as Walmart.
Art
Binghamton University has its very own art museum">Binghamton’s art museum</a>, located in the Fine Arts building, and hosts more than 3,000 pieces from all over the world.
The City of Binghamton hosts a First Friday art walk downtown where you can see the works of local artists and enjoy some time discovering downtown.
Other fun things to do Campus Recreation can be a great way to do something healthy with a friend! Tuesday and Thursday nights the rec center is open later for students, and you should also take a look at group exercise for classes like spinning or yoga
Getaway Bus Tripsare offered throughout the semester. You can go to Philly, NYC, Syracuse, and more with a group of students for a great price!
If animals are your love, then the Ross Park Zoo could be a great way to spend a perfectly sunny day with your friends!
Broome County Community College has an ice rink. Be sure to check the times it is open to the public!
You can also take walks in the Nature Preserve, shop at the Oakdale Mall, bowl at the local bowling alleys, and one of my personal favorite, get bubble tea :D ! If you never had it before in your life, I assure you you’ll love it! Anyway, I hope all of this excited you a tad bit more about coming to Binghamton !
Binghamton University's Admissions Blog is written by current students for students considering, applying, transferring and enrolling. Here you will find real-life points of view and personal opinions about campus life, classes, faculty and more! The opinions expressed by the bloggers are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the university. So, if you want to read more about Binghamton University students, you've come to the right place.
I worked as a waitress at Applebee’s for 3 years during college and, aside from the occasional cranky guests, I met a lot of great people. In 2008, I graduated from the only accredited 
I’ve been “trained” to see change as opportunity and to recognize that 
