Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Brave Combo

Texas-based Brave Combo’s performances are eclectic and exuberant journeys to the worlds of salsa, merengue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, blues, and more. One of the premier dance bands, the group has won two Grammy Awards, and its music has been heard in feature films and on television. Brave Combo’s foot-tapping music always sparks a party—the band played at David Byrne’s wedding reception and appeared on an episode of The Simpsons.

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Decoda

Anything can happen (and it frequently does) when the sensational musicians of Decoda—alumni of the acclaimed Ensemble Connect—perform. Decoda surprises and delights with the melodic splendor of Ennio Morricone’s Cinema Paradiso film score, a colorful arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, and Piazzolla’s groundbreaking foray into a new and expressive tango style.

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Locos por Juana

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times, “Locos por Juana pulls listeners into a reverse Gulf Stream churning through the Straits of Florida south to Jamaica, Venezuela, and Colombia, and over to Puerto Rico.” Vocalist Itawe Correa, guitarist Mark Kondrat, and drummer Javier Delgado form the band’s core, though they frequently incorporate trombone and percussion soloists. This Grammy-nominated, bilingual, Latin jam-band draws on the diverse backgrounds of its members, riffing on traditional Colombian rhythms and tapping into reggae, ragga, dub, hip-hop, rock, and funk traditions to deliver what Kondrat calls “island swing.”

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Sinkane

London-born Ahmed Gallab, who makes music as Sinkane, lived in Sudan until he was five years old. In these early years, he absorbed the North African musical culture that inspires his rapturous hybrid sound, laced with percussion-heavy Sudanese pop, electronica, funk, and free jazz. He is a prolific recording artist with critically acclaimed EPs and albums to his credit. Sinkane’s most recent recording, Life & Livin’ It, has won rave reviews, with The Guardian touting its “socially conscious music suffused with joy.”

Carnegie Hall Citywide Night

Carnegie Hall Citywide Night is a sensational celebration of music from around the globe and across the country. From foot-stomping sounds of Quebec to the effervescent song and dance of Guinea, the music is free and fun all night.

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Ayo

Spoken poetry, hip-hop, a hard-driving band, and Afrobeat dancers make each of Ayo’s shows an invigorating experience. Essence magazine has called the Nigeria-born performer “one to watch on the Afrobeat scene.” He has made his name on the circuit opening for such superstars as Wande Coal and Talib Kweli, electrifying audiences at the Apollo Theater, and performing on the same bill as Gyptian at South by Southwest. A powerful poet who is passionately committed to social activism, Ayo moves audiences and uplifts their spirits.

Carnegie Hall Citywide: The Pedrito Martinez Group

Fueled by the driving rhythms of the sacred Cuban batá drum and punctuated by African chants, the music of Pedrito Martinez is “complex, blenderized Africa-to-the-New-World funk” (The New York Times). Havana-born drummer and singer Martinez and his group play Afro-Cuban music with precision and power, respecting its roots, but always keeping it fresh and progressive. Besides leading his own group, Martinez has played with Paquito D’Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Edie Brickell, and Sting.

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Hazmat Modine

Hazmat Modine’s music tips its hat to New Orleans–style honky-tonk with dashes of klezmer and gritty jug-band blues tossed in for good measure. Propelled by the earthy vocals and scorching harmonica of band founder Wade Schuman, the group’s unique sound is buoyed by tuba, drums, guitar, and banjo, as well as an Armenian double-reed instrument called the duduk. For nearly a decade, the band has toured in more than 40 countries and performed with an eclectic assortment of musicians, from Kronos Quartet to Natalie Merchant.

Carnegie Hall Citywide: La Chiva Gantiva

Known for its energizing live performances, Brussels-based La Chiva Gantiva—founded by Colombian expats—thrills audiences with its unique style of Latin funk performed with a rock-’n’-roll attitude. Singing in French and Spanish, La Chiva Gantiva plays traditional Caribbean instruments, bass guitar, saxophone, and clarinet. The diverse nationalities of the musicians—Colombian, French, Flemish, and Vietnamese—result in a sound that fuses cultures, creating an explosive onstage energy that has opened the path to many of the biggest festivals in Europe.

Carnegie Hall Citywide:
Hannah Rose Kidwell, Soprano
Christina Giuca, Piano

A pair of winners of the Music Academy of the West’s prestigious Marilyn Horne Song Competition (2017), soprano Hannah Rose Kidwell and pianist Christina Giuca perform together and show us why they took home top honors. Kidwell has appeared in Chapman University’s productions of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and sung the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Giuca holds a collaborative piano fellowship at Bard College, and has served on the music staffs of the Houston Ballet, Eastern Music Festival, and SongFest.