Harlem Stage Hosts First Student Concert in U.S. 11/1

Harlem Stage, one of the country's leading producers and presenters of performances by artists of color, is organizing New York City's first student concert and educational workshop by the Venezuela-based Simón Bolívar Big-Band Jazz orchestra (SBBBJ) for 1,000 public school children on November 1 at A. Phillip Randolph High School.

That night, Harlem Stage also presents the second public concert of the orchestra's upcoming New York tour, at its historic Gatehouse facility. Legendary pianist Arturo O'Farrill hosts the concert; a post-performance reception follows. Though free, seating for the public concert is limited. Reservations are required through harlemstage.org, or 212-281-9240 x 19 or 20.

SBBBJ is the newest ensemble created under Venezuela's internationally recognized El Sistema method of youth music training and community organizing. The 40-member orchestra makes its U.S. debut in New York with educational and public performances across the city from October 31 to November 4.

For the student program, Harlem Stage will work with A. Phillip Randolph High School, the 92nd Street Y, and Harmony Program to bring students from James Wheldon Johnson School in East Harlem and John H. Finley School in West Harlem to the Randolph auditorium.

Executive Director Patricia Cruz says she's thrilled to kick off the orchestra's student concert series. "One of the primary aspects of the Harlem Stage mission is to bring extraordinary performing arts to students in our communities, and to introduce them to and engage them in the creative process," Cruz says. "Here, they get the extra bonus of seeing young people from another continent play an extremely high level of quality music. The Bolívar orchestra's members will be inspirational to our student guests, as the El Sistema method of music training and community development has inspired people around the world."

Additional public performances by SBBBJ will take place at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, and NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The Simón Bolívar Big-Band Jazz Event Series in New York is executive-produced and presented by diDIVISION Media Productions. The series is made possible by Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, LatinVision Media and AfroTaino Productions.

For 30 years Harlem Stage has been a leading arts organization, achieving distinction through commissioning and presenting innovative works by artists of color, and engaging with the communities it serves through the performing arts. Harlem Stage supported legendary artists including Harry Belafonte, Max Roach, Sekou Sundiata, Abbey Lincoln, Sonia Sanchez, Eddie Palmieri, and Tito Puente as well as contemporary artists Bill T. Jones, Vijay Iyer, Mike Ladd, Tania Léon, Carl Hancock Rux, Jason Moran and more. Harlem Stage's education programs provide 10,000 New York City children annually with access to a world of diverse cultures through the performing arts. The landmarked, award-winning Gatehouse facility is the home base for Harlem Stage. For more information: www.harlemstage.org.