Carnegie Hall today announced the lineup for the summer 2021 season of Carnegie Hall Citywide, the Hall's free concert series that brings live music to all five boroughs of New York City. Presented in partnership with an array of community organizations, the series continues the Hall's 45-year tradition of bringing free concerts throughout New York City's neighborhoods. This summer's schedule includes more than 20 performances in 11 partner venues from June through September, showcasing renowned local artists performing a variety of musical genres-classical, jazz, folk, Latin music, and more-helping to reignite the arts and culture sector in neighborhoods across the city.
"While we continue to work toward
Carnegie Hall's reopening this October, we're thrilled to be presenting extraordinary live music performances across all five boroughs of New York City this summer, says
Clive Gillinson,
Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. "As part of our ongoing commitment to our great city, we feel it's incredibly important to do all we can to bring live music back and we are enormously appreciative of our outstanding community partners for collaborating with us to make that possible."
These summer concerts mark the first live performances presented by
Carnegie Hall since COVID-19 shuttered arts venues in March 2020. All performances will take place outdoors with the most up-to-date safety protocols in place for artists, audiences, and staff.
Carnegie Hall Citywide kicks off on Saturday, June 12 with a concert featuring the Brooklyn-based salsa group Los Hacheros at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park. The Harlem venue will also host the
Ray Chew Dance Party!, a performance led by acclaimed composer, music director, and producer
Ray Chew along with co-producer Vivian Scott Chew on September 25. In addition,
Carnegie Hall welcomes several new partners to the series this summer, including the Dumbo Improvement District in Brooklyn hosting two performances in the DUMBO Archway: New Orleans-based blues collective Hazmat Modine as part of Make Music New York (June 21); and Balkan brass ensemble Slavic Soul Party! (June 26); Queens Botanical Garden presenting Grupo Rebolu (July 1); Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island presenting Jayme Stone's Folklife (July 10); The New York Botanical Garden with a pop-up performance on July 22; Times Square Alliance hosting The Harlem Quartet (August 18); and the Third Avenue BID in the Bronx with Son Del Monte (August 27).
The Madison Square Park Conservancy also joins the summer lineup with a curated series of musical performances by
Carnegie Hall's own Ensemble Connect on Wednesdays in July and August. The themes of
The Madison Square Park performances are inspired by nature and the series will be performed within world-renowned artist Maya Lin's Ghost Forest, a public art commission currently on view in the Park exploring the impact of climate change.
Carnegie Hall's partnership with Bryant Park Picnic Performances continues with five free concerts in the park on Fridays in July and August. The exciting lineup features versatile singer-songwriter
Toshi Reagon and her band BIGLovely (July 9); the two-time Grammy Award-winning salsa and Latin jazz band Spanish Harlem Orchestra (July 16); Brooklyn-based orchestral collective The Knights (July 23); two-time Tony Award nominee
Adrienne Warren (Shuffle Along, Tina) and Friends (July 30); and Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and composer
Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective with the Turtle Island Quartet performing the works of Wayne Shorter (August 6). All five Citywide concerts at Bryant Park will be streamed live and available for free via Bryant Park's social media channels courtesy of Bank of America.
Looking ahead, programming details for
Carnegie Hall's 2021-2022 concert season will be announced on Tuesday, June 8. The 2021-2022
Carnegie Hall Citywide schedule will be announced later this fall.
Please see below for a complete schedule of
Carnegie Hall Citywide summer 2021 events:
LOS HACHEROS
Saturday, June 12 at 5:00 PM
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
679 Riverside Drive | Manhattan
Presented by Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park and the
Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with
Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn-based Los Hacheros's exuberant sound heralds a new golden age of Latin music. The music lifts you out of your seat with dashes of fiery Puerto Rican bomba rhythms added to traditional folk styles like son montuno, guaracha, and salsa. Los Hacheros's music making is propelled by their new lead singer, Grammy Award winner Jeremy Bosch -with violin, trombone, flute, gourd, congas, and tres (a guitar-like instrument from Cuba) providing a platform for soaring, soulful vocals.
HAZMAT MODINE
Monday, June 21 at 6:00 PM
DUMBO Archway
Water Street between Anchorage Place and Adams Street | Brooklyn
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 sousaphone, drums, guitar, and banjo. 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.
This concert is part of the citywide music festival Make Music New York.
SLAVIC SOUL PARTY!
Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 PM
DUMBO Archway
Water Street between Anchorage Place and Adams Street | Brooklyn
Blazing Balkan brass, gutbucket funk, Gypsy accordion, and a big bass drum: This just scratches the surface of whata??Slavic Soul Party!a??brings to every performance. Inspired by its members' Eastern European, Mexican, and Asian roots, it stirs up a tasty mix of gospel, dub, jazz, and Latin music.a??Global Rhythma??says Slavic Soul Party! delivers "some of the most danceable Balkan-flavored pop this side of the Adriatic."
GRUPO REBOLU
Thursday, July 1, at 5:00PM
Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main Street | Queens
Grupo Rebolu's irresistibly danceable music is driven by traditional Afro-Colombian rhythms. The vision of three of the finest Colombian musicians in the US, Grupo Rebolu shares the rich musical traditions of its ancestors: the Afro descendants of Colombia's Caribbean coast. The trio boldly forges new paths for Colombian music while honoring its ancestral roots in lively performances that will get your feet moving.
ENSEMBLE CONNECT
Wednesdays, July 7 through August 11 at 6:00PM
Madison Square Park
Between 23rd and 26th Streets and Fifth and Madison Avenues | Manhattan
The brilliant musicians of Ensemble Connect bring thrilling virtuosity and energy to everything they perform. Their command of a vast range of repertoire that spans the Baroque era to cutting-edge works by leading composers of today makes each performance a fascinating journey of musical discovery. Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and passionate advocates for their communities, these forward-looking musicians are part of a two-year fellowship that aims to redefine what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.
The themes of the Ensemble Connect's performances at Madison Square Park are inspired by nature, designed to complement world-renowned artist Maya Lin's Ghost Forest, a public art commission currently on view in the Park's Oval lawn.
Friday, July 9 at 7:00PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues | Manhattan
From rock to funk, folk, blues, soul, and Black sacred music,
Toshi Reagon is a multi-talented and versatile singer, composer, and musician with a profound ear for Americana. A 2021 recipient of the
Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, her most recent recording Beautiful World will be released this summer. Reagon is joined by her band BIGLovely, featuring vocalists Josette Newsam and
Carla Duren, bassist Ganessa James, guitarist Alex Nolan, and drummer Matt Graff.
JAYME STONE'S FOLKLIFE
Saturday, July 10 at 5:00PM
Historic Richmond Town
441 Clarke Avenue | Staten Island
Jayme Stone's irresistibly eclectic style bridges folk, jazz, and chamber music in explorations of the banjo's historic role in music around the world. Stone has performed with such diverse artists as Malian kora master Mansa Sissoko (a recorded collaboration that earned Canada's JUNO Award), former Carolina Chocolate Drop Dom Flemons, and others from a wide range of genres. Jayme Stone's Folklife-featuring his band of vocals, accordion, fiddle, and bass-shines new light on traditional songs from the Georgia Sea Islands, Creole calypsos, Appalachian dance tunes, and more.
Presented with the support of the Office of the Staten Island Borough President.
SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA
Friday, July 16 at 7:00PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues | Manhattan
Feel the irresistible rhythms and be uplifted by the fire of salsa dura ("hard salsa") when the Spanish Harlem Orchestra takes the stage. The three-time Grammy Award-winning salsa and Latin band's performances are rooted in the great traditions of the barrio (New York City's Spanish Harlem), but also break new ground with fresh approaches to the music.
THE KNIGHTS
Friday, July 23, 2021, 7:00PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues | Manhattan
Acclaimed for its "voracious musical appetite" (Chicago Classical Review), the musicians of The Knights take you on visionary musical journeys with every performance. Tremendously versatile musicians, they have performed with such luminaries as
Dawn Upshaw,
Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, and Béla Fleck. Join this extraordinary ensemble for a concert that showcases vibrant music by Jessie Montgomery, Anna Clyne, and Christina Courtin alongside Mozart's classic Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.
Friday, July 30 at 7:00PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues | Manhattan
Adrienne Warren dazzles the moment she steps on the stage. Her incandescent portrayal of the legendary
Tina Turner in the musical Tina earned her a 2020 Tony Award nomination. Hear Warren and some of her closest musical friends in this not-to-be-missed concert.
Terence Blanchard FEATURING THE E-COLLECTIVE AND TURTLE ISLAND STRING QUARTET
The Music of Wayne Shorter
Friday, August 6 at 7:00PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd streets and Fifth and Sixth avenues | Manhattan
One jazz master salutes another when 2018 United States ArtistsFellow, two-time Oscar nominee, and five-time Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and composer
Terence Blanchard celebrates saxophone icon Wayne Shorter. Shorter's impact as composer and performer with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers,
Miles Davis's second great quintet, and as a leader of his own group, Weather Report, is legendary. Blanchard, joined by The E-Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet, performs new works as well as arrangements of such classic Shorter tunes as "Diana" and "When It Was Now." His album The Music of Wayne Shorter will be released by Blue Note on August 27.
BRANDEE YOUNGER
Saturday, August 7 at 5:00PM
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway | Brooklyn
Hear harp music in a fresh new way when composer, educator, and concert curator Brandee Younger plucks the strings in this performance, part of the Brooklyn Museum's popular First Saturday program. Classical, jazz, soul, and funk are all part of Younger's unique musical world, which includes collaborations with jazz luminaries Jack DeJohnette, Wycliffe Gordon, Charlie Haden, and
Ravi Coltrane. In 2019, she performed in
Quincy Jones and
Steve McQueen's concert series Soundtrack of America, and her composition "Hortense" was featured in Beyoncé's Netflix concert-documentary Homecoming. Her eclectic style was most recently showcased on her newest album, Force Majeur.
HARLEM QUARTET
Wednesday, August 18 at 5:00PM
Times Square
Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 43rd and 44th Streets
Harlem Quartet's dedication to advancing diversity in classical music, collaborative initiatives, and commitment to educational outreach make it one of the most vibrant ensembles of our day. Founded in 2006 by the Sphinx Organization-a national nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts-the quartet has performed cornerstones of the repertoire along with jazz, Latin, and contemporary works. Praised by The Cincinnati Enquirer for "bringing a new attitude to classical music," Harlem Quartet inspires.
SON DEL MONTE
Friday, August 27 at 6:00 PM
Third Avenue Bid
Alexander Avenue at Bruckner Boulevard | Bronx
Timbale player Manny Rivera's dream of leading a charanga band (Cuban dance music) with a hard-driving New York sound comes true each time Son Del Monte performs. Soaring vocals and lively contributions from flute, violin, trombone, piano, and conga drums fuel the group's scorching charanga sound that honors the great bands of past decades while also creating something new and vibrant. Winners of TaínoNation Entertainment's 2018 Band of the Year award, Son Del Monte takes audiences to Havana without leaving New York City.
Presented by Carnegie Hall in collaboration with The Bronx Community Foundation and Bronx Council on the Arts.
Saturday, August 28 at 5:00PM
BMHC @ Bronx Music Hall
1303 Louis Niñé Boulevard | Bronx
New York-born bassist-vocalist
Mimi Jones's talents extend far beyond the stage. A producer and filmmaker, she also owns her record label Hot Tone Music. In addition to leading her quartet, Jones has also been a go-to side woman for such jazz luminaries as Kenny Barron,
Dianne Reeves, Tia Fuller, and
Sean Jones. With Arcoiris Sandoval, she co-directs The D.O.M.E Experience, a multimedia project that raises environmental awareness with original music (performed by a 20-piece band), dance, and cinematography. Her music is always powerful, propulsive, and personal.
Ray Chew LIVE DANCE PARTY!
Saturday, September 25 at 5:00 PM
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
679 Riverside Drive | Manhattan
Presented by Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park and the
Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with
Carnegie Hall, acclaimed producer, bandleader, and music director
Ray Chew-along with co-producer Vivian Scott Chew-uplift audiences. An energetic evening of joyous music is guaranteed to get feet tapping and spirits rising with outstanding guest musicians and singers in a lively outdoor celebration.
To learn more about Carnegie Hall Citywide, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Citywide
