Carnegie Hall

(NEW YORK, NY; April 6, 2023)—On Saturday, May 13, 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 cumbia with Gregorio Uribe, Vietnamese folk music with Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, and Jordanian folk music with Farah Siraj. Free pre-concert activities will be 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, May 9–Friday, May 12, thousands of schoolchildren in grades K–2 will visit Carnegie Hall for high-energy culminating concerts with their classes. 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 7,000 students across New York City.

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.  

About the Artists
Colombian singer, songwriter, and accordionist Gregorio Uribe has forged a unique place in the music scene of both the US and Latin America. Gregorio has released two critically acclaimed albums, Pluma y Vino and Cumbia Universal, featuring nine-time Grammy Award–winner Rubén Blades. He has shared the stage with Monsieur Periné, Jorge Villamizar (Bacilos), Mariachi artist Flor de Toloache, and Jorge Glem, and has collaborated with renowned artists such as Carlos Vives and Paquito D’Rivera, as well as Martina Camargo and Diego Obregón. His upcoming album combines Colombian sabanero rhythms such as the pasebol, paseaito, and accordion cumbia. His music has been featured in documentaries and TV series including FX’s Mayans M.C. and CBS’s MacGyver.

Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ began studying the đàn Tranh at age four and graduated with distinction from the Vietnam National Academy of Music in 1995. That same year, she won the championship title at the National Đàn Tranh Competition and began touring internationally. She has performed in more than 25 countries and at major venues across the US, including Carnegie Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as well as in countless community workshops. Since settling in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001, she has collaborated with musicians across different genres to create new works, bringing Vietnamese traditional music to a broader audience and preserving her cultural legacy.

Farah Siraj balances a career that spans the US, Europe, and the Middle East. She has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the United Nations, Nobel Prize Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, she represents Jordan annually on United Nations World Peace Day. Farah’s musical releases include her albums, Nomad and Dunya, with songs in English, Arabic, and Spanish. Her collaboration with India’s A.R. Rahman, Zariya, hit number one on music charts in India. As a humanitarian, Farah focuses on raising awareness about the consequences of war and violence and advocates for women’s rights, refugee rights, and animal rights. She was recognized for her humanitarian efforts by the United Nations Humanitarian Awards and approaches music as a medium for peace and compassion.
 

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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.

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 US 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.

For information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, dates, and prices are subject to change.

 

Photo: Richard Termine