Throughout the upcoming 2018-2019 season, the Carnegie Hall Citywide concert series will bring more than thirty free performances by top classical, jazz, world, and popular music artists to seventeen different venues across New York City. Presented in partnership with local community organizations, Carnegie Hall Citywide showcases outstanding mainstage artists and rising stars across a wide variety of genres, tapping into the pulse of the city and bringing people together to share in the joy of music. Formerly known as Carnegie Hall's Neighborhood Concerts, the newly-named series builds on Carnegie Hall's tradition of bringing free performances to New York City neighborhoods for more than forty years.
The free concert series kicks off on Wednesday, July 18 with the first of five free after-work concerts presented outdoors in Midtown's Bryant Park, featuring classical, blues, Latin, gospel, and world music artists. The summer concert series in Bryant Park culminates in a blockbuster
Carnegie Hall Citywide Night on Friday, August 10, featuring five straight hours of music, including gospel, funk, jazz, Afro-Caribbean and gypsy music from Colombia, Guinea, Quebec, and right here in New York City.
Please see below for a complete schedule of 2018-2019
Carnegie Hall Citywide concerts:
Carnegie Hall Citywide-Summer Concerts in Bryant Park
BRAVE COMBO
Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Upper Terrace at Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and
Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan
Texas-based Brave Combo's performances are eclectic and exuberant journeys to the worlds of salsa, merengue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, blues, and more. One of the premier dance bands, the group has won two Grammy Awards, and its music has been heard in feature films and on television. Brave Combo's foot-tapping music always sparks a party-the band played at
David Byrne's wedding reception and appeared on an episode of The Simpsons.
DECODA
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Upper Terrace at Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and
Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan
Anything can happen (and it frequently does) when the sensational musicians of Decoda-alumni of the acclaimed Ensemble Connect-perform. Decoda surprises and delights with the melodic splendor of Ennio Morricone's Cinema Paradiso film score, a colorful arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and
Astor Piazzolla's groundbreaking foray into a new and expressive tango style.
LOCOS POR JUANA
Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Upper Terrace at Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and
Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times, "Locos por Juana pulls listeners into a reverse Gulf Stream churning through the Straits of Florida south to Jamaica, Venezuela, and Colombia, and over to Puerto Rico." Vocalist Itawe Correa, guitarist Mark Kondrat, and drummer Javier Delgado form the band's core, though they frequently incorporate trombone and percussion soloists. This Grammy-nominated, bilingual, Latin jam-band draws on the diverse backgrounds of its members, riffing on traditional Colombian rhythms and tapping into reggae, ragga, dub, hip-hop, rock, and funk traditions to deliver what Kondrat calls "island swing."
SINKANE
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Upper Terrace at Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and
Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan
London-born Ahmed Gallab, who makes music as Sinkane, lived in Sudan until he was five years old. In these early years, he absorbed the North African musical culture that inspires his rapturous hybrid sound, laced with percussion-heavy Sudanese pop, electronica, funk, and free jazz. He is a prolific recording artist with critically acclaimed EPs and albums to his credit. Sinkane's most recent recording, Life & Livin' It, has won rave reviews, with The Guardian touting its "socially conscious music suffused with joy."
Carnegie Hall CITYWIDE NIGHT
Friday, August 10, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.
The Stage at Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and
Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan
Carnegie Hall Citywide Night is a sensational celebration of music from around the globe and across the country. From foot-stomping sounds of Quebec to the effervescent song and dance of Guinea, the music is free and fun all night.
Experience the energy of a Québécois house party when Les Grands Hurleurs take the stage. The three musicians present the traditional music of their homeland, with traces of classical, gypsy music, and electronica. Since the trio's founding in 2009, it has captivated audiences around the world, as well as in Canada, with memorable performances at Canada Day 2017 and the Canada Summer Games. Les Grands Hurleurs' newest album, 3/4 Fort, showcases spectacular vocals and virtuoso fiddle, guitar, and mandolin playing.
Jordan Officer is a virtuoso jazz guitarist, composer, and singer who has wowed audiences in his native Montreal and throughout Canada. Now it's time for the US to experience his unique jazz, blues, rock, and country music. Acclaimed for his collaborations with singer Susie Arioli, Officer has been enjoying a solo career that puts his songwriting front and center. Three Rivers, his recent album inspired by a road trip to the American South, is an irresistible blend of warm and witty songwriting and crisp guitar playing.
Ismael Kouyaté's joyful and passionate music is rooted in Guinea, his West Africa homeland. Born to a family of griots (West African poet-musicians), his high-flying vocals and dancing catapulted an international career that led to a stirring appearance in the Broadway musical Fela!, a performance that caught the attention of Beyoncé, who enlisted him as a featured vocalist on her hit song "Grown Woman." Kouyaté now fronts his own band, which blends the effervescent West African sound with the gritty funk of New York.
Tribu Baharú's exuberant performances of champeta music-a fusion of Colombian, African, and Afro-Caribbean styles-are driven by lively vocals, sparkling Congolese guitar, and high-energy bass and drums. A Tribu Baharú performance recreates the joyous, impromptu spirit of the verbena dances that are popular in Colombian neighborhoods during holidays. With traces of soukous, zouk, calypso, soca, rap, and more, Tribu Baharú celebrates the colorful Colombian musical spectrum.
The Campbell Brothers' brand of electrified, ecstatic music sets pulses racing and hands clapping. Led by the "sacred steel" guitar riffs of brothers Chuck (pedal steel) and Darick (lap steel), buoyed by a rhythm section that pumps out irresistible beats, and featuring the soaring vocals of Denise Brown, it's gospel music with a rock and blues heart. Pure, passionate, and jumping with the energy, The Campbell Brothers have thrilled audiences for nearly two decades-come hear why.
Carnegie Hall Citywide-2018-2019 Season
AYO
Friday, September 7, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Lower Gallery
1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street) | Bronx
Spoken poetry, hip-hop, a hard-driving band, and Afrobeat dancers make each of Ayo's shows an invigorating experience. Essence magazine has called the Nigeria-born performer "one to watch on the Afrobeat scene." He has made his name on the circuit opening for such superstars as Wande Coal and Talib Kweli, electrifying audiences at the Apollo Theater, and performing on the same bill as Gyptian at South by Southwest. A powerful poet who is passionately committed to social activism, Ayo moves audiences and uplifts their spirits.
THE PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP
Friday, October 5, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Lower Gallery
1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street) | Bronx
Fueled by the driving rhythms of the sacred Cuban batá drum and punctuated by African chants, the music of Pedrito Martinez is "complex, blenderized Africa-to-the-New-World funk" (The New York Times). 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.
HAZMAT MODINE
Friday, October 5, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Flushing Town Hall | Main Theater
137-35 Northern Boulevard | Queens
Hazmat Modine's music tips its hat to New Orleans-style honky-tonk with dashes of klezmer and gritty jug-band blues tossed in for good measure. Propelled by the earthy vocals and scorching harmonica of band founder Wade Schuman, the group's unique sound is buoyed by tuba, drums, guitar, and banjo, as well as an Armenian double-reed instrument called the duduk. For nearly a decade, the band has toured in more than 40 countries and performed with an eclectic assortment of musicians, from Kronos Quartet to
Natalie Merchant.
LA CHIVA GANTIVA
Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium
200 Eastern Parkway (at Washington Avenue) | Brooklyn
Known for its energizing live performances, Brussels-based La Chiva Gantiva-founded by Colombian expats-thrills audiences with its unique style of Latin funk performed with a rock-'n'-roll attitude. Singing in French and Spanish, La Chiva Gantiva plays traditional Caribbean instruments, bass guitar, saxophone, and clarinet. The diverse nationalities of the musicians-Colombian, French, Flemish, and Vietnamese-result in a sound that fuses cultures, creating an explosive onstage energy that has opened the path to many of the biggest festivals in Europe.
Corey Cott
Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, LaGuardia Community College
Mainstage Theater
31-10 Thomson Avenue | Queens
Corey Cott was a special guest at
Michael Feinstein's recent
Carnegie Hall concert As Time Goes By: Crooning the American Songbook-and now you have the opportunity to hear him again. He won rave reviews in his Broadway debut as
Jack Kelly in the hit musical Newsies, a role he starred in for two years. Cott returned to Broadway in the revival of Gigi, and recently appeared opposite
Laura Osnes in the world premiere of Bandstand at
Paper Mill Playhouse.
HANNAH ROSE KIDWELL
CHRISTINA GIUCA
Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Church
225 West 99th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue) | Manhattan
A pair of winners of the Music Academy of the West's prestigious
Marilyn Horne Song Competition (2017), soprano Hannah Rose Kidwell and pianist Christina Giuca perform together and show us why they took home top honors. Kidwell has appeared in Chapman University's productions of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and sung the title role in Puccini's Suor Angelica. Giuca holds a collaborative piano fellowship at Bard College, and has served on the music staffs of the Houston Ballet, Eastern Music Festival, and SongFest.
This concert is part of the
Marilyn Horne legacy at
Carnegie Hall.
BILLY CHILDS QUARTET
Monday, October 22, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Langston Hughes Auditorium
515 Malcolm X Boulevard (at 135th Street) | Manhattan
Pianist, composer, and arranger Billy Childs has performed with an honor roll of jazz luminaries that includes Freddie Hubbard, J. J. Johnson,
Joe Henderson, and
Wynton Marsalis. A highly sought-after composer, his music has been performed by a wide range of artists in the worlds of jazz, classical, and pop, including
Yo-Yo Ma,
Chick Corea, Renée Fleming, and Sting. As a recording artist, Childs has won multiple Grammy Awards; most recently, his album Rebirth won the 2018 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
BANDA MAGDA
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
BRIC House
Ballroom
647 Fulton Street (at Rockwell Place) | Brooklyn
Magda Giannikou-the Greek-born leader of Banda Magda-boasts silky vocals, nimble-fingered accordion playing, and an effervescent stage presence that together make for an irresistible performance. With members of the band hailing from Argentina, Japan, Colombia, and the United States, Banda Magda taps into each of these cultures for an eclectic sound. French songs, Afro-Peruvian landó, samba, Greek dance, and other diverse styles compose Banda Magda's inventive set list. The group continues to explore new ground with its recent album Tigre, released in 2017.
DEVA MAHAL
Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium
200 Eastern Parkway (at Washington Avenue) | Brooklyn
Soul music courses through Deva Mahal's veins. The daughter of iconic blues master
Taj Mahal, she collaborated with her father on the song "Never Let You Go" on his Grammy-nominated album Maestro. Her powerhouse voice is ideally suited to soul, which she infuses with dashes of gospel and funk that float on tight jazz-style arrangements. Mahal has also made her mark performing alongside such legends as
Etta James,
Dianne Reeves, Maceo Parker,
Bettye Lavette, and
Cyndi Lauper.
THE ELIO VILLAFRANCA AFRO CARIBBEAN TRIO
Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue (at 135th Street) | Manhattan
Cuban-born pianist Elio Villafranca's brand of jazz excites with its virtuosity and pulsing Latin rhythms. Villafranca was classically trained in percussion and composition in Cuba. Since his 1995 arrival in the US, he has been among the foremost pianists, composers, and bandleaders. A Grammy Award nominee, Villafranca's recordings have been praised in the jazz press. His debut album, Incantations Encantaciones, was selected as one of JazzTimes magazine's 50 best albums of 2003.
LARA ST. JOHN
MATT HERSKOWITZ
Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center
10 Grand Army Plaza (at Flatbush Avenue) | Brooklyn
Called a "volcanic violinist with a huge, fabulous tone" (Los Angeles Times), Lara St. John is equally at home with classical works, new music, folk, and beyond. She is joined by multifaceted pianist Matt Herskowitz, recognized for his jazz, world music, and free improvisation skills. The duo performs an eclectic program that features Debussy's Violin Sonata (a work filled with verve and light), Milica Paranosic's arrangement of the traditional Macedonian circle dance ?o?ek, Martin Kennedy's spectacularly virtuosic and wildly raucous Czardashian Rhapsody, and much more.
LORRAINE KLAASEN
Monday, February 18, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Langston Hughes Auditorium
515 Malcolm X Boulevard (at 135th Street) | Manhattan
Lorraine Klaasen is South African music royalty. The daughter of renowned jazz singer Thandi Klaasen, she honors the vibrant musical traditions that were born in the townships: the poor, racially segregated urban areas of South Africa's apartheid era. Influenced by such South African legends as
Miriam Makeba-the inspiration for her 2013 JUNO Award-winning tribute album-Klaasen makes the music her own with her impassioned singing and dynamic stage presence.
Alphonso Horne AND THE GOTHAM KINGS
Friday, February 22, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
Flushing Town Hall | Main Theater
137-35 Northern Boulevard | Queens
Alphonso Horne honors the legacy and continues the rich traditions of such iconic trumpet masters as
King Oliver and
Louis Armstrong. Horne and the band have the sizzling chops to capture the classic sound of New Orleans jazz and the innovative vision to put their own contemporary stamp on the music. Horne has performed with such stars as
Wynton Marsalis (who included him in a list of 16 young jazz musicians entitled "Wynton's Picks: Who's Got Next"),
Dianne Reeves,
Jane Monheit, and Rihanna.
MANTRA PERCUSSION
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
Pregones Theater
575 Walton Avenue | Bronx
Mantra Percussion's mission is to honor the past and expand the future of percussion music. "Forward thinking" (Time Out New York) and "a fresh source of energy" (The New York Times), Mantra Percussion has headlined internationally with notable appearances at BAM's Next Wave Festival, Bang on a Can Marathon, Ecstatic Music Festival, and Right Now Music in South Korea. Passionately devoted to music by living composers, the ensemble has commissioned and premiered more than 40 new works in the past eight years.
ENSEMBLE CONNECT
Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church
178 Bennett Avenue (at 189th Street) | Manhattan
Ensemble Connect's daring, versatility, and virtuosity is limitless. Whether these musicians are drawing an audience into the Russian soul of Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio or exploring the visionary works of Steve Reich, they show why they have been called "the new face of classical music" (The New York Times). Each a stellar artist, these exciting young musicians are members of a fellowship program that prepares them for careers as innovative performers, teachers, and advocates for music in the 21st century.
SOH DAIKO
Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, LaGuardia Community College
Mainstage Theater
31-10 Thomson Avenue | Queens
Soh Daiko shatters the boundaries of traditional taiko drumming. This New York-based Japanese drumming collective's shows are high-energy displays of sensational choreography and amazing athleticism. In a great visual spectacle, Soh Daiko's impeccable musicians perform traditional Japanese Shinto and taiko music, as well as daring new compositions by ensemble members. The members play a vast array of drums, complemented by bamboo flutes, brass bells, conch shells, and gongs. Exhilarating, breathtaking, and always captivating, Soh Daiko keeps your pulse racing.
iLe
Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue | Manhattan
Classic Latin boleros, mambos, and danzóns burn hotter with iLe's sultry voice. Before she went solo and took her current stage name, Ileana Cabra was a singer and rapper under the name PG-13, performing with the popular rap group Calle 13 that features her half-brothers known as Residente and Visitante. Her most recent album, the breakthrough iLevitable, features Latin favorites along with songs written by her family members and backed by a host of Puerto Rican music superstars.
SIENA LICHT MILLER
CAMERON RICHARDSON-EAMES
Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Church
225 West 99th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue) | Manhattan
Mezzo-soprano Siena Licht Miller's versatile operatic career-she has sung roles by
John Adams, Britten, Ravel, Mozart, and Puccini-is coupled with noteworthy performances on concert and recital stages. A 2016
Marilyn Horne Rubin Scholar, she has sung in master classes led by Ms. Horne, Renée Fleming, and Plácido Domingo. She is joined by Cameron Richardson-Eames, an award-winning chamber musician and collaborative pianist who has accompanied master classes led by such singers as Dame Felicity Lott and Dame Sarah Connolly.
THE ITTY BIDDIES
Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
New York Hall of Science
Viscusi Gallery
47-01 111th Street | Queens
The Itty Biddies' foot-tapping tunes, crystal-clear vocals, and instrumental skills inspire audiences of all ages to sing and dance along with the band. The musicians' soaring vocals are buoyed by sweet ukulele, melodic piano, groovy bass, and fat drums for an irresistibly joyous sound that will lift your spirits, and get your fingers snapping and your toes tapping.
DEVONY SMITH
NIKOLAY VEREVKIN
Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Church
225 West 99th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue) | Manhattan
Soprano Devony Smith has been praised by The New York Times for her "sensuous" and "strong" voice. A winner of the MIMF Art Song Competition and participant in The Song Continues, she is equally at home on the operatic stage and in the recital hall. Her performances of Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with The Bronx Opera Company and OperaRox Productions were called "utterly alive, natural, and beautifully sung" by Opera News. She is joined by collaborative pianist Nikolay Verevkin, who has worked with a host of vocal stars, such as
Danielle De Niese,
Matthew Polenzani, and Michelle DeYoung.
SPEKTRAL QUARTET
Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center
10 Grand Army Plaza (at Flatbush Avenue) | Brooklyn
"Unlike anything its intended audience-or anyone else-has ever heard" (Gramophone), the Spektral Quartet reveals the hidden nuances of the classic string quartet repertoire while opening the door to the visionary music of our day. The ensemble has been praised by The New York Times for its "supreme technical command that seems to come easily" and its "capacity to make complicated music clear." Among its many unique initiatives is Mobile Miniatures, a project for which the quartet commissioned more than 40 composers to write ringtone-length pieces that were made available for download to mobile devices.
IBERI
Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
Our Saviour's Atonement Lutheran Church
178 Bennett Avenue (at 189th Street) | Manhattan
In ancient times, the country of Georgia was called Iberia; the vocal ensemble Iberi honors its homeland's historic traditions in song. Iberi sings work songs, carols, hymns, historical ballads, and a host of treasures from the pre-Christian era with gripping intensity and virtuosity. Clad in their trademark black coats and boots, the musicians' iconic brand of polyphonic singing features blocks of unconventional improvised harmonies with wild stratospheric falsetto tones floating above sepulchral bass notes. Drama, ecstasy, and tenderness are at the core of every note Iberi sings.
ENSEMBLE CONNECT
Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.
Jackson Heights Branch Library, Queens Library
Auditorium Room
35-51 81st Street | Queens
The outstanding young professional musicians of Ensemble Connect are fellows in a two-year program that supports them in building careers as top-quality performers, innovative programmers, and dedicated teachers. With their refreshing approach to a vast range of music-from the earliest Baroque works to cutting-edge pieces by Missy Mazzoli and Caroline Shaw-Ensemble Connect is entertaining and always inspirational.
TIA FULLER
Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue (at 135th Street) | Manhattan
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader Tia Fuller is one of the leading performers on the jazz scene, as well as a member of Beyoncé's touring band. An instrumental triple threat-she plays alto and soprano saxophone, and flute-she is a much sought-after performer who has played with such jazz luminaries as Wycliffe Gordon, Don Byron, Jon Faddis, and
Nancy Wilson. Not only a stellar performer, Fuller is also a dedicated educator and full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music.
Joe Bataan
Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue | Manhattan
It's a rare artist who can be credited with defining a genre, but singer-keyboardist
Joe Bataan is the standard-bearer for boogaloo-the fiery fusion of Latin rhythms and gritty New York-centric soul music that exploded onto the scene in the late 1960s. Bataan is still pumping out these sizzling beats, singing doo-wop-tinged, Latin-laced favorites like the funky "Subway Joe" and smooth and soulful "Ordinary Guy," lifting audiences out of their seats and getting their feet moving.
JAYME STONE'S FOLKLIFE
Friday, June 21, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.
Upper Terrace at Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and
Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan
Jayme Stone bridges folk, jazz, and chamber music as he celebrates the banjo's historic role in music around the world. Stone is an eclectic musician who has performed with such diverse artists as Malian kora master Mansa Sissoko (a recorded collaboration that earned Canada's JUNO Award), former Carolina Chocolate Drop Dom Flemons, and other performers from a wide range of genres. Jayme Stone's Folklife-featuring his band of vocals, accordion, fiddle, and bass-shines new light on traditional songs from the Georgia Sea Islands, Creole calypsos, Appalachian dance tunes, and more.
This concert is part of the citywide music festival Make Music New York.
BIRDS OF CHICAGO
Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
South Meadow Stage
1000 Richmond Terrace (at Hamilton Avenue) | Staten Island
Birds of Chicago-husband-and-wife team JT Nero and
Allison Russell-has been making soulful, heartfelt music since 2012. In Nero's words, the duo's self-described "secular gospel" songs open up "channels of love." Birds of Chicago's voices-Nero's gritty and Russell's smooth-blend beautifully and recall country blues, doo-wop, and classic soul. The pair's newest album, Love in Wartime, is balm for the nation's troubled times, offering messages of trust and understanding that are also danceable.
To learn more about Carnegie Hall Citywide, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Citywide
