Arts & Life

A Rochester sports legend has died. Johnny Antonelli, a star at Jefferson High School who went from graduation to the major leagues in 1948 died on Friday in Rochester. He was 89.

Local sportswriter Scott Pitoniak co-wrote a memoir with Antonelli about the baseball player’s life several years ago.

Pitoniak notes that Antonelli won many accolades for his pitching, especially when he played for the Giants.

“He was a World Series hero in 1954, a team with Willie Mays when they swept the Cleveland Indians, 4 straight, in ’54,” Pitoniak said.

Country star Tim McGraw is the latest show to be added to the summer outdoor concert season. He’ll be joined by Midlands and Ingrid Andress for a 7 p.m. July 30 show at Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center.

Tickets (the prices have not yet been announced) go on sale at 10 a.m. March 6 at ticketmaster.com.

The Park Avenue area in Rochester is historic and now it has a federal designation to back that up.

Officials with the Landmark Society of Western New York say that the Park Ave neighborhood recently was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Landmark Society Director of Preservation Caitlin Meives says that is something that has been in the works for about three years now. Meives says the Park Avenue neighborhood has some important architectural features.

The summer concert season forecast includes a Norah Jones Confluence for western New York. The Rochester area will have two opportunities to see the jazzy pop singer this summer, in different configurations. 

And as they’re potentially competing for the same audience, the promoters of both events aren’t giving the other a jump start on tickets; both shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

Two more headliners were announced on Tuesday for this year’s CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival.

They include the group, Puss N Boots, which features Sasha Dobson, Norah Jones and Catherine Popper, who will perform on Friday, June 19.

The other headliner just announced is Wynonna & The Big Noise, which will perform Saturday, June 20.

Comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short is the latest show to be announced for the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center.

Billed in typically self-deprecating fashion as “The Funniest Show In Town At The Moment,” they have an 8 p.m. Aug. 29 gig at the outdoor venue near Canandaigua.

The Gateways Music Festival is dragging classical music into the 21st century. 

On Monday, organizers of the event designed to create exposure for classical musicians of black or African descent will announce three significant changes to the 26-year-old festival.

NEW YORK (AP)   A trailblazer  among black women in the business world wants to help make sure that the stories of other pioneering women like her are not forgotten.

The HistoryMakers, an oral archive that's recorded the stories of more than 3,300 African Americans, launched The WomanMakers initiative with a $1 million gift from Ursula Burns, the former head of Xerox.

What’s old is new again, at least when it comes to The Little Theatre in Rochester. 

The iconic main theater  officially reopened on Friday after the most recent phase of renovations.

The building dates back to 1929, and the upgrades that have been undertaken over the last few years include a more spacious front lobby and concession area and improvements in the building’s accessibility.