ETHEL & Friends Will Host DATE NIGHT AT THE MET With Jas Ogiste and Edward W. Hardy

ETHEL and Friends brings Date Night to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Great Hall Balcony Cafe on the 2nd Floor, by the resident ensemble, ETHEL. "Date Night" Artists perform 3 sets on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 - 8:30 PM.

On March 8th and March 9th, members of The Harlem Chamber Players, pianist Jas Ogiste and violinist Edward W. Hardy, will perform music by Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Florence Price, Edith Piaf, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Nina Simone, Gershwin, Hardy, Astor Piazzolla, and more.

Ogiste and Hardy are excited to share their program that is in conjunction with the opening of The Met's exhibition, "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism." Hardy says "It's been a dream to represent the Harlem Chamber Players and I can't wait to perform at The Met with Jas Ogiste! The first time we performed together was last November in HCP's "Annual Bach concert," but now we'll be playing a plethora of music and genres during the Ethel & Friends series, "Date Night."

Date Night at The Met is free with Museum admission, which is always pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students with valid ID. Pay-what-you-wish tickets can only be reserved in person; allow extra time for lines. Met Members can use their Member card as their ticket and enter at 81st Street and Fifth Avenue. Click here to join today.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jas Ogiste is a solo and chamber pianist who has been recognized by institutions, including The Harlem School of Arts, National Association for Negro Musicians, Flint Initiative, and The Watson Foundation. She currently works for Americas Society/Music of the Americas and as a researcher for WQXR's podcast, Every Voice with Terrance McKnight.

During her undergraduate career, Jas studied with Haewon Song and has been mentored by renowned classical pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton, Peter Basquin, and Elinor Freer. She has also placed in the Spotlight International Piano Competition, William Knabe International Piano Competition, and Ruthmere Piano Competition. Jas is continuing her performing career as a pianist in New York City and has been heard at performance halls, including Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall, The Harlem School of the Arts, and Lincoln Center's Sidewalk Studio. She received her Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory in 2022 and is currently pursuing her master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music.

Jas's work reflects her Afro-Caribbean culture and identity; she was a national competitor for a 2022 Watson Foundation Fellowship for her project "Bridging Two Worlds: Navigating Blackness in Classical Music," and she intends to continue to empower and spotlight artists of the African diaspora through her work and musical output.

Edward W. Hardy is a critically acclaimed Black and Puerto Rican composer, music director, virtuoso violinist and violist. Recognized as one of the foremost exponents of solo violin repertoire for theatrical productions, Hardy served as the composer, music director and violinist of the sensational Off-Broadway show "The Woodsman," earning the 2016 Obie Award, 2014 Jim Henson Foundation Grant, and was broadcast on PBS stations four separate times.

While remaining dedicated to arts education and creative entrepreneurship, Hardy is the founder and artistic director of the Omnipresent Music Festival - BIPOC Musicians Festival, the co-founder/past senior director of operations of the Northern Colorado Center for Arts Entrepreneurship, and the previous digital marketing director and artistic advisor of the Beethoven in the Rockies Concert Series.

Over the past decade, Hardy held violin teaching/ performing residencies and, as a visiting artist, gave masterclasses and lectures at numerous music programs and universities spanning New York City to Los Angeles, California. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Arts degree and serving as a graduate instructor in violin performance at the University of Northern Colorado, he remains an active and dedicated performing artist throughout the United States, venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and many others.

Currently, Hardy's discography contains 8 singles, 1 album, and his list of original compositions include works for solo violin, voice, harp, piano, string quartet, string trio, string duo, Latin ensemble, and soundtracks for film and stage. Mr. Hardy has research in non-traditional string techniques and beyond his history of premiering contemporary works, his dissertation, A Compendium of Three Musical Works Inspired by the African American Experience: Recordings, Commentary, and Pedagogical Observations is scheduled to be published in May 2024.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Harlem Chamber Players, Inc. is an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high caliber, affordable, accessible live music to people in the Harlem community and beyond. THCP promotes arts inclusion and equal access to the arts, bringing live music to underserved communities and promoting shared community arts and cultural engagement.

For more information visit harlemchamberplayers.org.

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