Carnegie Hall

Throughout the season, New York City teens come together each week to write, produce, and perform original music across genres with their peers and learn from leading artists through Future Music Project, a vibrant creative community based out of Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing. Future Music Project includes weekly afterschool workshops on songwriting and digital music production and a sampler pack exploring basic musicianship, recording, and songwriting. The faculty is comprised of leading professional musicians, producers, technicians, and DJs who are active in New York’s vibrant music scenes. Weekly workshops are free, and lunch and a roundtrip MetroCard are provided at every workshop. Future Music Project also takes place offsite for young people in the justice system.

Throughout the 2019-20 season, students write original music tied to All Together: A Global Ode to Joy, Carnegie Hall’s global exploration of the “Ode to Joy” in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as part of its season-long Beethoven Celebration honoring the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Select songs written by New York City teens, interpreting the ideals embodied in Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” will be showcased on Sunday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. as part of All Together: Songs for Joy, a special concert in Zankel Hall led by celebrated mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato, featuring Ensemble Connect and special guest artists.

A dynamic collective also comes together throughout the school year as the Future Music Project Ensemble featuring some of the brightest young musicians (ages 14-19) from across New York City. The Ensemble meets every week to develop music across a variety of musical genres and to perform at Carnegie Hall and throughout the city. They embark on a five-borough tour during the year, including concerts at the Bronx Library Center (December 14); Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side (January 25); C’mon Everybody in Brooklyn (April 30); and Queens Theatre (June 11), as well as a peer-to-peer teen exchange performance in Staten Island (March 28).

The 2019-20 Future Music Project Ensemble is comprised of 13 talented teen musicians who have recently been selected through an audition process.

Adam Cabo, Drums (Bronx)

Sophia Davis, Voice (Brooklyn)

Jacob Duran, Voice (Bronx)

Mikhail Grossman, Violin (Manhattan)

Scarlette Hashimoto, Cello (Brooklyn)

Lionel Hudson, Voice (Manhattan)

Alejandro Ingkavet, Piano (Brooklyn)

Ilan Kahanov, Bass (Manhattan)

Tess Lynch, Fiddle (Staten Island)

Dan Nunez, Percussion/ Drums (Bronx)

Eoin O’Mara, Guitar (Manhattan)

Luna Simone-Gonzalez, Viola (Manhattan)

Violet Young, Voice (Manhattan)

 

Every Saturday throughout the school year, teens can also take part in Future Music Project’s Studio 57, a free drop-in space for exploring new music and collaborating with other talented young musicians. This season, “Meet the Pros” sessions are offered each week, giving young people the chance to meet professional artists from a variety of genres who are active in the New York City music scene. And once a month, young musicians showcase original songs for family and friends as part of teen-driven Studio 57 Live open mic concerts. Teens (ages 14–19) can learn more and sign up to attend Studio 57 here. The program is free, and MetroCards and snacks are provided every Saturday.

 

Featured “Meet the Pros” and Studio 57 Live artists include:   

 

On Monday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m., Future Music Project will present their spring concert, which is the first time all of the musicians participating in Future Music Project across New York City will perform on the Zankel Hall stage.

The Future Music Project complements existing community programs for teens offered by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, which also includes NeON Arts, a program of the New York City Department of Probation in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute that offers free arts projects in all five boroughs for young people.

Follow Future Music Project on Instagram at instagram.com/futuremusicproject.
Listen to original music on SoundCloud here.
\Watch live performances on YouTube here.

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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. More than 600,000 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 more than half a million 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 115 orchestras in the US from Alaska to Puerto Rico, as well as internationally in Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Kenya, and Spain.For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Education

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Lead support for Future Music Project is provided by Nicola and Beatrice Bulgari and The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation.

Public support is provided by New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

Carnegie Hall is a partner in The Door's Youth Opportunity Hub, funded [in part] by the New York County District Attorney's Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII).

Photo at top of release by Fadi Kheir.