Carnegie Hall

(NEW YORK, NY; December 5, 2022)—On Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., dynamic artists from around the world will perform in Zankel Hall as part of the Musical Explorers Family Concerts, an interactive experience celebrating unique musical cultures and traditions. The performances feature Gullah music with Quiana, Malian traditional music with Yacouba, and hip-hop with Soul Science Lab. Free pre-concert activities are offered one hour prior to each performance, preparing parents and children to sing and dance along with the artists.

Earlier in the week, from Tuesday, January 10–Friday, January 13, thousands of schoolchildren in grades K–2 will visit Carnegie Hall for high-energy culminating concerts with their classes. This is the first time since the pandemic that Musical Explorers concerts have been able to take place in-person. New York City public school students have been learning about these same artists throughout the semester as part of the Musical Explorers program, which teaches basic music skills in the classroom as children study songs from these musical traditions, reflect on their own communities, and develop singing and listening skills. For more than a decade, Musical Explorers has been taught in New York City classrooms, and this season, the program will reach more than 9,000 students across New York City.

“I cannot tell you how much joy this program brought my first and second graders this week. It also lifted my spirits to see how engaged and excited they were about it. I just want to share how grateful I am for this program, training, and all of the content shared. It has been a core part of my elementary programming for 6 years now and it never fails. It opens the minds and hearts of my youngest students plus it is just so much fun!”—Julienne Dweck, Manhattan Day School

Over the past three years, Musical Explorers has expanded tremendously with a digital platform that reaches teachers nationally, providing free online classroom resources including lesson plans, artist-led videos, and digital concert experiences filmed live at Carnegie Hall. During the pandemic, Carnegie Hall created robust online concerts to recreate the culminating experience. Thousands of teachers across the US are utilizing Carnegie Hall’s all-digital curriculum, bringing musical traditions from around the world to their classroom. Altogether, more than 275,000 students will participate in Musical Explorers through the online platform during the 2022–2023 season.
Additional Musical Explorers Family Concerts will be offered in May 2023.

About the Artists
Quiana Parler is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and composer for the Grammy Award–winning Gullah band Ranky Tanky. The group has toured nationally and internationally, performing at such venues as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and has been featured on The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, and the American Music Awards. Its debut album reached number one on the Billboard charts. Quiana has been the most sought-after vocalist in South Carolina’s low country for more than 20 years, rising to national prominence after her success on the 2003 season of American Idol. She has worked and collaborated with diverse artists such as Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Bobby McFerrin, Miranda Lambert, and many more. She uses her artistry as a vehicle for sharing the Gullah musical and cultural traditions of her ancestors.
Yacouba Sissoko was born in Kita, Mali to a long line of jelis. When he was nine, he began playing the kora and learning centuries-old oral traditions from his grandfather; by the time he was 15, he was performing with prominent African bands, which brought him to the US. Yacouba has toured and recorded with well-known African musicians, such as Amy Koïta, Baaba Maal, Sekouba “Bambino” Diabaté, Kerfala Kanté, and American musicians, including Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Lauryn Hill, and Regina Carter. He effortlessly blends Malian traditions with a range of musical styles. In 2017, he released his first solo album SIYA.
Soul Science Lab (SSL) is a music and multimedia duo powered by Chen Lo and Asante Amin. The two are storytellers who inspire the future. SSL is dedicated to creating a celebrated body of work and cultivating the next generation of iconic artists. The duo’s current projects include Soundtrack ’63, Make a Joyful Noize (commissioned by Carnegie Hall), and Renaissance Mixtape (commissioned by the Apollo Theater). In addition, Soul Science Lab has released three studio albums: Footprints, The Visitor: Alter Destiny, and Plan for Paradise. The duo has also developed a culturally responsive education platform for music creatives and educators at Soul Science University—just call them innovative Afro-futuristic griots.

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.
More than 800,000 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 155 orchestras, music presenters, and education organizations in 40 U.S. states as well as internationally in 15 countries on 6 continents. WMI’s hands-on programs tap into the creativity of audiences of all ages, inviting them to make their own music in all genres, express their viewpoints, and raise their voices. WMI shares an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, families, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. As a leader in music education, WMI generates new knowledge through original research, which inform Carnegie Hall’s own programs and are also available as a resource to artists, organizations, and peers.

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

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Lead funding for Musical Explorers has been provided by Fund II Foundation, Linda and Earle S. Altman, Siegel Family Endowment, and Ralph W. and Leona Kern.

Additional lead funding for Musical Explorers has been graciously provided by JJR Foundation and JMCMRJ Sorrell Foundation.

Additional support has been provided by The Edwin Caplin Foundation and Mr. Chretien Risley, Trustee; Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation; and KPMG LLP.

Musical Explorers is also made possible, in part, by an endowment gift from The Irene Diamond Fund.

Carnegie Hall Family Concerts are made possible, in part, by endowment gifts from Linda and Earle S. Altman, The Irene Diamond Fund, Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., and the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund.

The Weill Music Institute's programs are made available to a nationwide audience, in part, by an endowment grant from the Citi Foundation.

Ticket Information

Tickets, priced at $15, are general admission and available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org (opens in a new tab).

For information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts (opens in a new tab). Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Photo: Fadi Kheir