This winter, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) continues to bring outstanding live performances to community venues throughout the five boroughs of New York City with its free Neighborhood Concerts. For almost four decades, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts have featured performances by top artists across multiple genres including jazz, world music, classical, and more. In addition, WMI presents a number of free family-friendly programs throughout New York City as part of the Carnegie Kids series.
At Carnegie Hall, parents and young people can also enjoy affordably-priced Family Concerts, recommended for ages 5-10, providing a unique opportunity to introduce children to live performances of music from around the world.
PRESENTATIONS AT Carnegie Hall:
Carnegie Hall FAMILY CONCERT: BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS
Saturday, February 1 at 1:00 p.m.
Zankel Hall
Freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world, and experimental music, New York's amplified ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars is recognized worldwide for its ultra-dynamic live performances of today's most innovative music.
Pre-concert activities start at 12 p.m. in the Parterre lobby with Christopher Marianetti and Elena Moon Park of Found Sound Nation.
Tickets: $12, $18
Carnegie Hall FAMILY CONCERT: REGINA CARTER'S REVERSE THREAD
Saturday, March 8 at 1:00 p.m.
Zankel Hall
Award-winning jazz violinist Regina Carter takes you and your family on an exotic journey in this concert of soulful African folk tunes infused with contemporary flavor. Carter's violin is joined by the accordion and kora (West African harp), creating sounds both old and new.
Pre-concert activities will take place one hour before the performance and are free to all ticket holders.
Tickets: $12, $18
PRESENTATIONS THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY
CARNEGIE KIDS: THE ITTY BIDDIES
Tuesday, February 4 at 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 4 at 11:30 a.m.
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College
The charismatic Itty Biddies have audiences of all ages happily rocking out together at every performance with their cool, clubby roots, and silky harmonies. With a series of songs that tell a fascinating tale over the course of a concert, the Itty Biddies can take you from an African safari to the plains of Texas without you leaving your seats.
Tickets: $10, $16, $22
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: MARINA HARRIS AND ROBERT MOLLICONE
Saturday, February 8 at 5:00 p.m.
Advent Lutheran Church
Soprano Marina Harris recently made her
Carnegie Hall debut as part of The Song Continues in a master class with beloved soprano
Jessye Norman. Critics have praised her "powerhouse vocal display ... flair and well placed high notes" (San Francisco Chronicle). Pianist, coach, and conductor Robert Mollicone has brought his coaching and conducting skills to productions at the Boston Lyric Opera, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
CARNEGIE KIDS: ELENA MOON PARK AND FRIENDS
Sunday, February 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Bronx Library Center
The innovative music of Elena Moon Park and Friends incorporates traditional Asian and western rock instruments set to Korean and Japanese songs. As heard on their album Rabbit Days and Dumplings, Park and friends perform folk and children's music from East Asia in a contemporary way.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: SOFIA REI
Saturday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
Argentinean singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer Sofía Rei is one of the most charismatic and inventive vocalists on the New York music scene. Her recent album De Tierra y Oro draws on a wide range of South American folk influences and bracingly modern sounds, with Rei's powerful voice at the forefront. Rei has been embraced by audiences around the world due to her melodies, sensitive interpretations, and jazz improvisations.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ARUÁN ORTIZ QUARTET
Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m.
Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement
Cuban pianist Aruán Ortiz has enjoyed a busy career playing with top artists, composing, teaching, and leading his own quartet. Ortiz draws inspiration from jazz greats
Maurice Ravel and Thelonious Monk creating a sophisticated sound that surges with plenty of free-flowing improvisation.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: JACK QUARTET
Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Pregones Theater
JACK Quartet thrills audiences with "explosive virtuosity" (The Boston Globe) and "viscerally exciting performances" (The New York Times). The renowned group shatters the stereotype of the traditional string quartet by revealing hidden subtleties in a familiar 20th-century classic or premiering a 21st-century work and converting audiences to the thrills of new music.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ENSEMBLE ACJW
Sunday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m.
Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church
Ensemble ACJW has been hailed as "the new face of classical music for New York" by The New York Times. This is just one of the many accolades the exciting collective of young professional musicians has received for the quality of its performances and its fresh and open-minded approach, performing a wide range of music-from centuries past to works written days before an event-in a variety of performance venues.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: NATHANIEL OLSON AND Kevin Murphy
Saturday, March 15 at 5:00 p.m.
Advent Lutheran Church
Baritone Nathaniel Olson (pictured at right) made his
Carnegie Hall debut last season as part of The Song Continues master class with the legendary
Marilyn Horne. A member of Roundabout Opera for Kids, Olson sings in a program that brings family-friendly operas to schools throughout southern Indiana.
Pianist
Kevin Murphy's accomplishments extend far beyond being one of world's most sought-after accompanists, a role he's taken for an honor roll of singers including Renée Fleming,
Cecilia Bartoli, and Plácido Domingo.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: HUGO WOLF QUARTET
Sunday, March 16 at 4:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
Vienna's Hugo Wolf Quartet brings their trademark technical precision, persuasive tone, and indomitable spirit to every note they play. Masters of repertoire spanning the Classical era to cutting-edge works of the 21st century, the young stars of the Hugo Wolf Quartet dazzle audiences around the world.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: THE PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP
Friday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
Fueled by driving rhythms of the sacred Cuban batá drum and punctuated by African chants, The New York Times calls the music of Pedrito Martinez "complex, blenderized Africa-to-the-New-World funk." Havana-born drummer and singer Martinez and his group play Afro-Cuban music with precision and power, respecting its roots, but always keeping it fresh and progressive. Besides leading his own group, Martinez has played with Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Edie Brickell, and Sting.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: SOH DAIKO
Saturday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m.
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College
Japanese drumming collective Soh Daiko takes its name from characters meaning "peaceful, harmonious drums." Performing on drums, bamboo flute, brass bells, conch shells, and gongs, its varied repertoire ranges from original compositions to traditional Shinto music. Much more than just percussion, Soh Daiko's performance includes dynamic choreography, endurance, and explosive energy.
About Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute: The Weill Music Institute creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall's commitment to music education. With unparalleled access to the world's greatest artists, the Weill Music Institute inspires audiences of all ages, nurtures tomorrow's musical talent, and harnesses the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall's concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and shares a wide range of free online resources with educators and music lovers around the globe. More than 400,000 people each year engage in the Weill Music Institute's programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall.
For a complete schedule of Community Programs and Family Programs, visit:
carnegiehall.org/Education/Community-and-Family.
