Rochester and the surrounding area is a wellspring of local musicians, and there’s no shortage of shows highlighting their talent. National concerts of note are fewer and farther between, however. When compelling popular artists do make their way through upstate New York, you’ve got to seize the opportunity. Here are 10 shows this fall season you won’t want to miss.
September 17: Yunchan Lim at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre | esm.rochester.edu/theatre
South Korean prodigy Yunchan Lim took the classical music world by storm last year as the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Rochester concertgoers can say they heard him play when he was just 19. 3 p.m. $23-$60.
September 21: Kurt Vile and the Violators at State Theatre of Ithaca | stateofithaca.org
Kurt Vile is a seemingly endless source of endearing songs with a lo-fi sensibility. On his latest album, “(watch my moves),” a blissful blend of rock, psych-pop, and even country bits shows flashes of Lou Reed, Beck, and Modest Mouse. 8 p.m. $35.
September 22: Ray LaMontagne at Kodak Center | kodakcenter.com
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne brings his mesmerizing take on American roots music back to Kodak Center. His latest album, “Monovision,” is a return to the blues-tinged folk and country style that made him beloved, following intriguing detours into atmospheric pop-rock with spacy ambience and fuzzed-out psychedelia. 7:30 p.m. $49-$200.
October 13: Jonathan Richman at JCC Hart Theatre | jccrochester.org/arts-culture
Boston-born musician Jonathan Richman first gained recognition in the 1970’s with his band The Modern Lovers, but his lighthearted sound rooted in early rock ‘n’ roll and doo wop endures. Richman disarms audiences with fun songs like “Vampire Girl,” “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar,” and “You’re Crazy for Taking the Bus.” 8 p.m. $27-$32.
October 20 & 21: RPO plays “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre | rpo.org
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra continues its exploration of the Harry Potter film franchise through live symphonic accompaniment. Composer Nicholas Hooper’s score is an eerie combination of darkness and whimsy. 7 p.m. $18-$123.
October 22: FivebyFive with members of Pegasus Early Music play “Old & New: Sephardic Reflections” at Temple Beth El | fivebyfivemusic.com
Rochester’s preeminent contemporary classical specialists in fivebyfive present a poignant collaboration with the Baroque masters in Pegasus Early Music, in a program featuring both historical and new arrangements of Spanish and Portuguese music in the Jewish tradition. 3 p.m. $20 or pay what you can.
October 25: Mudhoney at Photo City Music Hall | photocitymusichall.com
Lovers of the ’90s Seattle grunge scene know not to sleep on Nirvana’s lesser-known counterparts in Mudhoney, whose EP “Superfuzz Bigmuff” was among Kurt Cobain’s top 50 albums of all time.The band’s first single, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” came out in 1988, but there’s plenty of fresh material from this year’s album “Plastic Eternity,” too. 8 p.m. $36.
October 29: Rubblebucket at Babeville’s Asbury Hall, Buffalo | babevillebuffalo.com
Many Rubblebucket fans first became acquainted with the band’s horn-happy pop music — which is often drenched in electronic psychedelia — in 2011 through the delightfully weird song “Came Out of a Lady.” I defy you to leave this party without a smile plastered on your face. 8 p.m. $27-$32.
November 9: Vijay Iyer Trio at Kilbourn Hall | esm.rochester.edu/theatre
Pianist Vijay Iyer returns to his native Rochester. His trio will undoubtedly play some selections from Iyer’s 2021 album “Uneasy,” but it’s fair to expect the unexpected as well, particularly when it comes to Iyer’s highly cerebral but tuneful approach to jazz. 7:30 p.m. $32-$45.
November 26: Baroness at Town Ballroom, Buffalo | townballroom.com
The progressive metal band Baroness’s sound is diverse enough to satisfy both unrelenting headbangers who just want to revel in the sludge of it all and listeners who tune in for clever melodies and sophisticated arrangements. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. $29.50.
Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer at CITY. He can be reached at [email protected]. 
- PHOTO BY LISA MARIE MAZZUCCO
- Yunchan Lim.
South Korean prodigy Yunchan Lim took the classical music world by storm last year as the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Rochester concertgoers can say they heard him play when he was just 19. 3 p.m. $23-$60.
September 21: Kurt Vile and the Violators at State Theatre of Ithaca | stateofithaca.org
Kurt Vile is a seemingly endless source of endearing songs with a lo-fi sensibility. On his latest album, “(watch my moves),” a blissful blend of rock, psych-pop, and even country bits shows flashes of Lou Reed, Beck, and Modest Mouse. 8 p.m. $35.
- PHOTO BY ADAM WALLACAVAGE
- Kurt Vile.
- PHOTO BY SAMANTHA CASOLARI
- Ray LaMontagne.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne brings his mesmerizing take on American roots music back to Kodak Center. His latest album, “Monovision,” is a return to the blues-tinged folk and country style that made him beloved, following intriguing detours into atmospheric pop-rock with spacy ambience and fuzzed-out psychedelia. 7:30 p.m. $49-$200.
October 13: Jonathan Richman at JCC Hart Theatre | jccrochester.org/arts-culture
Boston-born musician Jonathan Richman first gained recognition in the 1970’s with his band The Modern Lovers, but his lighthearted sound rooted in early rock ‘n’ roll and doo wop endures. Richman disarms audiences with fun songs like “Vampire Girl,” “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar,” and “You’re Crazy for Taking the Bus.” 8 p.m. $27-$32.
October 20 & 21: RPO plays “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre | rpo.org
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra continues its exploration of the Harry Potter film franchise through live symphonic accompaniment. Composer Nicholas Hooper’s score is an eerie combination of darkness and whimsy. 7 p.m. $18-$123.
October 22: FivebyFive with members of Pegasus Early Music play “Old & New: Sephardic Reflections” at Temple Beth El | fivebyfivemusic.com
Rochester’s preeminent contemporary classical specialists in fivebyfive present a poignant collaboration with the Baroque masters in Pegasus Early Music, in a program featuring both historical and new arrangements of Spanish and Portuguese music in the Jewish tradition. 3 p.m. $20 or pay what you can.
- PHOTO BY EMILY RIEMAN
- Mudhoney.
Lovers of the ’90s Seattle grunge scene know not to sleep on Nirvana’s lesser-known counterparts in Mudhoney, whose EP “Superfuzz Bigmuff” was among Kurt Cobain’s top 50 albums of all time.The band’s first single, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” came out in 1988, but there’s plenty of fresh material from this year’s album “Plastic Eternity,” too. 8 p.m. $36.
- PHOTO PROVIDED
- Rubblebucket.
Many Rubblebucket fans first became acquainted with the band’s horn-happy pop music — which is often drenched in electronic psychedelia — in 2011 through the delightfully weird song “Came Out of a Lady.” I defy you to leave this party without a smile plastered on your face. 8 p.m. $27-$32.
November 9: Vijay Iyer Trio at Kilbourn Hall | esm.rochester.edu/theatre
Pianist Vijay Iyer returns to his native Rochester. His trio will undoubtedly play some selections from Iyer’s 2021 album “Uneasy,” but it’s fair to expect the unexpected as well, particularly when it comes to Iyer’s highly cerebral but tuneful approach to jazz. 7:30 p.m. $32-$45.
November 26: Baroness at Town Ballroom, Buffalo | townballroom.com
The progressive metal band Baroness’s sound is diverse enough to satisfy both unrelenting headbangers who just want to revel in the sludge of it all and listeners who tune in for clever melodies and sophisticated arrangements. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. $29.50.
Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer at CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].
