Harriet Stubbs will by paying tribute to Queen and Coldplay in Candlelight concerts on January 16 (photo by Julienne Schaer)
Who: Harriet Stubbs
What: Candlelight concerts
Where: St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague St.
When: Friday, January 16, Queen, $46.50-$67, 6:30; Coldplay, $36.50-$65.50, 8:45
Why: “There’s nothing like playing to my adopted hometown of New York; it’s electrifying,” pianist Harriet Stubbs told me in a May 2024 twi-ny talk. A child prodigy in her native England, Stubbs is an extraordinary pianist, performing an intoxicating mix of classical and pop music, ranging from Beethoven, Bach, and Gould to David Bowie, Nick Cave, and the Beatles. Having recovered from a debilitating nerve injury that left her unable to even text — she had successful hand surgery in the fall — Stubbs is back behind the keys, doing what she does best.
On January 16 at 6:30, she will be at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn for “Candlelight: Tribute to Queen,” in which she will play mind-blowing instrumental versions of many of Queen’s best-loved hits, from “Another One Bites the Dust” to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That will be followed at 8:45 (separate admission) by “Candlelight: A Tribute to Coldplay,” featuring such songs as “Clocks,” “Paradise,” and “Sky Full of Stars.”
There’s a reason why I’ve asked her to participate in twi-ny’s twenty-fifth anniversary celebration at the Coffee House Club on June 3: She’s a unique and dynamic performer and a delightful human being.
[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]