Bronx Arts Ensemble Announces Winter Concert Season With Focus On Bronx Teaching Artists      

Bronx Arts Ensemble(BAE) announces its 2021 Winter concert season, highlighting the resilience of Bronx Teaching Artists. These concerts continue BAE's commitment to presenting online performances to the people of the Bronx and beyond during the pandemic. There will be a "Behind the Music" component to this series, where the Teaching Artists will shed light on the process utilized to create the music, as well as their experiences teaching the art form of music and history.

The winter season opens with two lunchtime presentations in January from BAE Teaching Artists: Victoria Angela Ortiz (vocals/keyboard) and Thomas Martin (violin/synthesizers), who actively teach music for BAE in our Bronx partner schools. In dedication to our resilient frontline workers, Ms. Ortiz will present a selection of inspirational songs that will uplift and support the spirit of positivity, including "I Want To Be Happy/Long, Long Ago'' & her original composition "The Music Deep Inside," both sung in English & Spanish. During Mr. Martin's online concert, he will present an engaging inside view (BAE Behind the Music) of his compositions for violin and synthesizers, "Windows on a Melody" and "Windows on a Score," as well as select movements for solo violin by J.S. Bach. You can find more information about these concerts at bronxartsensemble.org/events/list.

The winter season will continue with a celebration of Black History Month featuring presentations by BAE Teaching Artists Francisca "Kika" Wright (bassoon/essay), Yahaya Kamate (African Drums/essay), and Ashley Hart Adams (literary readings). Ms. Wright will perform her favorite negro spirituals, including "Go Down Moses," and recite an essay about her experiences as an Afro Latina, as well as providing a glimpse into how she presents the musical and historical background of the African American experience to her students. Joining Ms. Wright, Ms. Adams will recite historical African American literary readings, adding to the depth of the spirit of the negro spirituals. Mr. Kamate, joined by his African drumming/dance group and an African History orator, will present the African diaspora through music, dance, and spoken word, as well as elaborate on how he shares his personal story of the African experience with his students.