Bronx Music Hall Celebrates Grand Opening

The Bronx’s first newly constructed, independent music performance venue in more than 50 years, the Bronx Music Hall (BMH), will open tomorrow in the Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx, kicking off a weekend of events celebrating the grand opening. The $15.4 million, 14,000 square-foot music hall and community cultural center, developed by the nonprofit Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco), is dedicated to honoring, showcasing, and cultivating music, dance, theater, and interdisciplinary arts in the Bronx.

Located at 438 East 163rd Street and part of WHEDco’s Bronx Commons mixed-use development, the BMH features a 250-person capacity performance theater, a grand lobby and exhibition hall, a multipurpose room and dance studio, a green room for performers, a recording studio and post-production room, and amphitheater-style seating in two adjacent plazas for outdoor performances.

Designed to serve an estimated 20,000 community members and visitors annually, the cultural center will offer live music, dance, and spoken word performances, music and dance classes, theater workshops and productions, a youth orchestra, film screenings, art exhibitions, community showcases, and other events. Furthermore, it will foster educational and cultural partnerships, collaborating with dozens of community organizations to inspire community engagement in the arts and to encourage youth to pursue careers in the arts and music.

The state-of-the-art facility is the new home of WHEDco’s Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC), founded in 2010 to preserve and promote Bronx music, cultivate Bronx artists, spur neighborhood revival, and provide free cultural programs for the community. The BMHC’s co-artistic directors Elena Martínez and multi-Grammy nominated percussionist Bobby Sanabria will curate programming at the Bronx Music Hall. The BMHC will also offer its free and low-cost music and dance classes to children, teens, and adults at the BMH.

The BMH will be the preeminent destination for artists to share and for audiences to experience the borough’s unparalleled musical legacy. The evolution of music in the Bronx over the last century has been shaped by social, economic, and cultural trends in the borough and city. Successive waves of migration to the Bronx—Germans, Jews, Puerto Ricans, Irish, West Indian, African American, Garifuna, West African, and Bangladeshi—added rhythms and languages to the soundscape, sometimes merging to form new genres. The Bronx was the birthplace of hip-hop in the 1970s. In the preceding decades, it was an epicenter of doo-wop, R&B, Latin Jazz, and salsa, and the home of dozens of live music venues.

The Grand Opening Weekend kicks off on Friday, October 18 at 5:30 PM with a panel, moderated by Nancy Biberman, WHEDco’s Founder & President Emerita. Following the panel, there will be an opening reception and ribbon-cutting event, including remarks by government officials and others who have supported the development of the Bronx Music Hall. The evening will culminate in musical performances starting at 8:00 PM from Bronx hip-hop legends Grandmaster Caz and MC Sha-Rock, Bronx DJ collective Uptown Vinyl Supreme, and the Afro-Haitian roots music band Kongo.

The festivities will continue Saturday, October 19, at 6:00 PM with a reception and the debut of a new photo exhibit, “The Place to Be: A Decade at the BMHC,” to be followed at 8:00 PM with a program called “Caribbean Sounds: New Orleans to The Bronx,” featuring the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band, joined by guests Janis Siegel, Antoinette Montague, and Jennifer Jade Ledesna, and Ricky Gordon & The Individuals of Peace. Opening weekend will conclude on Sunday October 20, starting at 2:00 PM for Open House New York, followed at 3:00 PM with “African Diaspora in The Bronx” featuring Yawuza Alhassan & the Wuza Wuza Ensemble and GrupoMaburuaña.

The Bronx Music Hall Grand Opening is supported by a $2.6 million grant awarded to the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation from Empire State Development, which includes a $2.3 million capital grant recommended by the New York City Regional Economic Development Council, and $312,000 through I LOVE NY's Market New York program, and a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

For more information about the BMH, to purchase tickets, and to register for classes, visit bronxmusichall.org.

The BMH is the cultural centerpiece of Bronx Commons, WHEDco’s $165 million, award-winning mixed-use development that includes 305 units of affordable housing, 26,700 square feet of retail space, a 150-seat 3-K and pre-K school, and the Melrose Community Access Support and Training Center (CAST).

Davon Russell, President of WHEDco said, “We are delighted to welcome Bronxites and visitors from near and far to experience live performances and immerse themselves in the rich history, diversity, and brilliance of Bronx music,” said. “This state-of-the-art venue is the centerpiece of WHEDco’s Bronx Commons development, embodying our belief that access to the arts is an essential element of thriving, vibrant communities. We take immense pride in expanding cultural offerings in the Bronx, and we are deeply grateful to all of our supporters whose contributions have made this vision a reality.”

Nancy Biberman, WHEDco’s Founder and President Emerita said, "Today marks the culmination of a long journey: countless hours of research and dialogue with neighborhood residents, elected officials, Bronx musicians & historians. Over decades the Bronx produced more popular music than any place in our country for the simple reason that different cultural traditions lived alongside one another. Puerto Ricans and Cubans brought mambo and salsa. West Indians brought calypso. African Americans brought jazz, rhythm and blues and harmonic singing. Garifuna music arrived from Hondurans, Guatemalans, Belizeans & Nicaraguans. Eastern Europeans, Italians and migrants from the African continent settled and brought their own rhythms. The Bronx Music Hall will spotlight the sounds of new Americans from around the globe, as well as Bronx born artists like Prince Royce, Romeo Santos, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, French Montana, and Samara Joy.”

Elena Martínez, Co-Artistic Director of the BMHC said, “Our new home at the Bronx Music Hall provides us with the long-anticipated opportunity to expand our artistic vision and engage larger audiences as we showcase the Bronx’s diverse cultural and musical legacy, in partnership with the borough’s incredible artistic community,”. “This day has been eagerly awaited by our community members, audiences, and artists alike. The Bronx Music Hall stands as a source of pride for everyone involved and represents a major win for the South Bronx.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "The opening of the Bronx Music Hall marks a new chapter in the cultural and economic renaissance of the South Bronx. This project embodies our commitment to supporting vibrant, inclusive communities through strategic investments in the arts and creative industries. This new venue will not only celebrate the borough's incredible musical legacy but also serve as a catalyst for job creation, tourism, and long-term economic growth."

Empire State Development Vice President and Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levi said, "The arts are a vital industry that supports and generates tourism throughout New York State, and I LOVE NY looks forward to promoting the Bronx Music Hall as part of the state's unparalleled cultural offerings. Through the Market New York program, we are investing in capital projects to help create new attractions and experiences that show residents and visitors alike how easy it is to love New York."

NYCREDC Co-Chairs Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, City University of New York Chancellor, and William D. Rahm said, "The Bronx Music Hall exemplifies the type of community-focused development that the Regional Economic Development Councils aim to support. This facility will not only honor the Bronx's musical legacy but also provide vital opportunities for education, employment, and economic growth. The NYCREDC is thrilled to see this project come to fruition and looks forward to its positive impact on the community."