WNYC Unveils New Performance Space; Launches 10-Day Opening Festival On 4/28

On Tuesday, April 28th, WNYC Radio will open the doors of its new street-level public space, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. WYNC will host a 10-day festival to celebrate the new facility. Special Guests for the celebration will include Brian Stokes Mitchell, Liz Calloway, Rosie Perez, Peter Gerety, Jill Clayburgh, David Rabe, Ayodele Casel, Paul Krugman, Lou Reed, Ira Glass, Jason Moran, Cornel West, ETHEL String Quartet, Joy Behar, Richard Goode, Sonia Sanchez, Simone Dinnerstein, and ELMO, among others.

A multipurpose, multiplatform street-level studio and performance venue, THE Greene Space represents a new dimension for WNYC, transforming the public radio station from an on-air and online destination into a cultural destination as well.

The Greene Space is located at 44 Charlton Street (on the corner of Charlton and Varick) New York, New York 10014. Tune in on 93.9fm and am820.

Full information on the Festival can be found at wnyc.org/thegreenespace

OPENING NIGHT, Tuesday, April 28, 7pm - "A Night of World Premieres" Concert

The Greene Space bursts onto the New York landscape with an explosion of experimentation and innovation as three platforms collide - radio, digital and live - to create a synergistic evening of sight, sound and experience. The concert, in its entirety, will be webcast on www.wnyc.org/thegreenespace

The program will consist of the following:

* Osvaldo Golijov will use the city of New York, and WNYC's place in the city's history, as inspiration for an original composition. Sounds from WNYC's extensive archives, which date back to the station's inception in 1924, will generate the rhythms of this world premiere. Performing the work will be a group of rising young artists, including Jay Flower, an avant-garde composer who uses laptop technology to create his unique pieces; Michael Ward-Bergeman, a hyper-accordionist (an accordion that also serves as a MIDI electronic controller); and ETHEL, the genre-bending NY string quartet renowned for questioning the boundaries between performer, audience, technology, and tradition. The WNYC Radio commission by Osvaldo Golijov is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Cheswatyr Foundation.
* Writer/activist Sonia Sanchez, recipient of the National Book Award, will perform an original poem, created specifically to inaugurate the space.
* In partnership with Symphony Space's Selected Shorts, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Liz Calloway will read selections, plus a WNYC commission by Samantha Hunt in collaboration with A Public Space cultural journal.
* Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Musical Director of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company will perform a work for solo violin.
* Ayodele Casel, hailed by Gregory Hines as "one of the top young tap dancers in the world today," and electro-jazz cellist/composer Dana Leong, often referred to as "a hi-def Yo-Yo Ma," will create a duet of tap and cello, rooted in the music of the classical canon.

THE GREENE SPACE invites audiences to experience a range of presentations and productions - from live radio shows with WNYC hosts to exclusive commissioned works by emerging and established visual artists, writers and composers; from innovative audio theater to intimate musical performances; from conversations about the top political and social issues of the day to newsmaker interviews.

With the capacity to present works on multiple platforms - live and in person, on terrestrial radio, through webcasting and podcasting, via telecasting - THE GREENE SPACE will challenge radio hosts, commissioned artists and producers to break down barriers and create experimental and innovative works that blend audio, visual and digital programming.

"The Greene Space perfectly expresses WNYC's impulse to continue to innovate public radio and inspire people in new ways," said Laura Walker, WNYC President and CEO. "As we produce live events and audio and video programming streetside on Varick Street, we love the fact New Yorkers will be able to see our hosts in action, participate in political dialogues, and enjoy cultural performances. We become a part of the New York City and Hudson Square community in a tangible, visible way. WNYC has tremendous assets: its people, its ethos, its technology, its listeners and the city itself. Finally we have a way to combine them all."

"It is perhaps not a coincidence that ‘The Greene Space' sounds like a place of growth," said Indira Etwaroo, Executive Producer for The Greene Space, "because that's just what it will be: a kind of hothouse for artists, thinkers, and newsmakers to reimagine and cultivate new ways to relay information, report news, and tell stories. Politics, culture, ideas-everything listeners associate with WNYC's radio programming-will benefit from an environment designed to reflect the exquisite diversity of New York City and to reach through and amplify the collision of terrestrial radio, digital technology and live content."

The Greene Space will feature a number of ongoing signature initiatives, including:

* Live Radio Shows - Audiences will experience live radio in the making when they join beloved WNYC hosts including Brian Lehrer, Leonard Lopate, John Schaefer, Terrance McKnight , and David Garland.
* GreeneWorks Commissioning Series - The Greene Space will invite the city's poets, writers, musicians, and performing and visual artists to use the space as a unique multimedia laboratory, inspiring works that create an innovative mix of sounds, sights, and experiences. GreeneWorks is supported, in part, by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
* A New Theater of Sound - The Greene Space will collaborate with theater groups to re-imagine audio theater for the 21st century. The initiative also includes "The Sound," a high school residency that introduces teenagers to this century-old storytelling form and invites them to create their own audio plays. A New Theater of Sound is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.
* The NEXT New York Conversation - A conversation series with key tastemakers, newsmakers, and changemakers.
* Partnerships with Cultural Institutions - The Greene Space will continue WNYC's commitment to serving all of New York's communities by collaborating and partnering with cultural institutions from all five boroughs.

* Social and Community Events - Swinging singles parties, community summits, family events, and more

WNYC Radio is New York's premier public radio station, comprising WNYC 93.9 FM and WNYC AM 820. As America's most listened-to public radio stations, reaching over one million listeners each week, WNYC FM and AM extend New York City's cultural riches to the whole country and air the best national offerings from affiliate networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a broad range of daily news, talk, cultural and classical music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. For more information, visit www.wnyc.org.

The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space was made possible by a generous contribution from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.