Carnegie Hall to Present NY Pops Family Concert and More in December

By: Sally Henry Fuller Nov. 10, 2015

Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) celebrates A Charlie Brown Christmas with a Family Holiday Concert this December featuring The New York Pops, marking the 50th anniversary of the iconic television special created by Charles M. Schulz. Recommended for ages 5-10, the performance will include a sing-along and other festive surprises.

In January, artists and scholars examine the many social issues raised by West Side Story as part of The Somewhere Project: A Public Forum. Discussions and performances provide the audience with an opportunity to directly engage with the iconic work and explore the role of the arts in social change. This event is part of The Somewhere Project, a unique creative learning project that engages people through events in all five boroughs of New York City leading up to a large-scale production of West Side Story in March 2016 at the Knockdown Center in Queens.

The 40th anniversary season of Neighborhood Concerts continues in December and January with free live performances in community venues in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan by leading jazz, classical and world music artists. Carnegie Kids also celebrates an anniversary-20 years-with fun, free and engaging performances in the Resnick Education Wing recommended for children ages 3-6.

AT CARNEGIE HALL

CARNEGIE KIDS: MY CITY, MY SONG WITH MAGDA GIANNIKOU, FALU, AND YACOUBA SISSOKO
Saturday, December 12 at 12:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12 at 2:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing

Three vibrant New York City-based artists perform in My City, My Song, a colorful, interactive concert that provides an opportunity for kids to learn about New York City's diverse musical and cultural traditions. Athens-born pianist, accordionist, and singer Magda Giannikou performs exuberant music rooted in Greek traditions. Indian singer Falu Shah blends Eastern and Western music into a unique "indie-Hindi" style. Kora player and singer Yacouba Sissoko shares stories and songs from his native Mali.

CARNEGIE HALL FAMILY HOLIDAY CONCERT:
THE NEW YORK POPS
Sunday, December 20 at 3:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

Join Steven Reineke and The New York Pops to celebrate the return of A Charlie Brown Christmas to Carnegie Hall and the 50th anniversary of the iconic television special created by Charles M. Schulz. This popular winter celebration includes a sing-along and exciting surprises that will spread Yuletide cheer for the entire family.

THE SOMEWHERE PROJECT: A PUBLIC FORUM PART I
Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing

Thomas Cabaniss, Moderator
Amanda Dehnert, Panelist
Marin Alsop, Panelist
Carol Oja, Panelist
Additional presenters to be announced

West Side Story: The Issues Then and Now

Explore the powerful social issues raised by West Side Story and the role of the arts in social change. In the first of a two-part forum, Thomas Cabaniss moderates a panel discussion that explores the social issues in 1950s New York and the ways in which West Side Story illuminates them. A brief performance from West Side Story provides the audience with an opportunity to directly engage with the iconic work.

THE SOMEWHERE PROJECT: A PUBLIC FORUM PART II
Sunday, January 24 at 4:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing

Thomas Cabaniss, Moderator
Amanda Dehnert, Panelist
Marin Alsop, Panelist
Jamie Bennett, Panelist
Additional presenters to be announced

West Side Story: Social Transformation Through the Arts

Explore the powerful social issues raised by West Side Story and the role of the arts in social change. Thomas Cabaniss concludes this two-part forum, leading a conversation about social issues and how they can be addressed through the arts. Songs created by New York City community members in The Somewhere Project workshops will be featured, and participants will be asked to think about how they can contribute to making New York City a better "place for us."

CARNEGIE KIDS: RANI ARBO & DAISY MAYHEM
Sunday, January 31 at 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 31 at 2:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing

"One of America's most inventive string bands" (Boston Herald), Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem's jubilant American roots music combines traditional, contemporary, and original tunes anchored by stunning vocal harmonies and a blend of exciting instruments, including a homemade percussion kit made of cardboard boxes, tin cans, and other recycled materials. Folk, funk, blues, bluegrass, gospel, and killer vocals result in a fun-loving concert that will have families dancing.

THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: PISTOLERA
Saturday, December 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Bronx Library Center
310 East Kingsbridge Road (at Briggs Avenue) | Bronx

Brooklyn-based rock band Pistolera performs catchy and highly danceable accordion-led Latin pop. The ensemble's name, which means "female gunslinger" in Spanish, was chosen by singer-songwriter Sandra Lilia Velásquez to convey a sense of both femininity and fierceness. This attitude shines through in Pistolera's music, which blends traditional Mexican rhythms with accordion riffs to create a foot-stomping sound that's "modern, daring, [and] inventive" (NPR).

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT:
YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY
Sunday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m.
New York Hall of Science
Viscusi Gallery
47-01 111th Street | Queens

"One of New York City's artistic treasures" (Opera News), the Young People's Chorus of New York City is a groundbreaking ensemble that is internationally renowned for its virtuosity and showmanship and has established the youth chorus as an instrument of excellent music making. Founded by artistic director and MacArthur Fellow Francisco J. Núñez, the ensemble has collaborated with everyone from the Kronos Quartet to Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth, and performs repertoire that includes Renaissance and classical music as well as jazz, pop, gospel, and folk.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: JOHN CHIN QUINTET
Friday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Flushing Town Hall
Main Theater
137-35 Northern Boulevard (at Linden Place) | Queens

Jazz pianist John Chin has been described as "chameleon-like: pointillist and abstract at one juncture, gnarly or bluesy at another" (Hot House Jazz). Chin, who was born in Seoul and grew up in Los Angeles, leads his own trio and quintet and has shared the stage with such jazz legends as Ron Carter and Benny Golson. His music ranges from intimate, with subtly shaded pianism and intoxicating melodies, to exuberant, with dazzling keyboard pyrotechnics and propulsive rhythms.

This concert is made possible, in part, by the Edward Prager Endowment Fund for Jazz Artists.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: MICHELLE BRADLEY, MICHAEL GAERTNER
Saturday, January 16 at 5:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Church
225 West 99th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue) | Manhattan

Soprano Michelle Bradley and pianist Michael Gaertner were the 2014 winners of Music Academy of the West's Marilyn Horne Song Competition in recognition of their excellent performances of song repertoire and the high levels of audience engagement they achieved. This past fall, Bradley made her New York City debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte with Opera Ebony. A rising collaborative pianist, Gaertner is the resident pianist at the Shreveport Opera.

This concert is part of the Marilyn Horne legacy at Carnegie Hall.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: SYBARITE5
Sunday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture
10 Grand Army Plaza (at Flatbush Avenue) | Brooklyn

SYBARITE5 reinvents the classical string quintet with performances of eclectic repertoire from Mozart to Radiohead, showcasing why this is "not your grandparents' chamber music" (The Observer). The program will be announced from the stage, and may include everything from music by Piazzolla, Elgar, and Dave Brubeck, to groundbreaking new works written for the ensemble by Jessica Meyer, Piotr Szewczyk, Shawn Conley, and Dan Visconti.

About Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall's commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall's mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world's greatest artists, WMI's programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow's musical talent, and harness 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 is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. Half a million people each year engage in WMI's programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes 350,000 students and teachers worldwide who participate in WMI's Link Up music education program for students in grades 3 through 5, made possible through Carnegie Hall partnerships with over 80 orchestras in the US, Brazil, Canada, Spain, and Japan.

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