Back to Press Release List > 11/16/2009 - Weill Music Institute Announces Free Community Programs in November and December

With its access to the world’s greatest artists and the latest technologies, The Weill Music Institute (WMI)—Carnegie Hall’s education and community programs arm—provides many high-quality music education programs and events to children, adults, and young artists at low or no cost each year. WMI’s 2009–2010 season includes affordable events for families and young children, free community events in all five boroughs of New York City, school-based programs for all grade levels, and professional programs for young artists. For a full list of WMI programs, click here.

The Weill Music Institute’s free Neighborhood Concert Series continues this November and December with performances in venues throughout New York City by a number of classical, jazz, and Latin ensembles, including Ensemble ACJW, Latin Caribbean group Son de Madre, jazz ensemble The Maurice Brown Effect, and family favorites Polygraph Lounge. For more than 30 years, Carnegie Hall has presented free Neighborhood Concerts for all ages in collaboration with museums, colleges, libraries, community centers, churches, and cultural organizations, with music reflecting the diverse sounds of the city and Carnegie Hall's quality programming.

WMI strengthens its community involvement, presenting over 100 such events this year, not only through the Neighborhood Concert Series, but also through an expansion of the Community Partnership Program in Harlem and the Bronx and through the new program, Musical Connections. An upcoming highlight of WMI’s programming in Harlem will be a free, interactive “Community Sing” performance on Saturday, December 12 at 2 p.m. at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. People of all ages are invited to come together for an afternoon of singing with award-winning choir Songs of Solomon. No experience is necessary! Carnegie Hall’s “Community Sing” events have become a popular addition to the Neighborhood Concert Series line-up, following lively events last season with the Soweto Gospel Choir and Vy Higginsen and the Gospel for Teens Choir.

November/December free Neighborhood Concert Series highlights include:

On Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m., four members of Ensemble ACJW—a classical ensemble made up of young musicians from The Academy—perform a children’s program at Opus 118 Harlem School of Music in Upper Manhattan. ACJW makes a second appearance with three different chamber groups on Sunday, November 8 at 5:00 p.m. at Music at Our Saviour’s Atonement in Upper Manhattan.

Son De Madre, a group that mixes the Latin Caribbean tradition with a modern feel, performs on Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Queens.

On Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m., jazz ensemble the Maurice Brown Effect performs at Harlem Stage Gatehouse.

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Joe Jencks performs at Levenson Recital Hall at Brooklyn College in collaboration with the Harmony Program and the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music on Saturday, November 21 at 3:00 p.m.

On Saturday, December 5 at 2:30 p.m., Latin jazz group Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band perform at the Bronx Library Center.

Creative music masterminds Mark Stewart and Rob Schwimmer, also known as Polygraph Lounge, present a family-friendly program at the Gershwin Theater at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College on Sunday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m.

On Saturday, December 12 at 2:00 p.m. award-winning choir Songs of Solomon will lead the first “Community Sing” of the season at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Led by Chantel Renee Wright, New York City’s Songs of Solomon: An Inspirational Ensemble was founded in 2001 for youth who desired to express their artistic self through all forms of inspirational music. Comprised of youth of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, the ensemble has performed all over the country, including at Carnegie Hall. Vocalists of all ages are welcome to attend this lively, interactive event. No experience is necessary!

For a complete schedule of Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts throughout the season, please visit: carnegiehall.org/neighborhoodconcerts.

New This Season: Musical Connections

Starting with this season, The Weill Music Institute has launched a new pilot program: Musical Connections. Musical Connections provides diverse live music experiences to people dealing with challenging circumstances in hospitals, hospices, correctional facilities, shelters, and eldercare facilities. To address the particular needs of these diverse audiences, a roster of performing artists and ensembles have been specially selected to present concerts, workshops, and residencies, and these musicians will benefit through professional development opportunities offered by The Weill Music Institute. The Weill Music Institute is fostering new partnerships with many host facilities in New York City with 50 free Musical Connections events presented during the 2009–2010 season.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall
The Weill Music Institute creates broad-reaching music education and community programs that play a central role in Carnegie Hall’s commitment to making great music accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Woven into the fabric of the Carnegie Hall concert season, these programs occur at Carnegie Hall as well as in schools and throughout neighborhoods, providing musical opportunities for everyone, from preschoolers to adults, new listeners to emerging professionals. With access to the world’s greatest artists and latest technologies, The Weill Music Institute is uniquely positioned to inspire the next generation of music lovers, to nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and to shape the evolution of musical learning itself. The Weill Music Institute’s school and community programs annually serve over 115,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young music professionals, and adults in the New York metropolitan area and across the US, as well as 65,000 people around the world through its online and distance learning initiatives.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/exploreandlearn.

Program Information
All events are free. Please contact the performance venue for specific reservation information.

Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ENSEMBLE ACJW
Opus 118 Harlem School of Music
103 East 125th Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10035
Public Phone 212-831-4455

The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—is made possible by a leadership gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, The Irving Harris Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Martha and Bob Lipp, Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., Judith and Burton Resnick, Susan and Elihu Rose, and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional support from Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Susan and Ed Forst, Mrs. Nancy A. Marks, The William Petschek Family, Suki Sandler, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

The Academy School Partnerships benefitting NYC public school students are made possible, in part, by Bank of America.

The Academy and Ensemble ACJW are made possible, in part, by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Recovery Act, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
___________________________________________

Sunday, November 8 at 5:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ENSEMBLE ACJW
Music at Our Saviour’s Atonement (MOSA)
178 Bennett Avenue (one block west of Broadway & 189th St.)
New York, NY 10040
Public Phone 212-923-5757

The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—is made possible by a leadership gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, The Irving Harris Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Martha and Bob Lipp, Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., Judith and Burton Resnick, Susan and Elihu Rose, and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional support from Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Susan and Ed Forst, Mrs. Nancy A. Marks, The William Petschek Family, Suki Sandler, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

The Academy School Partnerships benefitting NYC public school students are made possible, in part, by Bank of America.

The Academy and Ensemble ACJW are made possible, in part, by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Recovery Act, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
___________________________________________

Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: SON DE MADRE
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica, NY 11432
Public Phone 718-658-7400 ext.100
RSVP Required

Our thanks to The Honorable Leroy G. Comrie for making today's concert possible.
___________________________________________

Saturday, November 21 at 3:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: JOE JENCKS
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College
Levenson Hall
2900 Campus Road and Hillel Place
Brooklyn, NY 11210
___________________________________________

Saturday, December 5 at 2:30 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: CHRIS WASHBURNE AND THE SYOTOS BAND
Bronx Library Center of the New York Public Library
310 East Kingsbridge Road
Bronx, NY 10458
Public Phone 718-579-4244
___________________________________________

Sunday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: POLYGRAPH LOUNGE
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College
George Gershwin Theatre
2900 Campus Road and Hillel Place
Brooklyn, NY 11210
Public Phone 718-951-4500 (Box Office)

Free Tickets Required
___________________________________________

Saturday, December 12 at 2:00 p.m.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: COMMUNITY SING WITH SONGS OF SOLOMON
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard at 135th Street
New York, NY 10037
Public Phone 212-491-2040
RSVP Required

The Carnegie Hall Community Partnership Program is supported by Ameriprise Financial.
___________________________________________

Tickets: Free

Sponsored by Target

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

###